The Shape of a System in Transition
The production, consumption, and infrastructure of the Dane County food system are complex and multi-faceted, yet the challenges that face each of these areas overlap and intersect. Currently, our food system is shaped by the potential to produce significant amounts of food yet the vast majority of the land is used for commodity crops. Meanwhile, structural challenges have emerged related to the rising costs of farmland and lack of necessary infrastructure to sustainably support small- and mid-scale producers. This is leading to an insufficient supply of local food for some segments of the population and persistent food insecurity for others.
Current Environment
Agricultural Abundance
Dane County’s fertile soils make it one of the most productive agricultural counties in the country.
Commodity Crop Dominance
Nearly all of that land grows corn and soybeans destined for global markets, not food for local residents.
Structural Challenges
Farmland Loss & Rising Costs
Development pressure and rising land prices are shrinking the farmland base and squeezing farmers’ margins.
Fewer Small- & Mid-Scale Producers
As costs rise and agricultural land disappears, fewer small- and mid-scale farmers can afford to stay in business.
Missing Middle Infrastructure
Without regional aggregation, cold storage, or processing facilities, locally grown food cannot efficiently reach buyers.
Community Impacts
Insufficient Local Food Supply
Institutions and retailers that want local food cannot find enough of it, and turn to national distributors instead.
Food Access Gaps
Many low-income residents live far from grocery stores, with limited access to affordable, healthy food.
Persistent Food Insecurity
Thousands of Dane County residents struggle to reliably access enough food, even as farmland surrounds them.
Through this analysis, three Core Tensions have emerged, highlighting the structural issues facing our food system. These are the economic and logistical challenges that the Dane County Food System Action Plan hopes to address.
Core Tension #1: Agricultural Abundance vs. Rising Food Insecurity
Dane County’s production and consumption landscapes are a study in stark contrasts. On one hand, fertile soil and agricultural traditions allow for significant food production. On the other hand, much of that soil is not being put into food production for the tens of thousands of people struggling to reliably have enough healthy, affordable food to eat. Producers throughout the region are capable of growing more food for humans—as opposed to commodities—but are not in a position to do so because of misaligned financial incentives and the lack of infrastructure needed to connect this food with the people who can use it.
Food banks and pantries were historically designed for short-term crisis intervention, but systemic factors such as low wages, high housing costs, inadequate childcare, and limited healthcare have made food insecurity a chronic experience for many. Unfortunately, emergency food infrastructure remains under-resourced relative to the persistently high level of demand. Cold storage deficits, space limitations, staffing/volunteer demands, and gleaning networks in transition mean that Dane County is tenuously positioned to respond to the next climate, economic, or political crisis.
Without addressing the root causes of food insecurity and the underlying infrastructure needs that would allow for better connections between producers and consumers, the emergency food system will continue to absorb demand it was never designed to meet and the structural inequities will remain unresolved. Increasing storage and distribution opportunities and reducing the waste of edible food would help reduce food insecurity, connect our agricultural abundance to those who need it most, and ensure future resilience.
Core Tension #2: Disconnected Local Food Supply and Demand
Dane County residents have an extremely high level of interest in the production and sale of local food across all income levels. Farms and farmers’ markets are viewed as more than just producers and sources of food; they are a source of social cohesion, and community-building. While higher-income households might have plentiful access to local foods, it is the institutional buyers who can provide local food to the entire community while simultaneously providing stable markets for farmers.
Unfortunately, there remains a disconnect between the institutional demand for local food and the food system’s capacity to meet it. Despite high potential production capacity, some of the institutions that want more local foods are unable to find enough to meet specific uses. Most institutions have a desire to purchase more local foods but are looking for convenient ordering and delivery options. Most importantly they are looking for products that are minimally processed or shelf stable to reduce the storage space or labor costs associated with preparing raw fruits and vegetables. Without these products, institutions are more likely to work with national distributors to import the products they need.
This is a frustrating paradox: a county with thousands of acres of farmland where the vast majority of production is exported to commodity markets rather than feeding local residents, even as institutions and consumers actively seek more local food. Developing the social and physical infrastructure that more efficiently and effectively connects local products with local buyers will help to improve these outcomes.
Core Tension #3: Community Control vs. Consolidation
Consolidation is reshaping every sector of the Dane County food system. Larger financial entities and commodity growing operations are absorbing farmland that once supported the small-scale production of a diversity of products. Multi-state corporate food processors and global distributors are crowding out the mid-scale retail options that local producers need to sell their products.
With each instance of consolidation, control over product availability, pricing, retail shelf space available for local products, and proximity of access transfers further out of our community. Consolidated markets create risk-averse producers that are more inclined to grow commodity and monoculture crops with heavy chemical inputs or livestock and dairy operations that use hormones and antibiotics to ensure high yields. Food deserts emerge when larger entities decide to close stores that are underperforming compared to national metrics, whereas a local operator may be more committed to making a neighborhood business work.
Over time, consolidation changes what is available for consumers to buy, reshapes taste preferences, and permanently alters the demand for local products. As consolidation accelerates, competition declines and food prices increase.
Investing in locally owned infrastructure, products, and businesses will ensure those assets resist the forces of consolidation and reflect our community’s food system values.
The Core Tensions that define Dane County’s food system represent potential threats to a thriving future if left unresolved, yet they also present opportunities for intervention in reshaping our food system to better serve us all.