Adventures in Urban Agriculture August Tour Day Urban agriculture enthusiasts gathered on Aug. 4, 2023 for an inspiring day of learning and exploration at the Adventures in Urban Agriculture Tour Day, co-hosted by Cherry Rock Farms and IronFox Farm. As the heat soared, participants were treated to
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Bringing the Farm to School: Producer Training 2023 Registration for Bringing the Farm to School: Producer training is now open. The sessions are scheduled for Jan. 18-19, 2023 in Brookings and Feb. 14-15, 2023 in Rapid City. This is a great opportunity for producers looking to start
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Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program Specialty Crop Producers who wish to sell their raw agricultural commodities may find food safety certification will allow for new market opportunities. Additionally, the food safety programs allow you to become more aware and take action to provide safer food.
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Input for Regional Aggregation Meetings Requested Aggregation is an opportunity for producers, especially small to medium farms, to develop a larger and more consistent market. Through aggregation, producers can collaborate with others to sell their products together. The development of aggregation may look different based on community
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Local Foods Purchase Assistance Program Seeks Interested Producers South Dakota’s Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources has signed a Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) cooperative agreement with the USDA, allowing for the procurement and delivery of locally grown food to South Dakotans in need, and to provide
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New Program to Support Retailers Who Offer Local Specialty Crops Are you a South Dakota retailer who supports your local producers? Let S.D. Specialty Producers Association help support you! SDSPA is completing a grant funded project to help promote South Dakota retailers who are distributing specialty crops
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Regional Aggregation Meetings Scheduled for April During the first week of April join us virtually for regional meetings focused on aggregation resources, opportunities and challenges. Four separate meetings will provide opportunities to hear about other producers’ experiences and learn about market opportunities. Speakers and topics will vary
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Regional Local Food Meetings Scheduled If you are interested in gathering with other producers and local food supporters in your region of the state, be sure to register for the regional meetups that SDSPA will be hosting in Jan & Feb 2023. The goals of these meetings
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SDSPA Conducting Survey of Businesses and Institutional Buyers S.D. Specialty Producers Association is collecting responses on our buyer evaluation survey. The purpose of this survey is to gauge interest of businesses and institutions across the state in regards to purchasing specialty crops, value added products, and local
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SDSPA Hosts 2023 Annual Membership Meeting SDSPA hosted their annual meeting at Drifters in Ft. Pierre, with a focus on aggregation on March 21, 2023. The morning of the event, updates were given from partner agencies. Rachel Frei gave an overview of NRCS and updates on Urban
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