The national Agriculture of the Middle initiative has produced three sets of curricular resources on value-based food supply chains for university-level business and economics courses.

These curriculum materials are based on a set of four case studies developed by the Agriculture of the Middle initiative. These case studies offer models of how mid-sized farms and ranches can prosper through producing and selling high-quality, differentiated food products into a variety of markets. They feature four innovative enterprises: Country Natural Beef, Organic Valley, Red Tomato and Shepherd’s Grain.

Course instructors can use these curricular resources to explain the differences between mainstream and value-based food supply chains. The Agriculture of the Middle case studies provide a foundation for analysis and discussion of concepts such as sustainable supply chain management and new generation cooperatives.

As a part of the Agriculture of the Middle initiative, CIAS provides leadership to renew a disappearing sector of mid-scale farm and food enterprises. This effort focuses on new business models, public policies and research supporting mid-scale farms, ranches and fisheries. For more information, visit the Agriculture of the Middle website.

Curricular resources include:

Value Chains Teaching Materials for a Course in Agricultural Marketing
Developed by Dr. Cheryl Brown, Agricultural and Resource Economics, West Virginia University (cheryl.brown@mail.wvu.edu)

• Values-Based Food Supply Chains (PowerPoint presentation)
• Test Questions for Values-Based Food Supply Chains (Word document)
• Value Chain Project: Marketing Agricultural Products (Word document)
• A Guide to Understanding the Value Chain (PDF, developed by Brent Gloy, Cornell University)

Using Ag of the Middle Case Studies in a Course on Cooperative Organization
Developed by Dr. Robert P. King, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota (rking@umn.edu)

• Using Case Studies on Values-Based Food Supply Chains in a University-Level Class on Cooperatives (Word document)
• Syllabus for Dr. King’s Class on Cooperative Organization (PDF)

Teaching Case for Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Developed by Dr. Mellie Pullman, School of Business, Portland State University (mpullman@pdx.edu) and Dr. Zhaohui Wu, College of Business, Oregon State University (zhaohui.wu@bus.oregonstate.edu)

• Country Natural Beef: A Maturing Co-op at the Crossroads
  Word document | PDF
• A teaching note for this case study is available from Dr. Zhaohui Wu. Please contact him directly regarding this resource: zhaohui.wu@bus.oregonstate.edu