Roots & Harvest Community Wins the 2025 Missouri Grown Farm to Table Award!

On Novemeber 12, 2025 at the Missouri Governor's Ag Conference at the Columbia Executive Center in Columbia, MO, Roots & Harvest Community was honored with the 2025 Missouri Grown Farm to Table Award — a recognition given to organizations that champion the mission of getting local food onto the plates of our communities.

Executive Director Jasmin LeBlanc accepted the award, joined by Tressie Gilmore and Dawnya Mashburn, representing the incredible heart and hands behind this work.

What makes this recognition even more meaningful? All of this impact has been accomplished within the first 14 months of becoming an organization.

What This Award Means

According to Missouri Grown:

"This award recognizes a Missouri Grown member, organization, school/ECE, business or partner who is connecting schools, ECEs, businesses or communities with Missouri agriculture, and is a champion for farm to table efforts."

We are deeply humbled to be recognized for living out this mission every day.

Our Farm-to-Table Impact

At Roots & Harvest Community, we've worked tirelessly to build a stronger local food system in Southwest Missouri by:

• Opening Missouri's first Farm Stop, a year-round consignment-style hub connecting 75+ local farmers directly to consumers

• Developing youth internships and school partnerships, cultivating the next generation of agriculture and food-system leaders

• Expanding farm-to-restaurant sourcing, getting local ingredients onto menus across the region

• Piloting CSA partnerships, improving access to farm-fresh food for families and workplaces

• Building networks across 12 counties to support producers, reduce food deserts, and strengthen rural economies

A Word From Our Executive Director

"This award belongs to every farmer, producer, volunteer, student, and partner who has believed in the potential of a stronger, more connected local food system. Together, we are proving that when communities invest in each other, everyone thrives."— Jasmin LeBlanc, Executive Director

Thank You

Thank you to Missouri Grown, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, and the Governor's Ag Conference for this meaningful recognition.

And thank YOU — our community — for supporting this mission from the very beginning.

This is just the beginning. Rooted in Purpose. Harvesting Change.