Charlestown's "Local Catch" among the winners

$210K Awarded to Grow Local Food System

By ecoRI News staff

The Local Catch of Charlestown won a $7,500
grant from RIDEM

PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) recently awarded a total of $210,030 in grant money to 17 Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) recipients. The program reviewed 92 applications for this first year of funding, totaling $1,474,822 in requested funds.

“Rhode Islanders are eager to grow, eat and promote local food. The Local Agriculture and Seafood grants program is focused on supporting the growth of our local food sector to meet the growing demand of consumers,” said DEM director Janet Coit, who recognized the winners at the annual Rhode Island Agriculture Day program at the Statehouse on May 1.

The LASA of 2012 established a grants program within DEM’s Division of Agriculture to support the growth and marketing of local food and seafood. The program was made possible by a public-private partnership with $100,000 in funding from the state of Rhode Island and $210,000 in funds from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Henry P. Kendall Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation.

Here is the list of the LASA recipients:

$20,000 for the DEM and Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative’s statewide seafood branding and marketing campaign.

$19,840 to the Young Farmer Network to expand Young Farmer Nights programming, develop a short-courses curriculum and to enhance outreach efforts.

$17,000 to Big Train Farm/Urban Edge Producer Collaborative in Cranston to make improvements to the wash-station and increase efficiencies at the seven small farms in the collaborative.

$16,400 to Snake Den Farm in Johnston for equipment to support the creation of a farmer/producer coop/community farm.

$16,000 to Brown Family Seafood in West Kingston to change its distribution process to increase marketing, traceability and understanding for consumers about local seafood.

$14,450 to Urban Greens Food Co-op in Providence to utilize professional design services for the layout of an urban retail grocer with a focus on equal access and sustainably sourced, local food.

$13,648 to Newport Harbor Corporation in Newport to promote increased consumption of top neck clams, a locally harvested and under-utilized sea clam.

$13,480 to Red Planet Vegetable Farm in Johnston for farm improvements that will increase crop production and reduce labor costs while incorporating green energy into farm operations.

$11,000 to Sidewalk Ends Farm in Providence for farm equipment and cold-storage system infrastructure to grow the business.

$10,000 to Garden Time to start an herb garden and gardening/healthy eating educational program at the Adult Correctional Institute’s medium security facility in Cranston.

$10,000 to the Rhode Island Mushroom Co. in West Kingston for a second mushroom grow house to cultivate specialty mushrooms.

$9,975 to Katie Miller/Ben Torpey of Scratch Farm in Cranston to expand production and marketing capacity of Small State Seeds, a seed breeding project for chemical-free, locally grown vegetable, herb and flower seeds.

$9,693 to Little City Growers Cooperative in Providence to expand sales, develop a unique brand and implement new marketing strategies and resources.

$8,089 to Adam Yorks of Little Compton to install a root zone heating system into a high tunnel to extend the growing season of his farm.

$7,925 to the Rhode Island Shellfishermen’s Association to produce three PSAs highlighting commercial shellfishing and local shellfish available to consumers.

$7,500 to the Local Catch in Charlestown to increase the presence of local seafood at farmers markets, increase community-supported fisheries (CSFs), improve brand awareness of R.I.-landed seafood and launch a web-based distribution channel.

$5,000 to Jamestown Oyster Co. for materials used to increase its oyster harvest.