MEXICO – A newly revamped and relocated farmers’ market kicked off the first of several projects planned by the River Valley Agricultural Commission on Friday morning.

The commission, formed a few months ago with the help of a $10,000 USDA grant, is working to pull together an inventory of farm products raised in the area, tie local foods in with school districts, and identify issues that may serve as a barrier to successful farming.

David Kimball, a sixth-generation farmer from Rumford Center and member of the Agricultural Commission, said he’s pleased with the recent steps taken on behalf of agriculture.

“Oxford County has great potential. We’ve lost a lot of farms, but there is a lot of opportunity for small farms to get into niche markets,” he said Friday morning.

The commission meets at 8:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the River Valley Technology Center. Any member of the public with an interest in agriculture or who has ideas for successful agricultural projects is welcome to attend.

The grant was secured by a former Rumford town manager, and is being administered by the River Valley Growth Council.

Beverly Crosby of the growth council said Friday that the commission is working with school districts to use local produce and to introduce an educational piece that teaches children where food comes from and why local food should be eaten.

At the tech center, consultant Diane Ray said one of the projects she is looking into is a a shared kitchen that may be set up at the center.

“There’s a lot of potential for small businesses,” she said.

People can goods, make jellies and jams, bake special muffins, breads and cakes; some want to start catering businesses.

Ray said the tech center and growth council is looking for a way to help get these small businesses get off the ground by providing, among other things, shared refrigeration, cook stoves, distribution and marketing.

“We need to figure out if there is enough demand for it,” she said.

One way the commission, the tech center and the growth council hope to find out is at a special meeting next month on June 20 at the tech center to gauge interest in a professional kitchen.

Mark Hews, who is project leader for the commission and a representative from the Threshold of Maine, will help facilitate the meeting.

Ray said if enough interest is shown, then she’ll go after grant funding. In the meantime, she is reviewing a template for a similar kitchen currently being studied at the Fairbanks School Neighborhood Association in adjacent Franklin County.

Other projects being planned or in the process are a community garden, inventory of local food producers, and development of an economic strategy for improving River Valley agriculture.

The River Valley Farmers Market will be available with a variety of plants, vegetables, fruits, baked goods, honey, maple syrup and other items produced in the region every Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 12 in the Labonville parking lot.