Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
1-9-02
Contacts:
Stanley Johnson, ISU Extension, (515) 294-6192, vpforext@iastate.edu
Daniel Brown, USDA Rural Development, (515) 284-4663, dan.brown@ia.usda.gov
Mary Holz-Clause, ISU Extension, (515) 294-0648, mclause@iastate.edu
Grassley Launches Ag Marketing Resource Center at ISU
AMES, Iowa - A new Agricultural Marketing Resource Center dedicated to collecting and distributing information to promote value-added agriculture was formally launched Jan. 8 with the presentation of a $5 million check from USDA Rural Development. Speaking at a ceremony at Iowa State University, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley said the new center will play a crucial role in helping farmers earn more for their crops and livestock.
"Farmers know that to remain competitive, they must capture more income through value-added processing of their commodities," Grassley said. "Timely flow of information will be critical to the success of such efforts, and this center promises to play an exciting part in the exchange of crucial ideas."
Projects already under development include a joint effort with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to create an online farmers' market, Internet courses for producers, a training program for new-generation cooperative board members, and a study of the ethanol industry in the Corn Belt. Kansas State University is doing the ethanol study with Sparks Companies Inc., of Memphis, Tenn.
The center will be supported by a multi-university consortium that includes Iowa State University (ISU), Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of California. It will be administered by Mary Holz-Clause of ISU Extension, the principal agency for administering the USDA grant. This partnership will provide resources to support marketing initiatives of value-added agriculture ventures, including farmer-owned cooperatives throughout the United States.
"This center will form an important link for many value-added agriculture ventures that have product capacity but need to develop successful marketing strategy," said Stan Johnson, vice provost for ISU Extension.
The center's efforts to facilitate technology use should help increase farmers' access to both domestic and international markets, and boost overall rural development efforts, said Daniel Brown, state director for USDA Rural Development. Brown presented a ceremonial check for $5 million to ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.
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