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We're excited to share that Centers & Center Partners can now subscribe to the Regional Food Business Center Digest directly! Simply forward this message to your key partners and technical assistance providers and click the subscription link here or in the footer of this newsletter to sign up.
This Digest is specifically for the Regional Food Business Center partners. Continue scrolling to learn more about upcoming resources and events.
December 2024
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USDA Invests $119 Million to Strengthen Local Food Systems Through Business Builder Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it has invested $119 million in Business Builder grants to support small and mid-sized farm and food businesses. Administered through 12 Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs), the grants aim to enhance business viability, expand market opportunities, and strengthen supply chains.
The announcement includes $25 million Business Builder grants for the National Intertribal Food Business Center to bolster Tribal food systems and $4 million for the Southwest RFBC to support businesses in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California.
USDA will finalize Business Builder programs with six Regional Food Business Centers in 2025, including the Delta, Great Lakes Midwest, Islands and Remote Areas, Northeast, Rio Grande Colonias, and Southeast centers. These will add to the six centers which have already launched their Business Builder programs.
To date, the USDA has distributed $7.8 million in Business Builder grants, with $112 million slated for award by December 2027.
Grant Funding by Region (2024 and 2025)
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Launched in 2024:
- Appalachia RFBC: $16.5 million
- Heartland RFBC: $11.2 million
- North Central RFBC: $3 million
- Northwest and Rocky Mountain RFBC: $6.8
- National Intertribal Food Business Center: $25 million
- Southwest RFBC: $4 million
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Launching in 2025
- Delta RFBC: $9.9 million
- Great Lakes Midwest RFBC: $6.8 million
- Islands and Remote Areas RFBC: $8.1 million
- Northeast RFBC: $15.9 million
- Rio Grande Colonias RFBC: $6.6 million
- Southeast RFBC: $6.1 million
More information can be found on the USDA Regional Food Business Centers Program webpage.
December 12 Press Release - USDA Highlights Investment of $119 Million in Business Builder Grants for Small and Mid-Sized Farm and Food Businesses
Now Available - Spanish Translated Documents
We are excited to announce that key documents for the Regional Food Business Centers are now available in Spanish!
Please visit Box or go to the Resource Hub and navigate to the “Translated Documents” section to access the following Spanish-translated documents:
- Grants 101
- RFBC Infographic
- Let's Get Started
- Tips for Applicants
Business Builder Data Profile Forms are forthcoming and will be shared in a separate bundle.
Local and Regional Foods Funding Tracker - UPDATED
*The funding tracker is available to the Centers only, however all of the information contained including links and contact information may be shared with partners or community members
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Local and Regional Foods Funding Tracker - This tool includes links to program websites, links and deadlines for open grant opportunities, links to webinars, contact info for program managers as well as anticipated grant announcements. |
RFBC Resource Hub
A reminder that Centers can upload and share resources using the RFBC Resource Hub to facilitate collaboration and innovation among Centers. Visit the RFBC Resource Hub and use the sidebar to navigate to the “Upload Shared Resources” section or go directly to Upload Shared Resources to learn more about sharing resources and tools.
Join us on December 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET, the Local and Regional Foods Division will hold the third webinar in the Local and Regional Foods Resources & Research webinar series (the R&R Webinars). The monthly series highlights local and regional foods research projects, resources, partnerships and programs.
Key Findings from the Consumer Food Insights Series
The Consumer Food Insights (CFI) series highlights changing food purchasing patterns since the pandemic. Highlighting findings from the third nationwide Consumer Food Insights survey, Dr. Jairus Rossi (University of Kentucky), Dr. Dawn Thilmany (Colorado State University), Mackenzie Gill (Colorado State University), and Jayna Mallon (Colorado State University) will discuss the drivers of local and regional consumer purchases in 2023 with a particular focus on regional opportunities. The webinar will also highlight key takeaways for food businesses, opportunities, and strategies, drawn from the survey findings presented. The Consumer Food Insights survey is part of the Local and Regional Food Systems Response to Covid project, a cooperative agreement between USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Colorado State University, and the University of Kentucky.
Past Webinar:
November 21, 2024 -Stories of Resilience in Action: Strengthening local and regional food system from within. This webinar gathered food systems leaders to explore strategies for supporting recovery and resilience of local and regional food systems in the face of natural and man-made disruptions. Panelists highlighted the interconnected efforts required to build resilient food systems, including lessons from past, current, and future initiatives.
View our past webinars.
Please join us on December 18, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET for Tea ‘n TA. As we close out 2024 with our sixth gathering of Tea ‘n TA, Centers will share the status of their TA programs, reflect on lingering challenges, and share key insights from the past year. Together, we’ll brainstorm tools, resources, and strategies to strengthen and support coordination around TA programs.
The Zoom room will open at 1:45 PM Eastern for 15 minutes of informal networking time.
December Registration Link
Tea ‘n TA Mural Board Link *As a reminder, Tea ‘n TA is not recorded, and the Mural serves as a place to find summaries of discussions and key takeaways.*
We look forward to seeing you there!
The December Network of Centers meeting was canceled for December and will return in 2025 with our next meeting on January 7, 3:00 p.m. ET
Business Builder Working Group, December 17, 2:30 p.m. ET
In response to Center requests, USDA is hosting a special two-part Business Builder Basics Training at the December and January’s Business Builder Working Group Meetings. The training will focus on Federal Cost Principles, Center-focused determination of allowable and unallowable costs, and aligning Center fiscal management policies with USDA-AMS guidelines. These sessions are open to Business Builder Working Group Members, Key Partners, and other relevant program partners involved in implementing the business builder program.
Please register here and forward the invite to partners who may be interested in learning the administrative nuts & bolts of the Business Builder program.
Evaluation and Impacts Working Group
The December Evaluation and Impacts Working Group meeting is canceled for December and will return in 2025 with our next meeting on January 28, 3:00 p.m. ET. Please register here.
Follow up materials from the November 24, RFBC Evaluation and Impacts Working Group Call to address best practices in working with partners and technical assistance providers to collect data are linked below:
As a part of the ongoing Consumer Food Insights (CFIs) series exploring consumer food purchasing changes between 2020 and 2023, the CFI team has just released a series of Consumer Food Insight Regional Snapshots that provide insights into consumer engagement with local markets in several regions of the US that align with the USDA’s new Regional Food Business Centers (RFBCs). The intent of these CFIs is to provide a snapshot of regional consumer trends at a moment when post-COVID patterns of market engagement are evolving in hopes they can inform marketing strategies, investments and initiatives that hope to leverage the unique market dynamics of different US regions. The Consumer Food Insights survey is part of the Local and Regional Food Systems Response to Covid project, a cooperative agreement between USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Colorado State University, and the University of Kentucky. You can hear more about these CFIs in the upcoming Local and Regional Foods Division Resources and Research Webinar scheduled for December 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET (Register Here).
USDA Announces Availability of $1.13 Billion for Local Food Programs
Funding will support states, territories, and Tribes in purchasing and distributing wholesome, locally produced food for food banks, schools, and childcare facilities.
New Marketing Assistance Now Available for Specialty Crop Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, aimed at helping specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs, is now accepting applications through January 8, 2025.
Funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, MASC was announced in November alongside the $140 million Commodity Storage Assistance Program for facilities impacted by 2024 natural disasters.
Two current research projects funded by AMS are looking for survey responses. While you as a Center or Center partner are not the target respondent for either survey, we are asking that you share these opportunities with your producer networks.
The first project aims to identify best practices for providing technical assistance to producers interested in scaling to wholesale markets and the second project is a voluntary survey of producers participating in agritourism activities.
Virginia Tech and Illinois Tech launch Black, Hispanic, and Tribal Producer Wholesale Marketing and Technical Assistance Survey
If you are a farmer or rancher who identifies as Black, Hispanic, or Tribal, selling wholesale now or in the past, or plan to access wholesale markets, we would like to invite you to take this online survey. This project aims to understand the distinct technical assistance needs of Black, Hispanic, and Tribal producers when accessing and scaling into wholesale markets. “Technical assistance” refers to a range of services that provide farmers and ranchers with expert guidance, resources, and support related to farming practices, market access, and regulatory compliance. Responses from this survey will support identifying best practices, challenges, gaps, and associated issues to inform technical assistance providers, along with programs, policies, and institutions. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Click this link to take the survey: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/wholesaleequitysurvey.
If you are an individual, organization, or institution providing technical assistance to Black, Hispanic and Tribal producers, and are willing to participate in an interview, please reach out to the project team. Additionally, we request that you forward the producer survey to your networks.
The project is being conducted jointly by a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and the Illinois Institute of Technology. If you have any questions or complaints about this study, you can contact Pratyoosh Kashyap at pratyoosh@vt.edu or Weslynne Ashton at washton@iit.edu.
Spanish language description:
Virginia Tech e Illinois Tech lanzan una Encuesta sobre comercialización al por mayor y asistencia técnica para productores Afroamericanos, Hispanos y Tribales: Si es agricultor o ganadero que se identifica como Afroamericano, Hispano o Tribal, que vende al por mayor ahora o lo hizo anteriormente, o tiene previsto acceder a los mercados al por mayor, nos gustaría que participara participar en esta encuesta en línea. Con este proyecto, se pretende comprender las distintas necesidades de asistencia técnica de los productores Afroamericanos, Hispanos y Tribales a la hora de acceder a los mercados al por mayor y hacer crecer las operaciones para acceder a esos mercados. Por “asistencia técnica” nos referimos a una serie de servicios que ofrecen a los agricultores y ganaderos orientación especializada, recursos y apoyo en relación con las prácticas agrícolas, el acceso a los mercados y el cumplimiento de las normativas de ley. Las respuestas a esta encuesta se usarán para identificar las prácticas recomendadas, los obstáculos, las brechas y los problemas asociados con el fin de informar a los proveedores de asistencia técnica, y a los programas, las políticas y las instituciones. Responder la encuesta debería tomar unos 10 minutos. Haga clic en este enlace para realizar la encuesta: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/wholesaleequitysurvey .
Si es usted un individuo, organización o institución que proporciona asistencia técnica a productores Afroamericanos, Hispanos y Tribales, y está dispuesto a participar en una entrevista, por favor póngase en contacto con el equipo del proyecto. Además, le solicitamos que comparta la encuesta para productores en sus redes.
Al proyecto lo realiza en conjunto un equipo de investigadores de Virginia Tech y el Instituto de Tecnología de Illinois. Si tiene alguna pregunta o queja sobre este estudio, puede comunicarse con Pratyoosh Kashyap al correo pratyoosh@vt.edu o con Weslynne Ashton al correo washton@iit.edu.
Agritourism Survey
Be counted! If your farm, ranch, or agricultural business is open to visitors, please take 5 minutes to complete a short pre-survey from our colleagues at the University of Vermont.
The goal of this survey is to understand how many agricultural operations in the U.S. welcome visitors for direct sales and experiences, including pick-your-own, farm stands, tours, overnight farm stays, recreation, etc. This information will be used to inform future programs and support, as well as to inform the development of a more comprehensive survey to be released in 2025. This research study is led by Dr. Lisa Chase, Extension Professor at the University of Vermont and Director of the Vermont Tourism Research Center.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact Lisa.Chase@uvm.edu or 802-656-7532. If you have questions about your rights as a participant in a research project, please contact the Research Protections Office at the University of Vermont at 802-656-5040.
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