Are you still thinking about that delectable food product that you’d like to manufacture for sale? Hoping to process fruit or vegetables from your farm to sell through the winter season? Maybe frozen corn for the school district or grandma’s pickled garlic to sell at the farmers market? Do you wonder what sort of facility would work best to make these products for sale? What about the economics of this sort of production, is there a market for these products? Do they “pencil out”?

The Community Agriculture Development Center (CADC) in Colville WA is pleased to announce Value Added Processing Feasibility Study Results, an event hosted by WSU Stevens County Extension. This seminar held September 19th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM will present results from the feasibility study designed to answer these exact questions.

Event Details
When: Monday, September 19th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: WSU Stevens County Extension, 986 S. Main, Colville WA
Cost: Free, but space is limited so please call or email to register
Agenda: http://extension.wsu.edu/stevens/agriculture/
Contact: Nils Johnson, nils.johnson@wsu.edu, (509) 684-2588

This presentation will cover all aspects of this study, including fruit and vegetables available from local farms, demand for processed products made from these Specialty Crops, business plan information associated with making these products, as well as proposed facility design and equipment required to do the work. “It’s taken a lot of time and effort to get to this point.” says Jim Noetzelman, President of the CADC. “But it’s great to finally have solid information that to use to make decisions about how to proceed next.”

Come hear about the entrepreneur scale facility that could be built in our area to facilitate a local Specialty Crop value-added processing industry.

A value added product is any higher value product that has been produced using raw or lower value ingredients. Examples of value added food products include items such as strawberry-jalapeno jam, dilly beans, spiced ketchup, frozen cut melon, huckleberry ice cream, dried apple slices, curried lentil soup mix, frozen cherry pies and jarred pie filling, etc. Any food product which has been processed before being sold is a value added product,

Value added processing in rural communities is viewed by many as an opportunity for farmers to capture a larger portion of dollars consumers spend on processed food items while making it more convenient for consumers to eat local.

Value Added Processing Feasibility Study Results Presentation (PDF)

Business Model Worksheet for Large Facility Configuration (Excel .xlsx file)

Business Model Worksheet for Small Facility Configuration (Excel .xlsx file)

Video clip: Livingston Food Resources Center in Livingston MT (mp4)
Video clip: Mission Mountain Food Enterprises Center, Ronan MT (mp4)
Video clip: Some Clients of Mission Mountain Food Enterprises Center, part of the LCCDC, Ronan MT (mp4)
Video clip: Fosters Pickled Garlic Processing Line (mp4)
Video clip: 21 Acres in Woodinville WA (mp4)

LInks to Google Albums with photos of existing facilities toured as part of this project

• Mission Mountain Food Enterprises Center, Ronan MT
  • May 2017 Tour
  • Nov 2016 Tour
• Blue Mountain Station, Dayton WA
• Livingston Food Resources Center, Livingston MT

This event was made possible in part by funding from a WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Persons with a disability requiring special accommodations while participating in this program may call WSU Stevens County Extension at (509) 684-2588. If accommodation is not requested in advance, we cannot guarantee the availability of accommodation on site. Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, and sexual orientation. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.