Montana Food & Ag Development Center Network Project Receives USDA F2S Funding
CONTACT:
Logan Kruse, Montana Department of Agriculture (406) 444-3684
Montana Food & Ag Development Center Network Project Receives USDA F2S Funding
Helena, Mont. – Headwaters Resource, Conservation and Development Organization (Headwaters RC&D), and co-lead organization, Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA), were awarded a USDA Farm to School implementation grant for $89,329 to form the Montana Farm to School Ambassador Network (MT F2S Ambassador Network).
Through collaboration with eight other Food and Agriculture Development Centers, the MT F2S Ambassador Network will improve access to local foods in eligible schools through comprehensive farm to school programming including local procurement and agricultural education efforts.
Agricultural producers' requests for technical assistance and training exceeds current capacity. By creating a network of individuals trained to provide “boots-on-the-ground” farm to school technical assistance in each region of Montana, the program evenly distributes workload and allows current Farm to School initiatives to grow by providing producers accessibility to specific farm to school technical assistance state-wide.
“By creating this F2S Ambassador Network, the Farm to School program can extend its reach and impact across the state. Ambassadors can facilitate training sessions in their own communities, leading to a multiplier effect in terms of the number of producers and schools that benefit from the program,” said Grace Nichols, Specialty Crop Business Development Program Manager at RCEDA.
The Montana Department of Agriculture is serving Montana Agriculture and growing prosperity under the Big Sky. For more information on department programs and services, visit agr.mt.gov.
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Tags: Farm to School, FADC, USDA and Food and Ag Development Centers