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• Getting beef certified organic requires organic grain which is very expensive. <br /> • Disconnect between growing produce and cooking/canning it. <br /> • Inspection & certification add cost to producing the crop. <br /> • Using "locally grown" sticker will increase sales. <br /> • Must establish market before growing so that you know what will sell. <br /> • Insistence on natural fertilizers is not good in all instances. Some insecticides <br /> are safer than natural fertilizers. <br /> Moving along the value chain: Food innovation centers and markets <br /> Facilitated by Michael DiRamio, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce <br /> • The value chain is the food system infrastructure that includes all segments from <br /> producing through processing, distribution and wholesaling, food service, and <br /> retail. Some of these elements may be combined at food hubs, community <br /> kitchens, and mobile processing units. <br /> • Community colleges are particularly well placed for training for this infrastructure <br /> because new farmers seem more interested in it (the whole food chain)than <br /> longer-time practitioners. Good for colleges to make students aware of the risks <br /> and opportunities of food-related microenterprise. <br /> • Some colleges, like Northern Michigan State College around alternative energy, <br /> have established innovation funds to support new entrepreneurial endeavors that <br /> spin out of the college and its faculty and students. There was some interest in <br /> this idea as might relate to the idea of food innovation centers. <br /> • Workforce coordinators in extension trying to bring awareness to farmers as to <br /> what value-added processing could mean for them, can refer them to the training <br /> available in local college. <br /> • Colleges can use peer-to-peer learning, shown to be a good educational vehicle <br /> for entrepreneurs/farmers. <br /> • Colleges might devise system of response to farmers regarding market design, <br /> maybe working cooperatively with extension. <br /> • Need perspectives on building blocks (what's needed in creation of the business) <br /> as well as business plan (where headed and what we expect) with flexibility to <br /> adjust to shifting economic environment <br /> • Recognize that entrepreneur must fit into a system. A food hub must have at <br /> least three parts: wholesaler, distributor, and kitchen. <br /> • Curriculum is needed for food preservation courses. Must advocate for it first to <br /> create market. Such training would make use of food incubator more efficient <br /> reducing hourly rental costs. <br /> • Need access to credit of different types. Shorebank Pacific's most successful <br /> loans were small and food-related ($4-$5K). Need assistance to go through <br /> process, but assistance should not push entrepreneur further than ready to go <br /> • Innovation fund can invest and train <br /> • Wallace funds community food enterprises, mostly urban, but some rural, <br /> sometimes via re-granting. Leopold Center has good model of grants for food <br /> enterprises that include meeting with each other (social capital) <br /> • Need way to offset the rental cost ($25/hour) of food innovation centers <br /> 10 <br />