The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Monday, Sept. 29, the award of $61,130 to the City of Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) for a project to strengthen and expand the Live Oak Farmers Market through training and outreach.
The grant was gifted through the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), and it will help the CRA grow the local food economy and expand access to healthy, locally grown food for all the residents in the greater Suwannee Valley area. The project grant will allow the CRA to hire and train a professional market manager and outreach manager; host workshops and mentoring opportunities for farmers and local food entrepreneurs; and provide activities that educate the community about the Live Oak Farmers Market, seasonality of produce, nutrition, cooking, food storage and the farmers that grow their food.
This project’s activities will directly increase the consumption of and access to locally and regionally grown food, develop new market opportunities for area farmers, and expand and increase current market vendors’ revenues.