In preparation for new food safety regulations, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) recently announced improved financing options to help fruit and vegetable growers build or upgrade food handling facilities. Farm Storage Facility Loans can be used in conjunction with FSA Microloans to finance equipment and buildings for fruit and vegetable washing, packing, handling, and cold-storage. […]
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For those interested in dismantling racism and promoting a more equitable food system, your summer reading list has been decided! The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems has developed a robust “Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the U.S. Food System” (download the PDF). The authors’ aim with this resource is to “provide current research and […]
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The Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) provides grants on a competitive basis for a wide spectrum of direct-to-consumer and intermediated marketing projects. Today’s announcement marks the second round of funding available through this newly expanded program from the 2014 Farm Bill. The $30 million a year provided by the Farm Bill is […]
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REAP Food Group has developed a new resource for restaurants looking to serve local fruits and vegetables. This handy toolkit covers sourcing, using, and marketing local items, along with what’s available in various seasons and with advice from some of our their partner restaurants. Click here to view the guide
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Updated for the 2014 Farm Bill Producers, landowners, NGO’s, and researchers who are seeking resources to help them reach their sustainable agriculture goals need look no further than the recently updated Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches, and Communities Guide. The 86-page guide covers 63 programs, which coincide with changes reflected in the 2014 Farm Bill. It […]
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A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vital Signs: Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Children– United States, 2003-2010, examines comparative fruit and vegetable consumption. While they found that fruit consumption had increased during the time periods analyzed, vegetable intake had not changed. Additionally, most children did not meet the Healthy People […]
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Tim Slack “From December 2007 to June 2009, the U.S. economy suffered the longest and deepest downturn since the Great Depression. Now aptly referred to as the Great Recession, the catalyst for this 18-month contraction was the bursting of a housing bubble that had become a profit center for the U.S. economy in the earlier […]
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A recent study by the University of California Cooperative Extension demonstrates how gardeners in San Jose saved money by growing their own food in community gardens. Gardeners engaged in the study weighed their harvests throughout the spring and summer, yielding an average of .75 pounds of produce per square foot of garden space. Not only […]
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