WASHINGTON, DC - In an ongoing effort to support the United States food and agriculture sectors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $72.9 million in grants through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). These funds will be used to support innovative projects designed to expand the specialty crop sector while creating new market opportunities.
“This continued funding for specialty crop block grants will help states and territories pinpoint local needs of their specialty crop sectors and support producers which will in turn increase the availability of specialty crops throughout the nation,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “Since 2006, when the program began, USDA has invested more than $1 billion through these block grants to fund nearly 12,000 projects that increased the long-term competitiveness of the specialty crop industry and created new and better markets for specialty crop producers selling both in the U.S. and abroad.”
The USDA’s Agricultural Market Service (AMS) will be accepting applications for the grant program until May 1, 2023, a release stated. Through the SCBGP, AMS will issue noncompetitive grants to state departments of agriculture or equivalent in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Grants will fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research. SCBGP is funded through the 2018 Farm Bill, and funds are allocated through the program to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers both specialty crop acreage and production value.
AMS is encouraging applications that serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities.
To learn more about the program and apply, click here.
For more funding opportunities for industry members, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
