The Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) was one of three winners nationally of a federal grant competition for agriculture innovation.

The $470,800 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow ESEC to create the Chesapeake Agriculture Innovation Center. ESEC Executive Director Mike Thielke said the two-year grant will represent a first step toward this initiative, starting with programming and building toward a physical center. The Easton-based ESEC has an initiative called F3 Tech, which is focused on farm (agtech), fish (aquatech) and food. Up until now, it has mostly been focused on the first two. The grant will enable the org to convene expertise that can grow the foodtech side, as well.

This will mean new programming that has a focus on value-added producers, who are farmers and food businesses that turn commodities into products, such as turning milk into cheese or ice cream. There are many up-and-coming small businesses that make and market these products, which are familiar to any attendee of a farmers’ market.

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