Federal Grant Helping Producers Form Local Food Hub

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — The USDA is giving SDSU Extension a two-year $100,000 federal grant to strengthen local food systems and revitalize rural economies and communities.

SDSU Extension Community Development Field Specialist Kari O'Neill says the grant will assist the newly organized Dakota Fresh food hub in its early stages of marketing and sales.

More than 25 local food producers in southeastern South Dakota have been planning for the hub, which will allow them to aggregate and market products to larger venues such as restaurants and institutions.

The grant is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ag Marketing Service.

O'Neill says an earlier planning grant helped SDSU Extension draw in the producers, assist them in strategic planning processes and lead a field trip to visit Midwestern food hubs in Wisconsin and Illinois.

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