Food, Fiber and Fuel from Farm Animals

Food, Fiber and Fuel from Farm Animals: A Community to Consumption Model
Response of Extension, Research and Higher Education

Community Infrastructure	Location/ Situation	Farm Operation			Post Harvest
Community Infrastructure	Location/ Situation	Inputs/ Materials	Inputs/ Services	Production Management	Marketing	Processing/ Packaging	Distribution	Retail Sales	Consumption
Infrastructure Historical Leadership Education Suppliers Lenders Markets 4-H/Youth Service Providers: Veterinary Breeding Consultants Repair Records Transportation	Constraints: Environmental: Climate Regulatory Inspections Certifications Organic Owner/Operator: Land Labor Capital Mgt Ability Buildings Equipment Other Facilities	Crops Pasture Purchased: Animals Feeds Semen Seed Fertilizer Pesticides Supplies Water Bedding Human Resources Leadership Development	Reports: Soil Test Variety Market Weather Ag. Media Harvesting Feed Analyses Veterinary Breeding Consultants Repair Records Education Training	Animal Health Animal Welfare Feeding Nutrition Food Safety Genetics Manure Mgt. Reproduction Youngstock Records Financial Management Prod/Genetic Identification Worker Safety	Markets Transportation Risk Mgt. Advertising	Processing Packaging Packers Storage Food Safety By-Products Value Added New Product Development	Wholesalers Distributors Export Transportation Refrigeration	Retailers Grocery Restaurant Food Service Supplier Advertising Safe Handling	Consumer Safe Handling Diet/Health Product Image
Farm Leadership should take the initiative to promote communication and actively participate in decision-making by communities, cooperatives, companies and groups across the spectrum of this model.
The Cooperative Extension System should (1) Lead the communication and delivery of information, educational programming and decision support tools to all sectors of this model, and (2) Encourage and gather feedback, questions, needs and suggestions.


National Cooperative Extension Projects may develop and deliver the comprehensive knowledgebase for this model.	Feedback, Assessment of Gaps and Future Needs	Application of this model may assure the Relevance, Quality and Performance of Research, Extension and Higher Education

Integrated Priority Setting at Local, Regional, State and National levels should be documented on 1 to 4 pages each. These should include important problems, issues and needs of citizens and longer-range issues on the horizon to ensure a continued supply of safe, high quality food, fiber and fuel from farm animals in harmony across the model.

Extension	Research	Higher Education	Consumer Education	Youth Education
Extension, Research and Higher Education should address the priority needs, update the knowledgebase and educational programming delivered to citizens, document the response to last year's needs and thereby set the stage for the next cycle.

This model portrays farm animal agriculture and those who depend on it for their local economy, livelihood, food and other consumables. The heart of the model is a cooperative effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other governmental agencies, Land Grant Universities, other research and educational institutions; the Cooperative Extension System and the private sector to listen, learn and serve the community to consumption continuum.

A continuous cycle is portrayed by the model: delivery and application of the current state of knowledge, collection of feedback, assessment of needs; prioritization for Extension, Research, Higher Education, Consumer Education and Youth Education; acting on those priorities, delivering and applying the updated knowledge, collection of new feedback and continuing this iterative process.

The community to consumption model may be reformed for any area of agriculture, including individual crops and animal species. Your suggestions of how we may further develop and use this model to help Research, Higher Education and Extension better serve consumers and taxpayers are welcome.

http://usextension.org/animalag.htm -- Modified January 14, 2007 -- Suggestions to beastwood@csrees.usda.gov