Local Solutions

The structure of the food industry is rapidly changing. Producers and retailers are consolidating into large corporations located in central commercial hubs far from the fields of rural America.

In southeast Minnesota, small producers are experiencing the negative effects of these changes. They have little control over what is happening on the national level and, by in large, only react to changes. Solutions typically have been short-term and focused on small pieces of the system rather than the big picture.

In Pine Island, a group of producers is working at the front end of planning a better community-based food strategy for their area. Local leadership is developing a regional food system that is sustainable and community driven.

The OMEGA Cooperative was established two years ago to bring local solutions to changes in the food industry. Focusing attention on Rochester and the surrounding area, its aim is to develop a local food system that supports the specific values, wants, and needs of food producers and consumers in the region.

To be successful, a regional food system must fulfill as many community needs as possible. Knowing what local consumers want from a food system is central to the Cooperative’s success. It is also the most challenging information to obtain.

“Defining the average southeast Minnesota meal – fresh, fast, baked, frozen, or micro waved – is hard to do.” states Abraham Algadi, a member of the OMEGA Cooperative. “Researching current market needs and wants is the first step to determining if a local food approach is feasible.” Surveys, interviews, and focus groups are the tools OMEGA is using to research the best way to implement its program.

One finding from research to date is an accelerating consumer trend reflected in an emphasis on healthy, good tasting foods. This has led OMEGA to believe that there is a place for a local food enterprise constructed on natural, wholesome, and homegrown principles. Providing such foods to the region is the goal of a value-based approach that OMEGA is working to establish.

The Cooperative has a student intern from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management (through the Community Assistantship Program). Omega is in the process of collecting its research data through a local marketing research firm. Omega’s leaders have been active in the Southeast Minnesota Foods Working Group exploring a way to design a long-term collaborative effort to join University and local food interests.

A project supported by the Experiment in Rural Cooperation.