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A Pig In Every Backyard?

I've been thinking about urban farming and livestock. Urban farming seems to be about fish, vegetables and bees. There's a certain logic to that--small space, and theoretically high yields per space. But, why couldn't you do pigs? This UK articles talks about them in Britain, UK Urban Pig Farming

Sure, I get the zoning, nobody wants to live next to a hog farm. But, you could set limits on how many pigs, require a permit, and you could zone cities for farming just like we do for heavy industrial.  You want to do these things in an urban area--fine, here's your zoning, and your zoning looks a lot like heavy industrial.  So, if you want to do farm things on a scale that's noticeable and potentially annoying, then It's ok and you can do it, but we'll put you with the other things that create noise and dust and odor and hold you to your zoning....

Modest Drought Enough To Do The Mayan Civilization In Through Starvation and Disease

Researchers now think a modest drought may have been enough to doom the Mayan civilization. "Rohling emphasized that climate may not have ended the ancient Mayan civilization but rather led to the collapse of the society through unrest and disease." Check out the article Mayan Drought Article

Think about that--- the Maya had one of most sophisticated farming and water storage systems available in their time period, and by and large it was working for them, but they couldn't make it through a mild drought.

I think the lesson is clear--a food system doesn't have to fail quickly, it doesn't have to fail spectacularly, it doesn't have to fail through a war, It just have to fail enough.... And then, like every complex system with lots of moving parts, a food system works until it doesn't.... No water, no crops, no crops, no farmers, no farmers no cities, no cities and in the end, no civilization. Well it could never happen here.. we're too smart, too connected and too lucky, yah, sure right...you bet we are...

 

 

 

Deputy Secretary Merrigan Blogs About The Business Of Local Food

A special thanks to Cari Rincker--New York City's resident agricultural law attorney who sent out a link to Deputy Secretary Merrigan's post to the USDA Blog about the Deputy Secretary's speech at The Chicago Federal Reserve and the business of local Food:

The Business of Local Foods<http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/06/the-business-of-local-foods/>

Cross posted from the Huffington Post Food blog<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-merrigan/local-food-economy-_b_1253052.html>:

Cari is one of the most articulate and passionate advocates for agriculture and the law I know. Check out her blog Cari Rincker's Blog

Thanks for sharing, Counselor....

 

Who Are You? The Maker? The Marketer? Or The "Moneyer"?

When It Comes To Food And Ag Value Propositions—Are You The Maker, The Marketer Or The "Moneyer"?

 Yes, I know "moneyer" isn’t really a word. I made it up.  But there is no good word for being the person who “moneys” the product. Ernesto Sirolli came up with a brilliant insight. Check out his body of work in this area Sirolli Institute Most entrepreneurs are good at one thing and only one thing: moneying, marketing or making.

 That’s ok, in fact, I think it’s just the way of the world, Nobody hits an A+ in everything.  But you gotta know who one you are because nobody’s good at all three and the success of your new venture depends on hitting an A in all 3. A C--even a C- might be good enough to keep a business going, but I doubt it is good enough to start a business...

 The first food and ag venture I ever did was selling pumpkins. I was drafted into the growing of them, probably mismanaged the money, and I was disappointed in my marketing. But,  I never doubted I was in it to win it, and winning it meant selling as many pumpkins as I possibly could.....

My natural  approach to every food and deal to this day is first to understand the marketing, so I guess that makes me a marketer guy.

Who are you? The Maker? The Marketer, or The Moneyer?

Good Food Farm Financing Conference In Crain's

Crain's just did a great article on the Good Food Financing Conference that is coming up on March 15, 2012 Crain's Story Good Food Farm Financing Conference

I will be moderating a panel with successful farmers at it, and I am truly looking forward to this event. An event that puts farmers and financiers together in the same room is truly as Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing"

Check out the website to register and for more info: Good Food Festival And Conference

I think there will be great speakers, great content, and great opportunity to talk to foodies, farmers and financial types.  Where else are ya gonna get a deal like that? As the smart guys say, "if you want to know, follow the money."

Good Food Financing Conference 2012 March 15 Save the Date...

The Good Food Food Financing Conference is coming up in just about a month on March 15, 2012 Good Food & Farm Financing Conference

This is a really great conference that puts local food and farm entrepreneurs in front of the money. It also lets people learn about what the financing options are and what might be a good choice for them.

It's also got a boatload of great speakers who have true insights into the financial realities of good food.

Does Your Tribe Have A Toothbrush?

David Scott nailed it fabulously in his latest blog post webinknknow He posted on his blog this question, does your market own a toothbrush. There are 4.8 billion people on the planet who have access to a cell phone and that means they have access to the web and the world.It's also as many or more people who have a toothbrush.

This growing global connectedness is why I believe so much in The Long Tail and The Tribe Seth Godin writes about. It is also why I know in my heart that people in Vietnam are checking global chocolate market issues on their phones before they talk to the nice cocoa buyers, and why the people in Panama that Scott wrote about could also check the global market price for their ag products. Knowledge is power, and the power of knowledge is just a click away on a mobile device...

It's also why countries with food issues have to own the cell phone space to shut down the food rioters texting each other.The revolution will not only be televised it will be on YouTube in minutes...

So if your market owns a toothbrush, it probably also owns a small part of the world wide web, and perhaps you're really 6 only degrees of clickeration away.  The revolution in social media and the tribing of food and ag isn't starting, it's already here....

Thanks To Everyone At The 2012 The Chicago Farmers Farmland Investment Fair

Thank YOU All!!

Thanks to everyone who spoke at, attended and exhibited at The 2012 The Chicago Farmers Farmland Invesetment Fair The Chicago Farmers

A special thanks to all the speakers who I asked and were kind enough to give up a Saturday to come to Joliet and talk about farmland investing:

The Business Case for Investing in Local and Organic

Gary McDonald, Dave Miller & Jim Slama

Grass Fed Beef and Getting Started with Farmers Markets

Walter Lynn & Steve McIntyre

Value Added

Ray Ropp & Rick Terrien

You Guys Rock Thanks Again For Speaking

And as always thanks to the group, the Board and my great co-chair Jeff Martin.

Surf's Up at The Fair/ Lots of Interest in Local and Organic and International, 1031s and Drainage...

I look at food and ag near and long term future as a bit like surfing. There's a lot of big big waves coming down the ocean, and It's not going to be for everybody. Because the only constant is going to be change, and I also think change is going to change. Things are going to change more and faster than ever before...  For example, growing up in Polo, Illinois, I barely knew what a kiwi was, now I expect to get a fresh, organic, fair trade one in February in Illinois.

My point is this, registrations for the 1031 session at The 2012 The Chicago Farmer's Investment Fair are brisk.( www.chicagofarmers.org)  So are the numbers for the drainage session and for international investing, grass fed beef, value added and the business case for local and organic.

This tells me, I think other people get that we're going to be in for a wild wild ride in food and ag. There are a lot of factors in the mix:  Increasing demand for new products, uncertain supplies, volatile demand and supply curves, demands for organic and local, uncertain labor on the fruit/vegetable and animal ag side, and did I forget to mention, nobody really knows when or if the farmland bubble will burst.. Or if there even is a bubble, maybe this is the new normal.