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Title A-Z Z-A	Author A-Z Z-A	Date 1-9 9-1
Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I	Virginia A. Stallings and Christine L. Taylor	December 1, 2008
1213k Document summary The National School Breakfast Program feeds 10 million children each day, and the National School Lunch Program feeds more than 30 million students. With so many children receiving as much as 50 percent of their daily caloric intake from school meals, it is vital for schools to provide nutritious food. The USDA requested the Institute of Medicine assembled a committee to recommend updates and revisions to the school lunch and breakfast programs. The is the first part of the committee’s work.
Measures and Methods: Four Tenets for Rural Economic Development in the New Economy.	Anita Brown-Graham and William Lambe	November 10, 2008
212k Document summary A report from the Carsey Institute that finds rural communities working to find strategies for success in today's economy need to rethink the tools they are using.
African Immigrants in Minnesota	Neal Remington	October 29, 2008
486k Document summary A short report on African immigrants living in rural Minnesota.
Local Foods and Climate Change: An Annotated List of Resources	Jenny Edwards/IATP	October 24, 2008
316k Document summary An annotated list of recent studies related to climate change and food systems.
Sustainable Agriculture Versus Unregulated Financial Markets	Mark Muller/IATP	October 23, 2008
319k Document summary In the volley between high prices and low prices, long-term issues of resilience and sustainability are lost.
Rural African Summit Press Release	IATP Signatorie	October 21, 2008
150k Document summary Rural African Summit Press Release
Rural African Summit Agenda	IATP Signatorie	October 20, 2008
130k Document summary Agenda for the Rural African Summit held in St. Cloud, MN, Oct. 26 and 27, 2008.
Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview	Wayne M. Morrison	October 17, 2008
74k Document summary China is a major source of U.S. imports of consumer products (such as toys) and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year or so have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This report provides an overview of this issue and implications for U.S.-China trade relations and will be updated as events warrant.
Farmer in Chief	Michael Pollan	October 12, 2008
81k Document summary Dear Mr. President-Elect, It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration — the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda. But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact — so easy to overlook these past few years — that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.
Biomass Crops for Renewable Energy: Opportunities and Challenges	UW Extension/IATP	October 1, 2008
2520k Document summary Biomass Crops for Renewable Energy – October 8 – Spooner, WI This field tour and bioenergy discussion is for farmers, rural landowners, greenhouse owners, and others interested in growing, harvesting, and/or utilizing bioenergy crops for renewable energy. The focus will be on non-oil seed perennial crops including switchgrass, miscanthus, and short rotation woody crops. IATP is co-sponsoring this event along with University of Wisconsin, Agriculture Extension and North Central Region SARE. You can find more details here.
Guide to Safer Children's Products	IATP	September 24, 2008
1217k Document summary A guide for consumers when purchasing potentially harmful plastic products.
IATP Comment to USDA Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Imports	Steve Suppan/IATP	September 3, 2008
51k Document summary A comment to the USDA's National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection on setting safety standards for other countries who want to export into the U.S.
Developing a Model for Economically Empowering Africans in Minnesota	African Development Center	September 1, 2008
17678k Document summary A report on the activities of the African Development Center given by Hussein Samatar at IATP's Rural African Summit, October 26 and 27, 2008.
Skillful Means: The Challenges of China's Encounter with Factory Farming	Brighter Green	August 25, 2008
3563k Document summary Until relatively recently in human history, regular consumption of meat was limited to the wealthy elite. The poor ate it only on special occasions, since their animals—pigs, sheep, goats, cows, chickens, and other birds—were more valuable alive than dead. But over the past sixty years, vast changes in agricultural production in industrialized countries, including use of chemical-based fertilizers and adoption of large, confined, factory-like facilities that house thousands of animals, have made meat widely available and affordable. In recent decades, this “livestock revolution” has spread to Latin America, Asia, and to a lesser extent, Africa.
My Alternative Farming Experience in America	Shi Yan	August 21, 2008
4595k Document summary A series of blog entries on life at a Minnestoa farm, written by Chinese graduate student Shi Yan.
The Minneapolis Mini Farmers' Market Project	IATP	August 1, 2008
227k Document summary A description of the Minneapolis Mini Farmers Market project.
Review of the animal cloning situation in the EU	USDA -- GAIN	July 25, 2008
29k Document summary On July 24, 2008, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted their final opinion on animal cloning after the European Parliament (EP) came out against it in June. The EP voted a resolution against animal cloning for food purposes in the EU despite a positive scientific assessment by EFSA in January 2008.
Letter to Senate Finance Committee on Nanotechnology	Center for the Study of Responsive Law, Friends of the Earth, International Center for Technology Assessment, Food and Water Watch, Edmonds Institute, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Center for Genetics and Society, Loka Institute, Silicon Val	July 24, 2008
54k Document summary Letter concerning oversight of nanotechnology.
Food Stamps, Food Security and Public Health: Lessons from Minnesota	Carla Kaiser/IATP	July 8, 2008
271k Document summary The Food Stamp Program is a good case study to examine why, despite food assistance and nutrition programs, people continue to struggle with adequate and nutritious food supplies.
Fact sheets on genetically modified organisms	GreenPeace	July 1, 2008
357k Document summary Greenpeace briefing papers on GMO foods: No. 1 Flaws in the EU authorisation process for GMOs No. 2 Facts and figures about genetically modified organisms No. 3 Environmental and health impacts of GMOs: the evidence No. 4 The social and economic impacts of GMOs
A How To Guide For Hosting Mini Farmers' Markets in Minneapolis	City of Minneapolis, Steps to a Healthier Minnesota, IATP	July 1, 2008
7522k Document summary A guide for community organizations on how to set up a mini farmers' market in the city of Minneapolis.
Tim Lang on the Future of Food	Seedling	July 1, 2008
204k Document summary Professor of Food Policy at City University in London, Timothy Lang is a leading authority on food.
Place Matters; Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas	Lawrence C. Hamilton; Leslie R. Hamilton; Cynthia M. Duncan; Chris R. Colocousis	July 1, 2008
1256k Document summary Carsey Institute Report on challenges facing rural communities.
Harvesting Fuel - Cutting Costs and Reducing Forest Fire Hazards Through Biomass Harvest	Don Arnosti, Dr. Dalia Abbas, Dr. Dean Current, Dr. Michael Demchik	June 19, 2008
6468k Document summary A series of test forest biomass harvests from the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota indicate that such harvests could reduce the cost of fire prevention management while providing work for loggers and fuel for renewable energy facilities.
Rural Advantage 2008 Walk and Talks	Rural Advantage	June 19, 2008
370k Document summary Rural Advantage Farm Field Days for 2008.
10 Myths From the Mainstream Media on U.S. Farm Policy	IATP	June 12, 2008
129k Document summary The mainstream media often misunderstands how farm policy works in the real world.
Social Stewardship Standards in Organic and Sustainable Agriculture: Full Standards Document	Agricultrual Justice Project	June 1, 2008
2446k Document summary The model standards are currently in their fifth draft, with additional review and revisions planned for 2008 " 2009.
Grass-Based Ag in Action at Prairie Horizons	Sustainable Farmers of Minnesota	June 1, 2008
209k Document summary Description of event on whole-systems based approach to bioenergy.
Growing Wisconsin Energy; A Native Grass Pellet Bio-heat Roadmap for Wisconsin	PAMELA A. PORTER; JONATHAN BARRY; ROGER SAMSON; MARK DOUDLAH	June 1, 2008
6519k Document summary Technical and economic information about using native grass for residential and commercial heating.
10 Myths From the Mainstream Media About Farm Policy	Ben Lilliston	June 1, 2008
129k Document summary Created for the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform. Ten common farm policy misconceptions.
Minnesota Memorandum of Understanding on Organic Agriculture	Minnesota Legislature	May 30, 2008
60k Document summary Ten state and federal agencies Wednesday signed a commitment to Minnesota’s organic agriculture sector, promising to increase the impact of each agency’s organic programs and foster innovative partnerships.
Child Labor Monitoring and Verification Program for Agricultural Imports	Child Labor Consultative Group	May 26, 2008
12k Document summary The Managers report explained the purpose of Sec. 3205 of the farm bill as s the development of “a voluntary, third-party certification effort is designed to reduce the likelihood that products produced with forced labor or child labor are imported into the United States as directed in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005."
FAMILY FARMERS LAMBAST WASTED OPPORTUNITY OF FARM BILL	National Family Farm Coalition	May 23, 2008
125k Document summary The National Family Farm Coalition today criticized Congress and the recently enacted Farm Bill for failing to address the growing global food crisis occurring abroad and here at home.
Summary of the 2008 Farm Bill’s Energy Title and Other New Clean Energy Development Provisions	Environmental Law and Policy Center	May 22, 2008
118k Document summary With the Senate's veto override of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, the new Farm Bill is now law. It builds upon the first-ever Energy Title of the 2002 Farm Bill, providing new programs and a stronger federal commitment to farm-based energy.
Farm Bill a Missed Opportunity	R. Dennis Olson/IATP	May 13, 2008
114k Document summary The 2008 Farm Bill is a missed opportunity to address the problems caused by market deregulation.
Food, Water and Climate Challenges	Shiney Varghese/IATP	May 8, 2008
100k Document summary It is time for us to get serious about understanding the way climate change affects water resources for food production and conversely the way agricultural water use is leading to climate change.
Minnesota's Bubble Economy: The Critical Need to Prevent our Farmland Boom from Busting	Lee Egerstrom	May 6, 2008
4755k Document summary Minnesota agriculture is riding high -- perhaps too high to be sustainable. Clearly, price bubbles are forming around farmland and commodities that threaten the long-term health of Minnesota's huge food and agriculture economy. A report from Minnesota 2020
Biofuel and Global Biodiversity	Dennis Keeney and Claudia Nanninga/IATP	May 6, 2008
755k Document summary Increasing production of crops for biofuels is exacerbating agriculture’s impact on biodiversity in many parts of the world.
Oil and Tar Sand Basics	Bureau of Land Management	May 2, 2008
175k Document summary The Oil Shale and Tar Sands Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) evaluates potential impacts associated with oil shale and tar sands resources development on lands administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Based upon the information and analyses developed in this PEIS, the BLM will amend land use plans for these areas.
Biomass-to-Liquid Biofuel Plant Opens in Germany	USDA -- GAIN	April 23, 2008
24k Document summary On April 17, 2008, the world's reportedly first commercial biomass-to-liquid (BtL) plant opened in Freiberg, Saxony in Eastern Germany. The owner company Choren Industries GmbH projects that it will take 8 to 12 months for the plant to reach its full annual capacity of 18 million liters. The plant will run on forest residue wood and waste timber. While BtL can be produced from cellulosic material, it is distinctly different from cellulosic ethanol, another second generation biofuel.
The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Feed	David P. Anderson, Joe L. Outlaw, Henry L. Bryant, James W. Richardson, David P. Ernstes, J. Marc Raulston,	April 10, 2008
2285k Document summary A study by Texas A&M’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center illustrates corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs.
Patent Reform Letter to the Senate	18 farm groups including IATP	April 8, 2008
40k Document summary A letter to Senate leaders urging the passage of the Patent Reform Act of 2007, which would help level the playing field for farmers defending themselves against dubious claims of patent infringement.
Immigration Advocates Network (IAN)	IAN	April 3, 2008
30k Document summary Call to join a new national immigration network.
The Emerging Water Crisis in the U.S.	Shiney Varghese/IATP	March 24, 2008
81k Document summary I am amazed: since last summer, almost every day we see at least one news story on another water crisis in the U.S.
Minnesota vs. $100 Barrel Oil	Don Arnosti/IATP	February 26, 2008
60k Document summary Minnesota has a chance to break away from $100 oil toward greener fuel and energy that creates jobs, protects the environment, slows climate change, and establishes the state as a national and international leader.
Cattle Abuse, Beef Recall, Highlight Systemic Weaknesses	Steve Suppan/IATP	February 21, 2008
58k Document summary The recent recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef represents a systemic breakdown in U.S. food safety inspection.
Farmer Agreement Offers Alternative to NAFTA's Failures	R. Dennis Olson/IATP	February 4, 2008
237k Document summary NAFTA's threat to sugar farmers in Mexico and the U.S. is so dire that it has provided the impetus for an historic agreement between farmers in the two countries.
Ethanol and Land Use Changes	David Morris	February 1, 2008
448k Document summary Dr. Morris challenges the findings of two reports published February 7 in Science that examined the greenhouse gas impact of land use changes caused by the growing demand for biofuels.
Self Employment in Rural America: The New Economic Reality	Stephan J. Goetz	February 1, 2008
1086k Document summary Self-employment is the new reality for a growing segment of the U.S. labor force, and more so in rural than in urban areas. Although self-employment potentially holds many opportunities for rural economies, earnings of the rural self-employed lag significantly and increasingly behind those of traditional workers. Without more coordinated supports and policy intervention, an economy built on self-employment may threaten a middle-class way of life.
Farmer's Share	Farmers Union	February 1, 2008
6308k Document summary A chart showing what portion of the consumer food dollars goes to the farmer on selected products.
Summary of Corn Prices and Yields for 2007	Compiled from USDA Sources	January 29, 2008
57k Document summary Overview of corn production in the US in 2007.
Lower Emissions, Cleaner Cars, Better Fuel Crops	Clean Energy Minnesota	January 23, 2008
188k Document summary Clean Energy Minnesota, a coalition of 12 nonprofit organizations working for Minnesota’s global warming solutions and energy independence, today announced its top legislative priorities to reduce global warming pollution.
Food, feed or fuel: a measured policy on agricultural	Mariann Fischer Boel	January 18, 2008
30k Document summary , the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, gave an important speech to the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Ernährungsindustrie (German Food Industry Association) on January 18, 2008 at the beginning of Gruene Woche (Green Week), the large annual food fair in Berlin, Germany. Her topic was 'Food, feed or fuel: a measured policy on agricultural markets'. In her remarks, Commissioner Fischer Boel called for tough policy choices: on changes in food prices.
Developing a Rural Strategy	Ana Greenberg and Dave Walker	January 16, 2008
74k Document summary Memo outline conditions in US rural communities.
Who Benefits	Friends of the Earth	January 1, 2008
877k Document summary Genetically modified (GM) crops have led to a large increase in pesticide use and have failed to increase yield or tackle world hunger and poverty.
Rural Youth are More Likely to be Idle	Anastasia Snyder and Diane Mc Laughlin	January 1, 2008
149k Document summary Approximately 10 percent of young adults (aged 18-24) today are idle, that is, they are not in postsecondary school, the workforce, or the armed Forces.1 among high school dropouts the shares are even higher, at 30 percent. idle youth are not following the typical pathways from adolescence to adulthood. They are not gaining adequate educations, are not gaining work experience, and they have no obvious sources of earned income.
A Profile of Latinos in Rural America	Rogelio Saenz	January 1, 2008
157k Document summary Latinos are increasingly found outside of places where they have traditionally resided. Because they are younger and giving birth at higher rates than their non-Latino counterparts in nonmetropolitan america, Latinos represent a significant growing segment of the nation’s rural population. This brief uses recent data from the Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community survey (ACS) to present a snapshot of the Latino population in the nonmetropolitan United States.
Global Politics of Eating	Rachel Schurman	January 1, 2008
153k Document summary Course syllabus. This course is built on two key premises: first, that the production, distribution, and consumption of food involves power relationships among different groups of actors, and second, that one can gain great insights into these relationships through a sociological and political-economic analysis of food.
Letter on Bioenergy Crop Amendment	Over 90 organizations	December 6, 2007
58k Document summary A letter to Senators supporting the Wyden-Harkin Amendment to the Farm Bill, which would establish sustainability criteria for the growing of cellulosic bioenergy crops.
Diversity Coalition in Rural Minnesota Communities	Tamara Downs Schwei and Katherine Fennelly	December 1, 2007
467k Document summary Diversity coalitions as organizations that are open to community members and that have programs that aim to improve relations between U.S.- and foreign-born residents.
Saving the Poor and the Planet with Biofuels	Cliff Bradley	November 14, 2007
79k Document summary Arguments supporting the production of biofuels from a producer concerend about world hunger and the future of the planet.
Losing Control of U.S. Food Safety	Rod Leonard and Steve Suppan/IATP	November 13, 2007
63k Document summary This fact sheet briefly summarizes principal causes of the loss of U.S. food safety control oversight and some proposals to reassert that responsibility.
A Fair Farm Bill for Taxpayers	Heather Schoonover	November 13, 2007
208k Document summary This paper examines how a smarter investment in taxpayer dollars could bring greater societal benefits in a new Farm Bill.
Biomass Energy Crop Transition Assistance Ammendment Comparison	Julie Sibbing and Martha Noble	November 10, 2007
12k Document summary A side-by-side comparison factsheet provided by SAC and NWF of which key provisions are currently missing from the BCTAP, and how the proposed amendment would help fix the existing shortcomings of the bill
Secretary of Agriculture 2007 -- 1865	Cattle Network	November 7, 2007
262k Document summary Short bios and photos of all the heads of the USDA.
Nature Providing a Reality Check	Dr. Dennis Keeney and Mark Muller/IATP	November 7, 2007
35k Document summary The prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released two disturbing studies last month. Taken together, they issue a stark warning about the direction of Midwest agriculture and provide a guidepost for important policy changes that must be made in the 2007 Farm Bill currently being debated in Congress.
Statement of Administration Policy on Senate Farm Bill	White House	November 6, 2007
62k Document summary An analysis of the Senate Farm Bill from the Bush Administration.
Reforming Food Aid	Sophia Murphy/IATP	November 5, 2007
35k Document summary Next week, the full Senate will vote on the Farm Bill. It must include the small, do-able and wholly necessary pilot program for local purchasing by hungry countries to help put U.S. food aid back on the right track so that more of the assistance America provides actually gets to those who need it the most.
A Comparison of Rural and Urban Middle-Income Households	The Center for Rural Pennsylvania	November 1, 2007
1101k Document summary This study compares Pennsylvania’s rural and urban middle-income households, which are defined as those with yearly incomes of $37,501 to $57,000. Using the 2006 and 2007 Rural Pennsylvania Current Population Survey (RuralPA-CPS), the Center for Rural Pennsylvania identified these households as middle-income since they were in the middle one-fifth of the Pennsylvania income distribution. The analysis included five factors affecting rural and urban middle-income households: demographics, employment, health insurance, housing and educational attainment. The analysis showed that for each of these factors, a gap existed between rural and urban households. Rural middle-income households, for example, were more likely to have children and be less racially diverse than urban middle-income households. Rural households also had lower levels of educational attainment, were more likely to have dual wage earners and were more likely to receive health insurance through an employer than urban middle-income households. Rural middle-income households also had lower monthly housing costs than similar urban households.
RURAL-URBAN INTERDEPENDENCE:WHY METROPOLITAN AND RURAL AMERICA NEED EACH OTHER	Brian Dabson	November 1, 2007
119k Document summary The Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings has launched a three-year initiative to promote national prosperity by building on the assets of America’s metropolitan areas. The Blueprint for American Prosperity will present an integrated policy agenda, coupled with specific recommendations for federal policy reform, aiming to help metropolitan areas leverage their economic strengths, create opportunities for a strong and diverse middle class, and grow in environmentally sensitive ways (Brookings 2007). Often lost in debates about the future of cities and metropolitan areas, however, is any substantive discussion as to where rural regions and people fit into the picture. One in six Americans lives outside of metropolitan America, including those in micropolitan areas. Another one in six lives in small and mid-sized metropolitan areas, outside the 100 largest metro areas that form the primary focus of Brookings’ Blueprint initiative. As this paper argues, there is a high degree of connectedness and interdependence between metropolitan and rural America. No bright lines separate the two types of areas, either geographically or economically. If metropolitan America is to drive national prosperity, metropolitan areas will need a healthy and sustainable rural economy and culture. Likewise, if rural America is to flourish, it will surely depend upon vibrant, well-functioning cities and suburbs. To that end, this paper briefly makes four basic points: • Despite official definitions that distinguish urban from rural, and metropolitan from nonmetropolitan, the realities of settlement, commuting, and migration patterns suggest a far more complicated interface in which much mixing occurs among urban and rural populations, and rural areas themselves exhibit a great deal of diversity • International research, especially in the developing world, has recognized the complicated human, market, environmental, and functional interactions that link urban to rural areas, especially at the so-called “peri-urban” interface where urban meets rural • Leading thinkers on strategies to achieve greater rural prosperity emphasize the value of strengthening productive ties between rural and urban places, implying the need for efforts to preserve rural natural resources; improve labor market connections (including through technological infrastructure); upgrade education in rural areas; and ensure that America’s rural economy keeps pace with changing metropolitan demand at home and abroad 3 • America’s rural and urban areas share many degrees of interdependence; rural areas provide critical consumption goods for metropolitan consumers, such as food, energy, lower-cost land and labor, and unique experiences; metro areas constitute the end market for rural production; provide specialized services; offer diverse job opportunities; and generate resources for public and private investment in rural America.