Chatham University awarded nearly half a million dollars to help Pennsylvania farmers boost business
Chatham University’s Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation at Chatham University (CRAFT) received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2022 Farmers Market Promotion Program.
The grant will be used to launch CRAFT’s new Business Model Diversification Strategies for Agriculture Businesses program, which supports Pennsylvania farmers in diversifying revenue streams by developing new value added products and consumer experiences. The USDA grant totals $499,750 with match funding of $129,188, bringing the total project funding to $628,938.
The Cash Cow program arrives at a critical time for Pennsylvania agriculture, where farm revenue has nearly halved over the past five years, the number of mid-sized farms have declined significantly, and an aging farmer population is under increasing market pressure to transition farmland out of production.
“The goal of the Cash Cow program is to address a regional gap in farm business support services, which was identified by young Pennsylvania farmers as one of their top three barriers to their success,” said Cassandra Malis, CRAFT Program Manager at Chatham. “This need has been reaffirmed by the state’s Department of Agriculture, which identified product diversification and market readiness as two key areas of need that must be solved in order to meet growing consumer demand for local food products.”
The Cash Cow project is a 12-week market-readiness training program that supports farmers in developing viable value-added products. It offers specialized courses in business model diversification, individual consulting services, hands-on consumer workshops, and a network of retail and promotional partners. The Cash Cow program is designed to accomplish three key goals: increasing the capacity of small and mid-scale farms to adopt diversified, direct-to-consumer revenue streams; increasing consumer awareness and consumption of regional value-added farm products; and creating new market connections and promotional opportunities for bringing new value-added products to market.
“The Cash Cow program is expected to increase the longevity of regional farmers, ranchers, and food businesses,” said Malis. “By helping to sustain vibrant communities of informed food producers and consumers, our goal is to ultimately foster a stronger regional food system for all Pennsylvanians.”
Funding for Cash Cow: Business Model Diversification Strategies for Agriculture Business was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant AMP22FMPPPA1103-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
ABOUT CRAFT
The Center for Regional Agriculture, Food, and Transformation at Chatham University (CRAFT) is working to transform the future of food and agriculture in Western Pennsylvania and beyond by creating a food system that is more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive. CRAFT aims to achieve this mission in concert with community members who live, work, and eat within the region, working within four program areas: food system education, research, intervention, and industry support. The center takes on projects that actualize the power of communities to drive change within our food system.