RE: The Right to Burn vs the Right to Breathe

[Keith Russell <keithr@uidaho.edu>]

It seems to me like the marketing could be done.  Palouse Pasta or something.  The biggest problem, obviously, would be initial start up costs and capital investment.  It seems feasible.  The South Dakota case study would be a good one to mimic.  It sounds like a coop would be a possible solution, something like Woodnet up in the Clearwater Valley or the Fishery cooperatives over on the coast.  Steve Cooke in AgEcon knows the internal organization and the potential of coops (he taught me the stuff a few years back : ) ).  I don't know why a Genesee could not be a hub for soemthing like that.  I think it is farmers/regional economic development folks and investment specialists.  I am just guessing here, but I don't know why unless economies of scale, etc. are the biggest concern if it is to turn a profit.  I think with proper marketing people would pay an extra quarter for some good ol' Palouse pasta.  It just seems that the amount of wheat produced in this region would probabl!
y support 500 coops.  With a community focus it might be more effective.  

Keith C. Russell,  Ph.D. 
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Resource Recreation and Tourism and 
Leader, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Cooperative
University of Idaho-Wilderness Research Center
CFWR Room 18a
Moscow, ID 83844-1144
Phone: 	208.885.2269
Fax:   	208.885.6810


-----Original Message-----
From:	Peggy Adams [SMTP:adams@pcei.org]
Sent:	Wednesday, September 22, 1999 4:05 PM
To:	vision2020@moscow.com
Subject:	RE: The Right to Burn vs the Right to Breathe

Keith,

So, what would it take to do something like this here?  Could Moscow Wheat
Products be a valuable regionally identifiable product?  Who needs to be
involved?  Is it a good idea or a bad one for this area?  Is it the farmers
that need to organize?  Does capital neeed to be found?  Anyone have any
ideas?

P.

>There is an example of a farming coop in South Dakota that built a pasta
>plant.  They seem to be making it.  Wheat farmer says "Either we got into
>value-added and diversified or we went under.  We went value-added."
>
>Keith C. Russell,  Ph.D.
>Adjunct Assistant Professor, Resource Recreation and Tourism and
>Leader, Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Cooperative
>University of Idaho-Wilderness Research Center
>CFWR Room 18a
>Moscow, ID 83844-1144
>Phone: 	208.885.2269
>Fax:   	208.885.6810
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Peggy Adams [SMTP:adams@pcei.org]
>Sent:	Tuesday, September 21, 1999 4:47 PM
>To:	vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject:	RE: The Right to Burn vs the Right to Breathe
>
>
>In response to Roberts comment about shipping, etc. I'm led to wonder
>wouldn't it benefit all to have a processing plant near here?  Why ship all
>this grain elsewhere?  Why not have a cooperative grain, bean, or pea
>processing plant near here?  Wouldn't it be great to have a grain
>processing plant associated with a commercial bakery or noodle factory so
>we can reap the full benefit of what we grow?  Value added and a few
>additional jobs?  I believe some grain growing communities in Montana are
>doing just that.
>
>Peggy