January 7, 2011

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) is seeking grant proposals for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) offering federal matching funds for the food and agriculture industry.

“By leveraging federal and private resources, these competitive grants allow Michigan's $71.3 billion food and agriculture industry to expand their programs,” said Keith Creagh, MDA director. “We encourage Michigan food and agriculture organizations to take advantage of this opportunity to explore new options as they compete in the global market.”

FSMIP funds a wide-range of projects that address barriers, challenges, or opportunities at any stage of the marketing chain including direct, wholesale, and retail. Proposals may involve small, medium, or large scale agricultural entities, but should potentially benefit multiple producers or agri-businesses. Proprietary proposals that benefit one business or individual will not be considered.

Eligible agricultural categories include livestock, livestock products, food and feed crops, fish, horticulture, viticulture, apiary, and forest products and processed or manufactured products derived from such commodities. Reflecting the growing diversity of U.S. agriculture in recent years, FSMIP has funded projects dealing with nutraceuticals, bio-energy, compost, and products made from agricultural residues.

The guidelines are available at www.ams.usda.gov, click on “grant programs.” If you are interested in submitting a proposal, contact Mike DiBernardo at 517-373-9144 or dibernardom@michigan.gov. Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday February 3, 2011. MDA will review and forward approved submissions to USDA.

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