Once again, K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Department of Agriculture will be offering in-person workshops for Kansas Local Food Producers. See the information below and save the date now for the location and date that fits your schedule. More information and registration will be announced soon.
The 2025 Women Managing the Farm Conference will be held in Manhattan, KS on February 12-14, 2025. The theme is Forging the Future.
This conference is for women to gain resources and training for todays farm or ag business. It is a great opportunity to make connections with like minded farm women.
Learn more and sign up for email updates at https://womenmanagingthefarm.com/.
With funding provided by a Regional Food Systems Partnership Grant through the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems offers the Kansas Local Food Fellows Program. Food system partners across the state of Kansas can apply to host a fellow to work on a site-specific local food system project. Projects may be related to, but are not restricted to research, education, marketing, or community engagement of local food system participants including producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and/or consumers.
Applications are now being accepted through September 30, 2024 to become a local food fellow host. Organizations outline a project and the role of the fellow for that project. The fellow position must be able to complete the project in 320 hours.
Learn more and how to apply at https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/get-involved/fellows/.
The Heartland Regional Food Business Center will provide financial assistance through Business Builder (BB) Subawards of $5,000 to $50,000 each to support projects focused on meeting regional needs and increasing capacity among food and farm businesses working toward expansion in local and regional food markets.
Eligible to apply are small food and farm businesses or nonprofit organizations either located in or serving the five-state Heartland Center region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska) and/or nine counties in northwest Arkansas (Benton, Carrol, Boone, Washington, Madison, Newton, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson).
Applications will be accepted through October 15, 2024.
Details and application can be found at https://heartlandfoodbusiness.org/business-builder/.
A new grant opportunity called the Business Builder grant was recently announced by the USDA through the Heartland Regional Food Business Center. The grant will support local and regional food enterprises across the supply chain, from suppliers to buyers.
This program is designed to promote business expansion, job creation, business capacity building, and increase local products in the local market throughout the Heartland Region, including Kansas. Please share this opportunity with partners, entrepreneurs, and others across Kansas who may benefit.
The grant provides the chance to be awarded $5,000 to $50,000 that can be used for consultants, staffing for projects, supplies, equipment and more! The deadline for applying for this grant is Oct 15, 2024, and estimated awards will be announced in early 2025.
There is an informational webinar on applying for the Business Builder grant on August 28, 2024, 12 – 1 pm, Central Time. A recording will be available after the meeting, just in case you miss it!
Through the grant, recipients can also gain one-on-one counseling offered by Heartland Regional Food Business Center partners and collaborators right here in Kansas!
The Heartland Heartland Regional Food Business Center, led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and rural Missouri community development corporation New Growth, focuses on expanding the local and regional food system in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and northwest Arkansas. It conducts this work as a regional team with 14 Key Partners and 20 Collaborators across the five states. K-State Research and Extension and Kansas Rural Center are two of 14 key partners implementing the Heartland Regional Food Business Center. Click here to learn more about the HRFBC’s Kansas offerings.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to support the growth of your community!
Questions? Complete the contact form at heartlandfoodbusiness.org/contact/ or email heartlandrfbc@ksu.edu. For more about this grant and other opportunities, join the Heartland Regional Food Business Center Newsletter for all the updates to come.
Join us for this unique opportunity to CONNECT with people from across the state, ENGAGE with new ideas about local food systems, and GROW the opportunities for your community!
What to Expect
The Kansas Local Food Summit will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 27-28, 2024 in Wichita. The Summit will begin with a networking reception on Tuesday evening, followed by a full day of speakers, interactive learning sessions, and more opportunities to connect with people from across the state.
Who Should Attend
Anyone working in local food systems or interested in supporting local food system growth is welcome to attend, including producers, consumers, food policy council members, government employees, non-profit organizations, food businesses, and more! If you are looking for opportunities to learn how to bolster your local food systems and connect with like-minded Kansans, the Kansas Local Food Summit is a great choice. We have sessions planned that are relevant to a wide range of different food systems interests, including food access, food waste & recovery, food hubs, community engagement, food policy, farm to school, and more.
Keynote Information:
Morning Keynote: Leveraging Value Chain Coordination to Build a Better Food System – John Wittler, Executive Director, Ogallala Commons
Afternoon Keynote: Creating Food Secure Resilient Communities – Mary K. Hendrickson, PhD., Associate Professor of Applied Social Sciences, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security
Early Bird Registration Fee: $40 through August 5th
Regular Registration Fee: $50 after August 5th
The Heartland Regional Food Business Center, a USDA funded program serving Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, is a program to help encourage local food producers to build their businesses. The mission is to help local and regional food businesses and markets with startup resources, learn ways to grow their business, and connect with partners for food processiong, distribution, technical assistance and more.
One way to get connected is to sign up for the monthly newsletter to learn about grant opportunities and connect with technical partners.
We’re back in person! These workshops were formerly known as Regional Farmers Market Workshops. Registration is now open. Sign up now!
Select the link below for registration at a location near you.
Learn more at the Kansas Local Foods Systems website.
Are you interested in improving local food resources in your community? Join us!
The Kansas Local Foods program is planning 10+ roundtable sessions around Kansas to share experiences and provide feedback on the goals you have for your community and the needs. The first session is planned for November 1, 2023.
So if you are involved with local grocery stores, restaurants, food distribution, school food service, etc. please join the conversation. Check our Kansas Local Food website for complete information.
K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems is now launching the Kansas Local Food Fellows Program. Food system partners across the state of Kansas can apply to host a fellow to work on a site-specific local food system project.
The purpose of the Fellows Program is to increase capacity for local food system projects. This may jumpstart a local food policy coalition or other partner to increase outreach, engagement, and growth of organization goals.
Projects may be related to, but are not restricted to research, education, marketing, or community engagement of local food system participants including producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and/or consumers.
Learn more at Kansas Local Foods.
This program is funded by a Regional Food Systems Partnership Grant through the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.