USDA Ends Regional Food Business Centers
What It Means for Kansas
Quinlan C. , Food Systems Entrepreneurial Resource Navigator
On July 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the termination of the Regional Food Business Centers program. Here in Kansas, that means the Heartland Regional Food Business Center (HRFBC)—which has supported farmers and food entrepreneurs across our state—is now in a 60-day wind-down period. By September 15, the program will come to a close, and with it, my own position and that of a key colleague at K-State Extension. This may well be my final contribution to the Douglas County Extension newsletter.
While this is a difficult message to share, it’s important to take stock of what Kansas has achieved and what we stand to lose. Over the last 18 months, Kansas food and farm entrepreneurs have benefitted from one-on-one business counseling, help navigating food safety and financing, and opportunities to connect with markets and resources. Our HRFBC team at K-State Extension completed more than 248 technical assistance calls, made 144 referrals to partners, and reached 350+ businesses and community leaders. Surveys showed that more than half of participants walked away with new knowledge about markets and ways to operate more efficiently.
The results have been visible statewide. Kansas has led the nation in growth of local food sales: direct-to-consumer purchases more than doubled in recent years, from $9.9 million to over $20 million. This surge reflects both demand from Kansas eaters and the entrepreneurial spirit of our farmers and food makers. Programs like the HRFBC have been a key part of building the infrastructure to meet that demand.
With the program ending, Kansas will lose out on future Business Builder Grants—$2.2 million that was projected to reach food entrepreneurs in our state over the next two years. We also lose over $1 million in operating funds that made this technical assistance possible. Promising projects to expand shared kitchen space, strengthen local distribution, and build “agri-cluster” networks for specialty crops will be halted mid-stream.
Even so, there’s reason for hope. The growth we’ve seen in Kansas local foods is not going away. The relationships, collaborations, and momentum built through this program remain. Carrying them forward will take creativity and commitment, but our farmers, food businesses, and communities have shown their resilience time and again. As one final highlight, our K-State Extension HRFBC team is grateful to still host the Kansas Food Business Start-Up Summit on September 11–13, just before the program concludes. We hope the connections forged there—with industry experts and among peers—will continue to strengthen businesses long after the event, even if we are no longer able to walk alongside them in our current capacity.
Looking ahead, I take with me deep gratitude for the time I’ve spent at Douglas County Extension and within the broader K-State and nationwide Cooperative Extension networks. It has been one of the great highlights of my career to be part of an institution defined by service, credibility, and commitment to community—qualities that elevate not only the work itself, but also the people privileged to carry it out. This role has changed the trajectory of my career in immeasurably positive ways. And looking forward, I rest assured knowing that here in Douglas County, the spirit of collaboration and resilience that fuels our local food system is strong, and I have every confidence it will keep growing.
Heartland Center key partners from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa gathered on 8/25 to envision and strategize around a future for their collaborative food systems building work in the absence of USDA funding.
This article is from the 2025 K-State Extension Douglas County Fall Newsletter publication.