KDA
MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) will offer virtual workshops Feb. 6-10, 2023, to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers, and also for those wanting to sell food products directly to consumers.
The workshop series includes five online Lunch and Learn sessions.
“Over the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in people’s enthusiasm for locally sourced food, and these workshops will address common questions and concerns for farmers and small businesses who are embracing these opportunities to reach local consumers,” said Londa Nwadike, food safety specialist with KSRE and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell either directly to the consumer or at a farmers’ market.”
In 2022, more than 95 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
Dates and topics for each Lunch and Learn online session are as follows.
Feb. 6, noon-1 p.m.: Accepting EBT/SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks.
Feb. 7, noon-1 p.m.: Meat and Poultry Regulations; Kansas Value Added Meats Lab.
Feb. 8, noon-1 p.m.: Kansas Sales Tax Information.
Feb. 9, noon-1 p.m.: Food Safety Regulations; Kansas Value Added Foods Lab.
Feb. 10, noon-1 p.m.: Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
KDA’s weights and measures program will offer free scale certification with a paid registration to an online workshop.
Registration for the February virtual workshops is now open. The cost is $5 per participant. Register at www.fromthelandofkansas.com/FMWorkshop.
For more information, contact Sammy Gleason, KDA’s From the Land of Kansas marketing manager, at 785-564-6759 or [email protected]. The workshops are funded by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops and the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, as well as by sponsors KSRE and KDA.