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Browse by Series: Local Foods
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Local Food Systems: Clarifying Current Research

By: Emma Brinkmeyer, Hannah Dankbar, J. Dara Bloom Local Foods

This publication discusses the environmental, economic, health, and community benefits that local food systems provide to communities.

Farm to Early Care and Education Local Food Purchasing Guide

By: Jacob Rutz, Dara Bloom Local Foods

There are many different ways to buy local food, and this guide provides information that childcare centers and technical assistance providers can use to understand where to find local food, what to expect, and how to decide which local food source is right for different centers.

How to Sell Shell Eggs Into Grocery Stores Through Direct Store Delivery

By: Krista Morgan, Joanna Lelekacs Local Foods

This publication provides basic information for small or medium-scale North Carolina egg producers to start marketing their products to retail stores.

How to Sell Pastured Meat Products to Grocery Stores via Direct Store Delivery

By: Sarah Blacklin, Rebecca Dunning, Joanna Lelekacs Local Foods

This publication guides small- and medium-scale pastured meat producers in North Carolina through the steps of selling niche meat products to grocery stores.

Best Practices for Utilizing Local Food in Nutrition Education and Cooking Classes

By: Dara Bloom, Margie Mansure, Zandra Alford Local Foods

This publication provides practical tips on how to promote health eating by incorporating fresh, local foods into nutrition education and cooking classes. Topics include getting started, knowing what's in season, and where to buy local foods.

Buying Local: A Guide for Retail and Wholesale Buyers

By: Dara Bloom, Joanna Lelekacs, Brandi Leach, Gary Bullen, Annaliese Gregory Local Foods

This publication provides guidance to retail and wholesale buyers about purchasing local foods for grocery stores.

Engaging Volunteers to Develop a Local Food Directory

By: Hannah Dankbar, Dara Bloom, Robyn Stout Local Foods

A local food directory is a listing of farms and food businesses where customers can find local food. Directories are a tool to connect consumers and producers. People who want to buy local food have to know where to find it. Many Extension offices across the state either generate their own directory or provide support for one. Volunteers, such as Extension Master Food Volunteers can help by helping to gather information about farms and food businesses. This guide outlines a process on how to engage volunteers in building a local food directory.

Selling Fluid Milk to Grocery Stores Through Direct Store Delivery

By: Krista Morgan, John Day, Joanna Lelekacs Local Foods

This publication will help you start selling fluid milk directly to grocery stores. Approaching retailers, labeling, invoicing, vendor requirements and delivery are covered.

Introduction: Food Banks and Food Pantries

By: Dara Bloom, Emily Gamble Local Foods

This publication, part of the Farm to Food Bank Resource Guide, describes food banks and food pantries and their role in North Carolina.

Farm to Food Bank Resource Guide for North Carolina Cooperative Extension

By: Dara Bloom, Emily Gamble Local Foods

This publication provides information and success stories related to food banks, food pantries, food donation programs, and other resources for addressing food insecurity.

Direct to Food Bank and Food Pantry Donations

By: Dara Bloom, Emily Gamble Local Foods

This publication, part of the Farm to Food Bank Resource Guide, discusses food donations given directly to food banks and food pantries in North Carolina.

Tips for Produce Growers Marketing Fresh Produce to Retail Grocers: Understanding PLU and UPC Codes

By: Ariel Fugate, Patricia Tripp, Joanna Lelekacs Local Foods

PLU and UPC codes are two widely used tracking mechanisms that help retailers efficiently ring produce into the register in the checkout lane, track sales, control inventory, and market products. Being knowledgeable about these labels in advance of approaching a retailer shows a grower’s awareness of the retailer’s industry. This factsheet contains information adapted from the Produce Marketing Association (Produce Marketing Association 2013).

Farm to University: Guide for Extension Agents

By: Robyn Stout, Rebecca Dunning Local Foods

This guide provides information to Extension educators on Farm to University programming so farmers can take advantage of student demand for fresher, local foods. This programming helps drive campus demand for local foods and create connections between farmers and campus food services.

Online Sales Platforms for Direct to Consumer Sales

By: Hannah Dankbar Local Foods

Online sales can benefit tech-savvy local food producers who are looking for an emerging way to connect with consumers. There are multiple online sales platforms that can help ease the administrative burden of direct-to-consumer sales and help with online marketing to reach consumers. Here is a list of resources that farmers can utilize and a list of questions to consider when thinking about adopting an online platform. With the growing popularity of online shopping, producers should consider becoming involved in online sales to consumers as a strategy to make their agribusiness more resilient.

Market Challenges for Specialty Crop Producers in North Carolina During the Summer, Fall, and Winter of COVID-19

By: Hannah Dankbar, Angel Cruz, Mark Hoffmann, Emma Volk, Sienna Zuco Local Foods

Throughout 2020, food supply chains and market channels across the state and nation continued to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This factsheet highlights the impact the pandemic had on specialty crop producers in North Carolina from May through July 2020 and from October through December 2020. These surveys were part of a series of surveys conducted by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, the NC State Local Foods Program, and the NC State Department of Horticultural Science throughout 2020 to capture the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on specialty crop producers within North Carolina.

Special Claims and the Approval Process for Niche Meat Production

By: Sarah Blacklin, Joanna Lelekacs Local Foods

With increasing demand for product transparency, a growing number of producers, processing plant operators, and packinghouse operators are interested in adding claims to the labels of their meat and poultry products to further characterize or add value to those products. Label claims become increasingly important for producers and plant operators selling to secondary markets, such as retail grocers, rather than direct to consumer. This guide provides information to producers about special claims and the requirements and documentation needed to support those claims.

Vacationer Supported Agriculture Summer 2019

By: Bruno Simoes Ferreira, Duarte Morais, Becky Bowen, Susan Jakes, Hannah Dankbar, Mark Blevins, Victoria Patterson, Britt Davis Local Foods

Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) is a project led by NC State’s P1tLab and NC State Extension (Local Foods, Community Development, and Tourism Extension) aiming to connect small farmers with new opportunities to increase farm revenue through direct sales of fresh produce. VSA meets discerning vacationers’ desires to: a) have convenient access to fresh local produce, b) connect with the place they are visiting by buying from local farms, and c) leave positive impacts in the destinations they visit, by coordinating the sale and delivery of produce bags from local farmers. VSA enables vacation home realties to showcase their commitment to the sustainable and equitable development of their local communities by recommending the produce bags to their guests. In each county, the Extension Center and Tourism Authority play the critical role of recruiting and supporting local farmer groups and vacation home rentals. In turn they receive records of the impact this initiative had on farmer revenue and destination competitiveness.

Raising Prices on Meat, a Pep Talk

By: Matthew LeRoux, Todd Schmit, Lee Menius, Sarah Blacklin Local Foods

This publication provides information to help farms make decisions about raising prices on meat products in a landscape of price increases.