Omaha, Neb. May 16, 2023 — No More Empty Pots will partner with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on a $25 million cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the creation of the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center.

The Heartland Regional Foods Business Center is among 12 such national centers the USDA will establish to serve all areas of the country. The Heartland center will serve the states of Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska, a UNL hub that helps connect Nebraska communities with university faculty, students and other resources, is leading the project in cooperation with No More Empty Pots and 32 additional partners. Those partners include the Heartland Center in Lincoln and Extension offices in participating states, as well as non-profit organizations, and tribal and indigenous groups, among others. Eleven percent of the funds will go to Rural Prosperity Nebraska, 36% will go toward the applicant partners, and 53% will go to business builders. The project is not to create a physical brick-and-mortar “center,” but rather an online platform to connect and strengthen locally grown food systems.

“USDA is excited to be partnering with Rural Prosperity Nebraska on this innovative and unprecedented initiative,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at USDA. “By leveraging the expertise now available through these Regional Food Centers, USDA can offer unique support for local food systems development across the country.”

Mary Emery, executive director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska, said the award would help paint a clear picture of the farmers, distributors and other major players in the region’s local food system.

“You have all these different entities working with local foods—producers, grocery stores, local distributors, non-profits, business developers, the Center for Rural Affairs, meat processing plants, Extension offices, the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative—and these are all puzzle pieces,” she said. “But we’ve never put the pieces together. What we want to do with this project is put the puzzle together and see the picture of how regional food systems work.”

As the regional food system comes into focus, Emery and other leaders can work to do a better job of connecting people to fresh, locally produced foods.

The inspiration for the proposal came from recognizing how underserved populations in rural communities often struggle to easily access local and healthy foods. This issue was exacerbated during the COVID pandemic, when long supply-chain lines became disrupted, leaving many communities without fresh foods. This project emphasizes the necessity to rethink local and regional food supply chains, and how to strengthen them, Emery said. The Center will do just that, providing an online interactive platform where buyers, sellers, producers, processors and market managers can communicate and collaborate at the local level.

“No More Empty Pots is excited to continue the engaging work of strengthening our regional food system with local farmers, urban and rural communities, Rural Prosperity Nebraska and the partners that make up the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center,” said Nancy Williams, CEO/Co-Founder of No More Empty Pots. “Collaborations that ensure equitable access to fresh local produce while deepening economic resilience for long term self-sufficiency and sustainability of our neighbors are cornerstones of action for our organization.”

The 12 Regional Food Centers will target their work to historically underinvested communities in their region. While the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center will encompass the aforementioned states, when it comes down to the local level, it will also help Nebraska feed Nebraska. This not only benefits the health and quality of life for Nebraskans, but it keeps money in the state, boosting local economies and creating more prosperous communities.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska brings together Extension professionals, faculty from across the University of Nebraska system and student fellows to work with community leaders to help make Nebraska’s rural communities more vibrant. Rural Prosperity Nebraska is housed within the University’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more information, visit ruralprosperityne.unl.edu.

No More Empty Pots is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect individuals and groups to improve self-sufficiency, regional food security and economic resilience of urban and rural communities through advocacy and action. No More Empty Pots’ vision is to support communities in becoming self-sufficient, and food secure through collaboration and adherence to our core values of education, stewardship, and sustainability. No More Empty Pots serves youth to seniors providing educational, hands-on and experiential learning. Learn more at www.nmepomaha.org or email info@nmepomaha.org.