Good Food for All

Fruit and Vegetable Study Reveals Significant Potential for New Jobs and Increased Income in Illinois

Illinois could gain more than 5400 jobs and over $988 million in retail sales through increased production and marketing of 28 types of fruits and vegetables for local consumption according to a major study of the economic potential of increased fruit and vegetable production in the upper Midwest. 

The same analysis shows that if local fruit and vegetable production were focused on the state's nearby major metro areas, including St. Louis, the potential gain could be approximately 4,100 jobs and over $783 million in retail sales. 

The study, done by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and funded in part by Fresh Taste, reveals that meeting our entire statewide need for fruits and vegetables would require only about 69,000 acres of land, or just 0.3 percent of the state's 23.7 million acres of cropland. Just under 50,000 acres would be needed for the urban center option. 

To download the full press release,  click here. 

To read the full AP story, click here. 

The Leopold Center study is the first multi-state study in the upper Midwest to examine the potential economic benefits of fruit and vegetable production on a scale that would meet the needs of consumers in each of the six states.  Download the full report here. 

Daily Digest: Season Extension, National Fresh Food Financing Initiative and Good Food, Good Jobs Program

University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center monitored and tracked organic vegetable production in high tunnels this past year.  

The White House also installed a winter garden with the help of USDA.  More locally, Angelic Organics Learning Center will be offering workshops on season extension in February and March. 

Two initiatives were put forth this week regarding access to healthy food and workforce development. 

1) The National Fresh Food Financing Initiative:  Legislation was introduced to Congress in support of creating an economically sustainable solution for improving access to fresh and healthy food. 

2) "Good Food, Good Jobs: Turning Food Deserts into Job Oases" is a new report by Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.  The report calls for the creation of a Good Food, Good Jobs program that would increase investment to food-related workforce development initiatives, food processing and urban aquaponics. 

Daily Digest: Urban Agriculture Tour Re-cap, Roadside Advertising, and Local vs. Conventional Produce

On Nov. 19, legislators took a tour of urban farm sites in Chicago. Watch the WTTW recap on Chicago Tonight. 

Want to find out how much your produce travels? GOOD produced this graphical analysis of local vs. conventional produce based on data from Iowa. 

Ken Meter's work on "Mapping Minnesota's Food Industry" is profiled in Civil Eats. 

"Roadside Advertising in a Digital Age" webinar is available online until Dec. 19. 

Watch the "Grown in Detroit" trailer about The Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, which offers agricultural training to young pregnant teens. 

Trailer 'Grown in Detroit' from Mascha Poppenk on Vimeo.

Daily Digest: French Market at Ogilvie, Local Foods Farming Course, and Hillside Farmers Co-op

Last week, Chicago's first French Market opened at Ogilvie Transportation Center.  The market will take place year-round, featuring 25-30 local artisans. 

John Wood Community College in Quincy, IL is offering a Local Foods Farming Course.  

Edible Twin Cities features an article on the Hillside Farmers Co-op, which is developing a network of Latino-owned free-range poultry operations. 

What does "sustainable food" mean to restaurants? 

Listen to this audio clip on Young Farmers in America, featured on WNYC. 

(Photo: Hillside Farmers Cooperative, Inc.) 

Daily Digest: Community Food Security Conference, Mapping Food Systems, and Ag News

At the 13th Annual Community Food Security Coalition Conference in Des Moines, IA, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack spoke about building infrastructure to support local and regional food systems.  For a re-cap of the CFSC conference visit Neighborhood Nutrition Centers and Epicurean Ideal. 

The New York Times Magazine's Food Issue came out this past weekend. Read the articles, including Michael Pollan's Food Rules, here. 

Public Radio International is re-airing "Five Farms: Stories from American Farm Families."  Listen to the five, one-hour documentaries here. 

Crossroads Resource Center recently published a report on Mapping the Minnesota Food System.

Department of Justice is investigating Monsanto on anti-trust violations in the U.S. seed industry.

A Chicago hot dog restaurant, which employs ex-offenders, is gaining national attention. 

Latino farmers are suing the USDA over racial discrimination in trying to access loans. 

A new potato on the market? Perhaps.  

Canadian hog farmers are concerned about the new U.S. regulation on COOL (Country of Origin Labeling).  

Daily Digest: Food for All, Saving Bees, and Organic Farm Performance

The September 21 issue of The Nation, 'Food for All', features an article on food justice written by LaDonna Redmond, who notes that the use of language is an important component of food justice work.  Other articles include those of Michael Pollan, Anne Lappe and Alice Waters. 

Growing Home has a new video, featuring GH interns and their stories, the history of Englewood, and the transformative power of urban agriculture. (via Mother Nature Network). 

The New York Times has compiled researchers' comments on CCD, or colony collapse disorder.  

The July/August issue of WorldWatch magazine focuses on the economics of local food systems.  Click here for a preview. 

The Time for Lunch campaign is organizing a National Day of Action on Monday, Sept. 7.  To sign the petition for real food in schools, click here.  Eat-Ins will be taking place across the country.  Waters School in Chicago will be hosting one on Monday from 12-3 pm. 

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy created a Smart Guide on hormones in the food system. 

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture released its 2008 Organic Farm Performance report, detailing the cost of production and profitability of organic farms in Minnesota.