Aug 26, 2022

USDA awards $73 million in specialty crop grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding almost $73 million in fiscal year 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

The $72.9 million in grants, through the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, will be used for a variety of projects, including ones to enhance food safety and invest in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes. Funds will also go to developing new and improved seed varieties and improving strategies for pest and disease control. 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.

 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. USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt was joined by U.S. Representative Kim Schrier to make the announcement during a visit to Washington state.

“USDA is excited to fund innovative research and new market opportunities to further support specialty crop producers,” Moffitt said in a news release. “The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program continues to strengthen the food system, and USDA looks forward to seeing the impact these funds will have on the specialty crops sector.”

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 news releases announcing each state and territory grant award is available on the AMS website at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/press-releases-2022.

A complete list of this year’s SCBGP grant recipients is available on the AMS website at: www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/awards.