Preservation of the family farm

Farming is a way of life for many, but the actual number of family farms and farmed acreage in Arkansas has been decreasing. Several organizations, including the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, and Market Center of the Ozarks, and the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust which are supported by the Walton Family Foundation, are stepping forward to address the issue.

Preservation of the Family Farm

“Many new and beginning farmers have the passion to farm, but they are struggling with knowledge, experience and access to capital that challenge their success in farming,” said Heather Friedrich, assistant director for the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food. “The modern small family farm needs to be close to communities so they can sell to a variety of markets, however, land in these areas is also desirable to commercial developers, which often makes it too costly to

Growing More Farmers and Local Food

Northwest Arkansas is known for its livestock production, particularly cattle, chicken and hogs. Not so long ago, the area was also known for its orchards, nuts and specialty crops. With the recent growing popularity and success of the farmers markets in our area, fruit and vegetable production has increased. However, there is still an unmet demand for more of these crops at a wholesale scale, and many young farmers are interested in going in that direction.

To address this, the Walton Family Foundation funded a feasibility study in 2017 to figure out what barriers prevent the growth of more fruits and vegetables in our area, and how to overcome them. The study also looked into how growing more fruits and vegetable could be profitable for local farmers in the long run.

As a result of the findings, the foundation worked with local partners to establish the Northwest Arkansas Food Systems initiative, a multifaceted program designed to strengthen the capacity of small- and mid-size farmers to grow more fruits and vegetables locally.

Farmer Education and Training

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture created the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, which offers the hands-on Farm School and Apprenticeship programs. These programs provide experiential learning opportunities for those wanting to learn how to create a farm business by growing fruits and vegetables for local and regional markets. The apprentices work on farms as part of their education, which in turn benefits the established farmers. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food also partners with local cooperative extension offices to support established farmers by offering continuing education classes in fruit and vegetable production.

Market Center of the Ozarks: Growing Markets

A critical piece is opportunities in the market. Farmers said that they would be happy to grow more fruits and vegetables if they had the markets to sell them. This means creating additional markets beyond the local farmers markets.

The Walton Family Foundation is funding the development of the Market Center of the Ozarks, a 45,000-square-foot multi-use facility being built in downtown Springdale. The center will house operational partners to help connect locally grown products to Northwest Arkansas markets, and will have space for local food aggregation and distribution capabilities that connect farmfresh food with wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets. Farmers and food entrepreneurs will also be able to use the center to process whole produce into fresh and frozen products for wholesale, retail and institutional markets, as well as access shared commercial kitchens to grow and scale their businesses. Market Center of the Ozarks is set to open in 2024.

Farmers Access to Land

The role of Northwest Arkansas Land Trust is to preserve farmland, and provide access and support to farmers. NWALT manages NWA FarmLink, a free service that allows both owners of farmland to farm seekers to connect with each other or resources. NWALT also can help farmers lease or purchase land with conservation easements that allow for agriculture.

Northwest Arkansas Land Trust encourages established farmland owners to contact them to learn more and connect with the network they are building.

For more information, visit; www.nwafarmlink.org; and https://farmandfoodsystem.uada.edu.