States, local governments and farmers can promote their agriculture industries with help from the AMS.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service oversees the production of dairy, fruits and vegetables, livestock and seed, poultry, and cotton and tobacco. Along with enforcing federal regulations for these industries, the AMS also helps states, communities and individual farmers and ranchers improve their markets as well as promote them. One way the AMS does this is with grants and cost sharing through four programs: the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Farmers Market Promotion Program and Organic Cost Share Program.
Federal-State Marketing Improvement
The AMS, through the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, provides matching funds to state agricultural departments and other state agencies for marketing purposes related to their states' food and agriculture industries. States can use the money to improve marketing in new areas of food and agriculture or to research and improve the efficiency in agricultural marketing. The USDA budgeted $1.3 million for the program in fiscal 2010. Awards ranged between $25,000 and $135,000, with an average of $50,000. The AMS awards about 25 of the grants every year.
Specialty Crop Block Grants
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program provides funding to states for projects involving specialty crops, especially ones affecting the industry nationally. The AMS looks to award money for programs such as nutrition awareness, efficiency improvement or distribution cost reduction. States can receive either $100,000 or one-third of a percent of total AMS funding for that year. The USDA considers anything a specialty crop if it is a fruit, vegetable, tree nut, dried fruit, horticulture or nursery crop.
Farmers Market Promotion
Groups wanting to improve farmers markets in their areas can receive up to $100,000 to do so through the Farmers Market Promotion Program. The AMS budget $10 million for fiscal years 2011 and 2012 to award to agricultural cooperatives, producer networks and associations, local and tribal governments, nonprofits, public benefit corporations, economic development agencies and regional farmers markets associations. Along with investing in farmers markets, recipients can use the money for roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs and agri-tourism development, among other direct producer-to-market projects.
Organic Cost Share
The AMS' Organic Cost Share Program tries to encourage organic farming by covering portions of the costs related to receiving certification as organic farmers. State agencies use funding from the USDA to reimburse agriculture producers up to 75 percent of the costs of receiving or renewing organic certification. Farmers and ranchers can each receive up to $750 per year through the program. The AMS awards the reimbursements first-come first-serve.
Tags: Cost Share, Crop Block, Farmers Market, Farmers Market Promotion, farmers markets, Federal-State Marketing