Investment in Local Increases Iowa Farm Viability
Long-term viability through market access and relationships with hubs has been a highlight of the Iowa LFPA for farms like Tangled Roots and food hub Grinnell Farm to Table.
Since the Iowa Local Food Purchasing Assistant (ILFPA) programs’ start in 2022, over $1.7M has been invested in local farms across the state through food purchases from small-mid scale farm and food businesses. Of these purchases, 70% were purchased from producers who self-identified as an immigrant or refugee, LGBTQIA+, person of color, veteran, or woman. Long-term viability of these farms through market access and relationships with hubs have been a highlight of ILFPA for farms like Tangled Roots.
Tangled Roots is owned and operated by Chris Sporer and her partner Tony in Guernsey, IA. They are new and beginning farmers in Iowa and have worked to establish connections through growing, packaging, and delivering their products to the community. On just under four acres of land, they grow and sell several varieties of crops, with a focus on smaller specialty crops such as tomatillos, okra, and pok choi.
Throughout COVID shutdowns and supply chain disruptions, Chris and Tony realized that communities should be more resistant so that supply chain disruptions would not be so devastating, especially in an agriculture-rich area like Iowa.
“We need to have a more sustainable system so that if something like this should happen, the community can support itself,” said Sporer.
Tangled Roots first heard about the ILFPA program from Executive Director of Grinnell Farm to Table, Tommy Hexter, who was seeking out producers in the area. Grinnell Farm to Table works with four pantries throughout Poweshiek county, community meal programs, Iowa Kitchen, several school districts, food hubs across the state, and local meat lockers.
Hexter grew up on a farm in Virginia where his passion for social sustainability in small towns and connectedness with the community and environment began. He has been involved in the local food system ever since moving to attend Grinnell College where he learned about the Food Hub Managers Working Group facilitated by Iowa Valley RC&D. Following graduation, Hexter started working as a Rural Organizer at Iowa Farmers Union and became Executive Director of Grinnell Farm to Table.
Hexter said ILFPA is about, “...meeting the need of that scale, but also things like more sophisticated invoicing, deliveries, packaging, food safety… helping farmers reach that next level of professionalism.”
Hexter believes producer viability and addressing food insecurity have been the biggest outcomes of ILFPA. It also allowed Grinnell Farm to Table to transition from an LLC to a mission-driven non-profit and triple the amount of food distributed to the community and more than double the amount of producers they work with.
“The amount of growth in the local food system due to the ILFPA and LFS investments is astonishing. And the small investment made in the program has resulted in exponential impacts for farm viability, the food hub infrastructure, hub to hub network and transportation, and the dignity of food access,” Hexter noted.
Tangled Roots works with Grinnell Farm to Table to expand distribution of their product and maintain steady income throughout the growing season. They also work with fellow food hubs and partners Field to Family and the Iowa Food Coop. Relationships built from the program have solidified their goal to contribute to a more resilient food system by helping combat food insecurity at a local level.
ILFPA provided a consistent source of income that allowed Chris to transition to farming full-time and expand their growing operations. She reports that sales into the ILFPA program make up 20% of their sales and expect that number to increase in 2024. This is one example that demonstrates how some of Iowa’s LFPA’s 335 producers approved to sell into the program have experienced increased viability of their businesses.
Chris said, “It’s a benefit to producers. It’s a benefit to the consumers. Keeps the dollar local. It provides a more sustainable food system. It cuts down on environmental issues.”
As a result of ILFPA, Tangled Roots continues to grow as a business, is recognized within their community, and experiences a steady market for their products. They see that high-quality, fresh produce is making its way into the hands of people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it or lesser known products such as tomatillos.
Hexter said that, “...the level of investment necessary to keep [these programs] going will more than pay for itself, and it already has more than paid for itself. And it’s important to continue the good work being done because so many people are so proud of this program.”
Learn more about the Iowa LFPA, read the progress report from year one, or submit a story about your experience with the program here.