USDA Awards Grants to Maryland for Agricultural Marketing Projects

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 19, 2010) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $121,445 in matching grants to Maryland supporting two agricultural market research and demonstration projects. These grants, provided under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), will explore new, innovative and results-oriented approaches to marketing U.S. food and agricultural products and to improve the efficiency and performance of the marketing system.

“We are delighted to receive these USDA grant awards,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “These projects will enable our State to increase our ‘buy local’ initiatives and develop more efficient and market-oriented ways to benefit our agricultural sector and support our local economy to keep Maryland smart, green and growing.”

The first USDA grant awarded to Maryland is $20,825 to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the University of Maryland and Maryland farmers’ market managers, to assess the economic impact of Maryland farmers’ markets, identify ways to expand the customer base and increase sales at farmers’ markets, and explore the feasibility of forming a statewide farmers’ market association.

The second grant is for $100,620. It is awarded to the University of Maryland School of Nursing, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Future Harvest/Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association, and others, to encourage increased use of locally-produced sustainable protein foods such as beef, pork, poultry, dairy, eggs, and seafood, in Maryland health care facilities and institutions.

FSMIP funds a wide range of applied research projects that address barriers, challenges, and opportunities in marketing, transporting, and distributing U.S. food and agricultural products domestically and internationally. Seventeen other states also received grants, making the total amount awarded in grants $1.3 million.

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