February 23, 2026 — We hope you’re staying warm and safe, and finding moments of joy wherever you are. We’re heading into these (hopefully) last-of-winter months with real momentum and much to look forward to. This newsletter offers a preview of the conversations and collaborations shaping our work and we hope you’ll reach out to learn more about how you can collaborate with us!
Our just-released Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) strategy document outlines the framework for where we’re headed in value chain coordination in the Midwest. You’ll also get to read about the dairy farmers from Indiana, Michigan, and New York whose leadership continues to ground our dairy grazing work in real-world impact, alongside stories from Northwest Arkansas that highlight innovation, resilience, and community at the local level.
Together, these updates reflect a growing network of people and ideas pushing toward a more just and sustainable food system. As you read, we hope you’ll feel the energy and hard work behind these efforts and the possibilities ahead: rooted in place, informed by strategy, and driven by the people doing the work everyday.
And stay tuned! We’ll be hiring for new leadership at the Wallace Center in the coming weeks. We’ll have a job description and more details to share then. In the meantime, if you have questions or know someone who would be a great fit to continue leading the Wallace Center’s agriculture and food systems work, please reach out!
As always, thank you for your support. Take a look at our ongoing projects here and read on below for more about what went on last quarter at the Wallace Center!
A Strategic Framework for Advancing Value Chain Coordination in the Midwest
We’re excited to share this new regional strategy for advancing regenerative agriculture and Continuous Living Cover (CLC) across the Midwest. Supported by a USDA Regional Food Systems Planning Grant, this strategy outlines a coordinated approach to strengthening value chains that support farmers, businesses and communities. Regional partners co-created this strategy and co-developed a plan for a Midwest Continuous Living Cover Working Group, which is a values-aligned, action-oriented coalition to help align efforts, share market intelligence, and build the infrastructure needed to expand CLC adoption.
This strategy reflects interviews, shared learning, and collaborative planning, laying the groundwork for a more resilient and equitable agricultural future in the Midwest.
Additionally, this blog post offers a helpful summary that may spark ideas about how this strategy connects with your own CLC and value‑chain efforts.
Have questions or want to learn more about this project? Reach out!
Wallace Center at Winrock International releases new case studies on the profitability of managed dairy grazing
The Wallace Center at Winrock International and partners are excited to release a set of farm profiles that highlight several approaches to dairy grazing, reducing nutrient loss from farms and improving their bottom lines.
The four dairy grazing farms featured in these case studies were, on average, 93% more profitable per unit of milk soldthan industry average, based on data from regional aggregations (FINBIN and Cornell). One of the farms profiled, Brooks Edge Dairy, is projected to go from -$2.37 to +$2.56 net farm income per hundredweight of milk after incorporating grazing and expanding their herd size.
Wallace Center convenes food hub staff in the Heartland
The Wallace Center at Winrock International, led by Project Manager Andrew Carberry, convened staff from food hubs in the Heartland region at the Market Center of the Ozarks in early December 2025. These staff shared successes, barriers, and strategies for scaling local food distribution. Hubs included Kansas City Food Hub, Oklahoma City Food Hub, Fresh Network, Springfield Community Gardens, and Spring Creek Food Hub. The event was held in collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Local Food Systems Conference.
This group has the potential to share much more than ideas, with some initial discussions on trading products across the region and coordinating to provide minimally-processed products for schools. With no formal food hub network in the region, there is so much be be gained from bringing mission-aligned organizations together to share ideas and seed collaboration.
The Wallace Center will convene this group virtually this year to continue discussions and plan ways to work together in the region.
In case you missed it, check out Andrew’s blog on growing value chain coordination by strengthening food hubs.