Last December Local Foods Connection sent a letter to the Johnson County Planning and Zoning to request that they add to the ‘2008 Land Use Plan’ language which shows support of sustainable agriculture farms and the local food economy. Included with letter was a summary of exciting local food policies and plans within the state and across the country. Several other organizations and businesses signed the letter to show their agreement.

This month, Local Foods Connection sent a follow-up letter restating its suggestion that policies supportive of local food should be added to the Johnson County Land Use Plan, and also to share the Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan released by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Laura Dowd, Local Foods Connection executive director, presented the letter to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors on February 14th, 2011.  We encourage you to send a letter to Planning & Zoning and the Supervisors at this time to explain your place in the local food system and to offer your own support and suggestions of how Johnson County can champion local food.

Here is the follow-up letter:

TO:  Rick Dvorak, Johnson County Planning and Zoning Department
Johnson County Board of Supervisors
RE: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan

February 14, 2011

Dear Rick Dvorak and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors:

I am writing you in order to follow up on a letter sent by our organization in December 2010, and also to share with you the Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan recently released by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

First, Local Foods Connection would like to restate its suggestion that policies supportive of local food should be added to the Johnson County Land Use Plan. Since the Board of Supervisors and Johnson County staff are examining their budget and priorities for the upcoming year, it is a good time to consider low-cost policy changes with great local impact. As the county strives towards goals of sustainability, helping non-traditional farmers succeed will benefit the
local food movement and the local economy.

Second, we would like to share with you the recently-released Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan drafted by the Leopold Center. The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University is a research and education center with statewide programs to develop sustainable agricultural practices that both are profitable and conserve natural resources. Following a mandate from the Iowa legislature, the Leopold Center created this plan containing 34
recommendations that would strengthen Iowa’s local food infrastructure at a variety of levels. This document demonstrates the statewide interest in championing local food efforts and small family farm operations. This guide can provide the county guidance as it develops strategies for supporting and promoting local food.

Although land-use issues are not directly addressed in this report, we believe that the plan provides many strategies that complement the land use changes previously suggested by Local Foods Connection. Enabling local food producers to expand businesses-related activities on their farms is a low-cost strategy for stimulating the economy in the region.  Other low-cost measures suggested in the plan that might interest the county include listing sources of technical
assistance for local food businesses (3.25) and collecting data on local food businesses (3.20). Please note the Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development office is in the process of collecting local food sales information for a six-county area of the state, including Johnson County, which could aid you in data collection.

We hope the Leopold Center Plan will assist you in case the county decides to expand upon the land use changes we presented earlier in order to take a comprehensive approach to improving the economic climate for local food producers in Johnson County. Please contact Local Foods Connection if you have any questions. Thank you for your time. We will check back with you at the end of March.

Sincerely,

Laura Dowd, Founding Director
Local Foods Connection
Enclosure: Iowa Local Food & Farm Plan

Please visit www.leopold.iastate.edu/foodandfarm/ilffp.pdf to review the Iowa Food and Farm Report.