The Rural Field to Market grant supports all types of products and market channels, such as specialty crops, livestock, poultry, dairy, grains, fish and agritourism activities.
Staff Writer
The Rural Field to Market grant supports all types of products and market channels, such as specialty crops, livestock, poultry, dairy, grains, fish and agritourism activities.
The Entrepreneur Fund is now offering a Rural Field to Market Grant, a competitive grant, to directly support farm and food business in Minnesota. Working with a variety of business owners, such as producers, growers, distributors, retailers and local grocery stores, Content Manager Samantha Erkkila said as the Entrepreneur Fund has been doing so for a long time, the organization recognizes the importance of strengthening the local food supply chain.
“So when the funder came to us with this opportunity, it was a no-brainer to continue that work to reach these businesses that feed our communities,” she said.
The funding is provided by Wells Fargo and can be used for pre-and-post harvest related business activities, including equipment or supplies associated with expanding production, staff time, business planning, software implementation and processing packing equipment. However, it cannot be used for land and new building construction.
Erkkila said how much a business or organization receives in grant funding varies, but can be up to $20,000. The grant is given to for-profit, small-or mid-sized food and farm businesses.
“The program supports all types of products and market channels, such as specialty crops, livestock, poultry, dairy, grains, fish and agritourism activities,” she said.
In addition, non-food revenue streams from by-products or co-products, such as leather and ornamental, are also allowable.
Erkkila said the program is offered in 16 counties in Minnesota. Those include Morrison, Todd, Stearns, Benton, Mille Lacs, Crow Wing, Cass, Aitkin, Kanabec, Pine, Carlton, Itasca, St. Louis, Lake of the Woods, Cook, including Native Nations within those counties, such as Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, Fond du Lac, Bois Forte and Grand Portage.The program is also offered in Northern Wisconsin.
“The Rural Field to Market Grant is a one-time grant. We have about $450,000 in total to award out and so we anticipate like 25 to 30 awards. Those grants can be up to $20,000,” she said.
As Morrison County is home to a number of farms and other agriculture-related small-to-size businesses that are involved in dairy, beef, poultry, crops and more, Erkkila anticipates to see several grant applications. Knowing the difference it will make, Shawn Wellnitz, CEO and president of the Entrepreneur Fund is eager to see it be put into action.
“This grant is an intentional investment in the growth and resilience of our regional food system. By supporting local producers and food entrepreneurs, we’re ensuring they have the resources they need to expand, innovate and create stronger market connections,” he said.
Applications can be found at www.efund.org/marketgrant and will need to be submitted by Feb. 16, at 5 p.m. CST. The process includes a pre-screening that determines whether a business or organization is eligible to apply. That is determined by the applicant’s answers to the questions, such as which state and county the business is located in, what its main industry sector is, and how many years it has been in business. Erkkila said to be eligible, the business will have had to have been in business for a minimum of three years.
Applicants are also asked to describe their business, what project they would use the Field to Market grant for, how it would help their business grow revenue and how the grant would help create a new market or remove barriers to access for a market. They are also asked to provide an itemized list of project expenses, what items would be paid for by the grant and a 90-day implementation plan and what they expect the outcome to be following receiving the grant.
Staff Writer
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