Business Resources

Heartland Regional Food Business Center

The Heartland Regional Food Business Center helps farm and food enterprises develop local and regional food businesses and markets. Partners provide assistance from startup through growth, and also support supply chain connections.

About

The Heartland Regional Food Business Center works to build a more resilient, responsive, and competitive food system by providing localized and proactive assistance to small, mid-sized, and diverse food and farm businesses, as well as local and regional food sector initiatives. It is one of 12 Regional Food Business Centers established in 2023 and funded initially by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The Heartland Regional Food Business Center is funded to work across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas, and a designated tribal trade coalition. Our team is comprised of 14 key partners and more than a dozen collaborating organizations. Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture supports the business center’s core services – technical assistance, resource coordination, and building local and regional food system capacity.

 

Services Provided

Financial Resources and Assistance

  • Obtaining Debt Funding

Operations and Logistics

  • Quality Improvement (Supply Chain, Six Sigma) (Specialty)
  • Freight and Distribution (Specialty)

Networking Organizations

  • Industry Specific (Specialty)

Mentoring/Coaching/Counseling/Consulting

  • One-on-One Counseling (Specialty)
Contact Information
Mary Emery
Address
University of Nebraska Extension
1650 N 35th Street, Lincoln, NE
Lincoln, NE 68583