USDA, Nebraska award over $2.5M to strengthen local food systems

Ho-Chunk Community Development Corp. uses a grant to purchase equipment and expand facility space to help tribal farmers scale up their food production and processing.

Courtesy of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has partnered with Nebraska to award over $2.5 million for 15 projects through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems.

“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program are building strength and resilience in Nebraska’s food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers, and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is grateful for Nebraska’s support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”

Through this program, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture will fund 15 projects, including seven Infrastructure Grants and eight Equipment Grants, to support middle-of-the-supply-chain infrastructure.

Examples of funded projects:

The Ho-Chunk Community Development Corp. will use an Infrastructure Grant to purchase equipment and expand facility space to help tribal farmers scale up their food production and processing, which will ensure the tribal community has access to locally sourced, healthy food year-round.
Family Service Lincoln’s Community Crops program will increase access for underserved farmers by using an Equipment Grant to increase processing, cold storage, and transportation to wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets.

This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program to build capacity within the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers, funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood, or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories.

Source: USDA's AMS