USDA has selected 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico to receive business development assistance through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The announcement was made in Chicago after keynoting the "Local/Regional Food System Conference" hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. For example, Living Water Farms, Inc....

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has approved a conditional commitment in the amount of $232.5 million to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB will operate a 25 million gallon per year biorefinery, which will be constructed on an industrial site in Boardman, Oregon,...

The University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) recently launched a new Food Innovation Center as a food business incubator. This new center allows farmers and ranchers, local entrepreneurs, and students to receive education and drive the development of value-added food products, in such areas as product design, nutrition, food safety,...

The Davenport Freight House in Davenport, Iowa, is under construction to become the Quad City Food Hub. Construction has begun on the Fresh Deli by Nostalgia Farms, which will be the first business to open in the food hub. "We want to connect people to the local food they are...

The number of winter farmers markets is increasing. According to the updated National Farmers Market Directory, since 2010, the number of winter markets has increased 38 percent, from 886 to 1,225. These winter markets also account for nearly 17 percent of the nation's 7,222 operating farmers markets   Farmers markets...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations. The funding is provided through USDA Rural Development's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Collectively, these REAP-funded projects announced are expected...

U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel, the single largest purchase of biofuel in government history. While the Navy fleet alone uses more than 1.26 billion...

Blog article written by Dr. Michael Boland, University of Minnesota, boland@umn.edu The Value Added Producer Grants are due at the end of August and some changes in the application process should facilitate a much easier format for first time applicants. Hats off to USDA for these changes because they have...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded 25 grants to 19 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help create economic opportunities for American producers and businesses. Under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), USDA is matching $1.3 million worth of state grants to state departments of agriculture, state...

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan joined other USDA and local officials to officially open a kitchen facility in York that will provide education and workforce training. Financial support for the kitchen was provided through a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise (RBEG) grant. "Projects like this one encourage development of...

Livestock farmers raising poultry have been vocal about a lack of processing for poultry in recent years. However, an Iowa plant that closed in January 2011 is set to re-open under new ownership. A U.S. bankruptcy judge has approved a $2.27 million bid for a poultry plant in Charles City,...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Americans will soon have more choices at the gas pump through a USDA program that will provide funding for installation of flexible fuel pumps. USDA is issuing a rule to clarify that the definition of renewable energy systems in the Rural Energy for America...

It's time to update Farmers' Market listings for the 2011 National USDA Farmers Market Directory.  Updating listings ensures that neighbors, and visitors can know when and where our market is open, and have it counted among the nation’s 6,100 plus farmers markets.  Even if  your market has been listed in...

USDA's child nutrition programs are implementing new rules designed to encourage use of local farm products in school meals. The final rule will let schools and other providers give preference to unprocessed locally grown and locally raised agricultural products as they purchase food for the National School Lunch, School Breakfast,...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is opening the updating process for the USDA National Farmers Market Directory, the official count of the nation's farmers markets. For the first time this year, the directory will also track farmers markets with multiple locations and operating days. All of...

Washington State University will develop and run USDA's People's Garden School Pilot Program which will serve an estimated 2,800 students attending 70 elementary schools in Washington, New York, Iowa and Arkansas. The Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth pilot is an innovative strategy to help our nation win the future through improved...

Registration is open for the 2011 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference.  The Conference will be held at the St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri on April 12 - April 13, with a Pre-Conference Seminar on April 11, 2011.  The Planning Committee extends a warm invitation...

  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the debut of an online mapping tool that captures a broad range of demographic, economic, and agricultural data on rural areas across the United States. The Atlas of Rural and Small-town America, developed by USDA's Economic Research Service, provides county-level mapping of over 60...

Blog article written by Dr. Michael Boland, E. Fred Koller endowed chair in agribusiness management and information technology, University of Minnesota. My home county in Minnesota recently received a USDA Rural Development planning grant with matching funds for the development of a rural broadband network. It comes with some controversy...

By Jim Barham, Food Hub Team Leader, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. Originally posted on the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food blog. Here at USDA we are looking for ways that we can help build and strengthen regional and local food systems.  As we talk to farmers, producers, consumers, processors,...

Making the decision to invest in a value-added business requires careful analysis. Should I Invest in Agricultural Start-up Business Ventures will help you think through your investment decision. Attending an equity offering meeting may be the first and/or only exposure you have to the investment opportunity.  So you need to...

By Debbie Tropp, Branch Chief, Farmers Market and Direct Market Research Branch, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA This post was originally published December 17 on the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food blog at http://kyf.blogs.usda.gov/category/regional-food-hub/. Look up Wayne County, Michigan, home to Detroit, in USDA’s Food Environment Atlas and it is...

USDA will provide funding to help organic producers and those transitioning to organic production implement resource conservation practices on their agricultural operations. Fiscal year (FY) 2011 marks the third year of USDA's Organic Initiative, and up to $50 million is available this year for producers to plan and implement conservation...

Wind turbines in Midwestern farm fields may be doing more than churning out electricity. The giant turbine blades that generate renewable energy might also help corn and soybean crops stay cooler and dryer, help them fend off fungal infestations and improve their ability to extract growth-enhancing carbon dioxide [CO2] from...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Department has established an online tool that can link retiring farmers who have expiring Conservation Reserve Program contracts with beginning farmers or ranchers who are interested in bringing the land into production. The new online resource, TIP Net, is a website provided by...