CORVALLIS, ORE. — The US Department of Agriculture selected Oregon State University and Colorado State University to co-lead a $30 million regional food business center. The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center will serve Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
This regional food business center is one of 12 new centers that the USDA is funding through a $400 million initiative. The centers will support farmers, ranchers and other food entrepreneurs to access new markets and navigate federal, state and local resources.
The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center has four main objectives:
- Strengthening local supply chains for animal proteins.
- Connecting and scaling food entrepreneurs.
- Supporting climate-resilient agriculture.
- Right-sizing investment and infrastructure.
“This center is in absolute alignment with CSU’s land-grant mission …” said CSU President Amy Parsons. “It will address the most pressing problems around the supply chain and access to food, and it provides service and technical support across the Rocky Mountain and the Northwest regions with a focus on sustainability and resiliency. It not only benefits the region, but the world.”
The five-year cooperative’s primary goal is to leverage expertise, resources and networks of established and new partners to create a resilient agri-food system.
“This is important recognition of the work we have been doing to build a strong local food economy in Oregon, in collaboration with farmers, food businesses, grassroots organizations, and many other partners around our state,” said Lauren Gwin, interim director of OSU’s Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems in the College of Agricultural Sciences and community food systems specialist for OSU Extension.
