South Carolina food marketing program receives national award

Published: August 11, 2011

Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture image by: Clemson University

COLUMBIA — An interactive online resource led by Clemson University that helps put the state’s freshest from-the-boat seafood and agricultural products in the hands of consumers has received a national innovation award.

S.C. MarketMaker, an online marketing resource that connects food producers with markets, is among the first recipients of the National Food MarketMaker Innovation Award.

The award, sponsored by Farm Credit, was presented at the National Value Added Agriculture Conference in Pittsburgh to S.C. MarketMaker partners Clemson University and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Extension program.

Clemson University and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium were recognized for developing a pilot MarketMaker seafood component that evolved into a national initiative.

The national MarketMaker program invited participating states to submit proposals that highlighted their innovative efforts. The Farm Credit Council led a committee that included food and agriculture stakeholders to select the winning states. South Carolina received $7,500 from Farm Credit.

South Carolina’s proposal, “Helping MarketMaker ‘Float’ in U.S. Coastal States and Beyond” won the award for the unique partnership between Clemson University and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

The pilot program resulted in development of expanded seafood product and producer profiles that were incorporated into the national MarketMaker program, allowing participating states to take advantage of the new component. 

“This effort diversified MarketMaker product offerings, engaged new producers and consumers in the MarketMaker network and contributed to the expansion of MarketMaker into several new coastal states,” said marketing specialist Darlene Knipe at the University of Illinois, which founded the national program.

Bringing MarketMaker to South Carolina was a cooperative effort between Clemson University, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, the S.C. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

MarketMaker’s online interactive mapping system locates businesses and products across the Palmetto State and provides an important link for producers and consumers. Details can be summarized on a map to show concentrations of consumer markets and strategic business partners. Providing the information in a map-based format, with lists and tables, makes for a more effective and user-friendly tool.

R. David Lamie at the Clemson Institute for Economic and Community Development, who is leading the project in South Carolina, said the award is recognition of the hard work by statewide partners that all help make S.C. MarkerMarker a huge success.

“This online tool helps the state’s agriculture and seafood industries reach new markets and consumers find just what they are looking for,” Lamie said. “Such an undertaking can only be achieved when like-minded groups work together.”

Amber Von Harten, S.C. Sea Grant fisheries specialist, said, “bringing a seafood presence to the national MarketMaker program has helped bridge the gap to further diversify the food products available to consumers, both land-based products and products harvested from the sea, and to recognize the importance of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture to our local food economies.”

MarketMaker was created in 2004 by University of Illinois Extension. The program connects all elements of the food chain — from farmers and fishermen to processors and distributors — so they can more efficiently conduct business. For example, if a chef only wants to buy local shrimp, MarketMaker can help make the connections.

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