The WHY: Heartland Food Business Coalition
We are a practitioner network for investment, collaboration, and regional impact across the Heartland — Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas
Harvest to Market Grant
Stay tuned for the Harvest to Market Grant for local food and farm enterprises in rural Kansas and western Missouri. In the meantime, reach out for free business coaching support from a Heartland Food Business Coalition partner near you.
February 24: Missouri Local Farm & Food Advocacy Day
Family farmers, local food businesses, and community partners from across Missouri will join together Tuesday, February, 24, 2026, at the state capitol in Jefferson City. Missouri Local Farm and Food Advocacy Day is free and open to all interested in keeping family farmers on the land and putting good food on Missouri tables.
How to build out a regional food system … Heartland Coalition is on it
Part of the difficulty in building up more regional food supply chains is related to the essential work of connecting farmers to wholesale buyers who need large quantities of produce. The Heartland Food Business Coalition is the ongoing effort of partners from five states to do that and more.
Food as Medicine: Resource Roundup
A 20-year grassroots movement in the United States to connect healthcare with fresh and nutrient-dense food is gaining attention and investment. Opportunity exists to stake a claim for food produced by people, places, and regenerative agriculture practices that are critical to our food secure future.
Iowa Business Builder: Solstice Farm and Paha Cider
“Adding the cider operation has made our farm a more resilient farm in that we now have income streams year-round and new opportunities to utilize our fruit crops,” said Solstice Farm co-owner Mark Westbrock.
Kansas Business Builder: KCK Farmers’ Market
The KCK Farmers’ Market is on the Kansas side of Kansas City in Wyandotte County. It will use a Business Builder grant from the Heartland Regional Food Business Center to improve the market’s visibility and help vendors with marketing in this part of town with few grocery stores.
Nebraska Business Builder: Robinette Farms
Central Nebraska Robinette Farms is like a “farm to table grocery store.” Robinette Farms will use a new Business Builder grant from the Heartland Regional Food Business Center to further strengthen its marketing and delivery capacity.
Cash flow help for Business Builder grantees
To help Business Builder awardees with upfront costs, the Heartland Center has partnered with three lenders in the region that will offer “bridge loans” to cover out-of-pocket expenses that the grant reimburses. A training on Sept 3 will cover bridge loans and introduce lenders.
Record year for Iowa food hub network
Seven food hubs in the Iowa Hub to Hub Network now work together to provide services that reduce time and costs for producers, get more local food to more markets, and help producers keep more of the final sales dollar.