Note: This post originally appeared on National Farm to School Network’s website. It is reposted with permission. This week, the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) launched a pioneering and highly anticipated new resource, Evaluation for Transformation: A Cross Sectoral Evaluation Framework for Farm to School. In less than a decade, farm to school has expanded […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
Farmers and Ranchers Awarded Value-Added Producer Grants
USDA announces $25 million in grants to support farmers and ranchers in developing or expanding value-added businesses and markets…. Read More →
Release: Grant Awards for Farm Business Development Announced by USDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Eugene Kim, Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 Grant Awards for Farm Business Development Announced by USDA Washington, D.C., August 19, 2014 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that over 247 farm businesses from 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Micronesia will receive $25 million in grants from the 2014 round of the Value-Added Producer […]
New Local and Regional Food Data Available from USDA Market News
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) recently announced that its free online Market News service will now include reports on local and regional food markets. These reports, which are currently limited to a small number of states with more states expected to be added in the coming year, provide pricing and volume […]
Seeking Business Listings for Local and Regional Food Directories
Two recent announcements by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) highlighted the agency’s progress in developing three new directories that will support local and regional food systems and updated data for the already established National Farmers Market Directory. The announcements included steps AMS is taking to launch three new local food directories: the National Community-Supported […]
USDA Announces Microenterprise Training Awards
On Thursday, July 31, USDA announced that it has provided $300,000 in grant funding to each of 10 organizations to provide training and technical assistance to rural micro-entrepreneurs who are seeking to start or grow rural small businesses. The $300,000 is carry-over funding from previous years, not to be confused with the $1.5 million in […]
Senate Hearing on School Meals Highlights Challenges and Opportunities
On Wednesday, July 23, 2014, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing entitled, “Meeting the Challenges of Feeding America’s School Children,” which examined the challenges and successes in serving healthier school meals across the country, as mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, also known as the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act […]
New School Lunch Pilot for Locally-Grown Produce Accepting Applications from States
Yesterday, July 21, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a Request for Applications from states interested in participating in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Kevin Concannon, the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, announced […]
Seasonal High Tunnels Support Conservation and New Farmers
New updates on how the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative has benefited new farmers and encouraged additional conservation efforts…. Read More →
New Farm to School Census Shows Steady Growth
The updated Farm to School Census website reveals even more school district participation in farm to school programs than initially reported…. Read More →
Technical Support Available to Strengthen Local and Regional Food Economies
On Monday, June 9, on behalf of the White House Rural Council, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Local Foods, Local Places, a new initiative that will provide direct technical support to rural communities to help them build strong local food systems as part of their community’s economic action plans. USDA, the […]
Resources Available for a Growing Local Food Movement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program recently introduced a new “topic room” titled Farm to Table: Building Local and Regional Food Systems, which provides valuable resources for individuals working to build strong food-producing communities. It’s a great one-stop-shop to gather relevant fact sheets, bulletins, webinars, and other educational […]
Low Income Families and Produce Farmers Get a Boost Through Increased WIC Voucher Value
Yesterday, June 2, 2014, WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) cash value vouchers (CVVs) for fruits and vegetables for children increased from $6 per month to $8 per month. This increase, one of several changes announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 4, 2014 in its final rule […]
Funding Available for Healthy Food Access Projects
On Friday, May 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for fiscal year (FY) 2014 for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). HFFI is a tri-agency program administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, HHS, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase […]
New Funds Available to Support Rural Economic Development
Apply now! $2.5 million in funding available through the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program… Read More →
House Subcommittee Passes 2015 Agriculture Funding Bill
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill to fund USDA and FDA programs in 2015… Read More →
2012 Census Drilldown: Organic and Local Food
On May 2, USDA released data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture has been conducted since 1840 and currently is collected once every five years. This is the second in a series of drill down posts, looking at particular themes from the Census that relate to local and regionally produced food and organic agriculture. […]
USDA Seeking Peer Reviewers for Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking peer reviewers for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP), a competitive grants program which recently announced a request for applications for $30 million in grants for projects supporting direct farm-to-consumer markets and local food enterprises and improving access to fresh, healthy, […]
Local and Regional Food Marketing Funding Available
Apply now! $30 million in grants are available for local and regional food marketing projects… Read More →
Research Awards to Support Rural Communities
On April 30, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced more than $12 million in grants allocated to support the economic vitality of rural communities across the country. NIFA made the awards through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Foundational Program’s Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities […]
Loan Guarantees Link Food Hubs with Consumer Markets
On Wednesday, April 30, USDA’s Rural Business–Cooperative Service issued a notice with additional details relating to the availability of federal loan guarantees through the Local and Regional Food Enterprise provision of the Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program. The B&I program helps improve, develop, or finance businesses and employment in rural areas by bolstering […]
Iowan Food Business Takes Root With USDA Loan Guarantee
This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting participants in the USDA Business and Industry Loan Guarantee (B&I) Program’s Local and Regional Food Enterprise Initiative, a provision of the 2008 Farm Bill championed by NSAC and reaffirmed by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill. The first post looked at financing for a North […]
Funding for Kitchen Equipment Will Help Schools Serve Healthy, Local Food
To prepare healthy meals with local produce for hundreds or perhaps thousands of students per day, it helps to have the right tools…. Read More →
Loan Guarantee Helps Rural Coop, Foodways Thrive
Small food and farm businesses in rural areas foster vibrant economies, but difficulty in accessing loans can be a major barrier to these businesses’ success and broader impact, especially for a newly evolving market like the local and regional food business…. Read More →