We invite you to explore our work. Recent projects and presentations are listed below. You can explore additional work using the various tags in the right hand column.
Opportunity International was interested in developing an agricultural model for sharing economic benefits and applying this model to a plant operated by Opportunity International in Nicaragua. The CODESPA Foundation was selected to complete this…
Yellow Wood Associates is working with Cornell University to facilitate working sessions with their research and extension advisory teams to systemically apply the WealthWorks theory of how wealth is created and retained in rural areas to the rural-urban…
The Rutland Area Farm and Food Link received a 2014 partnership grant from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (NESARE). Rutland Area Farm and Food Link’s (RAFFL) programs link small-scale, diversified, and local farms with new…
Yellow Wood, in consultation with the Working Lands Enterprise Board Forestry subcommittee of the State of Vermont, is working to provide a systems analysis of the forest and wood products industry. This work will engage a variety of stakeholders…
In connection with our work on the Wallace Center Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment Project, Yellow Wood provided consulting services to Wallace under the Nourishing Networks: Capacity Building for Food Hubs and Regional Food Systems…
The Local Economies Project of the New World Foundation is focused on strengthening the food system of the Hudson Valley Region through four primary areas of focus: 1) The Hudson Valley Farm Hub; 2) A Food Hub Portfolio; 3) Education; and 4) A financing…
Continuing their work with the Local Economies Project (LEP) of the New World Foundation, Yellow Wood designed and facilitated a full-day, on-site workshop to review the findings from the first workshop, align current and planned activities in relation…
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development's What Works Conference Series hosted a joint regional conference with the National Value Added Agriculture Conference on "Enhancing Food Security and Rural Viability through Innovative Food System…
Yellow Wood worked with the Land Trust Alliance Northeast Region and the 1772 Foundation to plan and facilitate a meeting of farmland preservation grantees. The Land Trust Alliance Northeast Region has a collaborative relationship with the 1772 Foundation…
Shanna Ratner and Jackie LeBlanc presented two sessions at the NGFN Food Hub Collaboration Spring 2014 Conference in Raleigh, NC: “Finding Common Measures for the Nation’s Food Hubs” and “Measures that Matter.” In “Finding Common Measures,” Yellow…
Shanna Ratner was invited to serve on the National Advisory Board of the Food Hub Management Program, an innovative higher education program focused on food hub management. Shanna is collaborating with thought leaders, practitioners, funders, and…
Morse Marketing, a consulting firm working in multi-sector partnerships across a variety of food-related initiatives, turned to Yellow Wood to provide guidance in evaluating the effectiveness of a Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program Educational…
Yellow Wood Associates worked for the Wallace Center at Winrock International on the Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment project, funded by The Kresge Foundation. Yellow Wood served on the Food Hub Collaboration Core Team; provided…
Melissa Levy assisted Karen Lehman and Fresh Taste with facilitation of a workshop with representatives of the Illinois Farmers Market Association. Using You Get What You Measure®, the workshop was meant to help the Illinois Farmers Market Association…
In connection with our work on the Wallace Center Nourishing Networks – Improving the Food Environment Project, Yellow Wood provided consulting services to Wallace under the Increasing Farmer Success in Local Food Markets in Mississippi and Alabama…
At the invitation of Mann Librarian Outreach and Engagement Specialist Jeff Piestrak, Shanna Ratner made two presentations followed by participatory engagement, one at Mann Library and one at the Tompkins County Library, respectively entitled: A Wealth…
FINE is a network of organizations working to strengthen farm to institution connections throughout New England. Yellow Wood worked with FINE using You Get What You Measure® to engage multiple stakeholders in clarifying its external goals, creating…
The team of Goody Clancy & Associates, of which Yellow Wood Associates is a part, was selected by the Town of Mansfield, CT to assist in preparing an updated Plan of Conservation and Development as part of their commitment to the federal Sustainable…
Yellow Wood served as a strategic partner and facilitator for eight monthly calls with the New England Beef to Institution Steering Committee. The purpose of the group is to cultivate a Community of Practice that enables participants to discuss challenges…
Yellow Wood designed and administered a survey on evaluation metrics for the Farm to Plate Network Technical Assistance for Producers and Processors Working Group, which is facilitated by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. The need for improved program…
Yellow Wood worked with the Blueberry East Food Ventures (BEFV), a cooperative of blueberry growers in Maine, to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a fruit processing facility for conventional and organic blueberries in Washington County, Maine.…
Shanna Ratner gave a plenary presentation on “Your Role in Healthy Food Systems” at the Growing Health 2012 conference, highlighting how healthy food systems contribute to multiple forms of wealth in the community, and workshopping ways in which members…
Yellow Wood worked with Suri Paco to evaluate the costs and benefits of an expanded wholesale production program, including demand, supply and processing of domestic alpaca fiber for a range of value-added products, including bales, non-woven felt,…
Shanna Ratner facilitated the NGFN Food Hub Collaboration Spring 2012 Conference. During the conference, she moderated a panel on "Supply Side Success: Logistics for Quality and Consistency;" facilitated region-based breakout groups and developed an…
The Wallace Center invited Yellow Wood to participate as evaluator and core team member in the National Good Food Network Food Hub Collaboration, an initiative funded by the Kresge Foundation to strengthen regional food hubs and their contributions…
Shanna Ratner participated in an ad hoc think tank convened by Appalachian Sustainable Development on the role of social enterprises in building and strengthening local food value chains. 25 representatives of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and…
Shanna Ratner presented the keynote, “Why Does Agriculture Matter and What Can Municipal and Public Officials Do to Grow the Agricultural Economy?” at the Central New York Agricultural Council’s third annual conference in Cooperstown, New York.
Yellow Wood Associates worked with One Voice and NAACP Mississippi to identify best practices for developing a food systems value chain with a focus on four models (Institutional Sales through the Farm to School model; Targeted Distribution of Produce…
Opportunity International Nicaragua (OIN) is a nonprofit organization working to blend community economic development strategies with microfinance strategies to benefit the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua. As part of their work, OIN has incubated…
Yellow Wood Associates evaluated the second half of the Wallace Center's Expanding Sustainable and Community-based Food Systems project funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The multi-faceted project included regranting to four organizations involved…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Good Food Network, in partnership with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Project for Public Spaces, and the National Association for Produce Market Managers, to facilitate a meeting at the Wholesale and Regional…
Shanna Ratner facilitated the second of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The Value Chain Research Collaboration Project, a partnership between the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace…
Yellow Wood worked with Cornell University Community and Rural Development Institute using You Get What You Measure® in Use to assist diverse groups working on two projects: Local Agriculture Sustainability Indicators, and Vital Indicators for Enhancing…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Good Food Network leadership in designing, executing, and following up on a strategic planning meeting. Yellow Wood assisted with the follow up process, development of an action plan, and evaluation planning.
Yellow Wood provided assistance with qualitative data gathering for the Wallace Center. This assistance included developing interview questions, interviewing growers, and synthesizing interview responses.
Shanna Ratner facilitated the first of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The purpose of the writeshop was to develop content for tools to assist intermediaries in building value chains so that…
Yellow Wood Associates worked with consultant Doug Hoffer to assist the Wallace Center in preparing a proposal to the U.S. Department of Labor for Agriculture and Food Sector Job Training for Enhancing Green Jobs.
Yellow Wood compiled a list of highly successful projects funded by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, along with a review of some of the best practices that made these projects successful.
Yellow Wood worked with the Wallace Center to develop a scope of work for evaluation of the Accelerating Community Based Food Systems project, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Yellow Wood evaluated the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and its work helping advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education…
Yellow Wood Associates conducted market research on behalf of Deep Root Organic Cooperative with current buyers, supermarket chains, food coops and natural food stores, institutions, wholesalers/distributors, and organic processors to learn about the…
The Vermont Association of Conservation Commissions hired Yellow Wood to help design a participatory evaluation process for a project in which five rural communities received funds to prepare directories of local agricultural products and producers…
Yellow Wood worked with the Frederick County Dairy Processing Task Force to determine the feasibility of a venture focused on selling Maryland dairy products to Maryland consumers. Work included trend analysis of dairy consumption, regional demand…
Worked with HomeGrown Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and other participants to study the feasibility of an agriculture/food facility for downtown Madison that would include an indoor farmers’ market, a storage, processing,…
On behalf of the Burlington Community Land Trust, Yellow Wood worked with potential vendors of the Burlington Public Market to explore cooperative marketing arrangements. Yellow Wood helped determine which groups would be most ready to participate…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with NESARE in piloting an outcome-funding approach to grantmaking. The work included two year’s participation in the design process, proposal reviews, interviews with potential grantees, committee work to select…
In the second phase of our work with the Agriculture Committee of the Union County Chamber of Commerce, Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. conducted a survey of independently owned food stores for a six-county region in Central Pennsylvania to determine…
The Burlington Public Market Steering Committee retained the services of Yellow Wood to explore the feasibility of developing a year-round, indoor public market in Burlington, VT. Yellow Wood identified and surveyed Vermont producers to determine their…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. designed, facilitated and transcribed the results of a one-day visioning workshop as part of the St. Lawrence County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning process.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with industry groups, staff and legislators on a three-phase strategic planning process with the Agriculture Development Division of the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Agricultural Development Council of Chenango County, New York to assess the feasibility of establishing a milk-based, value-added manufacturing enterprise to support the local dairy industry. Phase 1 of…
Served a three-year term on the Administrative Council of the Northeast Region’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Planning/Environmental Research Consultants of Ithaca, New York to profile and assess the actual and potential contributions of agriculture and forestry to the economy of Chenango County. Research focused on…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County Farmland Protection Board to develop a plan for farmland protection based on a strategic analysis of opportunities to strengthen agriculture in Essex County. Work included a survey of farmers…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County, New York Planning Department and the Essex County Fair Board to analyze the economic viability of the Essex County Fair. Analysis included best practices at a number of fairs in terms of activities,…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Land Ethics, Inc. of Washington, DC to analyze existing agricultural and fisheries resources and develop recommendations for fostering an economically and environmentally viable climate for the natural resource-based…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Connecticut River Joint Commissions of New Hampshire to plan a conference for growers, buyers and others interested. Results included a written summary of agricultural production and marketing trends in…
Presented “Is There a Market for My Product?” at this day-long seminar for farmers and agricultural developers in Washington County, New York.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. co-organized a regional wholesale produce marketing workshop for growers and buyers, developed a detailed organizational plan for the New England Produce Program, and prepared a guidebook for direct and traditional wholesale…
With input from an advisory group of farmers, Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. performed market research and a producer survey to determine the feasibility of starting a hay marketing cooperative in central Vermont. Results included the preparation of…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. identified the potential for regional wholesale marketing of locally grown produce in the Connecticut River Valley including Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Funding was received through a Federal/State…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. conducted market research to determine the demand and production requirements for Holstein beef at various stages of production, from birth to finish weight. The study involved the integration of production and marketing…
Potsdam College retained Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. as a technical consultant to the North Country Food First program. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a quarterly newsletter, assisted in workshop development for buyers and growers, presented…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Harlem Valley Planning Partnership to explore alternatives in order to diversify and strengthen the agricultural base of the Harlem Valley in Dutchess County, New York. The work emphasized developing direct…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency to prepare a business plan, with recommendations for organizational development, for the Northern New York Maple Producers Cooperative, Inc. of Lewis County, New…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a detailed feasibility study for production and intra-regional marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables in a six-county region of northern New York for the Town of Champlain Local Economic Development Corporation.…
The Maine Food Strategy Steering Committee is a diverse group of stakeholders from around the state. Initiated in December of 2013, the Steering Committee is responsible for guiding the direction of the Maine…
