We planned to address financial challenges and market uncertainty of small, specialty crop growers by developing and hosting educational workshops on direct marketing and sales relationships; a Meet the Buyer event; and a community wide Local Food Leaders event. Additionally, we pledged to conduct an institutional buying pilot in year one, and a CSA pilot in year two.
Participation in all of our educational events exceeded expectations and resulted in a core group of 10 growers strengthening their interpersonal relationships, building trust, and committing to a cooperative business model for launching a new multi-farm CSA, a summer Farmers Market, and a winter retail market to further mitigate their financial risk. At project conclusion, they had already grown to 40 members with a waiting list.
We had meaningful impact with 12 in-home daycare centers in the CSA pilots. In year one our preferred vendor served 4 subscribers in a pilot project with MSU Extension, and with additional funding support in year two, it grew to 12 subscribers (three duplicate count) and 6 farms. Participants rated their overall satisfaction with the multi-farm CSA a 5.6 (on a scale of 1 to 6, six being the highest)
Approximately 17 staff at senior centers, restaurants and schools were impacted in our institutional buying pilot, but with a 50% reduction in sales in year two due to one district ending their summer school program. Six distinct entities in three different counties purchased locally grown products from farmers enrolled in the program.
We impacted an additional 15 local farms by purchasing their protein and vegetables for event meals.
Enrollment in LFL 101 met expectations, but of the four registered for LFL 201, none completed the online course and no one registered for Facilitator certification. The participants continue to be involved in building a regional food system.