1. USDA program detail

Helping small and midsized producers get their products into local and regional food systems is the focus of a planned USDA facility that will serve six Western States.

The $30 million USDA Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center will be based at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. It will serve producers in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. CSU and Oregon State University will co-lead the center in partnership with teams from each participating state.

The University of Idaho will be a key partner in creating the center, according to a UI release. Idaho’s direct share of the federal funding will be about $1 million. Additional funding for Idaho projects will be available through requests to CSU.

UI Extension educator Colette DePhelps, based in Moscow, and FARE Idaho Executive Director Katie Baker are among Idaho project leaders.

“We are going to have an opportunity to share expertise across our six-state region that we haven’t had before,” DePhelps said.

Other UI Extension faculty involved in the project include Ariel Agenbroad, food systems and small farms area educator, Ada County; Jennifer Werlin, food systems educator, Teton County; and Lorie Higgins, an extension specialist and professor with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology.

Recent work by Boise-based FARE Idaho — a nonprofit trade association that represents independent food and agriculture businesses, restaurants and beverage establishments — includes helping small producers gain access to meat processors that often prefer to work with larger customers, and workforce development to address a shortage of butchers.

The center will prioritize work that emphasizes resilient supply chains for meat, connects food entrepreneurs and helps them scale up operations, right-sizes infrastructure and investment, and develops diversified markets for climate-resilient agriculture, according to the release.

A primary role of the center will be to educate producers about existing revenue streams, programs and resources that can help local and regional sales, according to the release. It will prioritize aiding traditionally underserved food businesses, farmers and ranchers including veterans, Native Americans, women and Hispanic entrepreneurs.

The award period starts July 1, 2023, and ends June 30, 2028.

During the first year, UI will contract with Washington based Arrowleaf Consulting on an assessment of statewide needs and resources. The goal is to help guide the center’s food system programs in Idaho, the university’s release said. A steering committee will help to establish priorities.

The Idaho team in the second through fifth years plans to develop and carry out a process for granting technical assistance — for buying equipment to help tap local market opportunities or to hire a marketing firm to guide rebranding.

USDA recently approved 12 regional food business centers. The planned system is designed to close gaps to success by coordinating system coverage nationally, providing technical assistance, and building capacity that helps food producers to access new markets and to navigate resource opportunities at federal, state and local levels.