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In this issue
Searcy County Share Grounds Update
Upcoming Produce Safety Training
FREE Food System Resources
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Mobile viewing pro-tip: flip your phone sideways for the best viewing experience! 📱🔄🤳 |
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The Searcy County Share Grounds is now
The Kitchen of the
Arkansas Ozarks
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As of October 2021, the Searcy County Share Grounds Kitchen in Marshall is transitioning to local operations. |
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Background
Since 2018, our UA System Cooperative Extension Service team has partnered with three Arkansas county fair boards with the vision to repurpose existing county fairgrounds infrastructure into food manufacturing kitchens in hopes of driving economic growth in these rural communities located in Cleveland, Searcy, and Woodruff counties. During the past three years, the Share Grounds Project team has helped navigate the complicated process of constructing, renovating, and establishing these food manufacturing kitchens from fairground facilities.
The Searcy County Fair Board and community partners have decided to leave the Share Grounds Project to run the Searcy County Share Grounds kitchen located in Marshall independently. Our team appreciates the opportunity to work with Searcy County and supports food entrepreneurship for the region.
Over the first year, our team and community partners planned the kitchen project outreach, recruitment, and education program; planned and secured funding for construction; and planned the client consultation and regulatory process. In year two, a local manager was hired and trained, the kitchen was renovated into a food manufacturing facility, and it received a food manufacturing permit from the Arkansas Department of Health. The grand opening was scheduled for March 2020, however the pandemic delayed any in-person events or meetings. Despite this setback, the team pivoted our food entrepreneur outreach and education to a virtual format through which interested food entrepreneurs received technical assistance. Once pandemic restrictions were lifted, clients could use the fully operational kitchens.
Once opened, much interest was expressed in the commercial kitchens and the first client received a food manufacturing permit from the Arkansas Department of Health in August of 2020.
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Progress
For the Searcy County Share Grounds, this project has provided 31 clients with over 200 hours of technical assistance support by phone, email, virtual or in-person meetings. Approximately $85,000 was invested in state, federal, and foundation funding for construction, equipment, supplies, and staffing of this site.
Next Steps
The Searcy County Fair Board will operate and manage the facility as The Kitchen of the Arkansas Ozarks. Clients interested in utilizing the kitchen should reach out to the fair board members listed below.
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For more information on The Kitchen of the Arkansas Ozarks, please contact:
Pam Coyle
870-688-0680
Dawn Kelly
870-504-3318
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The Next Remote Produce Safety Grower Training:
The training will be split into two days and will take place from 8:00 am to
12:30 pm both days. This training will be conducted live through Zoom.
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Anyone who grows, harvests, packs and handles fresh fruits and vegetables. Registration is limited to 20 participants. Sign up soon to reserve your spot.
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On-farm food safety practices are vital in the produce industry. Many farms are now required to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. This training will educate growers on the Produce Safety Rule. Upon completion of this training, participants receive a certificate satisfying the requirement 112.22(c) in the Produce Safety Rule.* |
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What is required to receive a certificate: |
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You must attend both days of the training. Additionally, you must have the following:
- Internet access
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Zoom video conferencing software**
- Web camera
- Microphone
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When is the registration deadline: |
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Registration closes at 11:59 pm on November 2nd!
Training materials will be mailed to your residence. Registration closes seven days before the training to accommodate ordering materials and mailing them to you.
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*Participant attendance and engagement will be monitored. Participants are only eligible for a PSA/AFDO Certificate of Course Completion if they are present for all modules of the course and have the physical training manual with them for the training.
**Once you receive the registration link, you will be prompted to download the free Zoom software. You do not have to create an account to participate.
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FREE!
Food System Resources
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It's once again fall! 🍂 That means visits to the local farm for hay rides and pickin' out that perfect pumpkin!
This resource won a national award from the American Society for Horticultural Science for Outstanding Educational Material. Julia Fryer from our team accepted the award certificate at the society's annual meeting in Denver in August on behalf of authors Rip Weaver, Extension Program Assistant, and Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist.
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Managing the contamination risk of the water used on your farm can be a challenge to say the least. 💧
Luckily, our team has created an easy-to-understand series of information sheets to guide you through the process, from identifying your water sources to collecting and testing a water sample to understanding what the lab results mean for your farm.
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As of July 28, 2021, there's a new law in Arkansas that changes the local foods landscape. The Arkansas Food Freedom Act will allow food entrepreneurs more variety in WHAT foods and drinks they may make at home and WHERE these products may be sold. 🍯
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Be sure to check out the NEW Arkansas Farm to School and Arkansas Grown websites that launched on September 1! These sites will help connect farms to schools and other institutions that wish to buy local. 🍎
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Aid Available!
USDA Provides COVID Relief to Small-Scale Farmers and Others
The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program provides funding for small specialty crop producers, food processors, manufacturers, distributors and farmers markets to recover costs incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, including for measures to protect workers.
The deadline to apply is November 8th.
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Aid Available!
USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs for Organic Certification
Organic producers and handlers can now apply for funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification through the USDA.
Producers can be reimbursed for expenses made between Oct. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021.
The deadline to apply is November 1st.
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