YEAR END GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS -- A BOOST FOR MARYLAND AGRICULTURE
By Marlene Elliott, USDA Rural Development State Director for Delaware and Maryland
Today, about 50 million people call rural America home. Less than 10 percent of these rural citizens currently live on a farm and less than 7 percent of the rural workforce is directly employed in farm production; therefore, about 90% of farm household income reported in 2003 came from off-farm sources. At USDA Rural Development we offer two programs that are helping to keep farming in the rural way of life.
The Value-Added Producer Grant program and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant program are helping to stimulate the farm economy and support farmer innovation. The innovative initiatives have helped strengthen the viability of small and mid-sized farms allowing agricultural producers to grow businesses around production practices that benefit our rural landscape.
As the Government’s fiscal year 2007 (October 1 – September 30) came to a close, USDA announced 162 recipients of the Value-Added Producer Grant program totaling $22.7 million in 40 states and Puerto Rico that will help farmers and groups of farmers to write business plans and develop and market their value-added agricultural products. There were 345 proposals in 37 states that have been selected to receive a total of $18.2 million of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grants that will help agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable energy generation systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. We are delighted that four recipients are from Maryland:
Maryland Value-Added Producer Grant Program Recipients
Ring Farms, Westover, MD (Somerset County) $76,499
To support working capital for Arlington’s Natural Meats.
Roseda Beef, Monkton, MD (Baltimore County) $42,000
To support a marketing and sales plan for natural Black Angus beef.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Dickerson, MD (Montgomery County) $233,472
To support working capital associated with the winery.
Maryland Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant Recipient
Kilby’s Inc. Anaerobic Digester, Colora, MD (Cecil County) $213,110
To help with equipment and construction of an anaerobic digester operation.
To see a full list of the recipients, visit the USDA Rural Development website at www.rurdev.usda.gov
It is encouraging to see our taxpayer dollars coming back home to Maryland to support family farms that meet consumer demand for fresh foods and new markets that benefit the environment and our natural resources.
It is clear from the National list of grantees that USDA Rural Development is supporting a diversity of projects that will help keep agriculture alive and well in this country. While many were selected, there were additional worthy applicants that had to be turned down because of funding limits for the programs. Authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, we anticipate the Value-Added Producer Grant program and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant program returning in the 2007 Farm Bill.
The face of rural America is changing and USDA Rural Development wants to be a partner in helping to keep our rural heritage and economy strong for future generations to enjoy.
###