Farmers Markets Seek USDA Funds

The George Washington Regional Commission will apply for a $75,000, two year USDA grant to help promote and manage local farmers markets.

The money at stake is from a pool of $10 million available from the USDA's Farmers Market Promotion Program. Applicants can receive between $5,000 to $100,000 in funds for projects which raise awareness of farmers markets. The project gives priority to projects which seek to expand farmers markets in urban and rural food deserts.

The $10 million grant pool was announced on June 1 by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The deadline to apply is July 1.

If successful in its application, some of the grant money will be used to fund part-time market manager positions in Spotsylvania and King George counties. The Fredericksburg farmers market manager is already a part-time paid position funded through the Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Department.

The grant money would also be used to expand a program which provides $10 in incentives for those on food stamps who pay by EBT cards at the markets.

The grant is being sought by the Fredericksburg Regional Farmers Market Consortium, a group of three local farmers markets in the city of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania and King George Counties. However, that group has yet to organize under any legal definition, requiring the GWRC to underwrite the consortium's grant request.

DeLaura Padova, manager of the King George farmers market, says that the consortium will eventually organize as a legal entity.