FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New funding program will see more local food products being produced in Northern Ontario
(Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) – April 24, 2014: The Rural Agri-Innovation Network and Eat Local Sudbury Cooperative today announced a new funding initiative for local food and agricultural producers in Northern Ontario. The Sustainable New Agricultural Products, (SNAP) Program, will provide farmers or agri-food businesses up to $5,000 toward the purchase of equipment to create new agriculture or food products.
The $290,000 in funding for the SNAP Program, provided by the Northern Ontario Development Program through FedNor and Industry Canada, will be administered by a group of organizations from across the north. The Rural Agri-Innovation Network in Sault Ste. Marie, Eat Local Sudbury Cooperative in Sudbury, Northeast Community Network (NeCN) in Kapuskasing, and Clover Valley Farmers’ Market in Fort Frances are regionally administering the program, fielding applications and encouraging local food and agricultural producers to apply for funding.
“In Northern Ontario, many agriculture and food businesses have difficulty funding equipment purchases for value-added processing. The SNAP Program will provide funding to support this need, and result in more agriculture and food products being produced in the north,” said Errol Caldwell, Co-Chair, Rural Agri-Innovation Network.
The SNAP Program will be accepting applications from April 24th, 2014 through to September 1st, 2014. Applications will be reviewed continuously during this period, to ensure equipment purchases can be made in time for the upcoming growing season.
“We understand this is a busy time of year for farmers and agricultural businesses, but the SNAP Program is a great opportunity to purchase equipment for the growing season that can increase business and sales,” explained Peggy Baillie, Managing Director, Eat Local Sudbury Cooperative.
For more information on the SNAP Program, including application forms and contact information, please visit www.rainalgoma.ca/SNAP. For media inquiries, please contact Diana Medaglia, Marketing and Communications Manager, at 705.942.7927 ext. 3138 or dmedaglia@ssmic.com.
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About the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN)
The Rural Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) is a project of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) and NORDIK Institute. RAIN is supported by the agricultural community, municipalities, the private sector (farmers and businesses e.g. Penokean Hills Farms), and funding partners (Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., FedNor and Ontario Trillium Foundation) to conduct research and provide business development and networking support.
About Eat Local Sudbury Cooperative
Eat Local Sudbury Cooperative is a grocery store and distributor located in Sudbury, Ontario, that connects eaters with producers. Our store primarily sells produce from farms within a 150 miles radius of Sudbury, secondly from the rest of Ontario. The co-op serves as a hub for area consumers and producers.
The site for the Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
The Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op was formed to create independent media in the North, to speak to our issues and outlooks on our communities as well as the world around us. Independent media provides an avenue for people who are wishing to gain critical perspective on the issues that matter most to us, and to give a voice to those people and stories that you won't find in the mainstream media.
The Sudbury working-group site is no longer being updated and has been archived.