Cooperative Agreement 7IE08310268

The Central Illinois Farm-Fresh Enterprise Development Cooperative (FARMFED CO-OP) received a $239,565.60 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) to complete planning and establish operations. FARMFED CO-OP will connect rural producers in Central Illinois to institutional and retail buyers through processing and freezing local produce. Project outcomes will include a marketing...

This $1,000,000 project grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund research to understand perceptions and barriers to adoption of precision livestock farming (PLF) technology in the U.S. swine industry. Michigan State University will lead a team to complete five objectives over five years: 1) establish an advisory board, 2) survey farmers and veterinarians, 3) interview industry influencers, 4)...

The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service awarded a $380,251 Project Grant to Plant It Forward under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. The grant will support Plant It Forward's efforts to ensure the long-term success and financial self-sufficiency of its food hub, which serves socially disadvantaged farmers in central, east, and south Texas. Key deliverables include developing a business plan to close the food hub's budget deficit within five years and...

This Project Grant award, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (CFDA 10.311), provides $538,275 to Dairy Grazing Alliance, Inc. (dba Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship) to develop a comprehensive farm transfer program for a new generation of managed grazing dairy farmers. The key activities include: 1) Creating a planning protocol for farm transfer appropriate for managed grazing dairy operations, 2) Developing a customized curriculum...

Operation Spring Plant Inc. was awarded a $444,000 Project Grant from the Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) on September 1, 2021. The grant will support Operation Spring Plant's project to prepare socially disadvantaged and veteran beginning farmers and ranchers in North Carolina for sustainability through August 31, 2024. The BFRDP aims to help beginning farmers and ranchers enter and improve...

This $149,952 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program will support the planning and community engagement phase of the DFARM project. DFARM aims to pilot and evaluate a distributed system of smart, connected hydroponics to empower food-insecure households in Knoxville, Tennessee to produce their own food year-round and increase local food security. The project will develop three key components: 1) an...

Sprouting Farms Corp will receive $216,382 under a Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (CFDA 10.522) to grow farm to school initiatives in the New River Gorge region from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2024. The Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program aims to increase capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations and school cafeterias as well as...

Farming Hope will use a $800,000 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Community Food Projects (CFP) program to expand its garden-to-table job training program and community food hub operations in San Francisco, California from June 2023 through May 2027. As a non-profit community development organization, Farming Hope will provide a 12-week paid apprenticeship program where individuals learn culinary and food industry job skills...

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service awarded a $250,000 Project Grant to Lady-Lane Farm under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP aims to support the development, coordination and expansion of local and regional food systems. Lady-Lane Farm will use the grant funding to provide products and services that further these goals between September 2022 and September 2024 in Oregon. As part of the Local Agriculture Market Program, this grant to...

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service awarded a $250,000 Project Grant to Lazy Eight Stock Farm of Kentucky under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP aims to support the development, coordination and expansion of local and regional food systems. Funds will support Lazy Eight Stock Farm's efforts to add value to local agricultural products and connect producers with markets from September 2022 through September 2024. As the FMLFPP seeks to strengthen...