Marketing grants available for exporters
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Small exporters may apply for marketing grants from the Southern United States Trade Assoc. (SUSTA). The Market Access Program’s Branded program (MAP Branded) reimburses growers and food producers up to 50 percent of their international marketing costs. SUSTA is now accepting applications for the 2011 Branded program. Expenses that MAP Branded grants can cover include advertising, trade shows, labeling and freight.

To be eligible, companies must be considered small according to U.S. Small Business Administration standards, have yearly sales of at least $100,000 and promote a brand-name product that is at least 50 percent U.S. agricultural origin. MAP Branded is funded by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and administered to southern U.S. companies by SUSTA.

To apply, companies may download the 2011 Prequalification Worksheet on the SUSTA website at www.susta.org/services/map_application.html and SUSTA is still accepting applications for 2010 Branded funding. For more information, call 504-568-5986.

American Agri-Women show begins airing on RFD-TV
MANHATTAN, Kan. — RFD-TV is airing a show produced by American Agri-Women (AAW) for farm women on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. The show will repeat each week on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.

In this half-hour series, AAW brings a weekly topic of concern to farm, ranch and agribusiness women and shares information about how to manage risk in agricultural operations. Each show features expert advice on that week’s topic and includes a visit with a farm woman who is addressing that issue in her farming operation.

Tennessee helping fund Memphis Farm Market expansion
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Commissioner Ken Givens announced a $100,000 matching grant to the downtown Memphis Farmers’ Market to help expand vendor space for locally grown farm products. The total cost of the project is estimated at $360,000.

Funding for the $100,000 matching grant is from the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program, which was established by Gov. Phil Bredesen in 2005 to help increase farm profits and support agricultural development in the state. The grant is being made available through the Memphis City Center Development Corp. and is being matched by the market and with donations from local foundations, businesses and individuals.

Improvements will also provide Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) with covered parking spaces as well as access to covered passenger drop-off during inclement weather. The market leases the property from MATA. A new pavilion is expected to help generate an additional $600,000 in annual sales for local farmers and is targeted for completion in March 2011.

For more information about the market visit www.memphisfarmersmarket.org or call 901-575-0580.

Pennington Seed marks 10th anniversary of MaxQ
MADISON, Ga. — Marking an innovation milestone, Pennington Seed announced special 10th anniversary discounts on its toxin-free tall fescue MaxQ.

For a limited time, farmers can put the proven pasture forage to work in their fields at a price approximately 20 percent lower than previous years. The MaxQ endophyte, discovered by New Zealand scientists, is a naturally occurring fungus that does not produce animal toxins. The endophyte also helps the tall fescue plant battle drought, disease and insects.

For more information, visit www.penningtonseed.com or call 800-285-SEED.

Online resources for vegetable gardening
URBANA, Ill. — Americans are converting some of their yards to produce food for the table and reconnect with nature. University of Illinois extension has several websites to help.

The Illinois Vegetable Garden Guide at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/vegguide offers step-by-step guidelines and tips for the home gardener. Watch Your Garden Grow at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies is a guide to growing, storing and preparing vegetables.

Children often love to get their hands dirty. When they are allowed to help in the garden, it can be fun and educational for them. My First Garden at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/firstgarden is a guide to the world of fun and clever gardening targeted toward youngsters.

Gardener’s Corner is available both as a website at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/ gardenerscorner and a series at www.youtube.com/user/UIExtension

BASF launches Kixor herbicide tech training module
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — BASF Corp. has introduced a new online training program – www.kixoreducation.com – that provides key information on how Kixor herbicide technology helps address a grower’s toughest weed challenges, including weeds resistant to ALS inhibitors, triazines and glyphosate.

Retailers and growers who complete the training between now and Sept. 30 will be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 iPod Nanos.

The audio-visual program features technical information about the three products powered by Kixor that were designed for row crops: Integrity herbicide, OpTill herbicide and Sharpen herbicide.