Mobile Poultry Processing Unit Planning Meeting

Research Services Bldg. Room 130

OARDC Wooster Campus

Work is progressing to develop an ODA approved mobile poultry processing unit. A large working group has met several times to brainstorm how a mobile unit and management system could be implemented. We toured the mobile unit that has just been built in Galion, Ohio, that will be shipped to the state of Vermont.

Per the conversation at the last Agricultural Viability task force meeting here are two definitions of agricultural economic development for your consideration.  The first is a sythesis of ideas from this group and the second is from Ohio State University.

Below are the minutes for the August meeting of the Ohio Food Policy Council's Agricultural Viability Task Force

One more paper on food system distribution, this is the most detailed study I've found of energy use in food distribution.  It was done with the specific intent of comparing local and global food distibution.  This may be a question we want to address and regardless the methods could be useful to the food systems assessment task force.  I think it may also be useful to the Ag Viability and Market Connections task forces.  If you're reading this as an email, just click the link next to "Read More:" to download the attached paper, if you're already on the OLFSC site, the attachment

Here are two more papers, preprints, sent to me by Mike Hamm, the CS Mott Chair at MSU, addressing impacts of local food systems on economic development as well as public health.

The attachments to this posting are a few of the papers that address the role of local food systems in economic development, for reference use by the agricultural viability task force.  I've included the abstracts for a "readers digest" version.  If you've received this by email, please click the "read more" link in the message to see and download the attachments.

The minutes from the July meeting of the Ohio Food Policy Council's Agricultural Viability task force are attached for review. Please feel free to share your ideas with the group.  Included are three recommendations that were presented to the full Council.  Two of the three recommendations will be presented to the Governor's office.

Each  month we will post the meetings of the previous month - after they have been approved by the task force.

Thank you, 

Amalie  

Attached are the meeting minutes for the Ohio Food Policy Council Agricultural Viability Task Force.

These are posted to the Ohio Local Food Systems Collaborative site so the public can view the workings and progress of the task force. If you have additional resources or information that can help further the work of the council or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Amalie Lipstreu, 614.466.6198

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service OHIO data (County Summary Highlights: 2002; Table 1)

Data provided at state-level but available at county-level.

OHIO FARMS 77,797

Ohio farms by size:

1-9 acres: 7,471 (10%)

10-49 acres: 23,261 (30%)

50-179 acres: 27,427 (35%)

180-499 acres: 12,615 (16%)

500-999 acres: 4,309 (6%)

1000+ acres: 2,714 (3%)

Ohio farms by value of sales:

Less than $2,500: 28,918 (37%)

$2,500 to $2,999: 9,022 (12%)

$5,000 to $9,999: 8,718 (11%)

Selected Excerpts from USDA website:

A farm classification developed by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) categorizes farms into more homogeneous groupings for reporting and evaluation purposes. The typology is based largely on farm sales, organization, and the farm operator's primary occupation.

Here's another definition of sustainable agriculture and the academic article that it came from is attached. It is one of the more recent and comprehensive summaries I've found of the mountains of literature on sustainable agriculture and how to measure sustainability.

Here is a definition of local food systems to add to a local food system glossary of terms :

systems where there are adequate opportunities and adequate infrastructure for food producers to sell their goods to local people and insititutions.

The Agricultural Viability Task Force of the Ohio Food Policy will be meeting from 1:30-3:30 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg. This is part of the Food Policy Council's ongoing work to protect Ohio farmland and water resources by encouraging the growth of food products in Ohio.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Amalie Lipstreu, Senior Program Manager for Sustainable Agriculture at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, 614.466.6198.

See the news link from the Cleveland Plain Dealer below for details of a national chain restaurant committment to local purchasing.

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/06/chipotle_to_begin_buying_ohiog.html

Amalie Lipstreu

This is a test of the Agricultural Viability Task Force broadcasting system. This is also an opportunity to share information, ideas and... oh yes, definitions of nebulous terms. So I shared one definition of sustainable agriculture at our meeting this week. Here is another shared with me from my OARDC friends.

Please use the following link to indicate your availability for the first meeting of the Agricultural Viability task force. Also, please indicate if you have a suggestion for a location or your ability to host a phone conference.

http://www.doodle.ch/participation.html?pollId=8wkg2hpuusztmfbv

Thank you,

Amalie Lipstreu

Working groups for the Ohio Food Policy Advisory Council Task Forces have been set up and you are subscribed to one or more of them. You'll need to login and then select the task force under the groups or Your Groups menu to post messages to the members of this task force. The description of the task force mission was from the draft and will be updated based on today's meeting. If you have been subscribed to a task force in error or wish to join another task force please let me know