Agriculture of the Middle: New research reports from Ag of the Middle

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New research reports from Ag of the Middle

The Agriculture of the Middle team has released drafts of three research reports, funded by the Rural Development/Cooperative Services program of the USDA. These reports include:

An Analysis of Food-Chain Demand for Differentiated Farm Commodities: Implications for the Farm Sector (final version)

Values-Based & Value-Added Value Chains in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Pacific Northwest

Poultry of the Middle in the U.S.: Implications for Sustainable Producers & Scaling Up

For more information about these draft reports, please contact Steve Stevenson.

What's This About?

This national initiative seeks to renew what is being called the “agriculture-of-the-middle.” This term refers to a disappearing sector of mid-scale farms/ranches and related agrifood enterprises that are unable to successfully market bulk commodities or sell food directly to consumers. Begun as a task force in 2003, the initiative is entering a development phase. The links below will connect you with more information about this work.

A priority research agenda for Agriculture of the Middle
Value chain case studies profile mid-scale food enterprises
New research reports from Ag of the Middle
Ag of the Middle enters development phase
Research and education support
Why worry about the agriculture of the middle?
Case studies
Background reading
Key documents
Task force leadership

Development Phase Coordinating Committee

Development Phase Leadership

Convening chair:
Fred Kirschenmann, Iowa State University
(515) 294-5588
leopold1@iastate.edu

Administrative chair:
Steve Stevenson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
(608) 262-5202
gwsteven@wisc.edu

Committee Members

Kate Clancy, Food Systems Consultant
(301) 887-0399
klclancy@comcast.com

Scott Marlow, Rural Advancement Foundation International
(919) 542-1396
smarlow@rafiusa.org

Robert Simmons, International Certification Services, Inc.
(763) 566-1089
rsimmons@ics-intl.com

Stewart Smith, University of Maine
(207) 581-3174
stewart_smith@umit.maine.edu

Larry Yee, University of California Cooperative Extension
(805) 645-1460
lkyee@ucdavis.edu

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