Yellowstone Valley Food Hub

Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, registered in SAM.gov since April 2021 and located in Billings, Montana, is a small agricultural cooperative and non-profit organization focused on facilitating agricultural market connections. The organization operates as a food hub that aims to support local farmers and wholesale buyers by creating distribution networks and market opportunities in Montana. Its strategic location and cooperative structure enable it to serve as an intermediary that helps agricultural producers access broader market channels while providing wholesale buyers with locally sourced agricultural products.

The organization has received three notable federal grants from the Agricultural Marketing Service and Rural Business Cooperative Services, primarily focused on expanding wholesale market capabilities and responding to COVID-19 challenges in the agricultural sector. Specifically, the grants include a $1.128 million project to expand mid-tier distribution networks, which involves purchasing supplies and software to enhance wholesale market infrastructure. Another grant of unspecified amount supported COVID-19 response measures for food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers, covering workplace safety, market adaptations, facility retrofitting, transportation, worker housing, and medical expenses. A third grant, labeled as LAMP Value-Added Producer Grants - COVID, further supported pandemic-related agricultural market resilience. These grants demonstrate Yellowstone Valley Food Hub's commitment to strengthening local agricultural ecosystems by providing technological, infrastructural, and financial support to help farmers and food distributors navigate market challenges and pandemic-related disruptions.