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The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center is an electronic, national resource for producers interested in value-added agriculture. Browse commodities and products, investigate market and industry trends, study business creation and operation, read research results and locate value-added resources.
Current News
Hold That Date!
The 2010 National Value Added Ag Conference, hosted by Mississippi State University Extension Service, will be held June 27 - June 29 in Biloxi. For more information, contact Anna Hood at: annah@ext.msstate.edu
Organic Agriculture
+NEW+ 2008 Organic Production Survey, National Ag Statistics Service, 2010 - Access the results of USDA's first national survey of organic producers. This follow-up to the 2007 Census of Ag showed that organic operations had higher average sales and higher average production expenses in 2008 than U.S. farms overall.
+Updated+ Organic Food Trends - With the passage of the 2008 Farm Act, U.S. organic policy has changed direction. New provisions in the Farm Act will, for the first time, provide financial support to organic farmers.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Support for Organic Growers, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA - The U.S. government is now providing financial support to farmers who want to convert to organic production, disbursing up to $50 million this year. The deadline for applications is March 12, 2010.
Project Funding
Value-Added Producer Grants, Rural Business and Cooperative Programs, USDA - The anticipated award date for the VAPGs is May 3, 2010.
Grants.gov - This partnership of Federal agencies directs grant seekers to over 1,000 programs offered across 26 Federal grant-making agencies. To have grant notices sent directly to you, sign up for a free subscription.
Featured Information
Renewable Energy
The Role of Greenhouse Gas Offsets for Agriculture - Part 1, AgMRC Renewable Energy Newsletter, February 2010 - This article focuses on alternatives for controlling greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of emission offsets on the agriculture sector.
+NEW!+ USDA Farm Service Agency Seeks Comments on Proposed Biomass Crop Assistance Program, AgMRC Blog - The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) is designed to hasten the production of biofuels by providing incentive payments for the cultivation of biomass crops and for eligible biomass sold to a qualified biomass conversion facility.
Business Development
AgMRC Provides Information on Starting a Business in a Downturn, AgMRC Media Room - Entrepreneurship in an economic downtown is not easy. Information from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center can help.
Creating a New Business, AgMRC Blog - Creating a viable business requires following a series of steps – and you need to take them in order.
Local/Regional Foods
Investigating the Potential Economic Impacts of Local Foods for Southwest Iowa, Dave Swenson, Iowa State University, 2009 - According to this study funded by the Leopold Center, increased demand in metropolitan areas for locally grown food could have a positive impact on neighboring rural economies.
Farm to School Initiative, AgMRC Blog - This USDA initiative is an effort to connect schools (K - 12) with regional or local farms in order to serve healthy meals using locally produced foods.
