Chad Nabity, AICP is the Community Development Director for the City of Grand Island, Nebraska, and the Planning Director for the Hall County Regional Planning Department. In addition to his day job, Chad is the Divisions Council Chair for the American Planning Association, and a farmer! Chad is one of APA FOOD’s longest-running supporters, and we are thrilled to feature him for Food Systems Planning Month!
What’s your favorite food?
It depends on the time of year and what is available. If I had to pick one I would say tomatoes. On my farm, we grow more than 30 different varieties and plant more than 150 plants every year.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I like to think that my work is helping make my hometown a better and more successful community. I like working with all of the other people involved in development of the city and county including the elected officials, planning commissioners, engineers, developers and property owners.
What do you find challenging about your work?
The most challenging part of the job is watching people make decisions that I think are mistakes. Usually this is done by elected officials and they get the final say. When this happens, it is an opportunity to teach good planning principles and open discussions on the long term impacts of decisions.
What areas of the food system do you focus on in your work, and where does that fit in with the rest of the work that you do?
I am the planning director for a city of more than 50,000 and the county it is located in. Our primary employment sector is based on agriculture, production, processing, and manufacturing. While not expressly stated in our 2004 comprehensive plan, food systems are essential for our economic wellbeing. In most cases this is conventional agriculture and processing, but I am working to make sure that we can and do support and allow more local, small-scale, and sustainable food systems within our plans and regulations.
Do you consider yourself a food systems planner? Why or why not?
Food systems is not my primary planning responsibility, but it is one of my passions. I would say avocation rather than vocation. This avocation is one of the reasons that I spend my personal time gardening and running a small CSA.
What is the biggest food systems planning-related hurdle your community/organization faced in recent years and how was it dealt with?
We spent about 18 months modifying our confined animal feeding operation regulations within the County. The process involved feed lot operators, attorneys, elected officials, planning commissioners, staff and the general public. The process ended with updated regulations that made small to mid-sized operations permitted uses as long as they could meet the performance criteria and receive approval from the State. We have not had any new operations since the regulations were put into place but that is likely more a function of the amount of our agricultural ground in crop production.
How has your perception of food systems planning changed since you first entered the planning field?
Food systems are recognized as a vital part of local planning. When I began my career, this would not even have been part of the curriculum or discussed at conferences, even in an agricultural based state like Nebraska.
Who has had the most influence on you as a planner? As a food systems planner?
Joe Luther, a professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln is the reason that I discovered and fell in love with this profession. Without his influence I would not have taken this path. He was also very involved with Nebraska and national APA and my involvement follows his example. Joel Salatin has influenced me as a food systems planner. His plain spoken, practical thoughts on the modern food system and his methods of creating his own place in that system push me to rethink what I “know” and accept new ways of thought regarding food, especially local food production.
Do you have any advice for someone entering the food systems planning field? What makes you successful in your work? What skills do you use the most in your food systems planning-related work?
My first piece of advice is remember why you got into this field. Does that still resonate with who you want to be and what you want to accomplish during your career? It is ok to move on to other interests and other areas of planning if that is where life takes you, but if this is still your passion, follow it.
My second piece of advice would be that you can likely incorporate food systems planning into any planning related job if you view your activities through a food systems lens. The ability of planners to apply specific lenses–whether it is food systems, EDI, bike/ped or any other lens–is one of the most valuable things that we bring to the table when working with allied professionals. We have the ability and training to synthesize information and complex problems when recommending solutions to decision makers.
What did you study and what do you wish you would have known before starting your work in food systems?
I know that for many people that enter planning it is a design oriented profession. I went to graduate school in planning with a BA in English and Anthropology. For me planning has always been a people-oriented process and an exercise in applied anthropology. Food, water, and shelter are the base of Maslow’s pyramid. Good planning should make those basic needs available and accessible. Good planning is about people and creating possibilities for people to expand their horizons. The ability to access food is one of the basic components of those higher goals.



Dean Severson is Principal Agricultural and Rural Planning Analyst for Lancaster County Planning Commission in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

