Transportation and Marketing 

Federal-State Marketing 

Improvement Program 

Fiscal Year 2019 

Description of Funded Projects 

Number of Grants Awarded: 9 

Amount of Funds Awarded: $1,109,121.92 

For more information, please visit the grant program's website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip 

NOTE: The below project descriptions were provided by the grant recipients. 

Indiana 

Recipient: Indiana State Department of Agriculture Award Amount: $98,467.00 

Indianapols, IN Match Amount: $98,515.00 

Project Type: Market Development Total Project Amount: $196,982.00 

Economic Impact and Consumer Awareness Study of Indiana Grown 

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, in partnership with Purdue Extension and the Purdue University Department of 

Agricultural Economics, intends to identify the current economic impact of the Indiana Grown program, Indiana’s statewide

branding initiative for locally made/grown products. The approach includes: 1) determine the consumer awareness of the 

program and quantify a consumer willingness to pay for locally made/grown products in regionally differentiated markets 

within Indiana; 2) identify/quantify the drivers/benefits of producer participation in Indiana Grown; and 3) use the consumer 

and producer data to determine the economic impact of the Indiana Grown program and extrapolate the potential economic 

development potential for local agricultural product branding and marketing programs in Indiana. 

Kansas 

Recipient: Kansas Department of Agriculture Award Amount: $192,330.00 

Manhattan, KS Match Amount: $221,934.00 

Project Type: Agricultural Product Distribution Total Project Amount: $414,264.00 

FarmUs: farm to campus collaborative to access consumer markets on Kansas college campuses. The 

goal is to use student knowledge to market sorghum and wheat applications in collegiate 

foodservice. 

The Kansas Department of Agriculture will implement FarmUs, an effort developing market access to consumers of college 

campus food service for Kansas grown sorghum and wheat. The college population in Kansas is equivalent to 8% the total 

population. Further, students seek food choices that are locally sourced, nutritious, tasty and simple. FarmUs will advance the 

creation of direct consumer markets with support of a FarmUs Innovate class for undergraduates, and a FarmUs Consortium. 

The cornerstone of the FarmUs Innovate class is a product development challenge. The Innovate Challenge offers students a 

chance to develop skills in product innovation; all while designing new products with sorghum and wheat by students and for 

student customers of college food services. A consortium will link the interests of the state, academia, the farm sector and 

stakeholders. The consortium includes participation of both the Kansas University and Kansas State University food service 

programs. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kentucky 

Recipient: University of Kentucky Research Foundation Award Amount: $98,410.00 

Lexington, KY Match Amount: $98,410.00 

Project Type: Market Development Total Project Amount: $196,820.00 

Best Practices of Financially Sustainable Incentive Programs for Sourcing and Verifying Local Food 

in Restaurants 

The University of Kentucky will address two related issues to improve economic opportunities for farmers, and by extension 

rural economies. First, to improve local sourcing in restaurants, we will identify best practices for facilitating relationships 

between local producers and restaurants. They will conduct interviews with personnel in four states with well-regarded farmto-restaurant programs as well as Kentucky restaurants who are involved in the Buy Local program. Kentucky farmers will be 

surveyed on similar issues. The second main issue is to develop strategies for verifying local purchasing. They will evaluate 

different systems for verifying businesses' level of local sourcing. They will also conduct a conjoint analysis survey to 

determine consumer willingness to pay for locally designated items and interview restaurateurs about source-level 

identification schema. 

Massachusetts 

Recipient: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Award Amount: $86,187.35 

Boston, MA Match Amount: $88,787.17 

Project Type: Market Development Total Project Amount: $174,974.52 

Exploring the Feasibility of a Massachusetts Shared-Use Dairy Processing Facility 

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources plans to increase profit margins for Massachusetts dairy farmers. 

To achieve this goal, this project: 1) Engages an extensive network of stakeholders to identify opportunities and barriers to 

processing value added dairy products that could increase price premiums earned by farmers, 2) Assesses the economic 

feasibility of scale-appropriate processing capacity in Massachusetts, and 3) Expands awareness of and access to technical 

assistance for dairy farms. This project will engage stakeholders to identify operational feasibility, market potential, and 

barriers to access institutional markets. Information gathered will be used to conduct an in-depth feasibility study for a 

shared-use dairy processing facility, including a food safety risk assessment, examination of potential sites, and a return-oninvestment analysis. 

Recipient: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Award Amount: $49,858.00 

Boston, MA Match Amount: $49,869.00 

Project Type: Market Development Total Project Amount: $99,727.00 

Improving grower cooperatives: best practices in marketing, distribution, and governance 

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will research, review, and evaluate best practices in marketing, 

distribution, and governance for grower marketing cooperatives. They will work closely with two existing cooperatives and 

will share our findings with farmers interested in starting new marketing cooperatives. Grower marketing cooperatives are an 

effective way for farmers to share the costs of marketing and distribution while retaining profits from those activities. The 

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will allow growers to benefit from economies of scale through such 

mechanisms as bulk buying of supplies, shared facilities for aggregation, packing, or distribution, and sharing the costs of 

certain licensing requirements or food safety infrastructure or procedures. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michigan 

Recipient: Michigan State University Award Amount: $124,645.57 

East Lansing, MI Match Amount: $253,770.11 

Project Type: Economic Research to Clarify Market Barriers and Opportunities Total Project Amount: $378,415.68 

Predicting Plant Purchases from Consumer Characteristics and Gaze Sequences 

Michigan State University will investigate larger gaze patterns and more variables to help predict purchases with greater 

accuracy. They will conduct an in-person survey using two plant types (herb and flowering plant) with two prices (low and 

high) and three types of sign imaging (none, human, plant). They will also recruit 100 participants who vary in plant 

knowledge and demographic characteristics. Working with individuals who have expertise in machine-learning, Michigan 

State University will analyze the participants’ gaze sequences and consumer characteristics to predict which plant a person 

will buy. Outcomes will be the identification of the most helpful information in the display, signage and consumer attributes 

that contribute to a purchase. 

Montana 

Recipient: Montana Department of Agriculture Award Amount: $79,217.00 

Helena, MT Match Amount: $85,263.00 

Project Type: Agricultural Product Development Total Project Amount: $164,480.00 

Hemp Product Development and Market Identification Research 

The Montana Department of Agriculture will research alternative products, markets and processes for hemp production. As a 

target outcome, this project would increase hemp acreage as a result of expanded hemp markets and that farmers will have 

alternatives to selling hemp for cannabidiol (CBD). This project will engage interdisciplinary teams of students at Montana 

State University in the “Innovative Ideation: Hemp, the Next Frontier” course focusing on the development of new hemp

products. At the Montana Department of Agriculture, a hemp trade team will be organized to research establish Canadian 

hemp markets and learn hemp harvest and postharvest management techniques. Throughout the project, the two groups 

will meet with the intent of developing a guide to support farmers in entering the hemp market. 

Tennessee 

Recipient: The University of Tennessee Award Amount: $156,408.00 

Knoxville, TN Match Amount: $156,408.00 

Project Type: Market Development Total Project Amount: $312,816.00 

Value-Added Opportunities for Marketing Tennessee Cattle Using Genetic Information 

The University of Tennessee will determine value-added opportunities for marketing cattle using available genetic 

information by examining cattle producer references and value for cattle genomics and genetic testing throughout the beef 

cattle supply chain. Specifically, this project will determine: (1) Tennessee cow-calf producer value for bull genotype (GEEPDs, EPDs), phenotype (physical characteristics), and genetic testing to market feeder cattle; and (2) feedlots’ valuations of

feeder cattle genetic testing and their value for specific feeder cattle traits. Outreach and educational materials will be 

developed to assist seedstock, cow-calf, and stocker producers with valuing cattle traits throughout the supply chain. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia 

Recipient: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Award Amount: $223,599.00 

Blacksburg, VA Match Amount: $223,600.00 

Project Type: Economic Research to Clarify Market Barriers and Opportunities Total Project Amount: $447,199.00 

Market Opportunity and Segmentation for U.S. Rice in China and Ethnic Chinese Communities 

The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will study the use of a combination of experimental economics and 

survey methods to identify market potential for U.S. rice in China and among ethnic Chinese in the U.S., as well as market 

segmentation of Chinese consumers both in China and domestically. The research methodology is designed to ensure that 

output is informative, reliable, can be obtained at reasonable cost, and is accessible to the general public. The results of this 

research will be disseminated to rice producers and industry representatives to improve marketing efficiency, promote trade 

in U.S. agricultural products, further develop domestic markets, and prepare U.S. exporters to overcome impediments to 

marketing in mainland China.