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Local fruit growers ask county for help promoting Utah-grown produce
Summary
A group of Utah County fruit growers told commissioners they are organizing to market locally grown fruit and asked for county-level connections and possible tourism or grant support to keep more product in-state.
During the public-comment portion of the March 22 meeting, Chris Riley — identifying himself as a fruit grower and vice president of the Utah County Farm Bureau — asked the commission for ideas and assistance to help local growers market Utah‑grown fruit.
Riley said much local production is shipped out of state and that growers have formed an ad-hoc group to increase local marketing. He described modest internal funding commitments by growers "anywhere from 1 to a few thousand dollars each per year" to support promotion and said the group is exploring grant opportunities and partnerships, including with tourism entities.
"We're looking at different grant opportunities," Riley said. "We're looking to work closely with Utah's own, and instead of trying to recreate the wheel, we want to work in avenues where there's already been some work done." He asked commissioners for suggestions on county-level support and offered to share contact information for follow-up; he also invited any commissioner who wished to join the growers' weekly meetings.
Members of the commission responded that they would consider the request and follow up, and an unidentified commissioner asked Riley to email the commission with contact details so they could connect.
The exchange produced no formal direction recorded on the meeting minutes and no vote; the matter was recorded as a public comment request for ideas and potential county assistance.
