LEXINGTON, Ky. — A large block grant from the USDA will allow the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to invest in developing and strengthening marketing avenues for specialty crops in the state.

The $291,565 grant is divided among eight projects designed to boost the state’s agricultural economy and continue to diversify the industry through specialty crops. Christy Cassady, a University of Kentucky (UK) extension specialist and coordinator in its Department of Horticulture Center for Crop Diversification, will use part of the grant to fund the Center’s mission of developing tools and resources for growers who want to begin production of specialty crops.

Cassady’s work is, in part, helping to fill a void that was left in the state’s agricultural industry when the Tobacco Transition Payment Program took effect. Since then, some growers have been experimenting with specialty crops as a way to replace the profitability of their tobacco quotas.

Through the Center’s work, she has found tobacco growers typically face certain issues in the transition to specialty crops. For one, specialty crops are usually a much more perishable product than tobacco. She noted, however, that the marketing differences between tobacco and specialty crops typically represent the greatest challenge for growers.

They are not the only farmers looking into specialty crops, however, said Cassady. "We get as many or more calls from people who are looking to expand or who have bought a small farm and are looking into specialty crops for it," she explained.

She attributes the new interest to the rise of the "local food" movement. "Farmers are finding different ways to sell their products," said Cassady, who cites farmers’ markets, food co-ops and specialty grocery stores as marketing opportunities that were traditionally limited or unavailable for growers.

Shawn Wright, also of UK’s Department of Horticulture, received $25,000 of the grant to study how the state can extend its growing season through different growing practices and new specialty crops. Wright’s study proposes evaluating low-tunnel systems for winter vegetable production for such as mache, chervil, borage, radish, spinach, garlic, leeks, radicchio and arugula.

The methods he plans to use have seen success already in early trials funded by the Kentucky Horticulture Council and in efforts by Dr. Cathy Rehymeyer, whose work as a grower provided the basis for the grant. Wright’s study includes a component that he hopes will help to address a growing health issue in eastern Kentucky, where he is based.

To combat the growth in childhood obesity and diabetes in his region, he knows school systems are looking for ways to incorporate locally produced vegetables into their meal services, but typically suffer from a divergence between their school calendar and the typical growing season for produce. If successful, Wright’s study could allow school systems more options for vegetables during their operating year.

Even more, he believes his study could help influence school systems to begin producing their own food, which could be a boost to the local and state economies.

"There are 1,233 public school systems in Kentucky," said Wright. "If 10 percent of the schools adopted this production practice and produced 100 pounds of produce with a value of $4 per pound, that would result in almost $50,000 in value added to the economy."

Other projects selected for the block grant through a competitive process included:

•A UK study to increase the demand for fruits, vegetables, nuts and herbs through workshops, training and targeted marketing materials regarding child and adult nutrition

•Funds for Hickory Lane Farms to educate farmers about the use of CSAs and other direct-sales strategies and increasing consumer demand for specialty crops

•Money for Kentucky Specialty Grains’ efforts to commercialize Summer Flowering Chia

•Berry Center funding to offer a series of conferences and meetings designed to help specialty crop producers overcome barriers to entering supply chains

•A UK study to increase yields of Uba Tuba peppers in the state and market research of local demand for the crop

•Money for the Barren Country Beekeepers Assoc. to boost honey production and sales