How does food moved in our region?

Project Management Report

South Central Missouri Foodshed Project

Implementing Missouri EATs to Help Build the Missing Middle

August 1, 2026–June 27, 2027
Wright + Webster + Texas + Laclede + Douglas

Updated August 24, 2026

Beyond Food Access: The “Missing Middle”

South Central Missouri has substantial existing research describing food access, health, agriculture, demographics, and economic conditions. This project will use this existing evidence as a foundation to focus local engagement on a narrower part of the foodshed:

How are local food producers currently connecting with local consumers and markets, and what helps or hinders that connection?

Our strategic focus is the missing middle: the relationships, infrastructure, services, systems, and market pathways between local food production and local consumers and markets.

Problem to Explore

South Central Missouri produces food, yet existing research suggests that local production does not necessarily translate into food reaching or creating value within local communities. What remains unclear is what happens between production and local consumption at the county level and why.

The project will gather current, local information to identify and validate:

• How producers currently reach local consumers and markets.

• Where those connections work well and what supports them.

• Where producers encounter barriers or lose access to local market opportunities.

• What relationships, resources, services, and infrastructure currently bridge the gap.

• What recurring gaps and opportunities warrant community attention through Missouri EATs.

Iterative Timeline

The project will move through an iterative process of research, field engagement, community validation, and follow-through, with findings from each phase informing the next.

AUGUST 2026 | PREPARE

• Develop a brief, five-slide existing-data profile for each county.

• With MU Extension, review county profiles, identify relevant resources or information gaps, and refine the questions and information priorities that will guide field engagement.

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2026 | ENGAGE

• Meet with Chambers of Commerce across the five-county region as community entry points.

• Gather local history, context, and perspectives on producer-to-market connections.

• Identify referrals to producers, community leaders, organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.

• Document emerging themes, questions, and information gaps.

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2026 | DEEPEN + VALIDATE

• Follow referrals to local food producers and gather their experiences reaching local consumers and markets.

• Establish relationships with relevant county health/regulatory partners.

• Identify and engage 6–10 Local Leadership Team members.

• Compare field intelligence with existing research.

• Use the Local Leadership Team to help validate findings and prepare for community engagement.

• Determine community readiness and, with MU Extension and the Local Leadership Team, plan the appropriate Missouri EATs engagement event.

JANUARY 2027 | CONVENE

• Co-facilitate the Missouri EATs community engagement event with MU Extension.

• Present findings for community discussion and validation.

• Identify and prioritize issues, opportunities, and potential next steps.

FEBRUARY–MAY 2027 | FOLLOW THROUGH

• Initiate post-event follow-up based on what emerges from the January convening.

• Continue stakeholder communication and Local Leadership Team engagement as appropriate.

• Connect identified needs and opportunities with existing resources, partners, and technical assistance.

• Document actions, progress, impacts, and lessons learned.

JUNE 2027 | REPORT + NEXT STEPS

• Complete the required 1–2 page Missouri EATs final report documenting impacts, lessons learned, and next steps.

THROUGHOUT | MAP + ASSESS

• Map relevant assets, resources, relationships, barriers, opportunities, and producer-to-market pathways as they emerge.

• Compare on-the-ground information with existing research.

• Continually assess and refine findings as new information becomes available.

• Participate in required Missouri EATs technical assistance and Community Roundtables.

Intended Outcome

The project will produce a community-validated picture of how local food producers connect with local consumers and markets across the five-county region, including the assets, relationships, barriers, and opportunities affecting those connections.

These findings will inform regional priorities, next steps, and continued action through Missouri EATs.

Working Mission

Identify and document how locally produced food moves from producer to local customer across South Central Missouri, determine where those connections work and where barriers emerge, and use the findings to establish community-informed priorities for action.

Project Deliverables

The following deliverables will be developed and updated as the Missouri EATs process progresses [LINKS TBA]

County Profiles | August 2026
Five-slide baseline profile for each county
[Placeholder: Wright | Webster | Douglas | Texas | Laclede]

Local Leadership Team | November–December 2026
6–10 regional members
[Placeholder: Members / Representation / Contact Information]

Community Readiness + Event Plan | December 2026
Readiness findings and selected Missouri EATs engagement format
[Placeholder: Readiness Summary / Event Plan]

Missouri EATs Community Engagement | January 2027
Community engagement event co-facilitated with MU Extension
[Placeholder: Date / Location / Format / Participants / Materials]

Post-Event Follow-Through | February–May 2027
Activities and next steps resulting from community engagement
[Placeholder: Priorities / Actions / Partners / Progress]

Final Missouri EATs Report | June 2027
Required 1–2 page report documenting impacts and lessons learned
[Placeholder: Final Report]

ONGOING PROJECT RECORD

[Placeholder: Technical Assistance Meetings]
[Placeholder: Community Roundtables]
[Placeholder: Foodshed / Missing-Middle Map]
[Placeholder: Research + Field Intelligence]