WEBB CITY, Mo. — A workshop for farmers on scaling up production and securing grant funding will be held from 10 to 4 pm on Thursday, February 16, at Central United Methodist Church, 6 South Pennsylvania, Webb City.
The workshop will be led by Debi Kelly, horticulture and local food specialist, and Robert Balek, horticulturist, both with University of Missouri Extension. The workshop will explore what to consider when scaling up from a small farm operation. Topics such as crop selection, marketing, labor, and risk management and more will be discussed.
The grant-writing portion of the workshop will focus on the Specialty Crops Block Grant. This grant is awarded by the Missouri Department of Agriculture to individual farmers and organizations seeking to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, honey, flowers and nursery plants. Winning applications will focus on education and research of benefit to the entire specialty crops industry. An example of a successful specialty crops application awarded in 2016 is: Happy Hollow Farm which will coordinate research efforts to develop specialty cut flower production methods using covered structures and minimal heat sources for small-scale farmers in three separate Missouri locations was awarded $49,934. The skills learned in the workshop will be applicable to writing grants in general.
The cost of the workshop is $10. Lunch is included. Registration is required no later than Tuesday, February 14. Call Eileen Nichols at 417 483-8139 to register. More information is available at webbcityfarmersmarket.com.
The workshop is sponsored by the Webb City Farmers Market and the University of Missouri Extension. The Missouri Department of Agriculture has funded a portion of this project, through a Specialty Crops grant.
— Webb City Farmers Market
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