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Food Systems

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Farms Selling Local Foods

Producers who sell food locally are a small and slowly growing share of the U.S. agriculture industry.

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Horticulture newsletter

Sign up for the MU Extension Commercial Horticulture newsletter for information on fruit & vegetable production topics including pest & fertility management, field & high tunnel production, sales & marketing, & more.

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Missouri Ag Intel

Check out Missouri Ag Intel’s five decision tools to discover new crop opportunities and determine whether particular crops would be well-suited for your farm!

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Circular illustration showing processes of food systemsFood systems encompass all the people, processes and infrastructure involved in getting food from the farm to your table. Increasingly, Missourians are seeking information about how their food is produced, harvested, processed, distributed, marketed and accessed so that they can support their local communities. On this website, you — as a farmer or food business owner, consumer or community leader — will find information and resources to help you:

  • Create food systems that provide for profitable, thriving farms and businesses;
  • Steward our natural resources;
  • Ensure a safe and affordable food supply; and
  • Strengthen community relationships in rural and urban Missouri.

  • Introduction to Local Food Systems guide

    This MU Extension guide explores the concept of local food systems and gives an overview of the benefits of creating new opportunities within our community food systems.

  • Sectors of food systems

    The Sectors page provides MU Extension programs and publications and other resources that will help you learn more about and develop different parts of the food system.

  • Partnerships and collaborations

    Learn more about how this is a necessary part of local food systems, including how the MU Extension Food Systems team takes a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach.

 

Publications

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Adding Value in Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Publication date: Oct. 1, 2022

Farm businesses can increase income by undertaking a new management, marketing or production practice to increase revenue, lower costs or both. The following practices all have potential to boost farm income.Building on-farm grain storage bins to ...

Introduction to Local Food Systems

Publication date: Sept. 1, 2022

The local production and marketing of food has reached a critical mass in the past decade. Increasingly, people are searching out food that not only is flavorful, healthy, and safe but that also supports their local community. Farmers are working ...

Making and Using Compost

Publication date: July 15, 2022

Compost is partially decomposed organic matter. It is dark and easily crumbled and has an earthy aroma. It is created by biological processes in which soil-inhabiting organisms break down plant tissue. When decomposition is complete, compost has ...

5 Steps to Buying Meat Direct From the Farm

Publication date: May 1, 2022

To access and purchase local meat, consumers have choices. One option is to buy a live animal from a livestock producer and have that animal processed at a custom-exempt, state-inspected or federally inspected facility. Rather than purchase a whole ...

Grass Clippings, Compost and Mulch: Questions and Answers

Publication date: March 18, 2022

Reviewed by Manoj ChhetriMU Extension Horticulture Field SpecialistChris StarbuckDepartment of HorticultureYard waste, such as grass clippings, leaves and branches, was banned from Missouri landfills in 1992. These materials are a valuable landscape ...

Storing foods at home

Publication date: Feb. 1, 2022

It’s important to keep foods safe by storing them properly. The chart on this handout provides guidelines for storing a variety of foods in the cupboard, refrigerator and freezer.TopicsNutrition education handoutsFoodStorageFood ...

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