Welcome Food &
Agriculture Friends.

We are gladly welcoming spring in eastern Nebraska which means trees are leafed out, plates are filling up with fresh greens from the early season CSA boxes, birds are chirping and the farmers markets are opening, and some of my favorites, asparagus and rhubarb, are in season. The spring winds signal changes too.

We are approaching a post-pandemic society, faster than many might like to see, I’d argue. Each of us have been touched by COVID-19 in one capacity or another, and we now begin the task of determining what parts of life return to “normal.” 2020 exposed the fragility of our food system but it also revealed some silver linings as we pivoted. The awareness of the interconnectedness of our food system, and the growth of interest in purchasing local food are two that I’ve seen appear in news articles and research here and here and here, and heard discussed in conversations over the past year.

¹Consumer Food Buying Habits in a Pandemic. Harvie, 2021.

Even prior to the pandemic though, consumer preferences were increasingly leaning toward organic food and marketing channels were experiencing an increase in local and regional procurement. Whether it was the pace of daily life that came screeching to a halt, the improved technologies and efficiencies for food pick up and delivery, the closure of restaurant establishments, the raised concerns over food safety and virus spread, the interruption of the supply chains, or all of the above, local food interest and purchasing was up in 2020, and that trend continues to increase with the 2021 growing season₁. These trends will boost our local communities to become stronger and more resilient as a result.

What habits from the pandemic are you choosing to continue into post-COVID society?

In gratitude,
The Nebraska Regional Food Systems team

Events

Listen Up!

Happenings

INAUGURAL FARM TO SCHOOL INSTITUTE
- Hosted by Nebraska Extension

Nebraska Extension is partnering with the Nebraska Department of Education to bring the first ever farm to school institute to our state. Held virtually the week of June 14th, the Institute will feature speakers from Nebraska and around the country who will provide examples of inspiring farm to school programs, giving participants an opportunity to learn and engage with each speaker.

The purpose of the Nebraska Farm to School Institute is to prepare Nebraska schools for deeper engagement in farm to school (F2S) work. Eight Nebraska farm to school teams have been accepted to the Institute, and they will participate in workshops throughout the week of the Institute. Each farm to school team will work to develop F2S action plans specific to their community and school district. These action plans will be implemented during the 2021-2022 school year.

Additionally, farm to school coaches will join the Institute to provide teams with support and technical assistance, and will continue to provide technical assistance over the course of the school year.

This project is funded by an USDA Farm to School grant awarded to Nebraska Department of Education, in partnership with Nebraska Extension.

The eight teams joining for this first Institute include: Banner County Schools, Gering Public Schools, UmonHon Nation Public Schools, Pius X (Lincoln), Southern Public Schools (Wymore), Humboldt-Tablerock-Steiner Consolidated School district, Burwell Schools, and Overton Public Schools.

Keynote speakers for the Institute include: Betsy Rosenbluth, Vermont FEED; Kendal Chavez, New Mexico Department of Education; Raquel Vigil, Edible Schoolyard, Berkeley, CA; and Kimberley Donna, Georgia Organics. Additional speakers and panelists from Nebraska organizations include, The Big Garden, Whispering Roots, No More Empty Pots, Green School Farms, Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, the Center for Rural Affairs, and Beyond School Bells.

For more information about the Institute and Extension’s farm to school work, visit our website at: foodsystems.unl.edu/farm-to-school

DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS IS EXPANDING

Double Up Food Bucks is a win for families, farmers & communities. Families shouldn’t have to choose between going hungry and eating healthy. With Double Up Food Bucks, they don’t have to! Partnering with locally owned businesses and farmers markets, Double Up helps combat food insecurity, raise local farmer’s income, and increase purchases at Nebraska-owned retailers by increasing their customer base. This strengthens the local economy and makes fresh produce more accessible so the whole community benefits!

For every $2 a SNAP recipient spends off of their EBT card on fresh fruits and vegetables, they receive $2 to spend on MORE fresh fruits and veggies, up to $20 a day, so participants can bring home DOUBLE the produce. SNAP recipients are automatically eligible for the program when they visit a participating location.

“Double Up reduces barriers for SNAP recipients to support local farmers and grocery stores. The 2017 Rural Poll showed that many people drive to the nearest big box store for groceries, even when they have a local grocery store in their neighborhood. Price is almost always the reason why. Double Up allows grocers and farmers to get a fair price for their produce AND SNAP customers still get to stretch their food dollar while eating healthfully.” -Vanessa Wielenga, Nebraska Extension, DUFB Program Coordinator.

Double Up Food Bucks is in the process of expanding into communities throughout Nebraska! Thanks to a recently awarded USDA GusNIP grant, communities are creating local coalitions to implement the program in their area! Check our map to see if your community already has a coalition formed. If your community is not yet shaded, please fill out the google form to get connected and let us know where you are interested in helping out.

Helpful Resources:

• Learn more about who receives SNAP in Nebraska here. Apply for benefits here.
• If you are interested in being a participating site you’ll need to apply to accept SNAP first. Applications are online at the USDA Food, Nutrition Services website.
• To join the next meeting or learn more, please email Zoë Johnson at doubleupne@gmail.com.

Resources

NEBRASKA LAND LINK

Nebraska Land Link provides opportunities to connect land seekers with retiring landowners. Land access is one of the biggest challenges facing aspiring and beginning farmers. For some landowners, they simply do not have the next generation available to take over their operation.

When you apply to Nebraska Land Link, either as a land seeker or a landowner, Nebraska Extension personnel will work to match your application with the most compatible counterpart. Using the answers you submit and offer in a potential interview, Nebraska Land Link matches are based on the shared values, interests and skills of both parties, so that a mutually beneficial and satisfying partnership can be forged over the course of the transition plan.

Before and throughout the process, we work to provide important educational information regarding transfers, communication, negotiations, goal setting and more. And we are here to answer any questions you might have.

Nebraska Land Link is a project of Nebraska Extension's Farm and Ranch Succession and Transition program and Nebraska Women in Agriculture.

NEBRASKA MARKET MAKER

Nebraska Extension is excited to announce the launch of Nebraska MarketMaker, an excellent resource for stakeholders across the food chain. Partnering with Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska and Nebraska Department of Education, Extension will work to increase access to local foods across the state through the MarketMaker platform. MarketMaker is the largest and most in-depth database of its kind featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants and more. MarketMaker provides simple yet powerful search tools to connect with others across the production and distribution chain. Visit the Nebraska MarketMaker website to learn more and sign up for a free account.

NEW SHEEP & GOAT ENTERPRISE BUDGETS AVAILABLE

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's sheep and goat enterprise budget templates and examples are designed to help producers in their production decisions. The sample or representative budgets are not intended to represent any one operation, but rather are to be used as a guide for producers using the program to calculate their own cost of production. Accurate production, feed, and financial data are foundational records used in livestock budgeting. Each individual operation should adjust key input and local market prices to reflect their own situation.

Things You Should Care About

THE HANDS THAT FEED US

By Katie King

When most people think about where their food comes from, they think about the grocery store, maybe a trip to the farmers market, or possibly their backyards during the growing season. We often don’t think about the hands that plant, harvest, and pack the majority of our food, of which 90% comes from outside of Nebraska, and the reliance on immigrants for the majority of agriculture labor in the U.S. Furthermore, it’s the skilled and detailed handiwork needed for growing and harvesting many of the fruits and vegetables we consume; jobs that machines are incapable of doing. And the physically-demanding critical support refused by many American workers has often been provided by immigrants.

The government sponsored temporary worker program, H2-A, alleviates some of the agriculture sector’s labor needs, including farms here in Nebraska. Kelly Jackson, of Daniels Produce, said that they are in their 12th or 13th year of the program, and describes the workers from Mexico and Guatemala as “phenomenal workers that they don’t know what they would do without.” They’ve developed relationships with them as they return year after year. While costs are steep up front to bring them here - approximately $1,000 per worker, H2-A workers are incredibly hard working and reliable. For producers like Ryan Pekarek of Pekarek’s Produce, it will provide continuous farm labor in their busiest months when they typically lose farm help returning to school in peak season, and to spend more time with family. Pekarek’s Produce, who is currently in their first application process for H2-A workers, anticipates workers to arrive by early July and to stay until harvesting is done in early November.

Increasingly though, migration, immigration enforcement and the slowed processing of applications due to the COVID-19 pandemic have created challenges for producers who rely on workers through this program. Some farms anticipate a late arrival of workers, and hope they’ll survive until they do arrive.

As for on-farm COVID-19 protocols, most farms utilizing the H2-A program already had food safety protocols in place that required little adjustment. As workers have arrived at Daniels Produce, they’ve been able to be vaccinated to their relief, too.

So why does this matter? It matters because for many, this is how our food makes it to our tables. Whether your fresh fruits and vegetables come from the farmers market, your backyard, a farm up the road (literally and figuratively), we should recognize the hands that feed us and the incredible value they are to us.

What is your role with the Nebraska Regional Food Systems team?
Mainly, my service has been focused on the Double Up Food Bucks program, where I am designing and implementing a delivery plan to improve the reach and sustainability of the program, especially among marginalized groups and identities. The Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative provides a way to connect with others who are also working toward a more resilient Nebraskan food system and to learn more about the other work being done that may intersect with my own.

Favorite local food or dish:
I am a caffeine fanatic, so of course I'd have to say Scooters. But also, cinnamon rolls and chili is a crazy combination that I can get behind, so I think that deserves a shout out.

Ultimate Career Goal:
Looking forward, I would like to work more directly with sustainable food and agricultural trade in a way that focuses on food supply chain disruption and consumer access to food. My past research has looked at how international trade policies impact ground efforts aimed to improve food security in local communities, and I would like to continue with this area of research. I plan to attend American University where I am excited about a dual degree in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. Ultimately, I would like to make trade policy that supports our local small farmers and emergency food networks.

What are you doing with the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Team?
I will be working as an “Extension Horticulture Intern.” I will assist the Extension Team in organization and materials development of the fall 2021 Nebraska Specialty Crops Conference. I will also work with the extension specialists in prototype construction and exploration of hydroponic systems used in low-technology and controlled environments for development of educational workshops. I am super excited to learn and grow from this experience.

Favorite local food or dish:
I like chipotle in Lincoln downtown. Back home, I miss brochette made of goat meat.

Ultimate career goal:
I want to go to grad school to learn more about controlled environment horticulture with the hope to become a hunger fighter. I would either be a consultant or work with organizations to find ways to feed people healthy and fresh food.