Located at the crossroads of kansas, saline county has long been an area that has shown great interest in locally-grown and organic foods

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded Prairieland Food Cooperative Inc. a $326,810 Project Grant under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP, CFDA 10.175). The grant will support Prairieland Market in expanding local food distribution and connecting local growers to consumers in Saline County, Kansas and surrounding north central counties through September 2024. Specifically, the organization will develop a comprehensive marketing plan, increase participation and product variety in its community supported agriculture program, and offer more prepared foods made from local meats, cheese, eggs and produce. The goal is to build awareness and consumption of local foods in the region by supporting food processing, aggregation, distribution and storage and creating an expanded local food distribution system.

Though the interest is evident (based on previous market studies, and needs assessment),there is a significant need for a stronger connection between local farmers, consumers, and the food insecure areas of the community. Specifically, there is a need for an expanded well-organized local food distribution system. Prairieland market is well-positioned to bring together and connect those elements by expanding capacity and providing enhanced marketing throughout the area, resulting in engaging more farmers and providing more local foods to consumers. The goals of this project are to increase access to local food and to expand capacity to meet the needs and demand in saline county and the neighboring counties in north central kansas. To accomplish these goals, we will develop a comprehensive marketing plan, increase the number of participants and variety of offerings in our CSA program, and provide more prepared foods made with local meats, cheese, eggs, and produce. This project will connect local growers to consumers by implementing a strategic marketing plan to build awareness and consumption of local foods in north central kansas; support the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products marketed locally by creating an expanded, well-organized local food distribution system through its CSA program and retail store featuring prepared foods.