BEGINNING FARMER WHOLESALE PROJECT
Promoting "agriculture of the middle" through support services for beginning farmerS
In the Kansas City region, like in many parts of the country, farmers are getting older and each year the number of farms is declining. Furthermore, the strong split between farms serving large commodity markets and those serving small scale direct-to-consumer, has left “agriculture of the middle”¹ increasingly vulnerable. Multiple feasibility studies²³ for our region show that demand for local food at the wholesale level vastly outweighs the number of farmers growing for this market.
In 2018, collaborators from the West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, The Kansas City Food Hub, Cultivate KC, Kansas State University, KC Healthy Kids, and the University of Missouri were awarded funding from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program for their proposal titled: “Supporting Beginning Farmers in Scaling-up into Wholesale Production.” The target audience for the project is a producer with no more than 10 years in operation, both urban and rural, with aspirations to expand in size and/or explore new market channels for their produce. The Beginning Farmer Wholesale Project presents a new opportunity for our region’s farmers to grow their business and the scale of local food production.
Farmer services include:
In-depth wholesaling workshops - In partnership with the Growing Growers annual Market Farming Workshop Series, several advanced workshops on growing, handling, and marketing produce for wholesale will be offered over the next three years.
In 2018, collaborators from the West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, The Kansas City Food Hub, Cultivate KC, Kansas State University, KC Healthy Kids, and the University of Missouri were awarded funding from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program for their proposal titled: “Supporting Beginning Farmers in Scaling-up into Wholesale Production.” The target audience for the project is a producer with no more than 10 years in operation, both urban and rural, with aspirations to expand in size and/or explore new market channels for their produce. The Beginning Farmer Wholesale Project presents a new opportunity for our region’s farmers to grow their business and the scale of local food production.
Farmer services include:
- Mentor Farmer Program - Qualified farms are matched with a seasoned grower from around the country and receive up to 25 hrs of targeted consulting services throughout the year.
- One-on-one technical assistance - Beginning farmers can request direct technical assistance from ag specialists with tailored support for business management, crop planning, efficient production techniques, weed and pest management strategies and more. Contact our project administrator to schedule with a specialist.
- Farmer-to-buyer matching - Advisors from West Central, KC Food Hub, KC Healthy Kids, and Cultivate KC are offering consultation to beginning farmers and facilitating their connection w/ buyers—working to increase market access for participating farms.
- Video Series – A series of 6-minute videos on the top crops for wholesale production featuring farms across the Kansas City region that includes information on production, packing, marketing and more.
- Demystifying the Wholesale Market Manual – This manual provides technical information, record-keeping materials, infrastructure design, relationship development and branding skills. It is informed by stakeholders, buyers in the Kansas City region, and current wholesale growers through case studies.
- COMING SOON: Foodshed GIS Map- The project includes the development of grower-buyer map interface with layers added for the Farmers Markets, CSA, restaurants, wholesalers, food rescue and recovery, composting sites, and seed and supply providers--creating a comprehensive map of the KC foodshed.
In-depth wholesaling workshops - In partnership with the Growing Growers annual Market Farming Workshop Series, several advanced workshops on growing, handling, and marketing produce for wholesale will be offered over the next three years.
Contact project representatives at West Central Missouri Community Action Agency or K-State for more information and assistance.
¹ Fred Kirschenmann, Steve Stevenson, Fred Buttel, Tom Lyson, and Mike Duffy, 2004. “Why Worry About the Agriculture of the Middle?” www.agofthemiddle.org
² BNIM and Kansas City Food Hub Working Group, 2014. "Kansas City Food Hub Feasibility Study" https://www.newventureadvisors.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Kansas-City.pdf
³ SCALE, Inc. and Douglas County Food Policy Council, 2014. "Food Hub Feasibility Study: Northeast Kansas" https://www.douglascountyks.org/sites/default/files/media/groups/...
¹ Fred Kirschenmann, Steve Stevenson, Fred Buttel, Tom Lyson, and Mike Duffy, 2004. “Why Worry About the Agriculture of the Middle?” www.agofthemiddle.org
² BNIM and Kansas City Food Hub Working Group, 2014. "Kansas City Food Hub Feasibility Study" https://www.newventureadvisors.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Kansas-City.pdf
³ SCALE, Inc. and Douglas County Food Policy Council, 2014. "Food Hub Feasibility Study: Northeast Kansas" https://www.douglascountyks.org/sites/default/files/media/groups/...
