Central Wisconsin Preliminary Food System Assessment

Central Wisconsin Preliminary Food System Assessment Focusing on Marathon, Portage, Waupaca and Wood Counties May 6, 2015 Authors Kristy SeBlonka, Project Assistant, CLUE Anna Haines, Director and Professor, CLUE Special thanks to CLUE GIS Specialist Dan McFarlane for creating the maps in the report, and UW-Stevens Point student Cassandra Lund for completing the community initiatives table. Advisory Committee Sue Anderson, Farm to School Coordinator, Wood Meleesa Johnson, Solid Waste Director, Marathon County Health Department County Solid Waste Dave Barbier, Sustainability Coordinator, University of Ashley Kienitz, Public Health Educator, Marathon Wisconsin-Stevens Point County Health Department Barb Brewster, Community Programs Specialist, United Joel Kuehnhold, Agriculture Educator, Wisconsin States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rapids Public Schools, and Farmer, Lonely Oak Farm Ryan Brown, Director, Waupaca County Planning and Dennis Lawrence, Executive Director, North Central Zoning Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission Layne Cozzolino, Executive Director, Central Rivers Dan Marzu, Agriculture Development Educator, Farmshed Marathon County UW-Extension Rebecca Frisch, Director, Marathon County Kristie Rauter, Community Health Planner, Wood Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department County Health Department Jason Grueneberg, Director, Wood County Planning Jenny Riggenbach, Chief Collaboration Officer, and Zoning Incourage Community Foundation Jill Hicks, Healthy Beginnings Program Administrator, Nathan Sandwick, Community Development Educator, Portage County UW-Extension, and Co-Chair, Hunger Portage County UW-Extension Poverty and Prevention Partnership of Portage County Karin Sieg, Executive Director, Recycling Connections Stephen Hittner, Owner, Family Natural Foods Sarah Wallace, Planner, Portage County Planning and Kristina Ingrouille, WIC Director, Waupaca County Zoning Health and Human Services Deb Jakubek, Membership Coordinator, Wisconsin Farmers Union Reviewers John Bauknecht, Corporate Attorney, UMOS Madelin Petz, Food Systems Education Outreach Amber Canto, Poverty and Food Security Specialist, Specialist, Wisconsin Center for Environmental UW-Extension Education Chris Holman, Farmer, Nami Moon Farm and Member, Becky Roberts, Land Use Specialist, Center for Land USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Use Education Ranchers Tara Turner, Turners Fresh Market and Wisconsin Food Sandy Liang, Family Living Educator, Waupaca County Hub Cooperative UW-Extension Ying Lee Xiong, Communications Specialist, Lynn Markham, Land Use Specialist, Center for Land Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Use Education Protection Michelle Miller, Associate Director, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems Contents 1. Introduction...........................2 2. Regional Characteristics.......4 3. Food Production....................6 4. Food Processing.................16 5. Food Distribution.................20 6. Local Markets......................22 7. Health and Access..............28 8. Food Residuals...................34 9. Community Initiatives..........38 10. Conclusion........................39 11. Appendices........................40 1 Introduction The Central Wisconsin Food System Assessment is a project of the Center for Land Use Education (CLUE). CLUE works to create learning opportunities for communities to help them make sound land use decisions that result in a sustainable Wisconsin. CLUE is often asked to engage in food systems research and discussions, and has noticed a growing interest in assessment and planning in the central region. The food system includes a diverse range of farm and food businesses and community partners. A growing number of consumers are more interested in the social and environmental impacts of their food, often associated with local food.1 Definitions vary, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes local food as “produced, processed, and distributed within a particular geographic boundary that consumers associate with their own community.” A broader definition looks at the community food system, which can be defined as “one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic and social and nutritional health of a particular place.”2 There are many ways to approach a community food system assessment. This assessment includes four counties: Marathon, Portage, Waupaca and Wood. This region was selected based on regional markets and working relationships. Taking a regional approach can help to think about the economic issues around food systems, including where and how aggregation and distribution can occur. A regional approach also can highlight the commonalities in a region, which may help in marketing. The purpose of the assessment is to provide partners with a concise overview of the regional food system to inform future research and planning. Community Input CLUE asked representatives from the four counties to serve on an advisory committee to oversee the process and provide input on the report. CLUE’s suggested roles for committee members included: attending three meetings, sharing insights and data with CLUE, reviewing drafts of the report, and informing colleagues and partners about the report and using it as appropriate. We also asked select state experts to act as reviewers. Contents of the Report This report is organized into six sections: regional characteristics, food production, food processing, food distribution, local markets for food, community health and food access, and food residuals. The community initiatives section and related appendix includes existing organizations and initiatives related to food system work in the region. A conclusion provides a summary of the report and future assessment opportunities. How to Use This Report The assessment can be The assessment is an initial step to understanding what is going on in used in a number of the Central Wisconsin food system. As such, it provides a base from which communities can engage in future assessment, community and ways: for use in future regional planning and goal setting, grant writing, and other activities. The community and regional summary portion of each section includes future research options and discussion questions that communities can use to build a community-wide planning, in grant understanding of our food system. The report and figures are available for writing, and in other download on the CLUE website. See back cover for Web address. community activities. Data and Its Limitations For the preliminary assessment, the authors relied on secondary data, i.e., data collected by someone else. Many of the data sources are from the U.S. Census, such as the Decennial Census and County Business Patterns, and the USDA’s Census of Agriculture. The authors discuss some of the limitations of each source in each section. Other data was collected from organizations and partners. 1 Martinez, Steve, et al. May 2010. Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues. USDA Economic Research Report 97. 2 Feenstra and Garrett. 1999. Growing a Community Food System. 2 For each figure, map and table, the authors provide an interpretation of the data and points of interest. Readers may see new patterns and interpretations from this data. History of the Region Each community’s food system is impacted by its history. This includes the geology, geography, and climate, cultural heritage, and agricultural experience within our region. The southern portions of Wood, Portage and Waupaca counties are part of the Central Plains. This area is flat and marshy. Acres of Wood and Portage Counties are covered in sandy soil from when Old Glacial Lake Wisconsin receded at the end of the last Ice Age. The northern parts of Wood, Portage and Waupaca counties, and all of Marathon County are part of the Northern Highlands. This area is characterized by rich cropland and heavy clay soil. The Wisconsin River, and broader Central Wisconsin River Basin, passes through Marathon, Portage and Wood counties. Waupaca County is home to the Waupaca Chain of Lakes and the Wolf River. Farming in the region relies heavily on groundwater resources through irrigation. The region draws groundwater from unconfined aquifers. Native Americans have hunted and farmed in Central Wisconsin for centuries. In 1836, tribal lands along the Wisconsin River were transferred to the US government in a treaty.3 European settlers increasingly came to the area to farm. When Wisconsin was founded in 1848, two out of three residents lived on a farm, and the average farm was less than 100 acres in size.4 The US Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of land in Wisconsin.5 After the forested portions were logged, agriculture was expanded. Central Wisconsin had large settlements of German and Scandinavian immigrants, some of whom began dairy farming.6 The first Polish immigrants, primarily farmers, arrived in Portage County in the mid- 1850s and expanded into other areas. Some settled on land obtained through the Homestead Act. During this period, wheat was the main crop, but production in Central Wisconsin shifted to cranberry and produce by the latter half of the century. Industrialization, including the mechanization of agriculture, was occurring at the turn of the century. More people began moving off farms to work in the cities. Wetlands were also drained for agricultural purposes. For example, Portage County’s Buena Vista Marsh

Load more