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Source: USDA, 10/28/21
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an
investment of more than $243 million in grants to support specialty crops,
including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops through two USDA
programs – the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Specialty Crop
Research Initiative grants program.USDA is investing $169.9
million through the Specialty Crop Block
Grant Program (SCBGP) to support farmers growing specialty
crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops. Since 2006,
USDA has invested more than $880 million through SCBGP to increase the
long-term success of producers and broaden the market for specialty crops in
the U.S. and abroad. The funding, authorized
by the 2018 Farm Bill ($72.9 million) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act
of 2021 (P.L. 116-260) ($97 million), will provide non-competitive SCBGP
funding to the departments of agriculture in the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, and the five U.S. territories. The 56 grant recipients fund
sub-awards for activities and programs to increase demand for agricultural
goods and address issues facing the specialty crop industry including food
safety, plant pests and disease, research, education, and marketing and
promotion. Additionally, for P.L.
116-260 Stimulus funding, states were encouraged to prioritize projects that
respond to COVID-19 impacts. This may include projects to assist farmworkers
and projects to fund farmers, food businesses, and other relevant entities to respond
to risks and supply chain disruptions. “This historic level of funding will help the specialty crops industry recover from the effects of the pandemic,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Over the coming months as we work diligently to transform our food system, you will continue to see Build Back Better funding announced that includes a mix of grants, loans, and innovative financing mechanisms.” SCBGP recipients include:
- The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board will partner with researchers at Michigan State University to develop strategies to mitigate the destructive diseases that affect Michigan’s $23 million asparagus industry. Growers have reported up to 50% yield loss and a critical reduction in field longevity. Field studies will build on previous efforts to improve crop quality with the goal of a sustainable and resilient asparagus cropping system and capacity for increased yields and competitiveness.
- The New Mexico Department of Agriculture, in partnership with The National Center for Frontier Communities’ Southwest New Mexico Food Hub, will implement several strategies to help increase its ability to provide equitable market access and services for remote growers in the region, shift into self-sufficiency after COVID setbacks, and build a culture of food safety among its network of growers through trainings and certification.
A complete list of the
SCBGP grant recipients is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service
website at: www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/awards USDA also announced an
investment of nearly $74 million to 21 award recipients through its Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grants program. SCRI program investments address critical challenges facing conventional and organic food and agricultural production systems across the specialty crop industry. The program’s priority focus areas include improving crop characteristics, managing threats from pests and diseases, improving production efficiency, profitability, and technological innovation, and mitigating food safety hazards. SCRI gives priority to
projects that are multistate, multi-institutional, or trans-disciplinary, and
include ways to communicate results to producers and the public. Examples of
funded SCRI projects include:
- The U.S. strawberry industry
farm gate value in 2020 was $2.3 billion. Despite using Methyl Bromide as
soil fumigant, strawberry transplants sold to fruiting fields frequently
are symptomless carriers for a range of devastating diseases. North Carolina State University’s project will address a
critical need for the strawberry nursery industry to develop a new
propagation technology, to minimize the spread of pathogens, find
alternatives to the soil fumigant Methyl Bromide, and eventually reduce
costs.
- Local food systems are an
important driver of specialty crop production. One of the central tools
employed by direct-to-consumer farmers are high tunnels, a form of
protected agriculture used almost exclusively to produce specialty crops. Purdue University’s project will use high tunnels on
specialty crops farms to better understand the impacts of crop diversity
on pests and beneficial insects to support local food production across
four seasons.
- Specialty crops account for 51%
of 9.6 million cases of foodborne illness in the U.S. Foodborne illness
caused by contaminated specialty crops is estimated to produce an annual
burden to the domestic economy of approximately $18 billion. Texas A&M University’s project will develop novel
spraying and dipping solutions and coatings to improve the microbiological
safety of farming tools and accessories used in harvesting, storing,
sorting and processing specialty crops.
A complete list of the 21
funded FY2021 SCRI grant recipients is available on the National Institute of
Food and Agriculture website at: go.usa.gov/xM97N AMS supports U.S. food and agricultural products market opportunities, while increasing consumer access to fresh, healthy foods through applied research, technical services, and Congressionally funded grants. To learn more about AMS’s investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants. NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science (searchable by state or keyword), visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts.
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