Local Foods

Local Foods Program Administrator Position

The Local Food Systems Program Administrator will be responsible for directing a USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership grant to elevate and provide support to local and regional food systems across the state.

Full job description and application

K-State receives $750,000 grant to spur local food systems in Kansas

Local Meat Marketing Workshops

As demand grows for local meat, poultry, and eggs, Kansas producers have an opportunity to expand into new markets and grow their customer base.

The Kansas Local Meat Marketing Workshops will help small scale meat, poultry, and egg producers capitalize on this moment. Attend to learn key marketing strategies, best practices, and regulations from the experts, including fellow producers. KDA’s Weights and Measures program will also offer free sales scale certification with paid registration.

Three locations and registration options are:

Cost: $20 per attendee, which includes a local foods lunch. Each workshop will cover the same content and will be held from 10AM-3PM.

The workshops are hosted by the Local Foods Transdisciplinary Team at Kansas State University. It is sponsored by the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, KSU Global Food Systems Seed Grant, Walton’s, Frontier Farm Credit, Neosho County Farm Bureau, Sedgwick County Farm Bureau, Johnson County Farm Bureau, Kansas Farmers Union, Allen County Farm Bureau, Kansas Meat Processors Association, and the Kansas Rural Center.

For questions about these workshops or to become a sponsor, please contact Erica Blair at elblair@ksu.edu.

Farmers Market Workshops

Information and Registration

Local Foods Town Hall

Below is the recording and Slides (PDF) for these events. Thank you for your support of local foods in Kansas!

January 25, 2023 - Slides

Town Hall Archives

October 26, 2022 -Slides

July 27, 2022 - Slides

April 27, 2022 - Slides

January 26, 2022 - Slides

October 27, 2021 - Slides

Local Foods in Your Community!

Eating Locally: Supporting Health & Properity for Kansans - Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Barber County Residents Rally to Help Feed Students, Others

News release

Rise Cowley!

Food Pantry project

Northwest Kansas

Simply Produce

Homesteading 9-1-1

View our videos on a variety of homesteading topics on our KSRE YouTube Channel

Homesteading 9-1-1

Starting a Value Added Business

Kansas Value Added Foods Lab - K-State Research and Extension
Value Added Business Development Program - K-State AgManager
Value-Added Reference Guide - K-State AgManager
How From the Land of Kansas can Help Your Small Business - webinar from November 6, 2020

Your Kansas Farm, Open for Business!
Webinar recordings from June 2, 2020

Shopping Direct from Farmers

Buying Animals for Meat Processing - University of Minnesota
CDC publishes 3 new considerations documents: farmers markets, learning gardens, and food pantries - United States Department of Agriculture
Food Safety Tips for Consumers Buying Direct from Farmers - K-State Research and Extension and University of Missouri
What to Expect When Buying a Freezer Beef - University of Maine
Buying Beef for Home Freezers - Oklahoma State University
Buying Beef in Large Quantities - Oklahoma State University 4-H Youth Development
Beef and Pork Whole Animal Buying Guide - Iowa State University

Gardening and Farmers Markets

Horticulture Information Center - K-State Research and Extension
How-to videos - K-State Research and Extension
On-Farm Produce Safety - K-State Research and Extension
Gardening 911: Costs and Benefits of Home Gardening - K-State Research and Extension

Getting a Garden Started

Kansas Garden Guide - K-State Research and Extension
Growing Herbs for Home Use - K-State Research and Extension
Growing Vegetables in Pots - K-State Research and Extension
Fertilizing Gardens in Kansas - K-State Research and Extension
Watch Your Garden Grow - University of Illinois Extension, English and Spanish

All Things Herbs

Growing Herbs - K-State Research and Extension

Farmament post-harvest losses and traceability app

Farmament is a web-based app for recording food losses and for traceability for small-scale produce growers. Growers can also record plantings, crop surveys, harvests, processing, shipping, sales and more.