Transportation and Marketing

Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program

Fiscal Year 2020 Description of Funded Projects

Number of Grants Awarded: 6

Amount of Funds Awarded: $1,109,442.80

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.

Georgia

Recipient: University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc, Athens, GA

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $248,686.00

Match Amount: $250,113.00

Total Project Amount: $498,799.00

Hemp Marketing: Measuring Stated Demand and Preferences in an Emerging Market 

The University of Georgia is partnering with the University of Kentucky, University of Delaware, and 

Auburn University to lead a new project to conduct a multi‐state consumer survey (The Hemp Demand 

Survey) to study and identify consumer attitudes, preferences, and sentiments for hemp‐derived 

products. The objectives of the project are to 1) Establish a cross‐sectional, time series dataset that 

measures attitudes and preferences for value‐added hemp products; 2) Determine consumer attitudes 

and preferences for hemp‐derived products; 3) Assess changes in consumer attitudes and preferences 

for hemp‐derived products over time; 4) Determine the importance of information (e.g., labels) that 

decreases uncertainty in quality of hemp‐derived products; and 5) Determine the amount of consumer 

demand in order to assess the amount of production needed. The research team plans to share the 

results with the hemp producers and other stakeholder to provide short‐term and long‐term benefits to 

all supply chain partners throughout the U.S. hemp industry.

Kansas

Recipient: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $242,714.00

Match Amount: $242,715.00

Total Project Amount: $485,429.00
Designing, Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Supply Chain Information Systems: 

Enhancing Beef Cattle Production and Market Development 

Kansas State University is partnering with Kansas Livestock Association, Beef Cattle Institute, Tiffany 

Cattle Co., Inc., and other local stakeholders to lead a new project to design, build, implement, and 

evaluate an easy to use electronic cattle production and marketing tool (referred to as the “Calf‐App”) 

that will greatly facilitate transferring important information vertically in the beef supply chain. The 

research team will identify and determine highest‐priority information that would add the most value to 

cow‐calf producers, along with the highest‐priority information that would benefit feedlots. The result 

would be transformed into an easy to‐use electronic data recording tool for cow‐calf producers to 

implement in the field to collect key production data and share with downstream supply chain 

customers. The research team will also publish and disseminate the study results through different 

outlets and create an on‐line data system (“Calf‐App”) for producers to utilize without fees.

Minnesota

Recipient: Minnesota Department of Agriculture, St. Paul, MN

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $235,169.00

Match Amount: $239,222.14

Total Project Amount: $474,391.14

Regulation, Promotion, Data: Statewide Cooperative Partnership for Improved Opportunities and 

Performance in Local and Regional Markets 

Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with Regents of the University of Minnesota, 

Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Center for Farm Financial Management, Minnesota 

Farmers Market Association, Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, and other stakeholders to 

lead a new project to bolster support for local and regional markets develop through the statewide 

cooperative partnership, consisting of engagement, evaluation, and envisioning phases, with a focus on 

the following three primary areas: (1) Regulation, (2) Promotion, and (3) Market Data. The project team 

will actively engage farmers and supply chain businesses in evaluation and envisioning activities, which 

will yield a baseline understanding of local and regional marketing opportunities for the state. This 

project also will create a state‐level holistic framework and roadmap for enhancing local and regional 

market regulation, promotion, and data collection. The study result will benefit local producers, supply 

chain partners, and decision makers and strengthen partnerships across market participants and 

supporters in Minnesota.
New Jersey

Recipient: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $98,487.00

Match Amount: $98,488.00

Total Project Amount: $196,975.00

Local Food, Direct Marketing and Agritourism Activities as Value‐Added Opportunities for Small 

Farmers in the Mid‐ Atlantic United States 

Rutgers University is partnering with New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania State 

University, Farmer Direct Marketing Association, and other local stakeholders to lead a new project to 

expand value‐added marketing opportunities for small famers in the Mid‐Atlantic United States. The 

goals of this project are 1) Survey and document the characteristics of consumers who do and do not 

patronize local food, direct marketing, and agritourism operations, as well as what product attributes 

are offered at direct marketing outlets; 2) Estimate the market size of local food, direct marketing, and 

the agritourism industries in the study region; 3) Develop forecasting models to predict key marketing 

information (i.e., willingness to pay, patronage rates, and spending behavior) to assist farmers to target 

specific population segments for profitability; and 4) Form a coalition of partners to promote direct 

marketing and agritourism in the region and share experiences to other stakeholders.

New Mexico

Recipient: The Regents of New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $135,342.80

Match Amount: $136,443.00

Total Project Amount: $271,785.80

Federal‐State Marketing Improvement Program Proposal NMSU/NMDA Farm to Table 

The New Mexico State University is partnering with New Mexico Department of Agriculture, New 

Mexico Department of Health, Farm to Table New Mexico, the New Mexico Aging and Long‐Term 

Services, and other local partners to lead a new project to establish the New Mexico Grown Fruits and 

Vegetables for Senior Meals and Nutrition Programs, based on the successes of implementing the New 

Mexico Grown Program for school meals. The goal of this project is to expand the New Mexico Grown 

Program to senior meal and nutrition programs by providing new market and economic opportunities 

for producers while providing senior services with fresh locally/regionally grown produce. Additionally, 

this project will focus on researching best methods of establishing buyer/seller relationships, regulatory 

requirements, and intergenerational meal options. The research team would also provide farmers with 

critical food safety, regulation, packaging, and logistic coordination training.
Oregon

Recipient: Oregon State Department of Agriculture, Salem, OR

Project Type: Market Development

Award Amount: $149,044.00

Match Amount: $149,048.00

Total Project Amount: $298,092.00

Determining and implementing best practices for craft beverage direct to consumer marketing 

during and after the COVID‐ 19 Pandemic: A case study of Northwest hard cider 

Oregon State Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Northwest Cider Association to lead a 

new project to (1) conduct, analyze and disseminate findings from market research to improve direct to 

consumer sales; (2) collaborate on a promotional campaign, and (3) collect and disseminate marketing 

information based on campaign that improves consumers’ access to and awareness of hard cider in the 

new and changing regulatory landscape. Using hard cider made in the Pacific Northwest as a case study, 

this project directly responds to the impacts and challenges of the COVID‐19 pandemic by expanding 

opportunities in the marketing, transportation and direct distribution of craft beverages to consumers. 

The project will establish an advisory board and a series of marketing efforts to foster new and expand 

domestic markets for hard cider, identify industry needs, and quickly respond by curating and creating 

new resources, sharing information on safe manufacturing, and conducting market research needed to 

help cideries move forward. The research team will also share the study results to local farmers, 

producers, and other stakeholders.