WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding $200,000 in grant funding to the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives. The funding will be used to expand support to cooperatives in the Black Belt and is part of theSmall Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant (SSDPG) program.

“I am pleased that the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives will receive this funding to continue its initiatives to create new opportunities for disadvantaged farmers in Alabama’s Black Belt Region,” said Rep. Sewell. “The funding will also allow the association to provide continuous support to the farming industry by serving as a means of sustainability and survival for many communities in the Black Belt.

John Zippert of the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives expressed his appreciation for the funding and highlighted the economic impact of assistingsocially disadvantaged producers. 

“We will work to improve marketing and business practices for participants so we can raise the income of these producers,” Zippert said. “We welcome the producers in the 7^th Congressional District to contact us for assistance because the goal is to help as many people as possible.”

Cooperatives that will benefit include:

Greene-Sumter Farmer’s Market

Southeast Goat Producers

St. John’s Farmer’s Market

Marengo County Farmers Co-op

Black Belt Fruit and Vegetable Marketing and Innovation Center (scheduled to open in 2015)

Farmers interested in the program should contact John Zippert

at jzippert@aol.com or by calling 205-652-9676