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Objective: This study investigated changes in Michigan school food service directors' farm to school (FTS) participation levels and perspectives since a 2004 survey and factors that would facilitate FTS expansion. Design: Electronic survey census of all Michigan school food service directors. Setting: Michigan kindergarten-12th grade schools. Participants: Food service directors of National School Lunch programs in Michigan. Variables Measured: Survey respondents were asked about local food purchasing behaviors, interests, motivations, concerns, and barriers. Analysis: Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were calculated to compare 2004 and 2009 results. Results: Participation in FTS was more than 3 times higher (41.5%) than in 2004 (10.6%), and the vast majority of school districts (77.0%) had taken at least 1 step to connect students with local food. Budget and cost issues were ranked higher as barriers to FTS than in 2004, but the desire to help Michigan farms had also substantially increased. Fresh and whole produce items were generally preferred for local procurement over frozen or canned items. Conclusions and Implications: Education to reverse perceived limits of procurement regulations, food safety assurances, and strategies to mitigate tight school food budgets are needed to encourage FTS expansion. (Contains 3 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate Michigan school food service directors' interest in, and opportunities and barriers to, implementing a farm-to-school program. Farm-to-school may be a timely and innovative approach to improving the school food environment and helping food service directors meet their nutrition goals for school meals. Health and agriculture advocates have recognized the importance of farm-to-school in addressing health issues and creating opportunities for farmers and rural communities. Research subjects were 664 food service directors representing school districts across Michigan. Respondents (n = 383) reported a high degree of interest in sourcing food from local producers (73% reported being very interested or interested). Interest was significantly augmented (83%) when respondents were asked to assume that these foods were available through current vendors. Interest was independent of free/reduced lunch participation rate or school district location (rural, suburban, urban location). Food service directors expressed diverse motivations for their interest in farm-to-school, including supporting the local economy and community; accessing fresher, higher-quality food; and potentially increasing students' fruit and vegetable consumption. The most frequently reported barriers and concerns included cost, federal and state procurement regulations, reliable supply, seasonality of fruits and vegetables, and food safety. Michigan school food service directors appear ready to make linkages with local agriculture. However, there is need to address the concerns and barriers through education; inclusion of community partners, such as current vendors; funding; and state and federal policies that support local purchasing.

Area of expertise (AOE) teams are more permanent, self-directed, integrative, and empowered with resources than traditionally organized teams. Using the AOE team approach in Michigan Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station has improved capacity to deliver educational programs. (SK)

Trust is generally recognized as important for risk-relevant behavior but research suggests that trust in different organizations may have varying effects. This research advances the literature by testing two hypotheses which postulate that this variability can be explained by risk perception. We collected data from 351 anglers regarding their trust in nine organizations whose efforts are relevant to dioxin contamination in Michigan's Saginaw Bay Watershed, risk perceptions, and self-reports of risky behavior (i.e. consumption of local fish identified as especially likely to contain contaminants). As hypothesized (H1), the negative effect of trust in two agencies—the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services-sponsored River Walker Program (RWP)—on risky behavior was significantly mediated by risk perception but these effects differed from each other such that trust in the MDNR was associated with increased perceptions of risk while trust in the RWP was associated with decreased perceptions of benefit. Also as hypothesized (H2), the positive effect of trust in Dow Chemical Company on risky behavior was significantly mediated by risk perception such that increased trust in Dow was associated with reduced risk perception. The current results lend credence to arguments regarding the importance of specificity in the target of trust and advance this literature by suggesting that differential effects on risk perception help explain this variability. Thus, organizations whose efforts focus on risk communication appear ideally situated to reduce risky behavior through a negative impact on risk perception. Other organizations, however, may run the risk of increasing risky behavior if their efforts result in reduced perceptions of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current agricultural and food systems literature suggests multiple opportunities for improving systemic sustainability. Especially in the popular press, many authors have conceptualized a return to smaller scale diversified production as a strategy to feed America sustainably. This study explores this notion for components of our meat supply using approaches reported in one of the most popular of these books, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, as a touchstone. We examine the land footprint and number of farms required to produce beef, chicken and eggs for the state of Michigan (a population just under 10,000,000) using similar production strategies to those outlined in Pollan's book. To feed Michigan's population at a scale of production demonstrated on the highlighted farm in Pollan's book, and an average level of Midwest intake for beef, chicken and eggs would require approximately 3600 farms and 6.5 million acres of farmland to produce 100% of the beef, 100% of the eggs and about 50% of the broiler chickens for this population. The strategy is discussed in reference to existing farms and acreage in Michigan and put in the context of sustainability within our food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Farm-to-institution (FTI) initiatives have the potential to further the development of local food systems, create new markets for farmers, and increase the availability of local farm products. Yet the complexity and scale of FTI pose challenges. For many scholars and practitioners, local food systems' significance and potential for social change lie in direct relationships between producers and consumers. This article describes an empirical study that examined relationships in FTI in Michigan. Three key findings emerged. First, relationships of trust operate throughout even the large and complex local food systems we investigated. Second, linear supply chain models may neglect important components of local food systems. Third, local food relationships appear to foster creative and adaptive problem solving. Implications for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years urban agriculture has received increasing support as a strategy for food security and urban sustainability. Scholars have explored motivations for and experiences of individual community gardens, but there is little understanding of how more extensive urban agriculture activities might be perceived among residents or might integrate with the cityscape. This research explores ways in which urban agriculture might be perceived in relation to the urban ecosystem and sociopolitical context through semi-structured interviews and focus groups in Detroit, Michigan. Results reveal widespread support for expanding urban agriculture and highlight the lines along which such expansion may be contested, including the extent to which it should occur, the purpose it would serve, and the people it would involve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses work in Michigan to test the contributions of hoophouses to farm profitability and food systems sustainability. On-farm enterprise budgets and farmer interviews reveal that hoophouses can earn profit for farmers producing fresh, locally grown produce throughout the year, but that production and marketing management are critical to success. A series of training and educational activities are underway, including efforts to create model business plans and familiarize agricultural lenders and professionals with this technology. Greater resources are needed to develop and implement train-the-trainer models, to ensure delivery of needed expertise with sufficient quality control guarantees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition to a more local, sustainable food system has the potential to help address many chronic problems facing communities across the country. We present results of an input-output analysis for Michigan measuring income and job impacts of a scenario in which residents meet USDA fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines by eating more seasonally available Michigan grown fresh produce. Our study finds that almost 2000 jobs and $200 million in new income would be created. We relate this to initiatives on the state, regional, and community level engaging broad stakeholder groups and creating opportunity for increased access to locally grown foods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the components and potentials of community-based food systems in Michigan. The article further reports that it is easiest to conceive of this by considering the development of sustainable, community-based food systems in which strong connections are made between fanners and their local communities, resulting in economic, community and social development. Civic agriculture has been termed by one of the sociologist as a vehicle for conceptualizing a new paradigm for building connections between various people in the food system within a sense of place. One additional concept for consideration is community food security. This concept has developed over the last ten years as a vehicle for moving beyond constructs typically applied to individuals and households: hunger and food security. The "community" in the phrase implies something beyond the household level that encompasses the community in which those households exist. As such it needs to be thought of operationally in a more expanded way.