Fruit, vegetable and flower farmers in iowa face substantial challenges

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded Practical Farmers of Iowa a $263,180 Project Grant under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. The grant will support specialty crop producers in Iowa through three key initiatives. First, it will enhance direct-to-consumer markets by increasing consumer knowledge and enthusiasm for local food opportunities. Second, it will provide market evaluation and business coaching to equip individual farmers to grow their markets, businesses and profits. Third, it will disseminate lessons learned to growers across the state through PFI channels. Specifically, the grant aims to reach 200,000 Iowans through outreach and directly engage 480 farmers through one-on-one consultation and educational events on market development best practices. The goal is for farmers to increase their knowledge and make changes to improve the supply and demand of direct-to-consumer specialty crops in Iowa.

The distribution, risk management and financial tools, products and advisors for specialty crop and local foods are under- resourced - particularly compared to conventional row-crop agriculture in the state. At the same time, the on-farm product and marketing diversity required to make a living with local food production requires intensive management. Despite the myriad challenges they face, there is a strong constituency of specialty crop farmers in iowa who are committed to growing local food for their communities. They have the motivation, work ethic and potential to increase the sale and consumption of fruits and vegetables in communities across iowa. This project,"strengthening markets and business practices for direct-to-consumer specialty crop producers in iowa," proposes to support specialty crop producers in iowa by: 1) enhancing direct-to- consumer markets through increased consumer knowledge and enthusiasm about local food opportunities,2) providing market evaluation and business coaching to equip individual farmers to grow their markets, businesses and profits and 3) disseminating what they learn to growers across the state through PFI channels. We anticipate that we will reach 200,000 iowans through our first objective which includes a robust, diversified outreach campaign. We anticipate we will directly reach 480 farmers with our second and third objectives: 14 will receive one-on-one consultation, and 480 will attend educational events about market development. These farmers will increase their knowledge and make changes to improve the market supply and demand of direct-to-consumer specialty crops in iowa.