Missouri Farmers Union Family Farm Opportunity Center Awarded $324,400 for Rural Cooperative Development

New opportunities open up for Missouri family farmers

The Missouri Farmers Union's Family Farm Opportunity Center was awarded a $324,400 grant from USDA Rural Development. (see our summary of cooperative projects below)

"We're very appreciative of this USDA Rural Development funding and their confidence in our ability to open up new opportunities for Missouri family farmers and rural residents," said Russ Kremer, president of the Missouri Farmers Union. "The Family Farm Opportunity Center's commitment to assisting underserved rural communities has yielded significant successes in community and cooperative development."

Nathan Chitwood, Community & Business Industry Specialist for Rural Development, said, Missouri Farmers Union was one of only twenty grants awarded by the agency this year. The grants are intended to improve the economic condition of rural areas in Missouri through cooperative development.

The Family Farm Opportunity Center will provide rural residents with education and technical assistance in areas of cooperative startup, marketing and managing, and other self-help tools.

In its third year of operation, the Missouri Farmers Union Family Farm Opportunity Center will use this grant to broaden its scope of activity by initiating new projects and supporting current ones. Cooperatives already underway include Ozark Mountain Pork, which sells natural pork products and Gateway Beef, which markets their products under the Certified Angus Beef program.

The FFOC strives to create successful community food systems that give the farmers fair prices for their products. Rewarding the worker with good pay and providing independent merchants with local consumer support is also an important factor in building a functional community. The final yet imperative goal of the FFOC is to provide the local consumer with choices of wholesome locally-grown products.

Developing Value-Added Ideas … The Cooperative Way

In order to properly serve our members, we need to hear from you. Below is a summary of cooperative projects we are currently pursuing. If you or anyone else is interested in our projects or can offer suggestions or ideas, please let us know. You may have an idea that doesn't fit in with any of our current projects. Don't let that deter you. Contact us if you need help developing a new value-added idea. We can offer support for anything from ethnic foods to start-up enterprises. Please direct any questions or suggestions to Steve Burdic at 573.659.4787. Traveling through Jefferson City? Stop by our office at 325 Jefferson Street and we would be happy to talk to you.

SEMO Organic Growers Cooperative is a cooperative of 24 small, limited-resource farmers in the Missouri area. These farmers raise a variety of organic vegetables and network to market their produce to restaurants, independent grocery stores, farmers markets and health food stores. The group plans to build a packing shed and a quick freeze processing facility.

Missouri Farmers Credit Union is an emerging financial cooperative coordinated by FFOC in an effort to provide affordable loans to minority, underserved and beginning farmers throughout Missouri.

Family Farm Food Distribution is a project facilitated by FFOC to develop a system to market and distribute family-farm grown, sustainably-produced food though small, flexible distribution networks. This system will help overcome the retail barriers faced by new generation food cooperatives. FFOC worked with the Missouri Grocers Association to develop Missouri Pride, a certification program for high quality Missouri Family Farm Foods. FFOC is organizing meat, dairy and produce groups and is developing strategies to effectively deliver food from farmer to consumer.

Missouri Agro-Forestry Alliance is a developing cooperative which will eventually involve a significant number of the 280,000 private woodland owners in Missouri. FFOC is providing organizational and technical assistance to add value to their woodlands though cooperative activities that will provide 300 additional jobs.

Western Missouri Natural Dairy Producers formed a steering committee in November 2000 to investigate value-added possibilities in milk production. This group of 26 producers from Western Missouri has been involved in grazed dairy discussion groups. These smaller size dairies are finding it difficult to survive financially due to depressed fluid milk prices and limited access to markets. FFOC is assisting this group by analyzing the interest of Missouri dairy products for organic or natural milk products and exploring market outlets for these products.

Western Beef Project is a developing cooperative of cattleman in west central and southwestern Missouri exploring the feasibility of farmer-owned processing and marketing of beef. University of Missouri Outreach and Extension has determined that this region has the highest concentration of cow/calf operations in the United States. A cooperative processing system that serves the needs of grass-fed and Angus Beef producers is being examined.

Missouri Lamb and Goat Project is an FFOC assisted group that is developing a value-added processing and marketing system for their sheep and goat enterprise. Nearly 50 family farmers from central and southern Missouri are involved in this activity that is projected to positively affect 20 distressed rural communities and create as many as 30 new jobs.

Missouri Bio-Recovery, with FFOC's assistance, organized a steering committee of livestock producers and agricultural processors wishing to convert their organic wastes into feed, fertilizer and fuel. FFOC is providing facilitation and technical assistance in examining the feasibility of a cooperative business that would produce composted fertilizer, pet food ingredients and fuel pellets from these waste products.
Central Missouri Livestock and Meat Producers was organized in March 2000 by a group of value-added meat processors and producers interested in converting their offal, which is normally a waste product, into a profitable product. One of largest problems confronted by Missouri meat processors is the disposal or marketing of this waste product which represents 25-50% of the animal. FFOC has examined the feasibility of a producer and processor controlled system for the efficient collection, value-added processing and marketing of offal trim products.

Family Farm Food Park is an expanded community kitchen-type processing center that is being explored by a group of smaller, underserved farmers in northern Missouri. FFOC has examined the feasibility where processing, storage, distribution, marketing and packing facilities are shared by groups of producers.

Missouri Identify Preserved is a group of conventional grain producers considering the organization of new generation marketing cooperative to add-value to their non-GMO grains.

Missouri River Communities Network is an organization that supports community and economic development for distressed communities along the Missouri River. FFOC is assisting these efforts by providing the technical and organizational expertise for the development of cooperatives grocers, community kitchens and other cooperative micro-processing activity.

Miller County Organics is developing cooperative of ten turkey growers in central Missouri who are examining the feasibility of processing and marketing organic fertilizers. FFOC is coordinating this project and providing the information and technical assistance to this emerging business which aims to add value to their manure.
Cooperative Stores project involves 500 residents in three different rural communities across Missouri. FFOC is assisting this group explore the possibility of a cooperatively-owned grocery store. They wish to market Missouri products. An exploratory meeting has been held, a steering committee selected, FFOC is working to secure funding for a feasibility study.

Farmers Market Cooperative is comprised of small farmers and farm groups interested in launching year-round, indoor farmers markets to market their agricultural products directly to consumers. Community kitchens to further process fruits, vegetables, bakery items, and meats would be located at each of these storefront market places.