Food Hub Operations
Protecting Profitability and Scale through Holistic Strategic Planning
This is to introduce Food Hub operators, start-ups, and management employees about various strategies and objectives to achieve their overall strategic planning goals monthly, yearly, and multi-yearly. The goal of this presentation is to assist operators in protecting profitability by holistically responding to risk in the five special emphasis areas of production, marketing, financial, legal, and human resource management. Participants will look at the presenter’s Food Hub’s beginning, development and implementation as an example of best and worst practices when starting and scaling up.
Ron Williams
Logistics Make the World Go ‘Round
The session presents three technological solutions to food hubs’ logistical needs. Hear from a range of practitioners on tools they have developed to crack the code on getting products to the right place at the right time for the right price. Leaders from Iowa will demonstrate an application to help facilitate food hubs collaborating for shared transportation and warehousing. Farm Fare from Ohio will show us an application that allows farmers, hubs, and buyers to share information and transportation quickly and easily. TRACTOR from North Carolina will demonstrate their excel-based tool to track sales and inventory. Learn about applying these tools to take your hub to the next level!
Anuj Mittal, Iowa State University; Jason Grimm, Iowa Valley RC&D; Becca Smith, Tractor, Food and Farms; Robin Smith, TRACTOR Food and Farms; Cullen Namoff, Farm Fare; Laura Adiletta, Farm Fare
Culturally-Relevant Solutions for GAP Training and Auditing
Know you need to get GAP but not sure where to start? Are your growers resistant to GAP and confused about what is needed? Are you navigating cultural, language, and technological barriers? We’ve been there and gotten through it. Let us tell you how we did it.
Lindsay Gilmour, Organic Planet LLC
Letters to a Young Food Hub
Five veteran food hubbers imagine they could go back in time to their younger selves, and give advice to make their path easier and more successful.
Grace Mandarano, 100km Foods Inc.; Thomas Nelson, Capay Valley Farm Shop; Haile Johnston, The Common Market; Angel Mendez, Red Tomato; Karen Salinger, Veritable Vegetable; Rich Pirog (moderator), Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) at Michigan State University
“Everything you (n)Ever Wanted to Know about FSMA”
Description coming soon.
Steve Warshawer; Sophia Kruszewski, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition