The main emphasis of the Marketing and Development program is to help expand markets and add value to locally-produced agricultural commodities. Part of this program is Utah's Own, which was created to encourage consumers to look for and purchase Utah products.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $953,700 from all sources for Marketing and Development. This is a 101.5 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $803,700 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 36.7 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:
Number of Companies Assisted with International Marketing Efforts
International Marketing Assistance: The second measure tracks the number of companies assisted with international marketing. As Utah companies grow they can diversify and expand market opportunities by exporting. The Marketing Division works with USDA, the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and US Commercial Service to help export Utah agriculture and food products.
Number of Hits on Market News Website
Hits on Website: The Marketing Division is responsible to provide accurate and unbiased market information that is used by farmers, ranchers, insurance adjuster and attorneys. The management has been tracking the need for that information by measuring the number of hits on the Market News website.
Number of New Utah''s Own Companies
Utah's Own: The figure below presents the number of new companies that sign up to be a member of the Utah's Own. Staff reported that there is no active recruiting taking place, other than observation and word of mouth from satisfied companies.
Program management anticipates that due to the limited number of food companies in Utah, the number of new companies joining Utah's Own will continue to decrease over time.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.