UDAF awards $1 million to USU Extension to expand digital market opportunities for agricultural producers

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has awarded Utah State University Extension a grant of over $1 million under the historic Rural Health Transformation Program as part of UDAF’s Utah Food Security Grant Program. The funding will expand USU Extension’s E-Commerce Accelerator and establish a Digital Marketing Intensive business mentoring program for agricultural operations. 

This investment will provide technical assistance to help rural agricultural producers establish e-commerce websites, along with digital marketing training to reach new consumers, grow their businesses, and increase consumer access to healthy, locally-grown or produced food. 

“Through the Utah Food Security Grant Program, we’re investing in the infrastructure Utah producers need to grow, process, and distribute more locally-produced food,” UDAF Commissioner Kelly Pehrson said. “But producers also need the digital skills and tools to market their products and reach customers. This partnership with USU Extension will help bridge that gap, strengthening rural agricultural businesses and getting more consumers access to Utah-grown products.”

Participants in the E-Commerce Accelerator receive individualized technical assistance and support from business consultants tailored to their current e-commerce readiness and business goals. Assistance may include website development and improvement, online storefront setup, search engine optimization, online marketing, customer experience, and performance tracking. The program will serve rural agricultural producers and food businesses seeking to reach customers beyond traditional in-person or local sales channels.

“Utah agricultural producers have to be profitable to stay in business and continue producing the food we eat for generations to come,” said Justen Smith, Vice President of USU Extension. “UDAF’s generous grant allows USU Extension’s E-Commerce Accelerator program to provide the resources our ag producers need to find new markets that can improve profitability. We are very appreciative of our partnership with UDAF.”

Since partnering with UDAF on funding the program, the E-Commerce Accelerator program has already built an additional 3 websites for Utah businesses, with 8 more underway, and generated an additional estimated $303,565 through digital business expansion. 

Interested local producers and businesses can sign up for the program waitlist or subscribe to USU Extension’s newsletter for updates at https://extension.usu.edu/ecommerce/.

This publication is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $11 million with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

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