The Case of Woodbury County
Iowa has the highest production of corn and the second highest production of soybeans in the United States. How did little Woodbury County pass ordinances promoting local foods?

Iowa's Woodbury County has some of the richest farmland in the state. Unlike much of Iowa, the landscape in Woodbury isn't flat. The Loess Hills, carved over millennia by the snaking Missouri River, create steep ridges and gently rolling hills. The soil is gritty, sifting easily through your fingers. During a rainstorm, loess soil washes quickly down the cliffs. Local farmers constantly battle soil erosion.

Loess Hills State Forest. Credit: Iowa Department of Natural Resources

A year from now, Woodbury County’s farmscape could look very different. In June 2005, the County passed an “Organics Conversion Policy”, offering up to $50,000 annually in property tax rebates for those who convert from conventional to organic farming practices. The policy is intended to address a growing problem in Iowa—rural population decline resulting from the growth of large commodity farms. Because the average age of a farmer in Woodbury County is 57—over half of the county’s farmland will need to change hands in the next 10-15 years. The County needs new farmers to continue its agricultural tradition.

“We want to make it economically possible for young families to enter farming—our next generation of farmers,” says George Boykin, Chairman of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, in a Woodbury County press release.

On January 10, 2006, the County also became the first in the United States to mandate the purchase of locally grown, organic food. The “Local Food Purchase Policy” requires Woodbury County departments to purchase locally grown, organic food from within a 100 mile radius for regular city use. The policy has the potential to shift $281,000 in annual food purchases to a local farmer-operated cooperative, increasing local demand and spurring increased production and processing.

The policy also helps build connections between area farmers. Since the county must work with a contractor and broker, the farmers must network to aggregate supply. Together they are building an infrastructure that supports a locally-owned and controlled food system.

The “Local Food Purchase Policy” supports the “Organic Conversion Policy” passed last summer, providing a market for the farmers who convert to organic production. “In the end, we anticipate a quality local food brand emerging from the increased economic activity in our area,” says Rob Marquesee, the Director of Rural Economic Development for Woodbury County, in a press release.

How did this happen?

In a state where 90 percent of the land is used for agriculture, Woodbury County’s organic and local food ordinances could serve as a catalyst for transforming Iowa’s agricultural landscape. With a graying farm workforce and population losses, Iowa’s rural communities need fresh ideas for retaining younger people and building economically viable regions.

The Woodbury policies, while innovative, did not emerge from a vacuum. Nor will their existence immediately transform Western Iowa’s agricultural landscape. Still, what makes a Woodbury County happen?

First, the support of key county officials. Rob Marqusee, the Director of Rural Economic Development for Woodbury County, already believed that local, agriculture-based economies were key to revitalizing rural communities. If he wanted to prove this to a larger audience of county economic development officials, he needed hard data and credible numbers to back up his claims.

Some of that data came from research coordinated by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, which is well regarded for exploring and cultivating alternatives to conventional agriculture. The Regional Food Systems Working Group, funded by the Leopold Center and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has also been a valuable resource for the Woodbury County developments.

In addition to providing assistance in Woodbury County, the Leopold Center has worked with Iowa State’s Center for Transportation Research and Education to develop a new tool that can help local groups make the case for supporting community-based food systems. The Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator is helping users explore new or expand existing markets for fresh produce.

Using supply and demand data from the calculator, Rich Pirog, the Leopold Center’s Marketing and Food Systems Research Program Leader, and Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson examined what would happen to Iowa’s economy if 25 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed in Iowa were grown in the state. They determined that total new sales in Iowa would increase by nearly $140 million, and $54.2 million in additional labor income would be paid to 2,030 job holders, of which 190 would be working on farms.

“In all honesty, a computer business is competing equally with an agricultural businesses in the eyes of an economic developer when it comes to stimulating the local rural economy,” says Pirog. “Food and fiber businesses can be just as viable as other choices, of course, but you have to present your data behind the economic 8-ball of ‘what are the returns to the local and regional economy?’”

“We want to help groups make a better case for investing in local and regional food enterprises,” Pirog continues. “The Iowa Produce Calculator is one tool that can help provide the numbers so often lacking in making that better case.”

Additionally, demand for and awareness of local foods in Woodbury County is strong, thanks to a solid network of NGOs and farmers markets. With a strongly mobilized community, the community support will likely continue after external funding from foundations ends. Additionally, the increased demand provides an incentive for farmers and processing plants to work together to determine the best ways to serve the community.

Over time, Woodbury County will showcase how county policies work in building sustainable regional food systems. In the meantime, The Leopold Center will continue studying the conditions and criteria needed to build resilient regional food systems. Although those criteria will vary by region, the Center expects to discover the essential elements common to all regions and construct a workable model for food and fiber businesses to foster rural development.