SPARKS, Nev. -
October 25, 2023The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) and
the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation
are pleased to announce the selection of 12 Nevada women for the Farm2Food
Accelerator program, kicking off Nov. 3, 2023.
“We look forward to welcoming this group and
providing them with the connections, resources and education to create
successful food products featuring Nevada agriculture products,” said NDA
Agricultural Literacy Coordinator Shelley Pope.
The Farm2Food Accelerator Program is designed to
help Nevada women farmers and entrepreneurs with value-added food or beverage
products, or product ideas, grow their business and expand into new markets. A
value-added product is a product that has changed in its physical state or
form, such as milling wheat for flour or making strawberries into jam. This
year’s cohort features women who grow specialty crops, including fruits,
vegetables, honey, tree nuts, dried fruits, culinary herbs and spices, or
source specialty crop ingredients in the products they make.
Through the 15-week program, participants will gain
knowledge and tools related to food safety, product development, marketing and
other industry resources; connect with a community of women farmers, food
entrepreneurs and food experts; and launch a new food or beverage product or
enhance an existing product for market.
2023-2024 Farm2Food Accelerator Participants
- Danielle Goodwin
- Autumn Pike
- Melanie Young
- Margaret Murphy
- Marcie Pinkerton
- Cheyenne Kyle
- Cecilia Leming
- Susan Allen
- Jeannie Damonte*
- Sarah Catalano*
- Cindy Trejo*
*Three participants are returning from a previous cohort
with a new value-added product.
Learn more about the Women’s Farm2Food Accelerator Program
at f2faccelerator.org/nv-program.
About the Nevada Department of Agriculture
The Nevada
Department of Agriculture (NDA) mission is to preserve, protect and
promote Nevada’s agriculture. The department has 225 dedicated employees
providing services in its five divisions, Administrative Services, Animal
Industry, Measurement Standards, Food and Nutrition, and Plant Health and
Compliance. The department’s $288 million budget facilitates regulatory and
administrative work in agriculture and food manufacturing industries,
protecting public and environmental health and worker safety, and providing
food distribution and oversight for the United States Department of
Agriculture’s school and community nutrition programs.
About the NASDA Foundation
NASDA Foundation is
the only educational and research organization that directly serves state
departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. The
Foundation focuses on education, outreach and research that galvanize the
agricultural industry. NASDA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The mission of the NASDA Foundation is to advance agriculture to shape a
changing world. We carry out this mission by working with state departments of
agriculture on regional and national programs that 1) Connects farmers to new
markets, 2) Inspires change across the supply chain, and 3) Empowers diverse
farmers & agricultural leaders to reach their dreams.
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