A Message from the Center | | |
We have never been more excited to share our updates! After two years of building our teams, programs and Biz Builder grant program, our team definitely feels there are new partnerships, energy and investments taking shape throughout the region. It helps to see animals grazing, trees in bloom, green fields of crops growing and direct markets in full gear as well.
One favor to ask: if you have been a part of this Center's programs and initiatives, and you received an survey link with an invitation to tell us how we are doing, PLEASE respond....we want to share our impact with our USDA funders, and want your feedback on how to make our programs even more useful to you and your food community. Please click here to take the 3-minute survey.
As an example of one exciting initiative, these last few days of June, the Connecting and Scaling Food Entrepreneurs Team proudly supported a standout group of nine food businesses at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. With seven businesses featured in Incubator Village and two on Startup Row, our cohort brought regional flavor, creativity, and innovation to one of the industry’s biggest stages.
From indigenous ingredients to globally inspired recipes, each business showcased the strength and diversity of our region’s food ecosystem. This event marked our fourth Fancy Food Show with a cohort, and the energy, exposure, and connections made this year were among the best yet. We’re honored to continue championing small and emerging food businesses as they grow and scale across the country.
Dawn Thilmany, Colorado State University
| | Seed to Soup: Program Helping Missoula Farmer Develop Shelf-Stable Product | | |
The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center is proud to support Ellie Costello of Trust Land Farm in Missoula, as she is advancing her dream of launching shelf-stable soups.
Through Business Builder-funded support, Costello is refining her soup recipes at Montana State University’s Food Product Development Lab and recently secured an $89,000 grant to invest in commercial kitchen equipment. Her business, Black Bear Soups and Produce, aims to bring Montana-grown, value-added products to market year-round while strengthening statewide food networks.
“Those types of resources would be really out of reach and it would take me a lot longer as a small business owner to be able to develop the product for the market,” Costello said. “But because of this I'm able to fast-track and it seems crazy to say fast-track because I've been really slowly working on this for about a decade.”
| | | Montana Business Builder Grantee Talks Waffles on Explore Big Sky with Hoary Marmot Podcast | | |
Business Builder grantee and Bozeman-based company Unwaffle share their product story on the Explore Big Sky with Hoary Marmot podcast.
In this episode, professional chef Erik Walnum and business partner Joe Sheehan share how their healthy, protein-packed toaster waffle went from kitchen experiment to crave-worthy local favorite. Tune in to hear how they’re using Montana-grown ingredients to build a better breakfast—one waffle at a time.
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Idaho Food Business Foundations Workshop Series
July 8, 2025 through October 20, 2025
Moscow, Idaho and Virtual
Led by Idaho food industry experts, this 8-part series covers everything from food safety to packaging, sourcing, and marketing—giving you the foundation to confidently produce, sell, and scale your product.
Workshop Schedule:
7/7 – Food Safety 1: Foundations of Safe Food Handling
7/21 – Food Safety 2: Advanced Practices & Compliance
8/4 – Processing Methods: Small-Scale Food Manufacturing
8/18 – Sanitation 1: Cleaning & Sanitizing Basics
9/8 – Sanitation 2: Deep Cleaning & Microbial Control
9/22 – Sourcing Local: Regional Ingredients for Value-Added Foods
10/6 – Packaging & Labeling: Getting Retail Ready
10/20 – Marketing & Distribution: Reaching Your Customer
Cost: $50 per class
Special Offer: Sign up for the full series and get 50% off—just $200 for all 8 sessions!
Bonus: Attend 5 or more classes and receive 4 hours of consulting FREE to help grow your business.
Virtual + In-Person Options
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National Farmers Union Beginning Farmer Institute
Applications due July 15, 2025
Program from October to December 2025
National Farmers Union’s Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) is a free, online, 10-week intensive program intended to improve the health of your farm or ranch business. The program is open to producers ages 18 and up and is inclusive of all operation types and scales of production.
Each cohort is selected through a competitive application process. If accepted, you will attend online seminars, network with peers, pursue independent learning activities, and receive one-on-one technical assistance. Participants who complete all the necessary requirements will be considered for an additional in-person session, which will include additional trainings, farm tours, and networking with Farmers Union leadership.
The program is structured around The Resilerator™, a program of California FarmLink. The Resilerator™ includes weekly online trainings led by experts in business management over the course of 10 weeks from October – December. Participants will be expected to watch 30-60 minutes of video trainings each week, followed by participation in weekly, 2 hour Q&As with Resilerator™ instructors.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: Applications close July 15, 2025.
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NMPAN Webinar: Unlocking Hidden Profits – Demystifying the Federal Retail Exemption for Meat Processors
July 25, 2025
9:00am PT
Zoom
Join David Zarling of NMPAN and a guest processor for a deep dive discussion that uncovers the often-overlooked Federal Retail Exemption.
We’ll cover the ways small meat processors turn regulatory know-how into a direct-to-consumer sales engine. You’ll walk away with clear, step-by-step guidance on compliance, practical tips for expanding your local market reach, and real-world examples of peers who have boosted their bottom line—no legal jargon required.
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3rd Annual Buckwheat Fest
August 8, 2025
5:30pm-8:00pm PT
Skagit Valley, Washington
Join us for the Tasting portion of the Buckwheat Fest from 5:30-8pm under tents outside the WSU Breadlab in Skagit Valley, WA.
We will have an eclectic array of innovative buckwheat-based food products to try from amazing restaurants and bakeries such as Bens Bread, TOMO, Sarah Minnick, Sea Wolf, Café Lago and many more! Local breweries and cideries will be on site pouring as well. Kids under 5 are free of charge.
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Ranching for Profit- Idaho
August 20-21, 2025
9:00am-4:00pm PT
Sandpoint, Idaho
Andrew Morris, a Ranching for Profit Instructor, will lead this two-day workshop. Ranchers will learn valuable techniques to increase the financial sustainability of their operations and increase profits through direct and intermediated sales.
Workshop topics include a background on ranching profitability, restructuring your ranch for profitability, evaluating success, financial principles, understanding the balance sheet, key financial ratios, employee structure, and more.
Ranchers Eileen Napier and Stan Hayes will add to the conversation by sharing their experience at Ramstead Ranch in Ione, Washington. This workshop is for ranchers looking to transform their operation into a profitable business with less work and less stress while improving rangeland health and productivity.
Cost $40 per person
Partial scholarships available, contact Colette DePhelps (cdephelps@uidaho.edu) for more information.
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2025 Colorado Food and Agriculture Collision Pitch Competition
September 12, 2025
Denver, Colorado
Join us at CSU Spur for an exciting event where top food and ag entrepreneurs from across six Colorado regions – from the western mountains to the eastern plains – come together to pitch their ideas on one statewide stage. This in-person competition is a unique opportunity to see the creativity, grit, and pioneering spirit that define Colorado’s food and agriculture business landscape.
What to expect:
- A fast-paced, live pitch competition featuring six standout businesses
- Resource Rally with technical assistance providers and support organizations
- Ample networking opportunities with industry peers, buyers, and technical experts
- Appetizers + one drink ticket included with your $25 registration
The event is open to the public.
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Native Grown & Gathered Food Expo
October 1-3, 2025
Seattle, Washington
Join us in Seattle for a vibrant gathering celebrating Native food systems and Tribal Food Sovereignty. The Native Grown & Gathered Food Expo unites Tribal nations, food producers, chefs, artists, and advocates from across the Northwest and beyond. Whether you grow, cook, forage, or simply love food and culture, this event is for you.
The Expo fosters business-to-business opportunities by connecting buyers and contractors with Native food producers and artisans, supporting Indigenous economies and sustainability. Attendees can network with food leaders, attend expert-led sessions on business development and grants, and engage in workshops on food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture.
The event also features a vibrant marketplace of Native foods and crafts, cultural performances, and live culinary demonstrations by Indigenous chefs blending tradition with innovation.
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AMS Seeks Peer Reviewers for Grant Applications
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking subject matter experts to serve as peer reviewers to evaluate applications for the LAMP and other AMS grant programs for the FY25 grant cycle.
AMS grant peer reviewers should have knowledge or experience in agricultural systems, including but not limited to marketing, processing, distribution, and/or local and regional food systems. Producers and those with first-hand experience in food and farm businesses are encouraged to participate.
Reviewing applications will take approximately six weeks. Reviewers evaluate applications assigned to them independently; they then come together with other panel members virtually, discuss their findings as a team and finalize reviews and scoring. Non-federal reviewers will be compensated for their reviews.
New reviewers can register and select the program(s) they are interested in through the GrantSolutions- Reviewer Recruitment Module (RRM). More information can be found on the How to Become an Application Reviewer and apply to be an AMS grant reviewer webpages. Reviewers already registered in RMM can update their profile with current information.
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Partners and Collaborators: |
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Center Leads: Colorado State University, Oregon State University
Regional/multi-state: Tahoma Peak Solutions, Network of Incubators and Community Kitchens (The Nick), Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Luna Bird, The Food Corridor
Colorado: Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado State University
Oregon: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University Food Innovation Center, Oregon Community Food Systems Network, Oregon Food Hub Network
Idaho: University of Idaho, Idaho Department of Agriculture, FARE Idaho, Future Roots, Arrowleaf Consulting Group
Montana: Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana State University
Washington: Washington State University, Washington State Department of Agriculture
Wyoming: University of Wyoming, Central Wyoming College
USDA: Ag Marketing Service Collaborators and NW-Rocky Mountain Regional Coordinator
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In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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