USDA to Award $72.9 Million in Support of Specialty Crop Producers and Projects
August 24, 2023 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced $72.9 million awarded through its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). The grant program provides funding to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research. Fiscal year 2023 SCBGP funding is being awarded to the departments of agriculture in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Funded projects include investing in food safety, specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes, developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops, as well as pest and disease control. Additional projects focus on increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops; and improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems.
Here’s how the top three U.S. states for fruit and vegetable production fared with the 2023 SCBGP funding.
California
More than $23.9 million of the funding is going to California. The Golden State received the highest amount among all the award recipients. The grant will allow the California Department of Food and Agriculture to fund 46 projects. Funded project focus areas include equity, climate change, food security and nutrition, and marketing.
“USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program provides opportunities for California’s specialty crop growers to enhance innovation across the food system,” says Secretary Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). “From enhancing nutrition and education in schools, to expanding consumer markets and increasing research in critical areas of food safety. CDFA’s partnership with USDA on this program furthers the competitiveness of the specialty crop sector on the national level with a lens of equity and a commitment to climate resilience.”
Washington
USDA awarded more than $4.8 million in 2023 SCBGP funding to Washington State. With this, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will fund 21 projects. Among them is more than $249,000 in funding for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA).
The WSTFA, in collaboration with the WSDA’s Technical Services and Education Program and Washington State University, created the Agricultural Leadership Program (ALP), a comprehensive initiative developed to enhance the leadership skills of farm owners, supervisors, and managers. This project will expand ALP to the entire agricultural industry due to the high interest expressed by other specialty crop groups in the state.
Additional funded projects focus on areas such as research, marketing, and training and education.
Florida
The state of Florida was awarded more than $3.8 million in 2023 SCBGP funding. The money will go to support 20 projects. Among the projects is funding to the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation to increase sales of local radishes by educating consumers about recipes and health benefits as well as conducting outreach through sampling in retail stores and a farm tour for South Florida chefs.
Additional funded projects focus in areas such as pest/disease tolerance and management, use of drone and artificial technology for yield forecasting, and research.
To see all the projects listed for each state and territory, visit ams.usda.gov.
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