Seattle Tilth Wins USDA Grant for Farm Business Training

Photo courtesy of Seattle Tilth

Talk about grass-roots. Local non-profit gardening and education organization Seattle Tilth has been awarded $483,160 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, a competitive grants program administered by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). These dollars will fuel Seattle Tilth's Farm Works skills training for immigrants, refugees and low-income families who reside in South King County.

"We're thrilled to have our work recognized nationally as an important contribution towards repairing our regional food system," exclaimed Executive Director Andrea Dwyer.

Helping low-income individuals participate in the development of sustainable food systems, The Tilth business training program teaches valuable skills, like how to grow food organically, and then it sell to their local retailers, restaurants and farmers markets.

The Farm Works program walks participants through developing a small farm businesses including gaining access to Seattle Parks & Rec land, equipment, distribution channels and other successful farm business operators businesses.

Since 2009 the USDA has invested in three dozen organizations to the tune of $18 million to provide training and assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers to help them run successful and sustainable farms.

Over a quarter of the funding has supported the needs of limited resource and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers including farm workers who've gotten a start in farming and ranching for themselves.

If you're interested in getting involved, there's still room in the program for new participants. Visit Seattle Tilth's website--and be sure to congratulate them on their shiny new grant.