CIAS is part of a national task force working to renew what is being called the “agriculture of the middle.” This term refers to a disappearing sector of mid-scale farms and related agrifood enterprises that are unable to successfully market bulk agricultural commodities or sell food directly to consumers. This project has produced a set of Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies and Value Chain Teaching Materials, among other publications. For more information, visit the Agriculture of the Middle web site.

Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Full Circle

Full Circle is an organic farm to table delivery service based in western Washington that grows, sources and distributes fresh produce to West Coast communities on a subscription basis. more

Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Home Grown Wisconsin Co-op

Home Grown Wisconsin was a cooperative, multi-farm wholesale and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food business founded in 1996 in south central Wisconsin. They successfully sold fresh produce to upscale restaurants and CSA customers in the Chicago area for more than 10 years. more

Using Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies in University Classes

This instructor guide provides resources for using the Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies in three types of university courses: agricultural and food marketing, cooperatives, and food systems. more

Values-Based Food Suppy Chain Case Study: Red Tomato

Red Tomato is a non-profit organization that carries out marketing and distribution functions for 40 fruit and vegetable farmers, mostly in the northeastern U.S. more

Values-Based Food Suppy Chain Case Study: Country Natural Beef

Country Natural Beef started with 14 ranching families marketing 200 head of natural beef cattle in 1987. In recent years, the cooperative has nearly 100 member ranches in multiple states that raise more than 100,000 brood cows, manage more than 6 million acres of land and sell almost $50 million of products. more

Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Good Earth Farms

Begun in 2005 by Mike and Deb Hansen in central Wisconsin, Good Earth Farms includes five operations that sell nearly all of their certified organic meat through the internet. more

Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Shepherd’s Grain

In the mid 1980s, a pair of wheat producers, Karl Kupers and Fred Fleming, became convinced that the conventional dryland wheat farming they were practicing was not sustainable in the Palouse region of eastern Washington. more

Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Organic Valley

In 1988, a small group of organic vegetable growers in Wisconsin formed a cooperative to provide stable and fair prices to its members. It evolved into Organic Valley, the largest organic, farmer-owned cooperative in North America. more