A new, zero-cost agricultural initiative targets Mississippi women farmers and seeks to deliver federal funding that is available to them.
The goal of Treena Shanks, founder of the non-profit SOAR Foundation, is simple: To facilitate and realize federal funding for half of the women who ask for her help.
To be approved for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grants, farmers’ applications must meet certain criteria. Often, it is not clearly understood by farmers what the criteria are, Shanks said. This misunderstanding can lead to an incomplete application and rejection, or frustration that ends the process in its early stages.
“I realized things weren’t connecting,” Shanks, a Delta pea farmer, said. “I want to be a part of the solution.”
For those seeking help, Shanks will conduct workshops, participate in the application process and lead women farmers to hard-to-find answers.
“You want us to come out to your farm, we will do this,” Shanks said. “You show us what you need, and we are going to work with NRCS and say, ‘She needs this, this and this.’”
SOAR is an acronym for “Skills and Opportunities for Agricultural Readiness,” and the initiative is funded by a one-year USDA grant. Though it seeks to connect women farmers to both USDA and NRCS monies, it is not affiliated with either organization.
The program targets producers (vegetable farmers), but if extended beyond this year, it may expand to include ranchers.
In addition to facilitating the federal grant application process, SOAR can connect women farmers with the agencies that will supply them with the machinery used to accept SNAP and WIC vouchers.
Currently, Shanks is focusing on 11 counties in southwestern Mississippi. The SOAR foundation is available to women farmers who are residents of California, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina.
SOAR Foundation assistance is free.
Women farmers who want help with applying for USDA and NRCS grants, who are in the process of applying and have questions, or who are interested in learning what is available to them may contact Treena Shanks directly at shanks.t.11@gmail.com
