Efforts to develop a regional ag strategy have gotten a nearly $35,000 boost. The grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration was officially announced by the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission and Starke County Economic Development Foundation this week.
That funding will help Starke, Pulaski, and four other Northwest Indiana counties implement the “Rural Economic Development Model,” according to a press release. As part of the effort, officials will examine their agricultural output. Then, local stakeholders will use that information to identify opportunities for new markets, applications, or processing facilities.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Lisa Dan says her county is especially well positioned, due to its rural location and access to natural resources. As previously reported, Consultant Connie Neininger told local government officials last month that the region has a particularly high concentration of agribusiness, food processing, and technology.
The press release says the Rural Economic Development Model was put together by the Indiana Economic Development Association, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, and the Purdue Center for Regional Development. It also got support from the Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Soybean Alliance, and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
The process is expected to be complete in the fall of 2022.
