Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Scores a Banner Year of Funding

Posted by Growing Produce Staff|August 26, 2022

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it has awarded a total of $72.9 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding. The FY 2022 non-competitive awards were made to the departments of agriculture in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The SCBGP funding supports farmers growing specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops.

These SCBGP grants will be used to fund projects that support the specialty crop industry by enhancing food safety, investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes, developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops, and improving strategies for pest and disease control. In addition, some projects will focus on increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops and improving efficiency and reducing costs of produce distribution systems.

Funding for the SCBGP grants is authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and FY 2022 funding is awarded for a three-year period beginning Sept. 30, 2022. Since 2006, USDA has invested more than $953 million through the SCBGP to fund 11,331 projects that have increased the long-term successes of producers and broadened the market for specialty crops in the U.S. and abroad.

A complete list of this year’s SCBGP grant recipients is available at ams.usda.gov.