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Growing Our Local Food Economy

Growing Our Local Food Economy. Local Food Economy Work Group Kick-Off March 2006. Collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort involving elected officials from Louisville and surrounding cities and counties, the private sector and assistance from Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

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Growing Our Local Food Economy

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  1. Growing Our Local Food Economy

  2. Local Food Economy Work Group Kick-Off March 2006 Collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort involving elected officials from Louisville and surrounding cities and counties, the private sector and assistance from Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service

  3. Benefits of strong local food economy • Keeps food dollars local, allowing revenues to circulate within our region. • Lower transportation costs • Fresher food, better food • More job opportunities for area residents • Enhanced food security providing a stable food supply for consumers and a stable market for growers.

  4. Researchers hired in 2007 to: • Conduct interviews • Map existing food system • Analyze Kentucky agriculturefocusing on 23 county region • Develop strategies to increase use of local food • Conduct farmer surveys • Analyze most promising concepts • Make recommendations Find the study at www.louisvillefarmtotable.org

  5. $3 billion food market

  6. One recommendation from the study: creation of a broker to move local products into the market 

  7. Project coordinatormade possible by federal dollars, Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, and work group participants, began working formally in June 2009

  8. Sarah Fritschner • Louisville native • UK dietetics grad • 24 years at Louisville newspapers writing about food, restaurants etc

  9. Work Goal • Increasing the demand for farm products • Increasing the capacity of farmers to produce those products

  10. Ultimately To help revive the farm economy and help farmers stay on the farm in spite of tobacco’s decline

  11. How do you increase sales? • Farmers markets? • CSAs? • Restaurants?

  12. 99% of sales are wholesale

  13. An effort to connect schools with regional or local farms in order to serve healthy meals using locally produced foods Farm to school

  14. F2S GOALS To meet the diverse needs of school nutrition programs in an efficient manner To support regional and local farmers and thereby strengthen local food systems To provide support for health and nutrition education

  15. Working with JCPS90,000 meals/day*16,000 fresh produce snacks 3x/wk*last year’s budget $47,483,352.27

  16. First step, meet the farmers

  17. $34K fall 2010 for fresh food at Jefferson County Public Schools

  18. Farm to Higher Ed Working with the University of Louisville to bring more local food on campus Food service: Sodexo Catering: $4 million Off campus: includes stadium

  19. Partnership includes: • Access to 100 business directors • Access to athletes, student organizations • Food delivery service • Workshop for other universities etc.

  20. Work with restaurants • 4 Louisville restaurants • Started with one line that featured Ky Proud • Downtown added another menu item • Highlands added farmers for specials

  21. LFTT workshops • Technical assistance for farmers in cooperation with school lunch administrators • Technical assistants for school lunch administrators in cooperation with farmers

  22. KDA specialty crops grant workshops Large volume buyers: Nov 2010 Healthy Food in Healthcare: Aug 2011 Farm Fresh bus tour: Sept 2011 School food service: Oct 2011 Growing for wholesale: Oct 2011

  23. Barriers to local food purchasing Supply Processing Distribution & Aggregation

  24. Food Supply Needs: • More horticultural crops beyond tomatoes and corn • Extended seasons for specific crops • Extended season for all crops • More expert help with horticulture • Pork, eggs

  25. Processing JCPS is theoretically willing to buy butternut squash. We need a processor.

  26. Processing More slaughter/processing plants A plan for beef: aggregate and cooperate A plan for marketing, including value-added products

  27. Solutions Needed Distribution & Aggregation Food can’t be sold if it can’t be moved

  28. Food Sales $300 Million by 202010% of the Metro MarketTobacco $1 billion at height

  29. Sarah Fritschner Coordinator, Louisville Farm to Table sfritschner@gmail.com 502.396.5457

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