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March 1, 2016
                          Allen Lund Company Newsletter
                            Written by your perishable experts 

In This Issue
Prison Produce
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Prison Produce

When you think about prison or work farms, one might harken back to 1967 and a movie called Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman. It may have been a glum but somewhat accurate depiction of penal agriculture in that time, but it has endured and has evolved into a viable and productive endeavor.

Work farms or prison farms have been around just about as long as there have been prisons. Cheap or free labor is tough to pass up. Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, MS, and "The Farm" at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA are two of the largest in the country. Many states including Florida, the setting for Cool Hand Luke, operate some sort of penal agriculture program. The agricultural goods produced by a prison are generally used to feed the prisoners themselves. Any surplus can be used for state institutions such as orphanages, state hospitals, donations to suitable charities or even sold for profit.

Missouri inmates grew and distributed nearly 100 tons of produce last year. They supplied food pantries, domestic violence shelters, and after school programs across the state. Some of the crops included tomatoes, greens, okra, and sweet potatoes. George Lombardie, director of the Missouri Department of Corrections says "It has been a win-win situation for the inmates and the community."

Many other correctional facilities are embracing "The Farm to Prison 'Local food sourcing" idea. In San Diego, at the Richard J. Donavan Correctional Facility they recently started the FARM (Farm and Rehabilitation Meals) program with the intention of improving meals. They have set aside three acres of land and trained 20 inmates to tend and harvest the garden. Surpluses will be donated to local food banks. Costing $4,000 to establish and funded by local donors it seems like another win-win situation.

Other institutions and organizations are embracing this concept. Montana's Women's Prison, Washington Department of Corrections, Vermont Department of Corrections, Oregon State Correctional Institutes as well as many others. The numbers are significant. In 2012, Mississippi State Penitentiary farm used over 600,000 man hours. They planted 57,000 acres of vegetables including wheat, corn, rice and soybeans. They don't just plant either. Oklahoma has a highly organized prison farm system. In a typical year "Agri Services" produces or processes 723,000 lbs of beef, 115,000 lbs of pork and 568,000 gallons of milk. In the 1990's the Georgia Department of Corrections enjoyed a "per inmate food cost" 30% the national average thanks to a 10,000 acre farm and food processing network.

It is clear that today's penal agriculture systems have developed into a legitimate viable source of produce and other products. Not only do they provide for the institutions themselves but they also donate any surplus to deserving charities or provide for other state institutions. It gives inmates an option to work outside, receive training and some work experience. It also benefits them with a higher quality diet. It seems clear the old prison farm model has given way to new systems and ideas that benefit the institutes inmates and communities in a variety of ways
  



Jay Beckett
Transportation Broker, Boston

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Jay Beckett has been with Allen Lund Company for 13 years. He was in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1990-1998, including a tour on the USS Independence from 1990-1992. Beckett attended Bunker Hill Community College. 
About Allen Lund Company: Specializing as a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices, the Allen Lund Company works with shippers and carriers across the nation to transport dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce), and flatbed freight; additionally, the Allen Lund Company has an international division, which is licensed by the FMC as an OTI-NVOCC #019872NF, and a logistics and software division, ALC Logistics. 
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