DRA offers more than $12 million
The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is making more than $12 million in funding available through its States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), a funding opportunity supporting economic and community development needs across DRA’s eight-state service region.
Awards will range from $50,000 to $500,000. The deadline to apply is Aug. 25, according to a news release.
As one of DRA’s main investment tools, SEDAP provides direct investments toward projects addressing basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure as well as workforce and business development needs for communities within the DRA region.
“The States’ Economic Development Assistance Program is one of DRA’s most diverse tools to help strengthen economic development and to address the underlying challenges that impact our region, including some of the most persistently impoverished areas of the United States,” said Federal Co-Chairman Corey Wiggins. “These investments will help address these challenges and lay the foundation for long-term economic opportunity and prosperity across the Delta region.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The DRA was established in 2000 as a formal framework for joint federal-state collaboration to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions. Details: https://dra.gov/
Extension sets harvest conference
After the Harvest, a conference hosted by the Cooperative Extension Service, aims to bring together farmers, growers, food distributors and other stakeholders invested in the journey local food takes after it leaves the field.
The event will take place Sept. 5-6 at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock. Spots are limited, and early bird registration is available until Aug. 6 for $15 for the Friday session and $30 for the Saturday session. After Aug. 6, the price increases to $30 for the Friday session and $60 for the Saturday session. Register at uada.formstack.com/forms/after_harvest.
Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the conference is designed to be a “gathering of the people who are doing the real work to increase access to Arkansas-grown and -made foods.”
“This is not a traditional conference,” Perez said. “It’s a space for connection, collaboration and shared learning. Our goal is to support a more resilient local food system, rooted in community and shaped by the folks who grow, make and move food across the state.”
Farmers, growers and value-added producers — commercial or home-based manufacturers of food products that are not fresh, such as jarred or canned products — and farm stand operators are encouraged to attend. Farmers market managers, food retail operators, local food advocates and nonprofit organizations are also ideal audiences for the conference, Perez said.
“So many people in the state of Arkansas are doing incredible work, but they are doing it alone,” said Sarah Bakker, extension food systems and food safety program associate for the Division of Agriculture. “We hear it all the time: everyone is working in silos, and it is difficult to connect. After the Harvest is our answer to this problem. We’re not here to reinvent the wheel, we’re here to connect the wheels that are already turning.”
Sessions will cover a variety of topics, including post-harvest handling and food safety, retail models, business logistics and producer support strategies. On Sept. 5, the conference will feature a session on the farm stop model, led by Kathryn Barr, a local food systems outreach specialist for The Common Market.
Bakker said a farm stop is defined as “any business that is collecting local foods, whether that’s value-added products or fresh produce, from multiple producers and selling them under one roof.”
Following the session, participants can attend the Argus Farm Stop School, a hands-on workshop led by Kathy Sample and Bill Brinkerhoff of Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“We’re excited to bring in a national farm stop leader, Argus Farm Stop, to help connect our local successes with efforts happening across the country,” Perez said.
On Sept. 6, the main day of the conference will include breakout sessions and opportunities to connect with growers, market managers, funders, educators, and others working to strengthen Arkansas’ local food systems.
To learn more about the event, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/local-foods/after-the-harvest.aspx or contact Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu or Perez at aperez@uada.edu.