Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
Program Basics
The Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) aims to increase and strengthen direct producer-to-consumer marketing channels. Through a competitive grants application process, FMPP funds marketing proposals for community-supported agriculture programs, farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and other direct marketing strategies.
Specific grant uses include developing relevant financial and marketing information, business planning, improving market access and education for consumers, organizing markets and direct marketing networks, and supporting innovative approaches to market management and operations. Priorities for the 2008 grant cycle included:
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Training and educational programs for new farmers
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Strategies for creating innovative partnerships and networking
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Programs for professional development of farmers’ market managers, vendors, and organizations.
Entities that are eligible for FMPP grants are groups of farmers, non-profit corporations, agricultural cooperatives, local governments, economic development corporations, regional farmers’ market authorities, public benefit corporations, and Tribal Governments.
The program is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). To date, AMS has instituted a maximum grant award limitation of not to exceed $75,000.
2008 Farm Bill Changes
The 2008 Farm Bill makes the following changes to the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program:
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Agri-tourism activities are included in the activities that the program supports;
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Producer networks and associations are eligible to receive a FMPP grant;
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No less than 10% of the funds for the FMPP will be used to support the use of electronic benefit transfers (EBT) for Federal nutrition programs (food stamps and WIC) at farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture enterprises; and
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The Statement of the 2008 Farm Bill Managers clarifies that FMPP grants are intended to support all forms of direct marketing, including organizing, marketing, training, business plan development, community outreach and education, and other associated activities designed to establish or improve direct marketing opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and the consumers that they serve.
Legislative Authority
Section 10106 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008 amends Section 6 of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976, to be codified at 7 U.S.C. Section 3005.
Funding
In the 2008 Farm Bill, funding for FMPP became mandatory for the first time, with an eleven-fold increase over previous discretionary levels. The program now has $33 million over 5 years in mandatory funding divided in the following manner:
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Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Funding |
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2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
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$3 M |
$5 M |
$5 M |
$10 M |
$10 M |
At least 10% of funds shall be used to support the use of electronic benefits transfers for federal nutrition programs at farmers’ markets and community-supported agricultural enterprises.
Please note: The funding levels in the chart above show the amount of mandatory funding reserved by the 2008 Farm Bill for this program to be provided through USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. However, Congress does at times pass subsequent appropriations legislation that caps the funding level for a particular year for a particular program at less than provided by the farm bill in order to use the resulting savings to fund a different program. Therefore, despite its “mandatory” status, the funding level for a given year could be less than the farm bill dictates should the Appropriations Committee decide to raid the farm bill to fund other programs under its jurisdiction.
Implementation Basics
Each year, the USDA posts a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) in the Federal Register to announce the beginning of a new grant cycle for FMPP. The NOFA for FY2009 was posted on March 13, 2009, and applications are due on April 27, 2009.
According to USDA, either a proposed or an interim final rule will be issued this summer with a final rule expected by early fall. The new rules will go into effect for the following round of grants beginning in FY2010.
Examples of Past Grant Recipients
City of West Lafayette, Indiana received $38,000 in 2007 to establish a “Green and Lean” marketing program at the Sagamore West Farmers’ Market that will include an advertising campaign with educational materials for vendors and consumers to promote healthy eating, physical fitness, and personal safety.
Small Farm Institute of Fresno, Ohio received $32,572 in 2007 to help grass-fed beef producers market their products directly to consumers at farmers markets by conducting a series of workshops to identify strategies for production, processing, preparation, and marketing grass-fed beef products.
Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, Inc. of Wewoka, Oklahoma received $62,270 in 2007 to establish, promote and manage the Eastside Farmers Market in an inner-city Oklahoma City neighborhood, and train more than 250 small, limited-resource farmers in 44 counties to market their produce at farmers markets throughout the state.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, Inc. (CISA), of South Deerfield, Massachusetts received $61,275 in 2006 to develop a new direct marketing channel for farmers by creating a community supported agriculture (CSA) program for workplace employees in western Massachusetts, while providing training and hands-on agricultural production and marketing experiences for new immigrant farmers and other small-scale agriculture producers.
USDA Contact Information
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: http://www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP.
Carmen Humphrey, Branch Chief, Marketing Grants and Technical Services Division, USDA-AMS
Carmen.humphrey@usda.gov, 202-720-8317.
Errol Bragg, Director of Marketing Services Division, USDA-AMS, errol.bragg@usda.gov,
202-720-8317.
Debra Tropp, Branch Chief of Farmers Market and Direct Marketing Research, Marketing Services Division, USDA-AMS, debra.tropp@usda.gov, 202-720-8326.