The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has launched Many Hats – A Food Hub Operator’s Toolkit, a central depot of resources to support food hub leaders. The toolkit was developed through a partnership with the University of Vermont and Michigan State University to build upon existing knowledge of food hubs and understand the many roles of food hub operators, from start up, to expansion, to innovation.
The project team assembled an advisory board of experienced food hub operators and industry professionals across the nation that helped develop the toolkit which is organized into four core areas – organizational development, producers and customers, operations, and partnerships. Accompanying the toolkit is a four-episode podcast series with interviews from food hub leaders called The Food Hub Podcast. Through research in food hubs and other local and regional food system issues, AMS helps support the viability, profitability, and future market opportunities for American farmers.
These resources are available now on and can be accessed through the AMS website.