Crossroads Resource Center
Tools for Community Self Determination

Farm & Food Economies
Rural Economic Studies

NEW! 38 regions in 18 states!
Recent Data

To download results from dozens of "Finding Food in Farm Country" regional studies (2001 to present) Click here.

To download a summary of several EARLY "Finding Food in Farm Country" studies performed in
Minnesota, Iowa, California, and Hawaii from 2001-2005, Click here.

Food Market Facts
To download a detailed fact sheet covering current food markets Click here.

To download a fact sheet covering natural and organic food markets Click here.

Recent Presentations
To download a list of Ken Meter's recent speeches, workshops and other presentations (nationwide) Click here.

Upcoming presentations
To download Ken Meter's upcoming presentations, Click here.
Ken is available to speak on many topics, including:

  • Finding Food in Farm Country
  • Successful Local Foods Networks
  • Local Foods as Economic Development
  • Food versus Fuel?
  • Evaluating Local Foods Initiatives
  • Working with Food Systems as Systems
  • Planning and Measuring Community Sustainability
    and more! -- contact Ken and we will tailor something to your needs.

    NEW! VIDEO
    To view a three-part a video interview with Ken Meter produced by Rebecca Gerendasy of Cooking Up A Story (Portland, Oregon):
    Part I: "Building a Local Food Economy" Click here.

    Part II: "Building a Local Food Economy" Click here.

    Part III: "Building a Local Food Economy" Click here.


    Recent Writings
    To download Ken Meter's recent writings on farm and food issues Click here.

    Sample PowerPoint
    To download a PowerPoint presentation given by Ken Meter at Rep. Collin Peterson's annual forum, "The Home Grown Economy," incorporating results from "Finding Food in Farm Country" studies, Click here.

    To download Ken's 2008 presentation at Rep. Collin Peterson's "Home Grown Economy" forum, which focuses on successful local foods initiatives around the U.S., Click here.

    Similar studies could be performed in any rural county (or group of counties) in the U.S.
    To learn more about how Crossroads Resource Center can help your region perform its own study of the local farm and food economy, contact us by e-mail.

    Local Economic Analysis
    To download Ken's short paper, "Use Local Economic Analysis to strengthen 'Buy Fresh Buy Local' foods campaigns," (Published in cooperation with FoodRoutes), Click here.

    Evaluation
    To download Ken's short paper, "Evaluating your 'Buy Fresh, Buy Local' foods campaign," (Published in cooperation with FoodRoutes), Click here. Look also for Ken's upcoming chapter on "Evaluating Farm and Food Systems," to be published in a new book by the American Evaluation Association.


    Media Guide: Food with the Farmers Face On It"
    To download Food with the Farmers' Face On It, a media guide covering community-based food systems across the U.S., prepared for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in 2002, and published by the Foundation in 2003, Click here

    Other resources
    Crossroads Resource Center's President Ken Meter covered the farm crisis of the 1980s as an independent journalist. This work took him to 11 foreign nations, where farmers passed on some hard-won insights into the nature of the rural economy.

    "Green Isle" shows importance of local credit sources
    One community of Minnesota farmers showed Ken that healthy rural communities have healthy local credit sources. To read more about these farmers' views, read Green Isle: Feeding the World and Farming for the Banker (1983).

    "Money with Roots" shows that farmers subsidize economy
    Following up the wisdom of these farmers with academic research, Meter discovered that rural communities heavily subsidize the national economy. This is documented in his study, Money With Roots (1990).

    As rural economies continued to weaken during the 1990s, the wisdom of examining rural communities Ð not simply farm commodities or farm families Ð became more clear.

    The Original "Finding Food in Farm Country" study
    In 2001, Meter created a detailed study of the farm and food economy of the Southeast Minnesota region. This study shows that one of the more successful farm areas in the nation loses $800 million EACH YEAR as farmers raise food and consumers buy food. This is a staggering loss of more than $2 million per day. Furthermore it amounts to 20 times the amount of money returned to the region by farm support programs. Click here Finding Food in Farm Country (2001) to download this groundbreaking study.


    Senate Agriculture Committee Testimony
    Meter was invited to testify to the August 20, 2001, hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee, held in Stewartville, Minnesota, where he presented the findings of Finding Food in Farm Country Click here Senate testimony to read his testimony.


    WorldWatch Institute coverage
    Brian Halweil of Worldwatch Institute cited our work in Minnesota and Hawaii in his excellent book, Eat Here (2004) and in a 2002 paper, Home Grown: The Case for Local Food in a Global Market (2002) Washington, DC: Worldwatch Paper 163. Click here to learn more about Worldwatch Institute

    Early Essay Calling for a Community-Based Farm Policy
    For some early thoughts on how US farm policy can better support rural communities, see Writing Farm Policy (1986)






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    Crossroads Resource Center / Minneapolis, Minnesota USA / (612) 869-8664