Nebraska saw a blossoming of its local food scene after a statewide study in 2010 showed how much residents depend on global markets for food. A new 2025 update to that study provides another enlightening view of how much the state’s farms depend on volatile global markets, and how much they could make if Nebraska prioritized local food purchasing and market development.
“If each Nebraska resident purchased $5 of food each week directly from farms within the state, this would generate $512 million of new farm income,” said Kjersten Hyberger, local foods associate, with the Center for Rural Affairs. The Walthill, Nebraska-based organization commissioned the Nebraska Farm and Food Economy Report as part of its work with the Heartland Regional Food Business Center.
Community health benefits are among the opportunities that the study indicates could result from diverting even a fraction of the $5 billion per year that Nebraskans spend buying food that is sourced from out of the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 43% of Nebraska residents reported in 2021 that they eat less than one serving of fruit per day, while 21% reported they eat less than one serving of vegetables each day.
Increasing access to fresh produce for health improvement, as well as community benefit, is among the objectives of local and regional food market developers, such as Heartland Center partner No More Empty Pots. The Omaha community organization in 2010 commissioned the first Nebraska Farm and Food Economy report.
No More Empty Pots has since led a wave of small food and farm business development and local food supply building in Nebraska. Last year, No More Empty Pots’ own local food distribution service sourced more than 600 unique food products from 114 producers, farmers, ranchers, food distributors and food entrepreneurs in the region. Its produce box subscription service in 2024 reached 517 households in 43 nearby zip codes.
Building on the local food innovation and investment of partners like No More Empty Pots is how the Heartland Center aims to expand and enhance local and regional farm and food markets across its five states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma).
On the ground partners in Nebraska provide the business development assistance and supply chain connections needed to realize the potential that the study highlights of more local food purchasing in the state. Heartland Center Nebraska partners include No More Empty Pots, the Center for Rural Affairs, Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, the Turtle Island Trade Coalition, the University of Nebraska Extension, and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The Nebraska Farm and Food Economy report provides a snapshot of the agricultural economy in Nebraska, including statistics about farm sizes, commodity production and sales, and how residents spend their money on food.
“These facts can provide a starting point for conversations about strengthening our local food systems,” said Hyberger. “Despite being the fourth largest farm state in the country, only a small amount of what farmers raise feeds Nebraskans.”
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