Goal #1: Agricultural producers, food entrepreneurs, and food sector workers thrive in our regional economy
Agriculture and food-related sectors have long held important roles in the Douglas County economy and the quality of life of its residents. Local producers tend land that has been in agriculture for generations, while new and aspiring producers look to a future in farming.
Entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and innovators launch and grow new businesses that shape the community’s culture. Many more community members keep the local food economy humming through seasonal work and careers on farms, in grocery stores, and at food service outlets and restaurants.
The Objectives and Policies in Goal 1 suggest actions that the community can progress to ensure that all thrive in the local food system and regional economy. These actions include economic development incentives, promoting tourism around local food and agriculture, institutional purchasing of local food, and food system job training.
The indicators below can help to track progress in achieving this goal:
Market value of agricultural products sold in Douglas County (average per farm)
Overview
This USDA Census of Agriculture category represents the gross market value before taxes and production expenses of all agricultural products sold, and represented as an average per farm.
About the Data
Source: USDA Census of Agriculture
Update Frequency: Every 5 years
Notes: This indicator is equivalent to total sales and it includes sales by the producers as well as the value of any shares received by partners, landlords, contractors, or others associated with the operation. It does not include income from farm-related sources such as custom work and other agricultural services, or income from non-farm sources.
Market value of agricultural products sold through local and regional channels in Douglas County
Overview
This data includes farm products sold by the operation directly to consumers (farmers markets, on-farm stores or farm stand, roadside stands or stores, u-pick, CSA, online marketplaces, etc.), the value of products sold for human consumption directly to retail markets, institutions or food hubs for locally or regionally branded products, and the value of value-added products (i.e. jams, salsas, milled flours, etc.) sold in Douglas County.
About the Data
Source: USDA Census of Agriculture
Update Frequency: Every 5 years
Notes: Beginning in 2017, the USDA Census of Agriculture began including questions about food marketing practices. These census categories help us understand the local and regional food system product sales in the county.
Farm employment as a percentage of overall employment in Douglas County
Overview
The Bureau of Economic Analysis collects totals of farm and non-farm jobs in each county in the U.S. This indicator measures the percent of farm jobs compared to the total number of jobs in Douglas County. This indicator can help us track the growth (or lack of growth) of jobs in farming compared to all jobs.
About the Data
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
Update Frequency: Annually
Notes: The Bureau of Economic Analysis updates this data annually. Data for this indicator is from 2002-2020.
Number of new and beginning farmers operating in Douglas County
Overview
This was a new category in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. USDA defines beginning farmers and ranchers as those who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less either as a sole operator or with others who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less.
About the Data
Source: USDA Census of Agriculture
Update Frequency: Every 5 years
Notes: The Census of Agriculture provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches every five years. The Census of Agriculture began capturing the number of new and beginning farmers at the last census, in 2017. The Douglas County percentage of new and beginning farmers (25.83%) is slightly higher than the state of Kansas (23.69% new and beginning farmers).
Accommodation and food service sector sales in Douglas County
Overview
The U.S. Economic Census combines sales for accommodations and food service together into one category (defined by NAICS sector 72). Data is available from 2012 and 2017 at the county level. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System. The federal government uses this system to categorize types of businesses in order to analyze economic data related to each sector.
About the Data
Source: Census Bureau Economic Census
Update Frequency: Every 5 years
Notes: The U.S. Economic Census is the federal government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy. It is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and response is required by law.
Accommodation and food service employment as a percentage of overall employment in Douglas County
Overview
The Bureau of Economic Analysis collects totals of farm and non-farm jobs in each county in the U.S. This indicator measures the percentage of jobs in the accommodations and food service sector (NAICS sector 72) compared to the total number of jobs in Douglas County. This indicator can help us track the growth (or lack of growth) of jobs in the accommodations and food service sectors compared to all jobs.
About the Data
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
Update Frequency: Annually
Notes: The Bureau of Economic Analysis updates this data annually. Data for this indicator is from 2002-2020.
Number of food manufacturing employees in Douglas County
Overview
This indicator is reported as a number of employees working in food manufacturing in Douglas County. The U.S. Census collects employment in the food manufacturing sector (NAICS sector 311). This sector includes commercial manufacturing that starts with raw animal, vegetable or marine materials and transforms them into food stuffs or edible products such as dairy, meat, vegetable, bakery, grain and cereals. It includes both manufacturing of food for animals and humans.
About the Data
Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns
Update Frequency: Annually
Notes: The County Business Patterns data set provides economic data on an annual basis by industry. The NAICS code for food manufacturing (311) was used to measure the size of the industry in Douglas County. The data on number of employees is available starting in 2015.
Douglas County school districts' local food purchases (in U.S. dollars per student)
Overview
The USDA Farm to School Census is a new tool developed to measure the impact of Farm to School activities across the country. This indicator measures total food purchases spent on local foods (including milk) for the 2018-2019 school year. During the 2018-2019 school year, The Lawrence (USD 497) spent $450,000, and Baldwin City (USD 348) spent $35,681. USD 497 serves 11,000 students and USD 348 serves 1,455 students.
About the Data
Source: USDA Farm to School Census
Update Frequency: Every 3-5 years
Notes: This data is reported by school districts that elect to participate in the USDA Farm to School Census. This data was collected for the first time on the 2018-2019 school year.
Community Voices
Growing Common Ground to New Heights
In 2017, when the Douglas County Food System Plan (FSP) was first adopted, Common Ground, the City of Lawrence’s urban gardening and farming program, was already an established and robust effort.
Dining Out on “Purposeful Plates”
In early 2019, members of the Douglas County Food Policy Council (DCFPC) Goal 5 working group, which focuses on eliminating food waste through reduction, recovery, and diversion, partnered with Dr. Susan Harvey from The University of Kansas...