Wines & Vines

October 2014 Bottles and Labels Issue

Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/383377

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 70 of 83

W i n e s & V i n e s O C T O b e r 2 0 1 4 71 N E W S O F G R A P E S A N D W I N E S I N E A S T E R N N O R T H A M E R I C A USDA Awards Money to 28 Wineries Value-Added Producer Grants from Farm Bill benefit wineries in 20 states W ashington, D.C.—Agriculture Sec- retary Tom Vilsack announced the 247 recipients of $25 million in USDA Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) on Aug. 19. The Farm Bill, passed earlier this year, had increased mandatory fund- ing for the Value-Added Producer Grants program from $15 million to $63 million during the next five years and reauthorized an additional $40 million in discretionary funds. A total of 28 wineries and/or vine- yards in 20 states received $3,281,928 in grants from this program. According to the USDA, the main objective of the VAPG program is "to help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of bio-based value-added products. Generat- ing new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income are the end goals of this program." Priority may be given to beginning farmers or ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, small- or me- dium-sized family farms or ranches, and farmer or rancher cooperatives. The maximum award for planning grants was $75,000, while the maximum for working capital grants was $200,000. In addition, the program includes a cost- sharing requirement of cash or eligible in- kind matching funds equal to at least the amount of the grant funds requested. Eight wineries in seven states received the maximum grant of $200,000. Rose Fiore, who owns Fiore Winery in Pylesville, Md., with her husband Mike, told Wine East that the grant will "give us a chance to do some marketing and advertising to expand our market share. We're revamp- ing our labels and plan to hire someone to do marketing for us," she said. The Fiores currently produce approximately 10,000 cases. The newest winery getting a grant is Bonobo Winery in Traverse City, Mich. Todd and Carter Oosterhouse plan to open the winery on Old Mission Peninsula this fall. Several of the wineries receiving the larg- est grants will use the funds for market- ing purposes. For example, Three Sisters Vineyards and Winery in Dahlonega, Ga., plans to market a new sparkling wine, while the grant to Two Mountain Winery in Zillah, Wash., will help the winery cover the costs of processing and marketing an estate wine. —Linda Jones McKee winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Value-Added Producer" I N T H E N E W S p 7 1 W I N E M A K I N G p 7 3 G R A P E G R O W I N G p 7 6 e: sam@budwood.biz | c: 267.408.5769 | w: www.budwood.biz Case By Case Wine and Grape Supplier Your Source for World Class Wine Grapes and Bulk Wines Serving wineries nationwide on a Case By Case basis East and West Coast varieties available: R Winegrapes R Bulk Wine R Juice R Shiners Jim, Owner Northern California Office (707) 671-4126 • jim@casebycasebrokers.com Tom, Domestic and International Sales Southeast Office (864) 401-2297 • tom@casebycasebrokers.com www.casebycasebrokers.com

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Wines & Vines - October 2014 Bottles and Labels Issue