- Agricultural Economics
- Animal and Food Sciences
- Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
- Community and Leadership Development
- Entomology
- Extension and Education
- Extension Administration
- Forestry
- Horticulture
- Human Environmental Sciences
- Landscape Architecture
- Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center
- Plant Pathology
- Plant and Soil Sciences
- Veterinary Science
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Research and Education Support for the Renewal of an Agriculture of the Middle
L. Burmeister
Community and Leadership Development
Project Description
The objective of the multistate project is to identify value chain strategies for mid-sized U.S. farm enterprises ($100-$150K gross sales). The decline of this "agriculture-of-the-middle" threatens the competitive structure of the U.S. agrifood system and the socioeconomic well-being of many rural communities. My project activities focus on the research and education component of the project. During the upcoming year, I will be analyzing current household labor commitments of the mid-sized farm sector to determine what farm household labor opportunities and/or constraints may impact the adoption of new farm enterprise strategies being designed and developed as part of the project.
Impact
This project aims to identify new value chain farm enterprises, identify processing and distribution value chain partners, develop quality certification and monitoring protocols for value chain partners (farmers and allied processing and marketing firms, cooperatives, etc.), provide educational outreach to mid-sized farm enterprises interested in new production and marketing opportunities in value chain niches, explore consumer interest in value added agricultural projects, and identify public policy changes that facilitate a renewal of the "agriculture-of-the-middle."
Publications
Burmeister, L.L. 2008. Resilience and Vulnerability in U.S. Farm Policy: Parsing the Payment Limitation Debate. Agriculture and Human Values (in press).