Heartland Regional Food Business Center

The Heartland Regional Food Business Center works to build a more resilient, responsive, and competitive food system by providing localized and proactive assistance to small, mid-sized, and diverse food and farm businesses, as well as local and regional food sector initiatives. It is one of 12 Regional Food Business Centers established in 2023 and funded initially by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Heartland Regional Food Business Center is funded to work across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas, and a designated tribal trade coalition. Our team is comprised of 14 key partners and more than a dozen collaborating organizations. Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture supports the business center’s core services – technical assistance, resource coordination, and building local and regional food system capacity. Our discussion will give an overview of the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, its function, partners, and goals. We will also discuss the Business Builder Grant opportunities that are now open for applications.