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June 9, 2015 | Volume 4, Issue 14
Feature
Produce pilot is taking root
 Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons
The Pilot
Project for the Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables –
established by the 2014 Farm Bill – is part of USDA’s commitment to create and expand
opportunities for our nation’s fruit and vegetable producers. The pilot opens
the door for a wide variety of vendors, including small growers, food hubs and
distributors, to supply quality, unprocessed fruits and vegetables to schools
in eight states.
So far five states (California, Connecticut, Michigan, New
York and Oregon) have spent over $300,000 of USDA Foods entitlement through the
pilot from February through May 2015. Michigan is leading the pack with just
over $91,000 in deliveries and Connecticut is a close second with nearly
$80,000 of purchases under its belt! Several California districts are
contracting with AgLink,
a produce distributor focused on connecting local and regional producers with schools,
and they are delivering a whole range of California products including peaches,
cauliflower, apricots, and kale. While students in Oregon are chomping on pears
from the Pacific Northwest, many Connecticut and New York schools are feasting
on Macintosh apples from Massachusetts’ orchards and Empire apples from New
York.
Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin were also selected for
participation and will begin receiving deliveries under the pilot in the coming
months. Participating states have an additional avenue to use USDA Foods
entitlement, and districts are able to use geographic preference and target
local products when available. USDA continues to work with vendors
eligible to participate in the pilot to expand the quantity and variety of unprocessed
fruit and vegetable offerings available for purchase.
Notes from the Field
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food: #localmade
 Did you know that
USDA has a task force dedicated to helping strengthen local and regional food
systems across the United States? Through a USDA-wide effort known as Know
Your Famer, Know Your Food, affectionately known as KYF2, this task force
is now six years strong. The Farm to School Program’s very own grant program manager, Matthew Russell, has been on the task force from day one: that
predates the existence of the Farm to School Program!
KYF2 is going strong, and
you can catch up on their remarkable work throughout the month of June on
their website
and on social media using #localmade.
Hungry for more? USDA has a newsletter dedicated to local and regional food systems. Sign up below!
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Reminder: Share your farm to summer stories!
As
the school year winds down, take a moment tell us how you ensure that kids in your
community have access to fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals during the
summer months!
So
send us a photo or two and a description of how you bring local, nutritious
foods to kids and teens during the summer months, and we’ll feature the most
creative practices in our E-letter and/or on our blog to shine a spotlight on
your programming!
Rural
Development’s Value Added Producer Grants
Producers looking for ways to expand into schools should
take notice of this grant opportunity! USDA Rural Development's Value
Added Producer Grants help agricultural
producers generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and
increase producer income.
Grant funds
can be used for planning activities or for working capital expenses related to
producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product. Examples of
planning activities include conducting feasibility studies and developing
business plans for processing and marketing the
product. Examples of working capital expenses include processing costs,
marketing and advertising expenses, and some inventory and salary expenses.
Independent producers, agricultural producer groups, cooperatives,
and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures are eligible to apply
for this competitive grant program. Applications are due July 2.
Bits from Blogs
From tomatoes to yarn: Value Added Producer Grants help agriculture entrepreneurs get ahead
Posted
by Katharine Ferguson, Chief of Staff, Rural Development
“When you are a small farm, you
don’t have a lot of capital.” says Julie Donnelly of Deepwoods Farm, a
small tomato farm she runs with her husband in Bradley County, Arkansas.
Despite being in an area known for its tomatoes, Deepwoods Farms was having a
hard time getting ahead. “We couldn’t get past the commercial tomatoes.”
Julie remembers. “We were almost bankrupt. I thought ‘I’ve got to do
something!’ ”
What Julie decided to do was
diversify her tomato crop to produce more varietals, including heirlooms and
different colored tomatoes. She believed this would give her farm a
competitive edge and open up new market opportunities. The tomatoes were
growing well and tasted good. However, no one knew the Donnelleys were
doing something different than before. Deepwoods Farms needed marketing and
branding support to tell customers why their tomatoes were
different. “When I heard about the Value Added Producer Grant, I
thought this might be the answer,” said Julie.
Julie worked with her local USDA
Rural Development to successfully apply for a Value Added Producer Grant allowing the farm to advertise,
develop packaging and brand their tomatoes. Soon business picked up.
Local retailer and supermarkets were buying the tomatoes in bulk and processing
them into salsas and sauces for wider distribution. Julie also projects
they soon might be able to hire additional help. “The Value Added Producer
Grant gave us the little cushion to get twice as much done.”
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