WICHITA, Kan. — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the availability of $96.8 million in grants to fund innovative projects to support specialty crop producers, local food entrepreneurs and farm to school efforts.

The goal is to increase access to healthy, nutritious food for all families. "Increasing market opportunities for local food producers is a sound investment in America’s rural economies, while increasing access to healthy food for our nation’s families," he said during a speech at the National Farmers Union Convention in Wichita in mid-March. "Consumer demand for local, healthy food is skyrocketing in schools, hospitals and wholesalers. These grant opportunities allow farmers and ranchers to meet this demand."

A recent USDA Economic Research Service report states more than 160,000 farmers and ranchers nationwide are tapping into growing consumer demand by selling products locally.

The agriculture segment is improving the quality of life in rural communities by drawing young people and generating jobs.

The grant programs administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) include the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program and the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, which covers two types of grants – the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).

Also included in the announcement is the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School Grant Program, designed to bring local foods to the school cafeteria.

According to Peter Wood in the USDA’s public affairs office, the FMPP has a minimum of $15,000 and a maximum of $100,000 per grant. He explained the LFPP offers two types of grants: a planning grant with a $5,000 minimum and $25,000 maximum, and an implementation grant with a $25,000 minimum and $100,000 maximum.

Applications for those grants, as well as the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program, must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on May 14. Applicants are urged to start the registration process as soon as possible to ensure they meet the deadline.

For more information about those programs, visit the AMS grant website at www.ams.gov/AMSgrants

Four different types of Farm to School grants are available. Planning grants help schools start, and implementation grants enable them to expand existing programs. Service support grants allow community partners to provide support to schools in an effort to bring local products into the cafeteria. Training grants are available to spread strategies known to succeed.

Proposals for planning, implementation and support service grants are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern May 20. Letters of intent for training grants are due by 11:59 p.m. April 30.

More information on the Farm to School grant program and sample grant applications can be found at www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school-grant-program

Vilsack also announced changes in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistant Program to increase access for beginning, limited-resource and other producers who do not have risk protection through crop insurance.

"With these changes, more farmers can enter the specialty crop marketplace with peace of mind that they have risk protection should disaster strike," he said.