Cattail Organics is a farm in Athens, Wisconsin, with a core belief — all people, especially the most underserved, should have access to nutritious, fresh food.
In 2021, the farm’s owner, Kat Becker, took on a giant task to make good on that goal. She applied for a USDA Value Added Producers Grant (VAPG), a massive opportunity to inject $250,000 into her farm and expand the packaging, storage, marketing, and distrubtion of its organic vegetables, herbs, and maple syrups.
“It was a huge undertaking,” Becker said in an interview with TentCraft. “But I saw it as this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
After personally writing the 140 pages of application and collecting dozens of referral letters from community stakeholders, Becker and Cattail Organics landed the grant and it was off to the races.
Over the past two years, Cattail Organics has expanded its farm-to-school footprint, providing fresh vegetables to area schools, and landed more restaurant and small grocery clients.
The Cattail Organics Farmers Market Tent
The grant also allowed the farm to expand retail operations to the Farmers Market of Wausau, a market that features more than 50 vendors selling local food and products from May through October.
One of the farm’s first purchases for the new market was a heavy-duty, custom-printed pop-up tent from TentCraft that could handle the unpredictable Wisconsin winds. With a number of setups planned for future farmers market seasons, Becker settled on a 10x10 MONARCHTENT, pointing to the lifetime frame warranty and certified wind ratings.
But she needed to be careful in how she purchased the tent. The VAPG allows for all sorts of purchases and investments, but physical structures isn’t one of them. Signage for advertising, however, is fair game.
So, the farm opted to pay for the frame out of its business account, and then use the grant money to pay for the custom-printed canopy featuring its logo, USDA Organic certification, and the words, “Fresh • Local • Organic.”
The purchase made sense, because pop-up canopy tents, afterall, are common structures found at farmers markets. Becker also said she knew all too well about farmers market vendors constantly replacing cheap tents that break down after a season or two. She didn’t want to waste time in the future buying another tent.
“We’re confident this beefy tent is going to last us a long time,” she said.
But perhaps the bigger realization from purchasing the tent — and other initiatives funded by the grant — is that advertising your farm actually works.
“Farmers always cut that out as much as they can — but if you can constantly get your name out there, it can be really effective,” she said.
It's easier for customers to remember a farm’s name when the logo is printed on a tent. It’s even easier when the tent is fully printed with the farm’s branding and stands out in a sea of white tents, she added.
That being said, though, MONARCHTENT isn’t the right pop-up canopy for all farmers market vendors, Becker said.
“This is a professional tent and it doesn’t make sense for everyone,” she said. “If you’re not doing $2,000-$3,000 at a market — the bigger volumes — it would be a large expense for that farmer.”
In other words, if you’re just getting started, grow your business first before investing in the professional tent setup.
How to Win a Value Added Producers Grant
A VAPG is a great infusion of money that can be used to advertise and grow a farm business, but it’s not easy to win.
Becker’s first piece of advice is to not go it alone.
“Hire a grant writer,” she said. “This is an unvelievable undertaking and you need someone who can help tell your story and explain exactly how you will grow your business.”
You also need an established business because there’s a matching funds requirement for 100% of the grant amount that needs to be covered by your farm.
The USDA accepts applications in April. Becker recommends getting started as early as possible to ensure all reuqirements are met. One portion of the application, for instance, requires obtaining dozens of referral letters from stakeholders in the community the farm operates.
Finally, determine how you plan to grow your business in your community and region. The goal of the grant is to increase a farmer’s income.
TentCraft & Farmers Market Vendors
As a leading manufacturer of farmers markets tents, TentCraft knows a thing or two about how to stand out with a dependeable tent week after week during the busy market season. In addition to our heavy-duty MONARCHTENT, we also manufacture a medium-duty mightyTENT at our production faciility in Traverse City, Michigan.
Our heavy-duty option, is 1) The only custom pop-up canopy tent that’s made in the U.S., and 2) the only pop-up tent that comes with certified wind ratings and a lifetime frame warranty.
If you’re business is ready for a professional-grade tent, reach out today.
