Coalition details plans to grow Iowa's taste for local food

Over 22 million acres — nearly 75% of Iowa’s land in agricultural production — are dedicated to growing two crops: corn and soybeans. By comparison, 12,650 acres are used for vegetables, fruit and berry production.

The Iowa Food System Coalition says this lack of diversity is a missed opportunity. It recently released a plan, Setting the Table for All Iowans , to support edible crop production, small food businesses and consumers in the state.

The coalition is made up of more than 40 partners across Iowa, representing farmers and government, food banks and universities.

Executive Director Chris Schwartz said the plan details what needs to be done to “have a food system that is more local, that is more nutritious, that is more environmentally sustainable, and is more just for people doing the work.”

Between the farm and the fork

Giselle Bruskewitz, senior program director at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development, said demand for local food has been on an upward trend over the last decade. But more support is needed across the supply chain.

One of the nine priorities in the plan is boosting infrastructure to process, transport and distribute food to people in Iowa.

“We’re talking about small grain processing, rural grocery stores getting the infrastructure that they need, vegetables that can be processed at scale so that schools and other institutions can buy them,” Bruskewitz said.

According to Bruskewitz, this also includes investing in more refrigerated trucks and food hubs, which aggregate and distribute local products. Iowa’s network of food hubs serves nearly 70% of the state’s counties.

Another aspect is connecting people to equipment to make value-added products, like hot sauce, tofu and apple cider, and helping them navigate regulations and licenses to sell their products.

“Once these small and mid-scale businesses can get access to the infrastructure that they need, then they can start to serve their communities in the way that they need to and grow their businesses. So, this middle of the supply chain is a really big piece of what we need to be investing in,” Bruskewitz said.

The plan also calls for more support in business development and incentives to adopt practices that protect Iowa’s soil, water and air.

Aaron Lehmann, president of the Iowa Farmers Union Board of Directors, said improving access to land and supporting younger producers is another priority.

“We know that the oldest generation of Iowans own over two thirds of Iowa's farmland. In order to build out our leadership roles, we need to invest in those opportunities for a more diverse and younger set of leadership opportunities for people in farming,” Lehmann said.

Next steps

The coalition members say next steps include ongoing outreach to state legislators.

Tommy Hexter, director of the Grinnell Farm to Table Food Hub and a rural organizer of the Iowa Farmers Union, said earlier this year members of the coalition worked with lawmakers to launch the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program .

“It's a $300,000 investment from the state of Iowa so that farmers can sell directly to schools and food pantries,” Hexter said. “And as we collaborate across different sectors, with schools and state agencies and farmers, we will continue working to build out this policy.”

As the coalition works to implement its plan over the next decade, Schwartz said an outside evaluator will collect data to track progress.