Extension Workshops to Assist With Funding for Farmers Markets

Clemson Extension will offer grant-writing workshops to help eligible communities, organizations and businesses seek grants for programs that promote local food.

The workshops are designed to help potential applicants understand, develop and submit grant applications for the USDA Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion programs. The Farmers Market Promotion Program supports farmers markets and other direct producer-to-consumer activities, while the Local Food Promotion Program supports enterprises that aggregate, store, distribute and process local and regional food. These $30 million programs offer individual project awards ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.

Through a collaboration between federal, state and regional partners, Clemson Cooperative Extension will conduct four workshops through an effort known as the Agricultural Marketing Service Technical Assistance (AMSTA) Project. These grant workshops will help eligible communities, organizations and businesses understand proposal elements and navigate the application process.

“The Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program is a key to USDA’s efforts to revitalize rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems,” said AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo. “The grant workshops will ensure that more communities and businesses across the country can participate in the competitive grant process with proposals that create real economic opportunities and help meet the growing demand for locally and regionally produced food.”

Dates and locations for the SC workshops are:

• Tuesday, April 21
  10 a.m. -2 p.m.
  The Lakehouse at Clemson Sandhill Research and Education Center
  Columbia

• Wednesday, April 22
  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  Horry County Extension Office
  Conway

• Tuesday, April 28
  9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  Colleton County Extension Office
  Walterboro

• Thursday, April 30
  8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  The Bleckley Inn
  Anderson

A $20 advance registration fee includes a meal and all program materials. Space is limited and registration will close one week before each event. For workshop details and online registration, interested parties should visit shopping.clemson.edu then search “Agricultural Marketing Grant Training.”

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is coordinating the workshops through the Regional Rural Development Centers, and Cooperative Extension System educators will provide training in all regions of the country. NIFA and all partners will conduct outreach to raise awareness of AMS grant opportunities and increase participation in the programs.

With $30 million authorized annually by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) through fiscal year 2018, AMS’s Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program awards competitive grants to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local and regional markets.

These investments are part of USDA’s commitment to strengthening local and regional food systems through projects that recruit and train farmers, expand economic opportunities, and increase access to healthy foods. USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative (KYF2) coordinates USDA’s support for local and regional food systems. Projects aligned with these efforts can be found on the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. For more information on AMS visit www.ams.usda.gov, and for more on NIFA visit www.nifa.usda.gov.