By: Sarah Waddle, Community Center/Extension Educator

University of Minnesota Extension is the local connection for residents across our state to the research, expertise, education, and training of the University. Here in Cook County, our local Extension office provides programming, education, and connection to university resources. The focus of the educational efforts of Extension across the state are driven by the needs of local communities, and here in Cook County one of our main focus areas is supporting a healthy local food system with a particular emphasis on supporting local food producers.

What is a food system, you might wonder? The food system is all the interconnected people, places, organizations, businesses, and processes that involve food from production to distribution and processing to eating. From fishing to maple sugaring, vegetable growing to egg and meat production, there is a varied and lively segment of the food system in Cook County focused on local production and consumption.

Prior to colonization, the Ojibwe people in this region hunted, gathered, grew, and traded regionally for all their food. The deep knowledge of the water and forests of this region needed to provide year-round sustenance was cultivated over centuries of life here. In less than two hundred years, the food system in this region has drastically changed with the colonization of the region by settlers. As relationships with land were forced to change, the capacity of the land to provide food for the people, both Native and settler, also changed. This is due to many factors, including overharvesting of certain resources, land use changes, economic system changes, cultural food preferences, and population changes to name a few.

A 2014 research study conducted in Cook County found that only 2% of the estimated $78.2 million spent on food that year was on locally produced food sales. In addition, the study found that an estimated 38% of all gross sales in Cook County were food-related sales. Those numbers mean that food is a large part of the local economy and our daily lives, and that locally produced food is making up a tiny fraction of the current food system. That same study surveyed local businesses to find out their attitudes and needs related to local food purchasing and sales. They found that the number one reason local businesses aren’t selling more locally produced food is a perceived lack of capacity of local producers.

In 2018, Extension conducted a study on the potential of local food as an economic driver in the taconite assistance area, which includes Cook County. The study had several interesting findings, including that if our region increased the percentage of our total food spending on local foods to 20%, it would generate 248-694 additional jobs and $51 million annual food dollars circulating in our region’s local economies. In addition to these study results, increasing local food production could have additional benefits including increasing the ability of the food system to adapt to challenges, increasing connection between food and land conservation, promoting food sovereignty, and revitalizing traditional foods, to name just a few.

With this large potential positive impact from transitioning to a more localized food system, it’s important to think about what it would take to move in this direction. Or more specifically, what do potential and existing farmers and food producers face as barriers to starting and growing their operations?

The same 2018 study involved interviews with existing farmers in our region. They identified several barriers, all of which were reiterated at two recent local events: the North Shore Farmer’s Meetup held in February, and the kickoff gathering for the Cook County Food System Network, a new project facilitated by the Northwoods Food Project, Extension, and SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Project) held in March. Both established and beginning producers and farmers are in need of support in many areas, including finding and accessing suitable land, accessing equipment, business planning, processing capabilities to create value added products and food products that can be distributed beyond direct farmer to consumer pathways, assistance in soil building, and mentorship from experienced farmers and producers.

As we seek to minimize these barriers, Extension is a partner in developing relationships with beginning and experienced farmers and producers in Cook County. We can provide local food producers with connections to educational resources and technical assistance from the University of Minnesota. We also connect area producers with one another to develop networks, learn from each other, and find ways to collaborate. One example of this work is a statewide research project this spring that we will be collaborating on with local farmers to collect soil samples and study soil health in both high tunnels (covered areas for farming that extend the growing season) and open fields. The results of this study will give local farmers key information about how to improve and manage soil health.

Most importantly, we seek to listen and learn from the communities of Cook County so that we can develop educational supports and connections that serve local needs. 

Do you have an idea for a way we can work together? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Sarah directly at the Extension Office at 218-387-3015, or [email protected].

Cited studies:

-Local Food as an Economic Driver in the Taconite Assistance Area, 2018: https://www.irpsmn.org/localfood

-Cook County’s Food System, the Green Dollar Survey, 2014, Report available at Cook County Extension Office

County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County – Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service.