June 2009 Issue 34
Strategic Agri Business Review

Sign up for tomorrow's webinar:

Segment for Success

Learn keys to segmenting your customers in a free
1-hour webinar on Tuesday June 23. Sign up now.

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Inside This Issue

  SAR 34 cover page image

SAR Archives

  • Issue 27
  • Issue 28
  • Issue 29
  • Issue 30
  • Issue 31
  • Issue 32
  • Issue 33
  • Who Moved My Tomato?
    How food production is going local

    by LeAnne Philips, Entira

    The author of Who Moved My Cheese? used a parable about mice and men hunting cheese to illustrate his points about anticipating, monitoring and adapting to change. How does this relate to ag? Unnoticed by many, the location of food production is beginning a change, albeit a still-small change. As the local food movement gains momentum and media coverage, it is also gaining economic power, and the farmers who produce food for local distribution are changing.

    So, what does this movement mean to agrimarketers, and for our customers and companies? Is this just a niche market trend, or will it drive long-term change in the way Americans buy and produce food? Are there opportunities to better serve our customers, or to find a new market niche for ourselves?

    A locavore is defined as one who tries to eat only locally grown or produced food.  That is simply not practical in a strict interpretation – as a mother in Iowa I’m still going to feed my kids fresh fruits in the winter, and I’m sure they won’t be local. But if you look at the spirit of the idea – paying attention to where food comes from and trying to eat locally grown when possible – it is definitely gaining ground, and it could have interesting implications for us in agriculture. Especially when you consider that on average U.S. produce travels an estimated 1,500 miles to reach consumers. [Read More...]

    Published by Entira
    Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.

    Mike Karst
    Senior Partner, Managing Editor
    mkarst@entira.net
    901-753-0470
    2485 Stratfield Drive, Germantown, TN 38139