- Author: Chris M. Webb
Presented by the Ventura County Ag Futures Alliance last month’s agricultural summit set out to increase connections and support between the local agricultural industry and the larger community.
Approximately 250 community stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, distributors, buyers, chefs, policy makers, public health advocates, community planners, and others) attended the Making Connections: How the Local Food Movement Can Support Ventura County Agriculture themed event.
Agriculture is an important part of our local economy. Like any other industry, agriculture has its share of challenges and opportunities. Shared dialog between producers and consumers within our area provides a wonderful bridge to reduce and minimize challenges while finding ways to increase awareness and collaboration. Attendees discussed distribution systems, public health, land use, childhood obesity, urban encroachment, pesticides, labor needs, water, and the need for fresh food education and marketing,
Additional information about the summit, and the issues discussed, can be found at the Ag Innovations Network website, this Ventura County Star article, and this radio piece by KCLU.
Support for this program came from many in the community. Sponsors include the UC Thelma Hansen Fund. The purpose of the Hansen Fund is to support and maintain University research and extension activities for the sustainability and benefit of agriculture and natural resources in Ventura County. A complete list of donors can be found here.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Thanks to the productivity, resiliency and resourcefulness of America’s food producers, United States agriculture is experiencing its most productive period in decades.
From the USDA:
“Today, net farm income is at record levels while debt has been cut in half since the 1980s. Overall, American agriculture supports 1 in 12 jobs in the U.S. and provides American consumers with 86% of the food we consume, while maintaining affordability and choice…Strong agricultural exports are a positive contribution to the U.S. trade balance, support nearly 1 million American jobs and boost economic growth.”
In an effort to provide additional support and opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers, the USDA has expanded some of their programs. To learn more about these programs, please visit this webpage.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Across the nation food producers are turning to alternative energy to run their operations. In addition to saving money some producers are able to sell excess energy, increasing revenue.
The USDA currently operates four programs to assist in achieving energy independence.
- The Biorefinery Assistance Program provides loan guarantees for the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial-scale biorefineries.
- The Repowering Assistance Program provides payments to eligible biorefineries to replace fossil fuels used to produce hear or power to operate the biorefineries with renewable biomass.
- The Advanced Biofuel Payment Program provides payment to producers to support and expand production of advanced biofuels refined from sources other than corn kernel starch.
- The Rural Energy for America Program provides assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to complete a variety of projects, including renewable energy systems, energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy development, energy audits, and feasibility studies.
To learn more about the programs, please visit this webpage.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Committed to the future of rural communities, the USDA Rural Development agency has many programs designed to strengthen communities.
While most support targets rural locations, not all programs have population caps. Program areas include: business and economic development; renewable energy; community development; water and waste disposal; housing; and education.
A catalog of loans, grants and technical assistance for these programs is available. Additional USDA Rural Development information can be found at their website.
I will be out of the office the week of February 20 and will post a new article for you when I return on February 27.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The recent LA Times article, Farm Team: Two chefs spend a year at Windrose Farm, lending labor and know-how, and learning from the ground up is an interesting and entertaining article related to the business of farming.
Farmers are busy, multi-talented people. They must have skills in a wide variety of areas for their business to survive. As the LA Times article explains slight adjustments in operations have the potential to make a profound difference on the bottom line.
UC’s Farm Business and Market Place has many resources to help food producers strengthen their business. Including:
- Customer Service and Relationships
- Building trust with consumers
- I’m right and you’re wrong: Do’s and don’ts in customer service
- Selling strategies for local food producers
- Strategies to attract and keep customers
- Promotion & Branding
- Adding value to agriculture: Branding and certification
- Building your brand
- Creating a winning display for your farm products
- Reputation as your brand
- Budgeting
- Projecting costs and returns – enterprise budgeting
- Cost and return studies
- Determining prices for CSA share boxes
- Enterprise budgets – 100 foot rows
- Partial budgeting
- Using enterprise budgets to make decisions about your farm
- Marketing Channels & Strategies
- A guide to understanding the value chain
- Adding value to farm products: An overview
- An overview of Small Farm direct marketing
- Bringing local food to local institutions
- Community supported agriculture
- Direct marketing of farm produce and home goods
- Guide to marketing channel selection: How to sell through wholesale and direct market channels
- Marketing 101
- Marketing alternatives for fresh produce
- Marketing strategies for farmers and ranchers
- New markets for your crops (available in Spanish)
- Niche market pricing and strategies for maintaining price
- Pricing for profit
- Selling directly to restaurants and retailers
- Selling to institutions: An Iowa Farmer’s guide
- Selling to Restaurants
- Strategic marketing management: Building a foundation for your future
- Value added agriculture: Is it right for me?
- What are niche markets? What advantages do they offer?