The Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Market Planner is an entirely new and improved version of the Leopold Center’s popular Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator. The original tool, developed in 2005, provided a quick comparison of county- by-county and state production and consumption of 37 fruit and vegetable crops that can be grown in Iowa.

This new market planner is much more than a simple update – it is a powerful tool that allows users to explore all types of local and regional fruit and vegetable markets. Users can target specific geographic regions, consumers by age groups, and different time frames. Users also can specify product mix, from fresh off-the-farm produce to canned or frozen products. All results are shown in retail weight, which takes into account spoilage and processing losses that occur after a crop leaves the farm.

In today’s global food systems, the prices of food reflect not only the cost of the initial product and marketing costs but also the process of moving products from producers to c onsumers. It is useful for local producers and processors to understand how the national marketplace operates. A few questions they need to consider are: How is final value distributed among U.S. consumers of sausage products? What are the functions that command the greatest value? Where are the market opportunities an d challenges for local producers?

This users guide refers to the U.S. Food Market Estimator (www.ctre.iastate.edu/marketsize), which helps users determine the potential demand, by U.S. county, for more than 200 different food items.

In today’s global food systems, the prices of food refl ect not only the cost of the initial product but also the process of moving products from producers to consumers. The intent of this paper is to identify what functions command the greatest value, and consequently, what ro les local producers should facilitate to become more competitive in the global food systems. It is useful for local producers to understand the market for these products and the steps that national food products go throug h. A few questions they need to consider are: How is value transferred and generated along the supply chain? Where are the market opportunities and challenges for local producers?

The U.S. Food Market Estimator is designed to help users determine the potential demand, by county in the United States, for more than 200 different food items. This is an expansive tool, using data collected each year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS)

In today’s global food systems, the prices of food refl ect not only the cost of the initial product but also the process of moving products from producer s to consumers. It is useful fo r niche pork producers to understand how the national marketplace operates. A few questions they need to consider are: How is final value distributed among American consumers of fresh cut pork? What are the functions that command the greatest value? And consequently, what challenges are faced by local producers?