NEWS RELEASE

United States Department of Agriculture • Rural Development

1221 College Park Drive, Suite 200, Dover, DE  19904

Phone: (302) 857-3580 • Fax: (302) 857-3640 • TDD: (302) 857-3585 • Web: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov

TWO GRANTS SUPPORT MOUNT AIRY WINERY

          Mount Airy, MD (September 30, 2008) – For 25 years, the folks at Elk Run Vineyards have been making high quality wine, and with the support of more than $350,000 in grant funds they will be making wine for many years to come.   Fred and Carol Wilson are co-owners of Elk Run Vineyards, and 1 of 144 grant recipients in 37 states to receive funding this year through a nationally competitive USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program.

            Federal, state, and local officials joined together this afternoon at Elk Run, a 24 acre vineyard located in the Maryland Piedmont region that is one of six wineries on the Frederick Wine Trail, for the announcement of a $263,000 grant from USDA Rural Development that includes a partial matching grant from Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) in the amount of $87,666.

            Congressman Roscoe Bartlett said, “Small businesses are the job creators and innovators of our economy and the backbone of our rural economies.  That is why I am so supportive of the USDA Rural Development’s Value-Added Producer Grant Program. I am really proud of Fred and Carol Wilson for winning a highly competitive $263,000 grant under this program for their Elk Run Vineyards in Mount Airy.  As a former small business owner for ten years, I understand and really appreciate the fruit of the hard labor this grant represents for them.”

            Originally authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, the VAPG Program is designed to support farm families in rural America by helping them to market their commodities and increase their financial returns through planning and capital investments.  This year, five Maryland agricultural producers were recipients of the program.  Out of the five, three were wineries; the other two were for cheese and beef projects representing a total of $532,228.  MARBIDCO provided a companion grant of up to one-third of the USDA award for each project.

            “Your taxpayer dollars that we are returning today, supports job creation and retention for agricultural producers, businesses and families here in Maryland,” said Marlene Elliott Brown, USDA Rural Development State Director.  “Through this grant program we have the opportunity to preserve our rural landscape and to help keep agriculture as the backbone of our rural economy.”

MARBIDCO is a quasi-public corporation established by the State of Maryland in 2004 to provide specialized economic development assistance to Maryland’s struggling farm, forestry, and seafood industries.  Its mission is to help agricultural and other rural businesses achieve profitability, and in the process help preserve farm and forest land as well as bolster the production of quality locally-grown food and fiber products

Elk Run Vineyards will use the money from USDA and MARBIDCO to implement various business-related activities that include the production of new wines, expansion of its target market area, and the development of new marketing materials. “MARBIDCO is truly delighted to be able to assist the Elk Run Vineyards with their business expansion plans, and we heartily commend the Wilsons for their entrepreneurial spirit and long hours of work to get this project to this stage,” said Stephen McHenry, MARBIDCO Executive Director. “Value-added processing, if done correctly, is a viable way for farmers to find new markets for their products, increase farm-gate revenues, and help sustain farm operations for future generations.”

            This is the third winery in Maryland to be a recipient of the VAPG, and they are all located on the Frederick Wine Trail -- Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, located in Dickerson, was a recipient in 2007.  Black Ankle Vineyards, located in Mount Airy, was a recipient in 2006.  Over the past 7 years, Maryland agricultural producers have received a total of $2.2 million in VAPG awards.

USDA Rural Development’s mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents.  Last year, the agency returned more than $97 million to rural Maryland.  They have more than 40 programs that support agriculture, business opportunities, home ownership, home repair, rental housing, broadband technology, public safety, health care, education, social and cultural needs, and energy related projects.  Additional information on rural programs is available by calling their Hagerstown Office at (301) 797-0500, ext. 4 or by visiting their website at www.rurdev.usda.gov.

                ###  

“USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.”

To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

 Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).