Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland

The document examines the decline of midsize family farms in the U.S., using Iowa as a primary case study, and proposes a national food policy to connect these farms with institutional buyers to create jobs and improve environmental sustainability.

• Midsize family farms, defined as those with gross annual sales between $50,000 and $250,000 or operating on 50 to 999 acres, have been declining for nearly two decades. Between 2007 and 2012, the U.S. lost nearly 56,000 midsize farms, with Iowa alone losing approximately 6,000, which was nearly 10 percent of the national loss.
• Midsize farms provide greater socioeconomic and environmental benefits than large industrial farms. They employ more people per acre, purchase more inputs locally, and are associated with lower poverty and unemployment rates. Environmentally, they tend to be more biodiverse and have a lower impact on soil and water quality compared to large farms, which increase global warming emissions.
• There is significant untapped potential for midsize farms to supply institutional and intermediate markets. In Iowa, there are over 22,000 potential markets, including schools, hospitals, and grocery stores. Midsize farms are uniquely positioned to meet this demand because they possess the capacity that small farms lack and the flexibility that large farms lack.
• Analysis of Iowa's economy suggests that if 25 percent of the state's intermediate and institutional markets purchased local food at the level of survey respondents, it would generate over $800 million annually. If 100 percent participated, the impact would exceed $3 billion. Such a shift could support between 4,249 and 16,997 midsize farms and create between 44,000 and 178,000 total jobs in Iowa.
• Several barriers hinder the establishment and transition to midsize diversified farming, including high land and equipment costs, lack of capital for new farmers, and inadequate insurance. While the 2014 farm bill introduced the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program, it remains unavailable to beginning farmers or rapidly expanding operations.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends a comprehensive national food policy that includes financial incentives for transitioning farmers, increased research into diversified farming systems, and investments in infrastructure such as food hubs and local food coordinators to bridge the gap between farms and markets.

APA

Hourigan, A. (2016). Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/ucs-growing-economies-2016.pdf

Chicago

Hourigan, Amy. Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/ucs-growing-economies-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hourigan |first1=Amy |title=Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=January 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/ucs-growing-economies-2016.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hourigan2016connecting, author = {Hourigan, Amy}, title = {{Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/01/ucs-growing-economies-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }