A collaborative approach to delivering long-term economic small business recovery and resiliency.
RNDC partnered with Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Strategic Partnership Center, GreenSeam, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute at Waseca (AURI), Southern Agriculture Center of Excellence at South Central College, and Mogwai Collaborative to provide technical assistance for food and agriculture businesses throughout the region.
Priority was placed on businesses owned by women, veterans, and individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
MBFFA Hub and Spoke partners provide counseling, training, technical assistance, and access to resources based on the needs of small businesses to enhance growth in the agriculture and food-related sector in Region Nine (Sibley, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Brown, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Waseca, Martin, and Faribault). The Strategic Partnership Center includes the South Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Center for Workforce Professional Education (WPE), and serves as the MBFFA Hub.
MBFFA Goals & Objectives
Providing technical assistance to enhance sustainability and growth in the agriculture and food-related sector in South Central Minnesota through the following goals:
Goal #1 | Identifying needs of specific agriculture and food sector small businesses and potential entrepreneurs, with priority placed on developing technical assistance plans to support sustainability or growth.
Goal #2 | Establish and disseminate best practices for success in the marketplace.
Goal #3 | Stimulate, sustain, and grow small businesses in the agriculture and food sector within Region 9 (Sibley, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Brown, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Waseca, Martin, and Faribault) through financial assistance counseling and education.
Goal #4 | Increase outreach, education and technical assistance to underserved small businesses and entrepreneurs, including micro and rural enterprises, prioritizing businesses owned by women, veterans and individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
Funded (in part) through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Learn more about the Community Navigator Pilot Program.
