Vilsack announces new urban agriculture funding in Columbus

May 20, 2024

By Farms.com

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's recent visit to Columbus, Georgia, underscored the Administration's commitment to strengthening urban agriculture and community development.

At Turn Around Columbus, a nonprofit aimed at nurturing young entrepreneurs and community leaders, Vilsack announced a new USDA investment of $145,000. This funding is part of a broader $1.5 million grant awarded to the University of Georgia's Archway Partnership.

Vilsack, alongside U.S. Representative Sanford D. Bishop, toured the facilities, highlighting the administration's efforts to create new markets and revenue opportunities, particularly for small and mid-sized agricultural producers.

The investment will enhance Turn Around Columbus's educational and marketing initiatives and provide essential equipment to expand their operations.

This initiative is among several USDA efforts aimed at bolstering urban and rural agriculture in Georgia. These include the historic Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, which has allocated $3.1 billion to support climate-smart agriculture nationwide, with $892.6 million benefiting Georgia producers.

Additionally, the USDA has established twelve new Regional Food Business Centers to assist farmers and ranchers in accessing new markets. Georgia is part of the Southeast Regional Food Business Center, which also serves Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program is another critical initiative, through which the USDA collaborates with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to support local and regional food systems, ensuring the distribution of nutritious foods to underserved areas.

These programs collectively aim to enhance the sustainability and profitability of American agriculture while supporting community-based development and climate-resilient farming practices.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.