Lilburn Farmers Market receives grant from AgSouth Farm Credit

Lilburn: – March 15: Today the Lilburn Farmers Market in Lilburn , GA, announced that the market was selected to receive an AgSouth Farm Credit farmers market support grant in the amount of $500. The Lilburn Farmers Market was one of fifty markets throughout AgSouth’s territory in Georgia and South Carolina to receive a portion of $25,000 in total grant funds. The grant will be used for advertising and promotion of the venue.

Farmers Market Manager, Mandy McManus said, “We are very thankful to have been selected to receive AgSouth’s Think Outside the Store® farmers market grant. We think it will go a long way in helping us promote the market and in encouraging our community to think ‘farm fresh’ when planning their meals.”

According to AgSouth Farm Credit Marketing Director Christy Smith, “To be eligible to receive a grant, applicants had to provide a detailed marketing plan describing how they would use the grant funds to promote the market. We received many applications with some very creative marketing plans, and it was very hard for our selection committee to choose among the many excellent applications we received. The Lilburn Farmers Market was chosen because of its strategic and very specific marketing plan designed to increase public awareness of the market.”

She explained that, “Many farmers get their start selling to local markets. Our grant program was designed to support these young farmers by helping to create public awareness of how choosing to shop at your local farmers market benefits not only a community’s health, but also its economy, much in the same way our own patronage program [the cooperative’s profit sharing program] benefits not only our members, but the communities we serve. This is the sixth year we have been supporting our local markets, and we’re proud continue that support.”