By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky’s aquaculture industry got a boost last month as the USDA announced Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) grants to 19 states and Puerto Rico.

The state received $49,000 that will go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) “in cooperation with Kentucky State University (KSU) and Ohio State University (OSU), to investigate the feasibility of creating a profitable seafood marketing system using low to moderate investment that takes into account the demand for fresh/live seafood markets in Kentucky and Ohio, and the supply of aquaculture products from small-scale and seasonal growers,” according to information from the USDA.

The agency gave a total of $1.3 million in matching grants to state agriculture agencies to help in new marketing efforts for agricultural products and for research in improving marketing endeavors.

“FSMIP provides our state partners with matching funds to explore new and innovative approaches to marketing U.S. food and agricultural products,” stated Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “USDA supports state and local projects ranging from research to retail to ensure that quality American products are marketed efficiently and effectively.”

The FSMIP awards these grants annually for projects aimed at overcoming problems incurred in marketing, transporting and distributing U.S. agricultural goods both here and abroad. Angela Caporelli, KDA aquaculture marketing specialist, said its research will look at a number of possible markets for Kentucky and Ohio aquaculture producers.

“We’ll look at targeting high-end, independent restaurants, farmers’ markets and small retail to see what our potential is in selling some our niche products that we raise,” she said.

Caporelli added some restaurants are starting to use more products, but part of the grant will be used to look at logistics and really target specifics such as what type of fish customers are looking for and how they want it delivered. Then, the KDA will pull the information together to disseminate to producers to see if they can meet those demands.

“We are going to do some workshops and help producers fine-tune what they are doing now to really target these high-end niche markets,” she said.
Caporelli noted aquaculture is a sustainable industry and has contributed to the bigger demand for locally grown products. “People are concerned about their food miles and want to help local ag,” she said.

“I would love to see an increase in fish farmers and see some of these farms that are either predominantly one species or predominantly one crop diversify better, and I think with this information, we’ll find through this grant we will be able to give them the tools to justify that.”

Caporelli also said several small pilot projects have brought products to farmers’ markets that have been well-received by customers. This grant will be more of a concise project to gather the data needed to do things such as create workshops or publish training manuals for producers.

According to the announcement from the USDA, another state on the receiving end of the FSMIP grants included Illinois, where $55,000 will go the state’s Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Assoc. “to conduct a comprehensive grape census and economic impact study, explore development of an Illinois Wine Quality/Standards program and host training sessions for chefs, restaurateurs and retailers in urban environments to explore untapped markets for Illinois wine.”

Michigan received two grants, one of $36,750 going to Michigan State University, in cooperation with Purdue University, Texas A&M University, the University of Minnesota and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, “to utilize new eye movement tracking technology to determine the images and text consumers view first and longest when looking at a display of ornamental and food-producing plants in order to understand how these factors relate to purchasing decisions.”

The other is in the amount of $113,351, also to MSU, “to develop and test a comprehensive beef traceability model that could be implemented by Michigan beef producers, processors, retailers and food service operators.”