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Food Systems

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Partner with SBDC Agriculture Counselors

The Missouri Small Business Development Center for Agriculture, Food and Forestry partners with agri-entrepreneurs to develop and expand businesses.

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Horticulture newsletter

Sign up for the MU Extension Commercial Horticulture newsletter for information on fruit & vegetable production topics including pest & fertility management, field & high tunnel production, sales & marketing, & more.

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Missouri Ag Intel

Check out Missouri Ag Intel’s five decision tools to discover new crop opportunities and determine whether particular crops would be well-suited for your farm!

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Circular illustration showing processes of food systemsFood systems encompass all the people, processes and infrastructure involved in getting food from the farm to your table. Increasingly, Missourians are seeking information about how their food is produced, harvested, processed, distributed, marketed and accessed so that they can support their local communities. On this website, you — as a farmer or food business owner, consumer or community leader — will find information and resources to help you:

  • Create food systems that provide for profitable, thriving farms and businesses;
  • Steward our natural resources;
  • Ensure a safe and affordable food supply; and
  • Strengthen community relationships in rural and urban Missouri.

  • Introduction to Local Food Systems guide

    This MU Extension guide explores the concept of local food systems and gives an overview of the benefits of creating new opportunities within our community food systems.

  • Sectors of food systems

    The Sectors page provides MU Extension programs and publications and other resources that will help you learn more about and develop different parts of the food system.

  • Partnerships and collaborations

    Learn more about how this is a necessary part of local food systems, including how the MU Extension Food Systems team takes a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach.

 

Publications

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Harnessing Social Media to Build Your Business

Publication date: June 1, 2021

Social media platforms enable people to share information and network with others online. From a marketing perspective, implementing a social media strategy can create value for your business in multiple ways including:Promoting products,Gathering ...

Adding Value in Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Publication date: May 1, 2021

Farm businesses can increase income by undertaking a new management, marketing or production practice to increase revenue, lower costs or both. The following practices all have potential to boost farm income.Building on-farm grain storage bins to ...

Starting and Operating a Farmers Market: Frequently Asked Questions

Publication date: May 20, 2021

Farmers markets are popular in Missouri and across the nation. In Missouri, over 200 farmers markets are currently in operation. In the United States, there are an estimated 8,600 markets in operation, up from just under 2,000 in 1994.This guide is a ...

Sampling Safely at Farmers Markets

Publication date: March 1, 2021

Farmers market vendors will find tips for safely offering samples to patrons in this publication, as well as a summary of sampling regulations. Directions and estimated costs for sanitizing stations are included.TopicsFood ...

Successfully Direct Marketing Beef

Publication date: Feb. 11, 2021

TopicsWhy direct marketingNiche marketsLive beefBeef on the railRetail cutsPricingSeasonal changesFrozen vs. freshUSDA legal definitionsProcessingProduct labelingCustomer FAQsMissouri AgrAbilityInnovative Small Farmer's Outreach ProgramPages32

Selecting an Appropriate Pricing Strategy

Publication date: Feb. 1, 2021

Consumers and competitors easily can access pricing information for goods sold at retail and use this information for various purposes. One example is that a product’s price can signal its perceived quality. Consumers may view a high-priced product ...

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Resources

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Urban Agriculture - Best Practices and Possibilities (PDF)

This report provides an overview of urban agriculture and local food system resources and practices across the United States and parts of Canada, with a primary emphasis on providing resources that can encourage and support urban agriculture.

Missouri Ag Intel: Agriculture Opportunities in Missouri

This site serves as a resource to help Missouri producers learn about alternative agriculture opportunities that are available and assess these opportunities based on a given producer’s local market opportunities, level of expertise, financial ...

Agritourism Best Practices – Risk Management

Risk management and liability in agritourism business development.

Missouri Hunger Atlas

The MU Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security provides the Hunger Atlas to visually engage readers to better understand hunger in Missouri. Through indicator maps and tables, the Atlas details the extent of food insecurity in all 114 Missouri ...

Missouri Master Gardener program

The Master Gardener program provides in-depth horticultural training to individuals throughout Missouri who then volunteer their time applying what they have learned to help others in their communities to learn about gardening and environmental ...

AgriMissouri Farmers Market Handbook

A guide to creating and managing farmers markets and the laws and regulations that govern them. Developed by Missouri Department of Agriculture.

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