UI Alumna Fosters Connections to Help Iowans Eat Local
PHOTO COURTESY GISELLE BRUSKEWITZ
UI grad Giselle Bruskewitz leads a statewide effort to help farmers find local buyers for their food.
Iowa has a well-earned reputation as an agricultural leader. One-eleventh of the nation’s food is grown in the state, which is the largest producer of corn, pork, and eggs. But much of this food is produced at an industrial scale and leaves the state for processing, meaning fewer options for Iowans.
Growing more diverse food at a smaller scale, getting it onto Iowan’s tables, and supporting the people who do the work is what motivates Giselle Bruskewitz (12BA). As senior program director at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development, Bruskewitz has become a statewide leader in building food hubs.
Through the nonprofit, she’s grown these centralized distribution networks that link 300 small-scale Iowa farmers to buyers, such as restaurants, grocery stores, food banks, and 169 school districts. Her work also includes helping farmers navigate the repercussions of changing federal policies that affect financial support for growers. “You can’t stop food production on a dime,” she says, noting that some of the recent proposed changes could take away funding that had already been promised. “[Farmers have] already increased their herds and started seeds.”
Bruskewitz’s commitment to local food systems took root long before her current leadership role. As a student at the University of Iowa, the Elgin, Illinois, native became an active member of the UI Environmental Coalition and the student garden. After struggling to find an academic path that aligned with her interests, faculty mentor David Gould (92MA) encouraged her to create her own multidisciplinary major in sustainable community development.
Bruskewitz’s undergraduate experience culminated with a study-abroad opportunity to learn about indigenous agricultural practices in Peru. After graduation, she became coordinator of sustainability education at Central College in Pella, Iowa, where she helped the dining staff increase local produce purchasing from 2% to 75%. That spurred her interest in connecting farmers with buyers.
Eventually, Bruskewitz helped an Iowa City nonprofit create a food hub, overseeing the design and construction of its warehouse and developing its network of producers and consumers. That hands-on experience prepared her for her current role at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development.
“To have local food options, there needs to be connections and conversations between so many kinds of people,” she says. “Everyone is strapped for time and money, so creating infrastructure is key to growing a healthier system.”
Though the agricultural sector can be stressful—she jokes that she earned her graduate degree in the trenches—Bruskewitz remains committed to the work. “We saw during the pandemic how quickly the food chain can be disrupted,” she says. “I want to stay in Iowa to help diversify our food system. It’s more important than ever.”