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Late last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is awarding $82.3 million to 65 recipients to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support the industry’s producers. This includes fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops. The funding is through USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and the Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program (SCMP).
Jenny Moffitt, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, explains how the two programs will work.
From market development to consumer education to research, these programs expand markets and increase competitiveness of the specialty crop industry and increase access to specialty crops for consumers.
Through the SCBGP, USDA is awarding $72.9 million to 54 states and territories to support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research. To date, USDA has invested over $1 billion to more than 12,400 projects through this program.
Plus, $9.4 million is being awarded to 11 projects through the SCMP. Since 2015, this program has awarded over $29 million to 40 projects across the country.
More information on the SCBGP projects can be viewed on the SCBGP 2024 Grant Awards webpage.Â