Goal 2 – Production
Increasing Production of Food in Dane County, Prioritizing the Needs of Local Consumers
The future of Dane County’s agricultural sector lies in its ability to transition away from production for global commodity markets toward a resilient local food economy that centers the people who live within it. The vision is an agricultural system that develops new farmers and supports independent operations specifically dedicated to growing food for human consumption. Diversifying our production can protect producers from macro-economic trends, climate change, and other challenges of monoculture while also strengthening our community food security.
Central to this transition is the opportunity for institutional integration. “Farm to institution” programs create tremendous opportunities to directly benefit local producers by increasing demand for their products. Expanding these efforts beyond the schools, hospitals, and the select few businesses that currently participate will create reliable, high-volume markets and the financial security necessary for farmers to diversify away from commodities and grow food for people instead of livestock feed and fuel additives.
Dane County must continue to lead in conservation and land access innovation by scaling existing success stories. Expanding access to land will increase innovation and output while providing entry points for new and historically underserved producers who are currently priced out of the private land market.
Strategies
1. Increase Land Access for Local Food Production
Survey responses indicate that one of the largest barriers to entry for careers in agriculture is access to land. Private ownership of existing farmland in a community where property values have risen sharply in recent years makes it difficult for those interested in entering the field to get started unless they have inherited property or have the capital to make an initial investment. Beyond subsidizing the cost of land ownership, some local solutions that have already been attempted include activating publicly-owned land for food production and models of collaborative farming.
Actions
- Increase access to larger agricultural plots on City- and County-owned land for local food production.
- Create and expand access to collaborative farming opportunities where individual or organizational land owners work with those seeking land access.
- Increase support for programs designed to offset costs for systemically-excluded populations, such as organic certification or new farmer initiatives.
- Encourage application of best practices for urban access to green and growing space to new housing and business developments.
- Expand opportunities for urban agriculture on public land, and private spaces like lawns and rooftops.
- Expand community gardens for personal use or to meet the need of food pantries.
2. Increase Support for Small Farm Owners
Large producers are important to the health of Dane County’s agricultural economy as exporters, employers, and drivers of investment in technology and innovation. Still, agricultural subsidies and crop insurance programs often encourage large entities to focus on monoculture commodity crops and at the expense of diverse, local products that grow well in our region. Given national trends toward farm consolidation and the rising costs of farm ownership that are increasingly leading to bankruptcy, it is imperative to increase local efforts to support small farm owners.
Actions
- Develop programs to offset fixed costs of farm ownership and expansion.
- Provide connection to existing resources for technical assistance on agricultural topics, particularly through UW–Madison Extension resources.
- Survey producers on needs for technical assistance that are not currently available.
- Develop farmer training and farm incubation projects to support growth of agricultural skills and reduce barriers to entry for those interested in learning the field.
- Explore opportunities for innovative use of space, such as agrovoltaics that allow for food production alongside solar energy collection.
- Raise awareness of opportunities to provide public comment and input on federal rulemaking and legislative processes like the Farm Bill.
3. Expand Market Access for Local Foods
One way to increase the economic viability of local agriculture is to support innovation in the development of new marketplaces and increasing access to existing markets for the sale of local products. This can include lightly processed or raw produce, dairy, and meat. It can also include support for value-added services and functions that can extend the life of local products and make them more viable for sale in institutional or retail spaces. This type of innovation previously helped develop and expand CSAs as a tool to diversify farm revenues, and continued innovation can help to stabilize revenue streams for producers.
Actions
- Expand “farm to institution” initiatives that create linkages and address barriers between local producers and schools, hospitals, food pantries, and other businesses.
- Support development of skills and investment in equipment for value-added production methods that can increase storage or appeal of local products.
- Strengthen connections between local retailers and local producers.
- Support growers and value-added producers to partner with marketing programs like Something Special from Wisconsin and Dane Buy Local.
4. Increase Consumer Experiences With Regional Food Products
Sustainably increasing the supply of local food requires an accompanying increase in demand so that producers can be profitable and sustain their operations. Taste preferences, particularly in children, can be expanded through exposure to different types of foods. For older children and adults, this can also lead to training on how to prepare and preserve foods that thrive in our region.
Actions
- Expand school- and community-based programs that offer opportunities to grow and try local fruits and vegetables.
- Increase distribution of resources and training for families to learn how to prepare local ingredients.
- Create a website that hosts digital resources available to consumers related to accessing nutritious, local food.