University of Missouri Extension is one of 14 partners to establish the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, which will serve Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and northwestern Arkansas.
The center will help farm and food entrepreneurs build businesses and supply chain connections to meet the growing demand for local and regionally produced food. It will provide technical assistance, coordination, and capacity building support to food and farm businesses.
MU Extension will provide on-the-ground assistance to local food and farm businesses in Missouri and support the dissemination of business builder sub-awards to selected applicants. The center will also develop food safety resources for farmers with limited English proficiency.
MU Extension's Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) will support the Heartland Regional Food Business Center by providing asset- and resource-mapping tools, evaluation systems, and general website support. CARES will also help develop an online resource to connect Missouri farmers and business owners to information, funding, research, and one-on-one support.
The Heartland Regional Food Business Center is one of 12 centers established across the nation in 2023 with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the development of a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system. The center will dedicate $11 million of its total four-year USDA funding of $25 million to business builder sub-awards designed to help on-the-ground entrepreneurs.
The center's goal is to put local food on more tables and help smaller rural and urban farm and food businesses thrive. It will support and advance work that is already underway and connect more entrepreneurs to existing resources. The Heartland Regional Food Business Center invites collaboration with other organizations that work with small businesses and in agriculture and community and economic development.
Get connected
Learn about USDA Regional Food Business Centers at www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional/rfbcp.
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Categories: Missouri, Business, General