Utah Food Biz

Utah Food and Farm Business Program

What We Offer

Start a Food Business

Production Resources

If you are interested in starting a farm, see our new farmer/rancher resources here.

About Us

Southwest Regional Food Business Center for California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.

The Utah Food and Farm Business Program at Utah State University extension in collaboration with UDAF, aims to empower local businesses and enhance Utah's agricultural landscape. It will strengthen the resilience, diversity, and competitiveness of local and regional food systems by expanding opportunities for food businesses throughout Utah. This program emphasizes three key pillars: strategic coordination, comprehensive technical assistance, and capacity building to support Utah’s food entrepreneurs. The Utah Food and Farm Business Program is a partner in the Southwest regional Food Business Center (part of the USDA regional food business center program)

Our organization complies with USDA non-discrimination policies, ensuring equal access to all programs and services regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or other protected statuses. For the full USDA non-discrimination statement and details on how to file a complaint, please visit USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

Coordination

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center acts as a regional hub, coordinating across California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, Tribal nations and Colonias Communities, as well as with other USDA Food Centers, and other federal, state, and tribal agencies. The Center will engage with a diverse network of partners to develop and implement strategic and funding plans for technical assistance and capacity building that serves the Southwest region’s underserved communities and businesses.

Technical Assistance

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center provides direct business technical assistance to small- and mid-sized food and farm businesses (producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and other businesses within the food supply chain) and food value and supply chain coordination. The Center’s Business Builder workgroup will identify priority areas for technical assistance (e.g., aggregation/distribution, specialty crop processing for institutions) for the Southwest Region.

Capacity Building

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center will provide financial assistance through Business Builder subawards to support projects focused on regional needs and businesses that are working towards expansion and other investment. These sub-awards may support post harvest staff time, business planning activities, software implementation, the purchase of special purpose equipment-such as food safety, processing and packaging equipment-and value chain coordination, and other expenses.