The Pork Niche Marketing Working Group has released a new alternative swine system guide for Managing Herd Health.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a $500.000 grant to the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative.
The Henry A. Wallace Center at Winrock International has awarded a $500,000 grant to continue this project for another three years! Read the news release.
The Regional Food Systems Working Group has selected communities in northeast, southwest and southeast Iowa to build new markets and more effective networks for selling sustainably raised Iowa foods. The communities will receive grants totaling $50,000 and technical assistance over the next year. Read the news release.
The Pork Niche Market Working Group has lots of new materials for producers interested in Berkshire pork. See their reports page.
Challenges faced by small and midsize food businesses when they work with a large distributor are outlined in this project with SYSCO Corporation that was funded by the Regional Food Systems Working Group. Read the final report from this project. [PDF]
The economic impact of an ethanol plant varies by the amount of local investment. Read about this project, funded by the BioEconomy Working Group.
VCP is supported by the Henry A. Wallace Center at Winrock International, and has been supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Food Systems Higher Education-Community Partnership. Project partners are the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa State University Extension, and the ISU Colleges of Agriculture and Business.