{"id":28780,"date":"2025-01-22T10:21:09","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=28780"},"modified":"2025-01-22T10:44:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:44:21","slug":"marbidco-certified-local-farm-and-fish-food-aggregation-grant-fund-now-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2025\/01\/22\/marbidco-certified-local-farm-and-fish-food-aggregation-grant-fund-now-open\/","title":{"rendered":"MARBIDCO Certified Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation Grant Fund Now Open \u00a0 \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><strong>***PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING RELEASE FROM THE MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE-BASED INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION***<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 14pt\">MARBIDCO Certified Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation Grant Fund Now Open \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif\"><strong><em>Program for MDA Certified Local Farm Enterprises and Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif\"><strong><em>Providers to Sell Products to Wholesale and Institutional Markets<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>ANNAPOLIS (January 21, 2025)<\/strong> \u2013 The <strong>Maryland Agriculture and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO)<\/strong> has announced it is offering the Certified Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation Grant Program for Certified Local Farm Enterprises and Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Providers. The aggregation grant program opens on January 21, 2025. The establishment or expansion of local farm food aggregators in Maryland can help provide a link between the small farmer and the large-scale buyer such as a wholesaler or large institution that is looking to purchase locally grown food.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">In 2023, the Maryland General Assembly altered the original Certified Local Farm Enterprise Program to become the Certified Local Farm and Fish Program; expanding the purpose of the program to include food from certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Providers in the overall percentage goal of 20% of State institutions total dollar value for certain food procurement contracts; and altering the Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Fund to be the Certified Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation<br \/>\nGrant Fund.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">MARBIDCO\u2019s grant program is designed to stimulate increased market access for small Maryland farmers who wish to sell to wholesale and institutional buyers. Maryland law encourages State agencies (including public four-year universities) to achieve an overall goal of purchasing 20% of food from certified local farm enterprises and certified Chesapeake Bay invasive species providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">See below for more information:<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Small-Scale Farmer Aggregation Entity Project<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">A grant of between $25,000 and $100,000 is available.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Applicants for the small-scale farmer-led aggregation grant must include at least four Certified <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Local Farm Enterprises or consist of one Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Provider. For projects with a Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Provider, they should be sourcing invasive species from at least four licensed commercial watermen.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Applicants must provide at least a 20% match of private funds in the project.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">An example of a small-scale aggregation entity could include an Agricultural Product <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Aggregation and Distribution Entity, an entity (including a farming operation aggregator)working with at least 4 farms (or 3 if the applicant is a farm) that can expand to meet institutional\/wholesale demand. Another example of a small-scale farmer aggregation entity could be a legally organized farm cooperative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">The applicant must provide evidence that it will be selling a certain quantity of product to a wholesale or institutional buyer. This evidence could be in the form of a contract or letter of commitment specifying that it will purchase a certain amount of product.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Grant funds could be used to purchase cold storage equipment or construct an indoor processing facility in order to better handle products moving to wholesale and institutional buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Public Sector Aggregation Project<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">A grant of between $150,000 and $300,000 is available.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Applicants for the public sector aggregation grant will be a public entity such as a county <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">government, municipality, community college, university, county school system, or rural <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">regional council.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">The grant is for public projects that plan to be primarily aggregation centers for wholesale and <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">institutional distribution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">If the applicant is the buyer, it would need to provide a commitment to purchase from at least <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">four Certified Local Farm Enterprises or three Certified Local Farm Enterprises and one Certified <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Chesapeake Invasive Species Provider and include what it plans to purchase and the amount of <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">each product.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">If the applicant is facilitating the aggregation, it would also need to provide evidence that it will <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">aggregate produce from at least four Certified Local Farm Enterprises or three Certified Local <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Farm Enterprises and one Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Provider and provide a <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">commitment from a wholesaler or institutional buyer to purchase from the aggregation center.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">The grant requires at least a 20% match of funds in the project. A project of this size might also <\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">require a partnership of multiple entities and funding sources.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Grant applications must be submitted to MARBIDCO by February 28, 2025. Applications can be found at https:\/\/www.marbidco.org\/certified-local-farm-fish-food-aggregation-grant. For more information about the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) Certified Local Farm and Fish Program or to become certified visit https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/maryland_products\/Pages\/certified-local-farm.aspx. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">S<\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">end completed grant applications and all attachments to MARBIDCO Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation Grant Program, 1410 Forest Drive, Suite 21, Annapolis, MD 21403 or email to scriste@marbidco.org . For more information contact Sierra Criste, Financial Programs Specialist, at scriste@marbidco.org or call 410-267-6807.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">###<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif\"><em>MARBIDCO was established 18 years ago by the Maryland General Assembly to help enhance the sustainability and profitability of the State\u2019s agricultural and resource-based industries in order to help bolster rural economies, support locally produced food and fiber products, and preserve working farm and forest land. MARBIDCO is a nimble, quasi-governmental financial intermediary organization that has a mission to serve exclusively the commercial farming, forestry, and seafood industries of Maryland. Young and beginning farmers are a special focus for MARBIDCO, as is farm operation diversification. In delivering its financing programs, MARBIDCO works cooperatively with commercial banks and farm credit associations, as well as a host of federal, State, regional, and local government agencies, and universities. Since 2007, MARBIDCO has approved some 1,410 financings totaling more than $111 million for food and fiber business projects located in all Maryland\u2019s counties \u2013 and in the process has leveraged more than $236.1 million in commercial lender financing. For more information about MARBIDCO\u2019s programs, please visit: www.marbidco.org<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>***PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING RELEASE FROM THE MARYLAND AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE-BASED INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION*** MARBIDCO Certified Local Farm and Fish Food Aggregation Grant Fund Now Open \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Program for MDA Certified Local Farm Enterprises and Certified Chesapeake Invasive Species Providers to Sell Products to Wholesale and Institutional Markets ANNAPOLIS (January<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2025\/01\/22\/marbidco-certified-local-farm-and-fish-food-aggregation-grant-fund-now-open\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[403,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mda-newsroom","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28780"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28783,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28780\/revisions\/28783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}