Co-op for buying local, organic food proposed for Linn and Johnson counties

Jason Grimm, food system planner for the Iowa Valley RC&D, based in Amana, sent the following today about an idea to start a food buying club cooperative in the Linn and Johnson county area, similar to one in Des Moines.

Jason told me that anyone interested in helping get the idea off the ground could contact him or  Jesse Singerman of Prairie Ventures. Their contact info is at the end.

Executive Summary of the Iowa River Basin Food Cooperative Study

 K. Jesse Singerman, Prairie Ventures, LLC

     A consumer survey to assess interest in local and organic food in Johnson and Linn Counties was designed and administered electronically as a joint project of Prairie Ventures LLC, the Iowa River Valley RC&D and a University of Iowa student group from the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. The survey asked questions concerning participants' attitudes and perceptions about local and organic food, and evaluated the possibility of forming a buying club cooperative to link consumers directly with local farmers.

The survey was open for three weeks in November of 2009. Responses were solicited by email at several large employers in Johnson and Linn Counties and 168 responses were obtained. The majority of respondents were from Midwest One Bank (45 percent) and Rockwell Collins (38 percent). The typical survey respondent was under 40, well educated and with a household income above the national median of $50,740[1]. Seventy-six percent of respondents live in households with two adults; 44 percent stated they had children under 18.

Consumers who answered the survey overwhelmingly shop at conventional grocery stores and supercenters, with very low or infrequent purchasing from Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions (CSAs), farmer's markets, existing buying clubs and natural food stores. Although 70 percent of respondents indicated that local food is available where they shop, these consumers are not frequent shoppers at outlets most commonly associated with local and organic food.

Noteworthy results of the survey included strong positive values associated with local and organic food. Buying locally grown food was rated as extremely to very important by almost 60 percent of those responding. Almost 70 percent indicated that they were extremely or very likely to participate in a buying club cooperative linking consumers directly with local farmers. Both organic and local foods were perceived to have positive attributes, as compared to similar foods that are not organic or local, by survey respondents. Local and organic foods were both rated as being more environmentally responsible, while local food in particular was rated as tasting better. Organic food was rated as being better for overall health, and having fewer harmful additives and substances than similar food that is not organic.

Respondents were also asked to rate the most important reasons to participate in a local food buying club cooperative: the top three reasons chosen were to obtain fresh food, to support local family farmers, and to support the local economy. Top products requested from the buying club were fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, eggs, beef, and cheese. Food safety was chosen as the most important criterion for food purchased from the buying club, followed by low price, good land stewardship practices and humanely raised animals.

In summary, a high degree of interest was indicated in a local food buying club cooperative by respondents, along with positive associations for both local and organic foods. This is striking in a consumer sample group that does not currently shop where local and organic foods are most commonly sold. Although the survey represented a limited sample of county residents, the results point to interest in the idea of establishing a local food buying club cooperative in the Johnson and Linn county area.

 Additional information on how a local food buying club cooperative would work:

 As explained in the survey, the proposed cooperative would be modeled after similar, successful buying clubs in other locations, such as Oklahoma, Nebraska and the Iowa Food Cooperative in Des Moines. The buying club would use an internet based ordering system. Consumer members would place their orders on-line during every ordering cycle, possibly once a month. Information about individual farmers, their practices, and the products available would be listed on the cooperative's website. Farmers would set their own prices and determine what they have to sell. At the close of the ordering cycle, farmers would bring their products to a central distribution point on an appointed day and volunteers would sort and group the products into orders for each member. On the same day, consumers would pick up their orders and write a check to the cooperative. The cooperative would then pay the farmers. The cooperative would be self supporting through membership fees and a transaction fee placed on each order.

For more information please contact Jesse Singerman at 319-338-1874, jesse.singerman@mchsi.com or Jason Grimm, Iowa River Valley RC&D, at 319-622-3264, jason@ivrcd.org

[1] The 2010 Statistical Abstract of the United States http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ Accessed 1.3.10