WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA invested nearly $118 million in grants for specialty crops across the country earlier this month. The funds were made available through the 2014 farm bill to enhance competitiveness of specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, nut trees, horticulture and nursery crops, said Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary.
Approximately $66 million was awarded through the Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program to support growers and programs to increase demand. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $51.8 million in grants to support the specialty crop sector by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address the needs of specific crops.
All 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories were awarded Specialty Block Grants, funding 838 projects. "Specialty crop grants provide a major boost to the rural economies," Vilsack explained.
Sales of specialty crops total nearly $65 billion a year.
"These Specialty Crop Block Grants support hundreds of projects that address issues ranging from food safety to research needs, to increased access to fruits and vegetables, all benefiting specialty crop producers and consumers across the country," said Anne Alonzo, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administrator. The AMS will be administering the SCBG grants.
Examples of some of the local grants include one in Indiana, partnering with Purdue University to improve growers’ access to markets and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses by providing training to focus on food safety practices. Another is to create a video in Michigan to train new and existing workers on the proper techniques of snap harvesting asparagus for different markets.
Yet a third is partnering with the Ohio Maple Producers Assoc. to increase awareness of the state’s maple heritage and industry by implementing a marketing campaign that brands Ohio maple products and encourages statewide maple agritourism.
State recipients include: the Illinois Department of Agriculture, $657,642 for 16 projects; Indiana State Department of Agriculture, $454,728 for seven projects; Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, $308,142 for 11 projects; Kentucky Department of Agriculture, $302,620 for eight projects; Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, $1.99 million for 30 projects; Ohio Department of Agriculture, $612,861 for 13 projects; and Tennessee Department of Agriculture, $519,065 for 14 projects.
For more information about the SCBG awards, go to www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0
