Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service has awarded $499,958 in grants to Up in Farms, LLC.
Up in Farms is a local service-based food hub that provides fruit and vegetable farm services to improve crop production, food safety, and natural resource conservation for Mississippi fruit and vegetable growers and makers. The hub also helps growers develop food safety plans, farm asset inventory systems, internal assessment and audit programs, employee training, and comprehensive record-keeping systems.
The funds were granted to Up in Farms to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products. The funding will be distributed through the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) grant program.
LFPP grants support local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing. The awarded projects focus on activities such as supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products; developing value-added products; and facilitating regional food chain coordination.
