AgSouth Farm Credit recently announced
$25,000 in funding for 50 farmers markets, receiving $500 each, throughout
Georgia and South Carolina through its Think Outside the Store grant program.
“To
be eligible to receive a grant, applicants had to provide a detailed marketing
plan describing how they would use the grant funds to promote the market,” Christy Smith, AgSouth marketing director, said. “We received many applications with
some very creative marketing plans, and it was very hard for our selection
committee to choose among the many excellent applications we received.”
Grant funding, split among 23 farmers
markets in Georgia and 27 markets in South Carolina, will allow the markets
to better promote themselves and, in doing so, will help the local farmers
selling products at those markets connect with customers.
“Many farmers get their start selling to
local markets,” Smith said. “Our grant program was designed to support these
young farmers by helping to create public awareness of how choosing to shop at
your local farmers market benefits not only a community’s health, but also its
economy, much in the same way our own patronage program [the cooperative’s
profit sharing program] benefits not only our members, but the communities we
serve. This is the sixth year we have been supporting our local markets, and
we’re proud to continue that support.”
