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Cities Developing Urban Agriculture Codes

Urban agriculture has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to deal with vacant properties, revitalize neighborhoods, and provide job skills and nutrition to local residents struggling with poverty and a lack of access to fresh produce.

In Austin, Texas, a working group of the Sustainable Food Policy Board is meeting to clarify and update city code related to urban farms, livestock, size of farm, employees and dwellings, according to the Austin Chronicle.

The working group has been holding public sessions to gather input from urban farmers and community members about pending updates to the urban farm ordinance.

In April 2013, the Flint Farmers' Market reported that the Detroit City Council adopted the city's first urban agriculture zoning ordinance recognizing agriculture as a legitimate land use and setting standards for it.

Other cities working to update or create urban agriculture codes include Boston, Massachusetts;
Fort Collins, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

For more information, see USDA's National Ag Library webpage on Urban Agriculture.

Home » Commodities & Products » Vegetables » Sweet Corn

Overview

According to USDA reports, commercial sweet corn production for the fresh market in 2012 jumped to more than $821.9 million in value and reached nearly 31.4 million cwt in volume. That same year, commercial sweet corn for processing, both frozen and canned, was valued at more than $373.1 million and totaled more than 2.9 million tons. The value and volume of sweet corn climbed for both freezing and canning. (NASS 2013)

New genetic lines of sweet corn have improved consistency, taste and shelf life. Because of these genetic improvements, sweet corn consumption continued to increase, peaking at 29 pounds per person in 1996. By 2011, however, per person consumption of sweet corn averaged 24 pounds per year. Of that amount, Americans ate 9.5 pounds of frozen sweet corn per person and 8.7 pounds of fresh sweet corn per person. Both frozen and fresh sweet corn consumption exceeded the level of canned corn consumption (5.8 pounds per person). (ERS 2011) April 2013 . . . Sweet Corn

Marketing

Consumer Acceptance of Agricultural Biotechnology: A Market Experiment with Conventional and Biotech Sweet Corn, Agricultural Issues Center, 2005 - An analysis of a consumer survey conducted by Pennsylvania State University.
Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA.
Sweet Corn Marketing in New York – How Sweet is it?, Cornell University Economic Department.
Sweet Corn,Vegetables, Potatoes, and Melons Harvested for Sale: 2007 and 2002,2007 Census of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2009.
U.S. Sweet Corn Statistics, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2010.

Processing/Manufacturing

Grading Guide: Sweet Corn, Illustrated Guides to Grading Vegetables, Purdue University, 2006.
Processing Sweet Corn, Vegetables and Melons Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2007.
Sweet Corn: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality, University of California, Davis, 2006.
United States Standards for Grades of Sweet Corn, Ag Marketing Service, USDA, 1992.

Production

Corn, Integrated Pest Management guidelines, University of California, Davis.
Crop Production, 2012 Summary, NASS, USDA, 2013.
Crop Values, 2012 Summary, NASS, USDA, 2013.
Enterprise Budget: Sweet Corn, Leopold Center, Iowa State University Extension and Beginning Farmer Center.
Fresh-market Sweet Corn, Vegetables and Melons Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2005.
Organic Sweet Corn, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, 2009.
Organic Sweet Corn Production, North Carolina State University, 2005.
Postharvest Handling Systems: Fruit Vegetables, Vegetable Research and Information Center, University of California Cooperative Extension.
Sample Cost to Establish and Produce Sweet Corn, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2004.
State Extension Sweet Corn Specialists, Purdue University.
Sweet Corn, Midwest Vegetable Production Guide, Purdue University, 2007.
Sweet Corn, Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers, University of Kentucky, 2006-07.
Sweet Corn Disease Nursery, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Comprehensive reports on sweet corn diseases. Photos of symptoms.
Sweet Corn Fact Sheets, Vegetable MD Online, Cornell University.
Vegetables, Annual Summary, NASS, USDA, 2013.
Vegetables and Melons Yearbook, ERS, USDA.

Businesses/Case Studies

Fresh Supersweet Corn Council, Maitland, Florida - This website, funded by sweet corn growers and shippers in Florida and Georgia, promotes fresh sweet corn.
Illinois Foundation Seeds Inc. - Provides links to sweet corn products and research.
Sweet Corn Farmer Profiles,The New American Farmer, Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE), USDA - Describes four sweet corn operations in the United States.

Links checked January 2013.

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