Wright County Farm Stop
Turning Food Access Into Economic Mobility
[Funding Pending] Target 2027
South Central Missouri grows incredible food, yet many local producers struggle to reach larger markets while rural families drive farther and pay more for healthy groceries.
We believe the best solutions grow from the communities they serve.
Research from the University of Missouri Extension found that Missouri's most rural counties spend 18.7% of their weekly income on food, compared with the statewide average of 13.1%.
As residents of these same communities, we’ve seen the limited market access, fewer processing facilities, transportation challenges, and highly concentrated grocery markets.
The Wright County Farm Stop helps close that gap by connecting producers with customers, providing shared infrastructure, creating pathways to new markets, and keeping more food—and more dollars—circulating in the Ozarks.
What is a Farm Stop?
Food is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen a rural community.
When local producers have the tools to grow, families gain better access to fresh food, more dollars stay in the local economy, and new opportunities emerge for entrepreneurs, neighbors, and future generations.
The Wright County Farm Stop creates the shared infrastructure that helps local food move beyond the farm stand—connecting producers to customers, reducing barriers to growth, and keeping more value in Missouri's South Central Ozarks.
Research from the University of Missouri Extension found that Missouri's most rural counties spend 18.7% of their weekly income on food, compared to 13.1% statewide. The report concludes that Missouri's rural food system was designed to move commodities efficiently—not to maximize local food access or retain value in rural communities.
The Wright County Farm Stop is our community's answer.
“Missouri’s rural food system wasn’t designed to feed rural residents. It was designed to produce and move commodities efficiently.”
The Wright County Farm Stop
4500 ft² infrastructure featuring a planned DHSS-inspected community kitchen
with a mercantile that reduces barriers to customers and increasing pathways to success.shared infrastructure that helps local producers grow, creates new opportunities for entrepreneurs, improves access to healthy food, and keeps more dollars circulating in our local economy.