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International Day of Rural Women Spotlight: Indiana Soccer Moms Score Big as Global Entrepreneurs with USDA Assist

For a women-owned business in rural Indiana, working with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) became a life-changing experience. Soccer moms Carol Podolak and Joy Thompkins sold homemade peanut butter as their kids’ team fundraiser to travel from Portage, Indiana to Dallas, Texas for a tournament in 2016. Customers wanted the pretzel, blueberry, and toffee peanut butter more than once a year, so Podolak and Thompkins started taking custom orders. And now, BNutty is on shelves in stores around the world.
Zane Evans, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Posted in Trade Rural
Oct 13, 2023
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USDA Supports Uncle Jerry's Farm on its Path to Prosperity

Uncle Jerry’s Farm, LLC.’s humble beginnings stretch back to 2015, when a health-conscious consumer, Debora Coleman, decided to devote a small patch of her land on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi, to the growing shiitake mushrooms. She shared the yield with friends and family members. Consequently, each year the demand for such grew. This spurred her interest in efficient production and scientific approaches to small-scale farming.

staff of USDA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Posted in Equity Farming Initiatives
Jun 08, 2023
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USDA Celebrates Renee McDonald, a Georgia Woman-Owned Agriculture Entrepreneur during National Small Business Month

Renee McDonald, a first-generation sheep producer in Lee County Georgia, spends many nights monitoring newborn ewes. In the last lambing season at Sheepy Acres Farm, eight out of ten of her pregnant ewes gave birth to twins. The lambing season holds many memories, but it also presents challenges, including twin births that require double the attention.

staff of USDA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Posted in Equity Farming Initiatives
May 18, 2023
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The Path to Prosperity Event in Georgia Gives Boosts to Small Businesses in the Southeastern U.S.

It was a great start to National Small Business Month at the Southeast States “Path to Prosperity" event in Albany, Georgia on May 2. Path to Prosperity is a regional business and economic development workshop series that features experts from the financial industry, federal government, community partners, and stakeholders.

staff of USDA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Posted in Equity Farming Initiatives
May 15, 2023
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USDA Continues to Expand Opportunities and Support to Small Businesses

As May comes to a close, USDA reflects on recent activities to support small businesses nationwide. The first of the month marked the start of National Small Business Week 2022. In recognition of the observance, USDA’s national and state office leadership connected with small businesses in states and territories that have limited procurement activities. The goal was to highlight federal opportunities to help build and grow their businesses.

Jacqueline A. Davis-Slay, Senior Advisor, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, USDA Posted in Equity Farming Initiatives
May 27, 2022
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