The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded grants to specialty crop associations in Michigan. These grants are provided each year, mostly for marketing and research. This year, the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB) received about $125,000.
Michigan produces the most asparagus in the United States. The state plans to use the funds to improve its online marketing efforts. The goal is to better reach online shoppers.
More and more consumers are buying groceries on the internet.
Michigan asparagus marketing grant use
“We have a lot of people that are shopping online.
They may shop online for pickup, rather than going into the store all the time,” said Jamie Clover Adams. She is the executive director of MAAB. “Since asparagus is often an impulse purchase and we are a seasonal crop, we need to figure out how to convince people to buy asparagus during our season when they’re shopping online,” Adams said.
Higher sales could greatly benefit farmers. Many are currently dealing with high labor costs. In total, twenty-two grants were given to various Michigan organizations this year.
They are aimed at supporting the state’s specialty crop industry.
