Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Business accelerator for women in ag begins this November


Applications are being accepted now through October 15 for the second round of a training and networking program for women in Washington and Oregon who are in the food and agriculture business.

Hard apples at Stratton Farm in La Center. 
The Women’s Farm2Food Accelerator is set to launch in November and is a partnership with WSDA, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). Participants in this 15-week program receive training on a host of business-related skills, from marketing and product development, to food safety and packaging. There is also opportunity for networking with others in the food and ag industry.

Virtual information sessions
For those who want to learn more about the Farm2Food Accelerator, how it works, and whether it can help them develop their business, organizers are hosting two virtual information sessions for potential applicants. Both sessions are one hour long and will be held on:
  • Sept. 29, 2021
  • Oct. 6, 2021
Each information session begins at 4 p.m. PDT with the first 30 minutes providing an overview of the Farm2Food Accelerator followed by a question and answer session.
Diane Fish and a vanload of donated produce
for the Kitsap Farm to Freezer operation. 

Past participant feedback
Participants from the first Farm2Food Accelerator said the experience gave them valuable tools to grow their business operations.

“The Farm2Food Business Accelerator Program has been a game changer for me,” said Rose Smith, whose Stratton Brothers Cider Co. produces hard cider from apples grown on Stratton Farm in La Center, one of the oldest farms in Washington’s southwest region. “Having knowledgeable consultants to answer my questions, keeping me on the right track, has been instrumental to me and my product.”

Another participant, Diane Fish, runs the Kitsap Farm to Freezer operation in Kitsap County, turning food donated from restaurants or gleaned from fields into ready-to-eat meals for hunger relief organizations. The tools she gained from the Farm2Food Accelerator helped her grow her work from pilot project to a socially beneficial program, she said.

Growing greens at Kitsap Farms.
Angela Cordiano operates Kitsap Farms in Hansville producing salad mix. The business accelerator program not only provided her with constructive feedback on her business ideas, she said, but also equipped her with practical tools.

“One of the things I struggled with the most with was what to charge for the different types of buyers,” Angela said. “The spreadsheet provided in the pricing module is a great tool that I will keep handy for a long time.”

Visit F2FAccelerator.org to learn more about the Women's Farm2Food Accelerator or to register for one of the coming information sessions. 

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