BISMARCK, ND, September 19, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced 85 grants totaling $3,445,000 directed by the new farm bill to spread the use of farmers markets. Eighteen of the 85 grants promote a new electronic benefit transfers (EBT) to help low-income consumers buy locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
"Farmers markets are an increasingly popular source of fruits and vegetables," said Schafer. "Locally grown and locally known sales of fresh produce strengthen the connection between farmers and the community."
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service helps increase domestic consumption of agricultural commodities and improve farmers' income. The grants are authorized under the amended Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976.
Regional local governments, nonprofit and economic development corporations, agricultural cooperatives and tribal governments in 43 states may use the money to establish, expand and promote farmers markets and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Under this third year of funding, the grantees are as follows:
State
City
Applicant Organization
Funding
AL
Montgomery
State of Alabama Farmers Market Authority
$75,000
AR
Fayetteville
University of Arkansas
$24,827
AR
Gravette
City of Gravette
$5,900
AZ
Tempe
Arizona Board of Regents for Arizona State University
$67,344
CA
Quincy
Plumas Rural Services
$48,584
CA
Davis
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
$54,439
CA
Oakland
The Regents of the University of California
$56,221
CA
Fresno
Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission
$52,829
CA
San Diego
International Rescue Committee
$74,823
CO
Cortez
Mesa Verde County Visitor Information Bureau
$50,000
CT
Westport
Wholesome Wave Foundation Charitable Ventures
$63,444
CT
New Haven
CitySeed, Inc.
$42,369
DE
Dover
Delaware State University
$58,185
FL
Gainesville
Florida Assn. of Community Farmers Markets, Inc.
$59,317
GA
Sparta
Sparta/Hancock Produce Growers Cooperative, Inc.
$45,909
GA
Athens
Common Ground Athens, Inc.
$23,532
IA
Sioux City
Buy Fresh Buy Local – Siouxland, Inc.
$42,280
ID
Grangeville
Grangeville Farmers Market
$27,971
IL
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Main Street
$6,128
IN
Indianapolis
Indiana Cooperative Development Center, Inc.
$56,680
IN
Frankfort
Clinton County Economic Advancement Foundation, Inc.
$42,130
IN
Kendallville
City of Kendallville
$2,455
IN
Zionsville
Eagle Creek Nature Conservancy and Preservation, Inc.
$35,625
KS
Whiting
Kansas Rural Center, Inc.
$66,100
KS
Manhattan
Kansas State University
$62,372
KY
Paducah
Jackson Purchase RC&D Foundation, Inc.
$49,346
KY
Sparta
Kentucky Farmers' Market Association, Inc.
$63,050
LA
Shreveport
Red River Revel, Inc.
$13,846
MA
Waltham
The Massachusetts Federation of Farmers & Gardeners Markets
$72,813
MA
South Deerfield
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, Inc.
$56,989
MA
Holyoke
Nuestras Raices
$70,818
MD
Brunswick
Brunswick Main Street, Inc.
$5,600
MD
Snow Hill
Town of Snow Hill
$5,000
ME
Bangor
Heart of Maine RC&D Area, Inc.
$70,740
ME
Milbridge
Washington Hancock Community Agency
$70,551
MI
Ithaca
City of Ithaca
$1,000
MI
Allegan
City of Allegan
$13,167
MI
Detroit
Eastern Market Commission
$25,941
MI
East Lansing
Michigan Food and Farming Systems
$44,725
MI
Fairview
Nature's Best Farmers Market
$5,000
MN
St. Paul
Farmers Legal Action Group, Inc.
$49,170
MO
Kansas City
Friends of the City Market
$59,500
MS
Indianola
Indianola Main Street, Inc.
$31,585
MS
Poplarville
Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
$37,600
MT
Great Falls
Cascade City-County Health Department
$41,504
NC
Fayetteville
North Carolina Coalition of Farm and Rural Families
$75,000
NC
Whiteville
Columbus County Community Farmers Market, Inc.
$18,000
NC
Spring Lake
Sandhills Family Heritage Association
$31,000
ND
Minot
Northwest Venture Communities, Inc.
$12,500
NJ
Rutherford
Rutherford Downtown Partnership
$17,050
NM
Santa Fe
Pueblo of Pojoaque Poeh Cultural Center
$49,060
NM
Santa Fe
Santa Fe Farmer's Market
$49,097
NY
New York
City Harvest, Inc.
$56,572
NY
Brooklyn
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
$58,954
NY
Fayetteville
Farmers Market Federation of NY
$30,713
NY
New York
Council on the Environment, Inc.
$53,125
OH
Cincinnati
The Corporation for Findlay Market
$57,109
OH
Chillicothe
Chillicothe Farmers Market Association
$42,547
OH
Athens
Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
$36,500
OH
Toledo
Toledo Farmers' Market Association
$23,250
OH
Piketon
The Ohio State University Research Foundation
$53,636
OR
Redmond
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
$35,000
PA
Philadelphia
White Dog Community Enterprises
$13,454
RI
Kingstown
Rhode Island Rural Development Council
$50,000
SC
Greenville
City of Greenville
$9,442
SD
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Downtown Association
$10,000
TN
Greenville
Rural Resources, Inc.
$55,404
TX
Edinburg
The University of Texas - Pan American
$64,050
TX
Rice
Texas Longhorn Cooperative
$39,870
TX
Brownwood
Keep Brownwood Beautiful Organization
$3,050
UT
Salt Lake City
Great Salt Lake RC&D Council, Inc.
$43,340
VA
Abingdon
Appalachian Sustainable Development
$68,906
VA
Halifax
County of Halifax, VA – Agric. Development Office
$10,645
VA
Charlottesville
Jefferson Area Board for Aging, Inc.
$48,823
VT
Waterbury
Town and Village of Waterbury
$8,000
WA
Friday Harbor
San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild
$10,000
WA
Bellingham
Community to Community Development Projects
$65,625
WI
Shawano
Shawano Business Improvement District Board
$3,000
WI
Ashland
Ashland County
$22,581
WI
Oneida
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
$13,080
WI
East Troy
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
$75,000
WI
Waukesha
Waukesha County Univ. of Wisconsin Extension
$69,729
WV
Philippi
Wes-Mon-Ty RC&D Project, Inc.
$47,520
WV
Martinsburg
Farmers Market Coalition
$65,602
WV
Mullens
Rural Appalachian Improvement League
$16,357
Detailed project summaries are available on the Farmers Market Promotion Program Web site at www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP.
