05/01/06 WSDA marketing and trade grants

Washington Ag May 1, 2006 Nearly 250-thousand dollars is available to promote Washington agriculture by finding innovative ways to market the state's agricultural commodities or reduce trade barriers. This is the second round of grants using funds provided by the legislature in 2005. Janet Leister, manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Marketing Program, provides some examples of what's being done with the first round of grant funding. Leister: "International for example the Apple Commission is opening up the Russian market and they were able to bring six or seven buyers over here from Russia. The Wine Commission is doing a Florida promotion. The beef people are doing a state-wide beef promotion for certain cuts of beef. Then you go all the way down to C-POW, The Cattle Producers of Washington, and they are doing a small branding program of Washington grown beef in eastern Washington for restaurants." Grant applications are due at the WSDA May 15th. For more information you can contact Leister at the WSDA in Olympia or check the department's website at www.agr.wa.gov/marketing/ I'm Bob Hoff.