LSP Haulers’ List to Help Farmers in
Region Lower Fuel & Labor Costs

CONTACT: Caroline van Schaik, Land Stewardship Project, 507-523-3366 or caroline@landstewardshipproject.org

6/12/08
LEWISTON, Minn.— With the cost of transportation rising and work schedules becoming tighter than ever, some farmers could save a considerable amount of money and time if they sent their goods to market on a full truck hauling similar products from the region. A new Haulers’ List compiled by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) features food transportation companies serving the Twin Cities/southeast Minnesota/western Wisconsin corridor. The listing is now available in pdf format at www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/se_haulers_list.pdf, or by contacting Caroline van Schaik in LSP’s Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or caroline@landstewardshipproject.org.

The one-page document offers a snapshot of a limited number of transportation companies that are willing to work with small- and medium-scale producers. Several of the 14 firms listed are run by farmers themselves. Some have refrigerated trucks. Others provide local service rather than drive the distance to the Twin Cities. Still others offer on-farm pick-up. Two listings offer an entire truck for hire.

A recent transportation survey conducted by LSP found that the rising cost of fuel and the significant amount of travel time spent away from the farm were major problems associated with the transport and distribution of food products grown and marketed in the region. Farmers reported spending $300 to $40,000 annually to get their products to market; 80 percent of that transportation was with the farmers’ own vehicles.

Telephone and e-mail information is included on the Haulers’ List so that producers can contact firms directly to explore transportation arrangements. The list is not exhaustive, and does not represent an endorsement of any company that’s included on it.

Both the survey and the Haulers’ List are part of LSP’s efforts to envision and encourage more sustainable ways to grow, move, buy and sell local food. LSP’s Community Based Food Systems and Economic Development Program is one of the organization’s three main areas of work to enhance a stewardship ethic both on and off the farm.

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