The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it is investing $6.5 million to strengthen and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products:

$5.4 million awarded to 12 projects through the Acer Access and Development Program (Acer). This funding supports the efforts of states, tribal governments and research institutions to increase market opportunities for the domestic maple sugaring industry.

$1.1 million awarded to six projects through the Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving marketing system efficiency and performance.

The projects are funded for a three-year period beginning September 30, 2020.