In the face of political whiplash, halted contracts, and months of federal uncertainty, WSBZ Farms is celebrating a long-awaited win.
The family-run farm, located just south of Little Rock on the border of Wrightsville, has received a USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant — an award that promises to transform how the farm operates and delivers fresh produce to the community.
Owned by Elizabeth “Liz” Bell-Simpson and managed alongside her daughter and Executive Director, Josefina “JoJo” Thomas, WSBZ Farms has become a pillar in Central Arkansas’ local food network. For years, the mother-daughter duo has weathered unpredictable funding cycles and shifting policies — most recently, a USDA funding freeze that halted their largest contract with the Arkansas Foodbank, leaving thousands of pounds of produce without a buyer.
But in May 2025, after months of back-and-forth rewrites, budget revisions, and delays at both the state and federal levels, WSBZ Farms received word: their contract was signed. They were conditionally approved for the grant and are one of just nine entities in Arkansas selected to receive RFSI funding.
“We’re very excited,” Liz said. “We’re looking forward to this. It’s opening opportunities for us — some things had been shut down, or we didn’t know what was going to happen in the near future.”
"This gives us a chance to move forward and go further than we would have been able to.”
The RFSI program — part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) — aims to strengthen the middle of the food supply chain. For small farms like WSBZ, that means infrastructure investments to reduce post-harvest loss, improve food safety, and access new markets. WSBZ will use the grant to purchase a refrigerated truck, a temperature-controlled storage container, and an upgraded wash station with stainless steel tables — all essential for keeping produce fresh from field to consumer.
Liz, who currently relies on air-conditioned containers packed with frozen water bottles to keep vegetables cool, said the upgrade will be a game-changer. The refrigerated truck, in particular, will streamline operations and expand WSBZ Farms’ reach into emerging markets that require reliable cold storage. With better transportation, the farm can deliver fresh produce over longer distances while maintaining quality — helping them grow beyond their existing customer base.
“We’re exploring new avenues like local restaurants,” she said. “More and more restaurants are looking to buy fresh, locally grown produce because their customers want healthier, more natural options. That’s the direction things are going.”
Supporting them throughout that process was the Healthy Foods Team at Communities Unlimited (CU). Brenda Williams, CU’s Healthy Foods Coordinator, has worked with WSBZ Farms for several years. She was the one who initially called Liz — “out of the blue,” as Liz recalled — to offer the farm its first trailer through a Cargill-funded CU project. Though not refrigerated, that trailer became the farm’s first step toward scaling operations.
“She’s played a fabulous role,” Liz said of Brenda.
“Without Brenda, I would not be where I am.”
Over the years, their relationship grew into a strong partnership. Brenda connected WSBZ to funding opportunities, including the RFSI grant, and continues to provide support as the farm charts its next steps. With her help — and that of a skilled grant writer — WSBZ Farms has secured over $1 million in grants in recent years.
The impact of those dollars stretches far beyond the farm. In 2024 alone, WSBZ delivered 182,223 pounds of fresh produce across Central Arkansas — much of it to food-insecure families. That produce translated into 218,667 meals.
“It is going to mean growth,” she said. “Being able to be sustainable. We’re going to do more with this grant. The free trailer we got from CU was our beginning. We had to start smart, and that was our first step. Then we took another step, and another — and now we’re not running yet, but we’re in a little jog.”
