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N.C. grown produce, including the County Schools, which participate in the N.C. Farm to School Program. In 2010, the County joined the CEFS 10% Campaign and adopted a Local Food Purchasing Policy that requires County employees to locally source 10 percent of all food served at County catered events and meetings. This offers an immediate opportunity to expand local procurement. In short, while institutions are big food purchasers, Cabarrus farmers are not currently producing enough to supply these markets. Beef has more potential compared to produce but is still a long -term, complex issue. Large chains dominate the County's retail grocery stores, including Food Lion, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods. Through its participation in "Got to be NC," Food Lion identifies NC farms that provide products to the store. In general, retail buyers purchase products on a large scale and require third - party certification, which makes smaller -scale farmers less interested. Independently owned grocery stores are ideal markets for small -scale independent farmers. Yet in order to be successful, these stores need distributors who are willing to make deliveries scaled to their smaller size. A few independent stores exist outside the County, and they are beginning to see increased demand for locally- raised meats. RECOMMENDATIONS We provide the following overarching recommendations as guid- ance for the County in determining priority activities with the intent to help optimize the use of resources — natural, human and financial — in building a local food economy. These recom- mendations stem in large part from the outcome of interviews and focus groups with local food system stakeholders. 1. Engage in a county -wide strategic planning and visioning process — This assessment provides background information and characterizes the County's food system as it is today. It identifies numerous challenges and opportunities for making progress. To move forward, the County should consider engaging in a strategic planning process that considers the information compiled in this assessment and builds on it to establish targeted goals, time -lines and priority actions. Any relevant work undertaken by the Food Policy Council should be incorporated as well. As part of the strategic planning process, successful local food initiatives within the County and across the region should be highlighted, including regional and national models for scaling local food and farming businesses. (We provide a variety of examples within the assessment). 2. Provide "food system training" opportunities for County decision makers — While there continues to be significant interest in local food as an economic driver at the County level, individuals within leadership positions need opportunities to become well versed in food system issues and support their ready engagement in key activities. 3. "Grow" more farmers — There is a very real need and opportunity to support the growth of more farmers — particularly produce farmers — and productive farmland in the County and region as a whole. Without a stronger producer population, it will be difficult to expand local food access and grow the local food economy. Achieving this goal requires multiple strategies and is a long -term effort. Continued development of producer support systems will be critical. This includes ensuring strong and active engagement with Extension and creating the opportunity for this key partner to expand its support for this sector. 4. Focus in the near term on direct -to- consumer market channels — Farmers in Cabarrus appear most interested in developing direct -to- consumer market outlets. Direct - to- consumer options offer farmers the greatest financial return. And, as buyers, consumers interested in local food are far more forgiving and willing to pay premiums for food than typical wholesale buyers, including chefs and retailer grocers. Cabarrus is in the early stages of developing its local food economy and there appears to be plenty of "room" in the market place to cultivate prosperous and plentiful direct producer -to- consumer connections. Of particular interest to producers are "micro- aggregation" projects — locally -led businesses and /or initiatives that build efficiencies into direct -to- consumer relationships, such as through CSA's and food buying clubs. 5. Support farmers in understanding and tackling wholesale markets — The producers we interviewed expressed numerous concerns about and a lack of familiarity with wholesale markets. It will be important to provide hands -on training opportunities to help producers understand and comply with the demands of these markets. This includes a focus on opportunities to aggregate product to achieve volume and year -round availability, development of shared transportation, strategies for achieving GAP certification, storage, processing and other needed infrastructure, etc... 6. Invest in consumer education and promotion — Individuals in Cabarrus County have expertise and resources in marketing that many farmers do not. Focusing these talents on generating demand for local food is critical at this stage and is already underway, as shown by the Food Policy Council's "Locally Grown" Local Food Logo. Chefs, food service buyers, and retail grocers must feel consistent pressure from their customers before they'll go out of their CENTER for ENVIRONMENTAL FARMING SYSTEMS Attachment number 1 1 -1 Page 620