1

Transportation and Marketing

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2019 Description of Funded Projects 

Number of Grants Awarded: 56

Number of Sub-award Projects: 717

Amount of Funds Awarded: $72,487,215.28

For more information, please visit the program’s website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/scbpg

NOTE: The project descriptions below were provided by the grant recipients. (File updated October 21, 2019)

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96

1. Statewide Marketing 

Campaign to Increase 

Consumer Awareness 

and Sales of Alabama 

Specialty Crops

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) in partnership 

with the Alabama Farmers Federation (AFF) and Auburn University, 

Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Department (AU) 

is requesting funds to implement a statewide marketing campaign of 

Alabama specialty crops to increase consumer awareness through point of 

sale, social media and advertising efforts. This statewide promotion effort 

aims to increase consumer awareness that local produce is available and 

identify Alabama producers where direct purchasing can be conducted. 

Producers will capitalize on recognition and consumer awareness of their 

local product, helping them compete against heavily subsidized foreign 

producers.

$229,764.54
2

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96

2. Establishment of a 

comprehensive peach 

cultivar evaluation to 

improve sustainability of 

peach operations

Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University seek to 

enhance the competitiveness of Alabama cultivated peaches and nectarines 

by critically assessing environmental impact on fruit production of selected 

cultivars. Our goal is to develop a website the public can access detailing 

cultivar performance and recommendations. The cultivar website will 

pinpoint the most productive of the established cultivars as well as newly 

released cultivars and experimental lines. The website will also provide 

critical information about fruit characteristics such as size, shape and color as 

well as nutritional and organoleptic quality based on phenolic content all of 

which will serve as criteria for identification of superior selections.

$20,162.90

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 3. Mobile Classroom 

Honey Processing Unit

Claybird Bees Education Association (CBEA) will lead this project to maintain, 

supervise, and teach through the use of a first-time Mobile Classroom Honey 

Processing Unit (MCHPU) to provide a new student/adult beekeeper 

classroom with hands-on education regarding the importance of all aspects of 

honey bees, and to develop written process control practices for honey 

processing. This project will provide student/adult novice beekeepers and 

veteran local honey producers a sanitary, high yield honey harvesting 

equipment/teaching facility, while emphasizing food safety through increased 

knowledge and use of specified procedures.

$24,321.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 4. Alabama Greenhouse 

Vegetable E-Book

Alabama Extension will contract with Alabama Department of Agriculture to 

produce a Greenhouse Vegetable E-book. The production and publication of 

this book will increase the number of successful hydroponic greenhouse 

enterprisers by providing interested persons critical information associated 

with starting a successful greenhouse vegetable business. The goal is to 

provide a free comprehensive guide to developing a successful greenhouse 

vegetable enterprise in the form of an E-book. Funding of this project by the 

Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and the USDA-AMS, will 

lead to a significant return as this E-book will be the cornerstone for 

information that will help spur expansion of the greenhouse vegetable 

industry in Alabama.

$24,933.58
3

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 5. Plant Something: 

Alabama Phase 2

The Alabama Nursery & Landscape Association (ALNLA) will expose 

consumers to the national Plant Something marketing campaign further 

developing and promoting the informative and inspirational consumer 

horticulture website, PlantSomethingAlabama.com, created with Phase 1 

grant funding. By increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of 

gardening, best gardening practices, and discovery of local Independent 

Retail Garden Centers, the purpose of this project is to increase sales of 

Alabama grown ornamental, floriculture, and vegetable specialty crops 

through second phase development and promotion of the 

PlantSomethingAlabama.com website.

$25,000.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96

6. Utilizing Enhanced 

Educational Techniques 

in Teaching Participants 

to Successfully Cultivate 

Specialty Crops

Petals From the Past nursery and USDA Good Agricultural Practices certified 

fruit farm will address the need for more hands-on learning opportunities for 

the homeowner who wants to successfully grow, harvest, and prepare fruits, 

vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals in their home gardens. This project aims 

to enable the home gardener/small farmer to successfully grow and maintain 

specialty crops including fruit, vegetable, herb, and ornamental gardens 

through a multipronged approach, including monthly educational programs 

conducted both on and off site, demonstration gardens, cooking 

demonstrations, festivals, educational videos, and guidance through social 

media.

$24,999.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 7. Kiwifruit Pollination in 

Alabama: Wild Bees

Auburn University will conduct pollinator research to identify bees most 

important to kiwifruit pollination. Kiwifruit growers currently employ 

managed honey bee and bumble bee colonies for pollination services. 

However, no information exists on the efficiency of these managed bees, 

particularly compared to unmanaged wild ones, to kiwifruit pollination. 

Specifically, we plan to (1) Identify and quantify pollen forage sources of 

managed honey bees and bumble bees employed for kiwifruit pollination and 

(2) Quantify potential pollen transfer efficiency of managed and wild bees 

visiting kiwifruit. This project will establish data to a change in action 

(medium-term outcome) concerning kiwifruit production that will improve 

crop yields and economic returns (long-term outcome).

$24,348.05
4

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96

8. Establish 

"International 

Microgreen Growers 

Association" to Provide 

Solid Foundation to 

Promote Specialty Crops 

of Microgreens

Microgreen Enterprises Inc. and the University of Alabama (hereinafter UA) 

are leading this project to establish a cataloged database of global researched 

studies and scientific literature on microgreens to provide IMGA with 

valuable information for its microgreen growers, suppliers, stakeholders, 

consumers and other interested parties worldwide. The objective of this 

project is to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the 

center for all microgreen historic scientific information and new information 

on the safety and health benefits to enhance this specialty crop and create 

competitive, responsible standards within this new industry.

$24,121.72

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 9. Eat Local!

The University of Alabama will lead this project to conduct a theory-based 

qualitative study to examine which psychological factors are tied to students’ 

perceptions regarding consuming Alabama specialty crops. This project aims 

to create awareness of Alabama specialty crops (locally grown fruits and 

vegetable) among The University of Alabama students and promote Alabama 

specialty crop consumption among them. Based on the study results, this 

project intends to develop a theory-based education program using social 

media as a platform to educate students, increasing their awareness and 

knowledge regarding Alabama specialty crops.

$24,996.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96

10. Alabama Urban 

Forestry Association 

Specialty Crops 

Education, Promotion 

and Planting Program

The Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA) will lead this project with 

state and municipal partners, educators, and other community-based 

charitable non-profits to accomplish many educational and promotional 

activities while creating and improving multiple community gardens. through 

the Specialty Crops Education, Promotion and Planting Program (SCEPPP). 

The specific goal of this project is to increase industry and consumer 

awareness of Specialty Crops, provide formal and informal training classes 

and hands-on gardening projects.

$23,550.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$481,953.96 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$35,695.74
5

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22

1. Evaluating Locally 

Grown Apples to 

Produce Quality Juice

The Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES) at University of 

Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) will examine Alaska grown apples and assess their 

properties for processing into apple juice. Understanding the quality of 

various apple varieties is needed to develop specialty juice blends and 

products for local markets. Diversification is expected to increase production, 

marketing shares and consumer access to locally grown apple products.

$58,242.00

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22

2. Alaska Seaweed 

Product Development 

and Market Assessment

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), in collaboration with 

Alaska Sea Grant and McDowell Group, will help expand the seaweed 

industry in Alaska through new product development and market assessment 

related to seaweed products in the domestic market in order to overcome 

the current bottleneck for farmers between harvest and sales, and reduce 

risk for business to enter the seaweed processing and sales sector. Results 

will be disseminated to stakeholders in order to guide further industry 

development.

$30,333.00

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22

3. Feasibility Study on 

Current and Potential 

Economic Impact of 

Commercial Mushroom 

Cultivation in Southeast 

Alaska

The Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition will conduct an economic impact 

study to assess the current and potential demand, costs, and viability of 

commercial mushroom cultivation in Southeast Alaska. The study will be 

conducted through surveys and in-person and telephone interviews with 

Southeast Alaska consumers, grocery stores, restaurants and other retailers, 

local food markets and food hubs, Southeast produce growers who are 

considering commercial production, and industry experts in the Pacific 

Northwest. Results of the study will be disseminated via a comprehensive 

report published and posted online as a free resource on the website of the 

Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Salt and Soil Marketplace, and partner 

websites that include the Sustainable Southeast Partnership, the Alaska Food 

Policy Council, and the Sitka Local Foods Network. The final report and a onepage infographic handout summarizing key points will be shared with 

stakeholders and distributed via email, social media, and print to those who 

participated in the study, along with current producers in Southeast Alaska. 

The report and summary will also be shared at relevant local food and 

producer gatherings, such as the 2021 Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit, and 

the 2021 Alaska Food Policy Council conference.

$27,489.00
6

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22

4. From Seed to Harvest 

- Identifying the Basic 

Agricultural 

Determinants of 

Successful Rhodiola 

Rosea Cultivation in 

Alaska

Together with several Rhodiola Rosea growers, Alaska Rhodiola Enterprises 

will partner with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the Alaska 

Plant Materials Resource Center (PMC) to research best agriculture practices 

to ensure high quality Rhodiola Rosea plants for commercial cultivation in 

Alaska. We will disseminate these findings to the Alaskan agriculture 

community via our website, farm publications, and grower meetings. The 

PMC will start with careful seed selection to develop high quality plants. 

Alternative indoor methods for year-round seedling production will also be 

investigated. Using fields at the UAF experimental farm and other locations, 

test plots will be established to determine soil conditions that promote 

growth. Methods to control weeds will be investigated as well. And to 

determine best harvest time (for maximum rosavin concentrations), serial 

random root samples will be chemically analyzed throughout the summer 

from a field of mature plants.

$22,525.00

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22

5. Graduate Student 

Mini-Grants for Specialty 

Crop Projects

The State of Alaska Division of Agriculture will institute a program to promote 

Graduate Student Projects with the aim to increase the support university 

students and new research on specialty crops throughout the regions of 

Alaska. These mini-grants would offer support to graduate students’ projects 

who wish to tailor specific research projects with the results benefiting the 

Specialty Crop industry.

$63,043.13

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $253,015.22 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$46,331.34

American 

Samoa 

Department of 

Agriculture

$282,206.61

Leveraging Specialty 

Crops to Access the 

Dietary Supplement 

Market

The American Samoa Government Department of Agriculture (ASG DOA) will 

focus on supporting the growth of specialty crops, specifically those with high 

demand in the dietary supplement market, through new and existing 

farmers. Key specialty crops include, but are not limited to: turmeric, vanilla, 

cacao, soursop, nonu, ava, and others.

$282,206.61
7

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

1. Continuation of 

GHP/GAP Certification 

Cost-Share Program

The Arizona Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Consultation and 

Training (ACT) division will offer and provide a certification fee, cost share 

reimbursement program for fresh fruit and vegetable producers/growers, 

distributors, wholesalers and handlers that use one of the qualifying 

GAP/GHP Audit Services.

$14,400.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

2. Enable Local Testing 

of Pathogens in Specialty 

Crops

The Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA), State Agricultural Laboratory 

(SAL) will hire an ISO Accreditation consultant to perform training and a preaccreditation audit to identify and close gaps in pursuit of ISO 17025 

accreditation. Upon completion of this project, SAL will be positioned to 

successfully apply and receive the accreditation required by the Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA) for testing required by the Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA).

$20,000.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

3. Enhancing the 

Educational Aspect of 

Southwest

Horticulture Magazine

The Arizona Nursery Association (ANA) will use these grant funds to enhance 

the educational aspect of Southwest Horticulture magazine to increase the 

value of the publication for the nursery industry. To accomplish this, ANA will 

add specific pages each month where relevant and timely research, disease, 

safety and regulatory articles and columns will be published to enhance the 

knowledge of industry professionals on these topics which are critical to their 

businesses.

$20,205.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

4. Latino Farmer 

Symposium – 2020 Focus 

on Specialty Crops

The Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association, in partnership with the University of 

Arizona College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and Arizona Western College 

will hold the “Latino Farmer Symposium - 2020 Focus on Specialty Crops” to 

enhance learning and networking with technical experts about the most 

pressing issues, challenges and opportunities for Latino farmers engaged in 

the production and/or marketing of specialty crops. Topics will include food 

safety, vegetable crop production and agronomic principles, use of 

technological advances and marketplace strategies. The event will include a 

town hall type forum to facilitate the identification of key issues and 

workable solutions for Hispanic farmers.

$8,603.00
8

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 5. Touring Arizona 

Specialty Crops

Arizona Farm Bureau will educate the public about Arizona specialty crops by 

developing a standards-based curriculum package, an on-line education 

campaign through social media videos, and Garden Grant Program to 

highlight the importance of specialty crops to our state’s economy and our 

everyday lives. This curriculum package and social media campaign will 

provide consumers with the story of their food. By allowing people to hear 

the story of the farmers growing their food, they feel more confident in the 

food choices that they are making for themselves and their families.

$31,425.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 6. “Adopt-A-SonoranDesert-Crop” Program

Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture and partners will implement 

comprehensive programming to increase awareness of, access to, and 

knowledge of production and consumption of the draught-tolerant and

highly-nutritious heirloom crops of the Sonoran Desert by (1) leveraging 

efforts to market and promote heirloom Sonoran Desert crops; (2) expanding 

availability and access to these particular specialty crops; and (3) offering 

technical assistance to the heirloom crop producers. The project aims to 

increase the sales of these crops by at least 20 percent over the next two 

years, increase consumption, access and awareness of the crops by reaching 

at least 50 chefs, 2,000 youth, and 10,000 adults through marketing and 

outreach campaigns, and at least 100 growers through 4 plant releases, 

technical assistance and trainings. The program will also increase rural and 

urban careers and jobs, including small businesses.

$99,800.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

7. Farm Fresh Forks, A 

Vegetable Tasting 

Experience

The Yuma Fresh Vegetable Tasting Association will increase consumption of 

specialty crops through the Farm Fresh Forks program, a specialty crop 

tasting experience at a minimum of 8 local restaurants. The goal is to increase 

nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops through introducing 

them to the crops, cooking and preparing techniques and recipes and tastings 

in local restaurants.

$62,071.00
9

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

8. Assessment of 

bacterial and viral 

pathogen die-off on 

specialty crops

The University of Arizona will study the effects of environmental conditions 

on the survival and persistence of bacterial and viral pathogens on specialty 

crops. Based on the results of numerous previous studies conducted by our 

research group and others, three key environmental parameters have been 

identified that appear to be the most important factors affecting the survival 

and persistence of bacterial and viral pathogens on crops: the temperature, 

the relative humidity, and the amount of solar radiation exposure. The 

proposed study will therefore examine these three parameters in carefully 

controlled experiments to quantitatively determine their effect on bacterial 

and viral survival on produce.

$79,714.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

9. Advancing Disease 

Management Tools for 

Fusarium Wilt of Lettuce

The University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture 

(YCEDA) has partnered with Arizona lettuce industry cooperators, TriCal 

Diagnostics, and UA Cooperative Extension researchers to improve disease 

management of Fusarium wilt of lettuce. The project will improve evaluation 

methods by adding a disease severity rating; evaluate the soil populations of 

Fusarium oxysporium f.sp. lactucae, the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of 

lettuce to corroborate disease severity ratings; and new cultural methods for 

disease control. Trials will be conducted, and results will be widely 

disseminated to the Arizona lettuce industry through reports, seminars, 

electronic media and field days to aid in disease management decisions.

$82,799.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

10. Application of bovine 

viruses/fecal sterols to 

determine 

contamination source

The University of Arizona will study bovine viruses and fecal sterols/stanols to 

identify and quantify bovine contamination in irrigation waters from two 

different irrigation districts in Arizona characterized by intensive cattle 

feedlots operations. This study addresses two of the new food safety 

requirements established by Members of the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing 

Agreement to limit the occurrence of E. coli O157:H7 in crops planted near 

concentrated animal feeding operations: (i) mandatory traceability measures 

and (ii) a 1,000-foot minimum buffer zone between growing fields and 

feedlots with 1,000 or more animals. The evaluation of viruses and fecal 

sterols/stanols in irrigation waters will provide a better characterization for 

the required safe setback distance.

$97,065.00
10

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 11. Arizona Grapevine 

Trunk Disease Survey

The University of Arizona will mitigate grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) by : 1) 

surveying Arizona vineyards to determine how prevalent the various diseases 

are and what fungi are commonly associated with GTDs , 2) monitoring fungal 

spore dynamics to identify low risk infection periods that could be used by 

growers to improve disease control by alteration in the pruning timing, 

fungicide application timing, and vineyard management practices, and 3) 

educating growers and Pest Control Advisors on the biology, epidemiology 

and management of GTDs in vineyards. The ultimate outcomes are reduced 

yield loss, reduced fungicide costs and increased profit and viability of 

vineyards

$65,686.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

12. Canal Sediments as 

Reservoirs of Pathogenic 

Bacteria in Irrigation 

Systems

The University of Arizona will develop a model designed to reduce the risk 

contamination of romaine and iceberg lettuce by applying an advanced 

hydrodynamic and sediment transport model. The goal of this study is to 

identify factors, which could result in the development of areas within 

irrigation canal sediments leading to the enhanced survival or growth of 

enteric bacteria. Factors to be studied include nutrients in the sediment, 

composition of the sediment, and its temperature. The results will be 

integrated into a computational model that simulates flow, sediment, 

microorganism interaction (growth/survival) and transport processes. The 

model then can be used to assess the potential for sediments reservoirs of 

pathogenic and their location identification in irrigation canal systems.

$66,171.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 13. Determining water 

use of date palms

The University of Arizona will estimate annual water use of date palms using 

continuously recording sap flow sensors installed in the fronds of date palms. 

Palms will be flood irrigated. Water use of entire trees will be estimated by 

multiplying the water use of the target fronds by the total fronds per tree. 

Results will be a first step in calculating the efficiency of irrigation of palm 

tree orchards in Arizona. Results will be distributed to growers via e-mail, and 

growers will use the results to modify their irrigation to make it more 

efficient.

$71,934.00
11

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

14. Developing 

Bacteriocins to Prevent 

Infection of Greens by

Human Pathogens

University of Arizona, School of Plant Sciences and School of Animal and 

Comparative Biomedical Sciences will develop strategies to prevent and/or 

control colonization of crops by foodborne pathogens, such as Escherichia 

coli O157:H7. The main goal in this proposal is to test whether tailocin 

treatment can prevent contamination of spinach and lettuce by E. coli 

O157:H7. A variety of other foodborne pathogens produced by our extensive 

library of strains will be screened. If these experiments are successful, 

tailocins would be a powerful new tool that could be applied to crops to 

prevent colonization by foodborne pathogens in the field.

$76,703.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

15. Enhancing IPM 

Education for the 

Arizona Vegetable 

Industry

The University of Arizona, Yuma Ag Center will enhance the competitiveness 

Arizona vegetable growers by further developing and maintaining a robust 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that provide growers, PCA’s and 

Agribusinesses with objective and unbiased information on new pest control 

technologies essential for the economical and environmentally sound 

production of high value, vegetable crops in Arizona. The objective of this 

project is to further enhance IPM knowledge through an extension outreach 

program that emphasizes the development, validation, and delivery of real 

time and relevant information and technologies to growers and PCAs for 

managing insects, plant diseases and weeds in Arizona vegetables.

$92,588.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 16. Etiology of Citrus 

Brown Wood Rot

In 2018, Fomitopsis meliae, a new species associated with brown wood rot on 

lemons, was identified as a major component of the citrus brown wood rot 

disease complex in Yuma. This finding suggests that previously identified 

Antrodia sinuosa and Coniophora eremophila might not be the primary 

causal agents and the etiology and ecology of brown wood rot is still poorly 

understood. Given this new finding, Yuma citrus growers has urged us to 

identify major fungi involved in citrus brown wood rot and help them identify 

best management practices. The University of Arizona will use a combination 

of survey work, fungicide sensitivity testing, and a range of glasshouse and 

field trials to investigate the efficacy of chemical and cultural control 

methods. Knowledge generated by this project will be used to educate 

growers and pest control advisors on effective disease management.

$47,332.00
12

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

17. Expanding 

commercial mushroom 

research and training 

programs in Arizona

This project will be conducted at the University of Arizona and is focused on 

advancing commercial mushroom production in Arizona. This proposal is an 

extension of efforts funded by the SCBGP in 2015 and 2017. Objectives for 

the current proposal include 1) continued research on Arizona-specific 

production methods for new varieties of specialty mushrooms , 2) develop 

Arizona-specific methods for production of Portabella mushrooms and other 

button types, which are not currently grown in AZ and require different 

production methods, 3) develop additional workshops specific to each 

mushroom types (focused-content workshops), 4) continue expansion of the 

Arizona Mushroom Growers Association (AZMGA), website, and newsletter.

$76,343.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

18. Influencing Pesticide 

Registration Decisions 

for Specialty Crops

The University of Arizona will work with the Arizona Department of 

Agriculture (ADA) as well as with specialty crop producers, Pest Control 

Advisors and applicators to maintain ongoing access to verified and improved 

pesticide use data, for the benefit of Arizona specialty crops industries. 

Outcomes of this project for specialty crop stakeholders will include 

increased transparency of the EPA registration review process, improved 

access to inform and influence pesticide registration review decisions, and 

ongoing access to accurate pesticide use information to support research and 

education priorities.

$54,483.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76 19. Mitigate Fusarium 

Wilt of Lettuce

Arizona is the number one producer of winter lettuces in the United States, 

yet Fusarium wilt becomes increasingly prevalent and could limit the viability 

of this specialty crop in the state. Crop rotation and soil amendment are two 

disease management strategies with the potential for enhancing the 

sustainability of both conventional and organic lettuce farming in Arizona. 

The University of Arizona will compare the costs and benefits of using 

different rotation crops and mustard cover crops that reduce Fusarium wilt in 

conventional lettuce systems. The effects on yield, soil pathogen suppression, 

and soil health will be assessed and outputs shared with University of Arizona 

Cooperative Extension advisors, growers, and the scientific community via 

on-farm workshops, field days, conference presentations, and online 

publications.

$76,549.00
13

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

20. Monitoring 

Diamondback Moth 

Activity and Insecticide 

Resistance in Arizona 

Vegetables

The University of Arizona will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop 

production in Arizona by developing scientifically-based approaches and 

tactics for monitoring diamondback moth infestations and insecticide 

resistance in Arizona cole crops. Specifically, research will continue to track 

the presence and pest-status of DBM in Arizona cole crops over the next two 

years through a surveillance program of year-round pheromone trapping and 

early season inspections.

$61,817.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

21. Quantitative 

Assessment of Desert 

and Non-Desert 

Landscape Tree Shade

Enumeral Research and Consulting, LLC (ERC), will enlarge an ongoing study 

to include traditional (non-desert-native/non-desert-adapted) species of 

landscape trees to assess the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of 

temperature mitigation of these trees’ shade. This data, in combination with 

data from the 2018-19 study, will offer growers, landscape contractors, 

landscape architects, municipalities, and industry leaders a means of 

comparing various tree species when expanding the urban forest.

$37,135.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

22. Screening for HLB 

specific, high-titered 

monoclonal antibodies

The University of Arizona proposes to screen and identify high-titered, highly 

specific monoclonal antibodies against Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus 

(CLas), the HLB-causing bacterium in order to facilitate the development of 

early and sensitive diagnosis for HLB (Huanglongbing.) HLB is also known as 

citrus greening and is the most destructive of all citrus diseases. The 

deliverables of this project are therefore expected to improve the 

affordability and reliability of the currently available assays for early HLB 

detection.

$54,564.00
14

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

23. Simple rapid method 

for detecting E. coli in 

irrigation water

The University of Arizona will evaluate a simple, inexpensive method to 

quantify Escherichia coli in water that does not require a laboratory or any

specialized equipment. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Food 

and Drug Administration is in the process of developing bacterial standards 

for irrigation waters to prevent the water from being a source of waterborne 

pathogens. E. coli has been proposed as an indicator microorganism for fecal 

contamination and monitoring standards have been proposed. Current 

methods for testing require transport to a microbiology laboratory that has 

the facilities necessary for processing the samples including specialized 

equipment and incubators. Recently, a simple test for the quantification of E. 

coli has been introduced for water quality testing in developing countries that 

does not require an incubator or any other specialized equipment. We 

propose to test the usefulness of this new technology for monitoring 

irrigation waters and compare it to an existing commonly used method.

$69,446.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,563,580.76

24. Water and Salt 

Management for 

Brassica Crop Production 

Systems

The University of Arizona’s Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture 

(YCEDA) has teamed up with UA and USDA Researchers, Irrigation Districts, 

USDA, USBR, NASA, Arizona Commodity Councils, and others to enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops though sustainable practices of specialty 

crop production resulting in increased efficiency. Water applied, 

evapotranspiration, updated ET coefficients, and soil salinity levels will be 

measured in order to generate data that can be used to create management

tools for most desert cropping systems.

$87,000.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

1. Arkansas Freshmarket Blackberry 

Industry: Identifying 

Unique Cultivar 

Attributes and Harvest 

Practices that Impact 

Marketable Quality

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will address 

challenges that face the blackberry industry by identifying unique attributes 

and determining harvest handling procedures to increase marketability of 

Arkansas-grown blackberries and disseminating results though workshops, 

field days, and meetings. The proposed work will support expansion of the 

fresh-market blackberry industry and help drive marketability of this 

Arkansas specialty crop.

$58,246.00
15

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

2. Developing an 

Arkansas Specialty Crop 

Discovery Farm: A model 

for best irrigation 

practices

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension 

Service will develop a Horticulture Discovery Farm to demonstrate on-farm 

how specialty crop growers from across the state of Arkansas can better 

manage and conserve their water resources. The Discovery Farm will be 

established in conjunction with Steve and Mark Morgan of Peach Pickin’ 

Paradise and will be comprised of data collection on how best irrigation 

practices impact water resources, crop production, and the surrounding 

environment.

$53,177.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

3. Developing Hops 

Production in Arkansas 

to Support Specialty 

Crop Growth and 

Diversification

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension 

Service will partner with growers and the brewing industry in Arkansas to 

develop research-based recommendations for commercial hops production 

in the state. The project will evaluate what varieties perform well in the 

state, develop cultural and pest management recommendations, and 

evaluate the aromatic qualities of the hops produced in order to increase the 

competitiveness of this specialty crop in Arkansas.

$58,946.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

4. Post-harvest Costs to 

Arkansas’s Specialty 

Crops Farmers: An 

Interactive Tool

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) at the University of 

Arkansas at Little Rock will develop tools to guide farmers around the state 

improving their calculations regarding selected specialty crop post-harvest 

costs. The use of such a tool is expected to improve the revenue of farmers in 

the state, as well as to give them new information that could increase their 

profitability.

$51,411.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

5. Increasing Access and 

Awareness of Specialty 

Crops within the Farm to 

Institution Supply Chain

The Access to Healthy Foods Research Group (ATHFRG) at Arkansas Children’s 

Research Institute proposes to enhance the competitiveness of specialty 

crops grown in Arkansas by increasing access and awareness within the farm 

to institution supply chain, resulting in an increase in knowledge, intent, and 

number of institutions offering Arkansas-grown specialty crops. The ATHFRG 

will conduct surveys and interviews of the current farm to institution 

landscape and develop and disseminate findings to key stakeholders.

$60,605.00
16

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44

6. Management and 

survey of soilborne 

pathogens in Strawberry 

fields in Arkansas

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture will survey and identify the 

major soil borne pathogens of strawberries affecting growers in Arkansas. 

Plant and soil samples from strawberry fields will be collected across 

Arkansas in collaboration with growers, and these samples will be processed 

to characterize these pathogens. All data collected will be available for 

growers and we will analyze and summarize the results, focusing on adjusting 

cultural and management practices to minimize the impact of these diseases. 

By understanding the distribution and the impact of soil borne pathogens in 

Arkansas, we will identify practices that mitigate the impact of these 

pathogens and educate the stakeholders during extension meetings about 

practices that promote “soil health” and control strawberry soil borne 

diseases.

$50,292.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$353,253.44 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$20,535.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74 1. California 

Grownifornians

This project will execute a multi-layered promotional program that promotes 

in season California specialty crops and specialty crop products. To achieve 

this goal the project will integrate a digital media campaign, a retail 

promotion program, retail trade outreach, and an influencer event program 

called California Grownifornians Agritour 2020. The intended outcomes of the 

project are an increased awareness and preference by premium paying 

consumers for California specialty crop products. Additionally, the project will 

invigorate strong support for California specialty crops and specialty crop 

producers by the retail trade as well as realize a twenty-five percent increase 

in sales over prior sales of $4 million of California specialty crops in 

partnership with key California retailers.

$1,539,100.00
17

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

2. Bridging Knowledge 

Gaps for the Control of 

Microbial Hazards on 

Dried Fruits During FSMA

Implementation

The Produce Safety Rules and the Preventive Controls for Human Food 

regulations have significant impacts on California specialty crops. California 

dried fruit producers, the leading dried fruit producers in the United States, 

are facing dramatic challenges due to the lack of literature about pathogen 

behaviors on dried fruits and the lack of standards used to conduct microbial 

studies to validate processing protocols. These knowledge gaps have 

hampered the development of food safety plans and there is an urgent need 

to address them. This project will bridge knowledge gaps by systematically 

evaluating the behavior of microbial hazards on dried fruits during storage 

and establishing reference protocols for the preparation of artificially 

contaminated fresh and dried fruit samples for validating different thermal 

and non-thermal treatments without impacting the chemical and physical 

properties of products. Outcomes will ensure the safety and enhance the 

competitiveness of California dried fruits.

$149,955.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

3. Small-Holder Organic 

Produce-Growers 

Educated on FSMA 

Requirements (SHOPER) 

Project

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule compliance 

requirements present a new and complex obstacle to start-up, small-holder 

Latino farm owners and agriculture professionals in a highly competitive 

specialty crop industry. Learning and adhering to these standards is key for 

small-scale farmers to survive and thrive in this new era of food safety 

regulation. Leveraging eight years of experience providing food safety 

assistance to beginning farmers, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training 

Association (ALBA) will address the urgent needs of small-holder-farmers for 

FSMA compliance assistance. Furthermore, the project will extend services to 

a greater number of specialty crop farmers and workforce participants. This 

project will provide intensive training and compliance assistance to 50 

farmers on ALBA's 100-acre organic berry and vegetable farm. The project 

will provide mandatory FSMA training to an additional 150 regional farmers 

and agriculture workers and distribute food safety tools and information to 

hundreds more statewide through ALBA and partner networks.

$149,999.00
18

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

4. California Food for 

California Kids® Culinary 

Academy: Enhancing 

Specialty Crop 

Preparation and

Promotion in Schools

The Center for Ecoliteracy (CEL) will establish the California Food for 

California Kids® Culinary Academy to expand school markets for California 

specialty crops and promote student consumption of healthy fruits and 

vegetables. CEL will use a scalable and sustainable, train-the-trainer model in 

partnership with Frontier Energy to reach foodservice staff in the California 

Thursdays® Network, which represents thirty-three percent of the $2.4 billion 

school meal industry. In seven workshops, foodservice staff will: 1) learn 

culinary techniques and plant-based recipes to enhance the flavor and 

student consumption of ten specialty crops; 2) obtain new skills and 

resources to promote specialty crops to students; and 3) engage with 

marketing boards to optimize specialty crop promotion and preparation. 

Success in increasing awareness and consumption of specialty crops will be 

measured through sales in lead districts, workshop participant knowledge 

and intention to purchase, and taste tests with over 19,000 students.

$242,250.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

5. Growing 

Awareness/Demand for 

California Grown Prunes 

in Prune Juice by Sharing 

Digestive Benefits

with Consumers.

The percentage of United States households purchasing prune juice is only 

3.5 percent (2018 Information Resources Incorporated (IRI) data) with most 

consumers 55 plus. California prune growers feel the impact of this low 

demand, as California grown juice is made largely from unpittable fruit. 

Without juice demand this fruit must be disposed of, often at a cost. United 

States household penetration is low, yet there is a rise in digestive health 

ailments and digestive health beverage consumption by younger consumers 

(ages 25-45) that can be leveraged to grow sales. Sunsweet, representing 65 

percent of United States prune sales and 200 California prune growers, seeks 

to boost awareness/demand for California grown prune juice by sharing value 

(healthy digestive traits) via a Public Relations/digital marketing campaign. 

The goal is to boost California grown prune juice sales 14.9 percent by 2022, 

by building new consumers for California prunes and demand for highervalue prune products. As a grower-owned cooperative all earnings flow 

directly to California prune growers. Success will be measured by internal 

records and independent IRI data.

$450,000.00
19

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

6. Sonoma Strong: 

Leveraging the California 

Grown Identity to 

Promote the Value and 

Quality of Sonoma

Wine

A decline in Sonoma County tasting room sales over the past five years has 

been exacerbated by consumer misconceptions and doubt about wine quality 

following the 2017 fires. Declines persisted in 2018. Tasting room sales are a 

significant portion of direct sales for most winegrape producers and wineries 

and low sales impact winegrape demand. Insufficient sales of recent vintages 

have caused cancellations of grower contracts for current grapes and vintners 

need to sell current inventory before making new wine. Efforts are needed to 

grow new consumers and markets and combat misconceptions among 

existing consumers to build visits and sales. Representing all 1,800 Sonoma 

winegrape growers, Sonoma County Winegrape Commission will execute a 

campaign (ads, events, immersive experiences, podcasts) to increase 

awareness and demand of the value and quality of California grown Sonoma 

wine and grapes among consumers, media, and influencers. The goal is an 

approximate six percent boost in winegrape sales, benefiting growers and 

measured by crop reports.

$449,444.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

7. Santa Barbara County 

Wine Retakes Los 

Angeles

California wine sales in the United States grew by 24.4 million bottles from 

2014 to 2016. Yet California produced wine is trending downward with sales 

reduced by $52.4 million or 4.3 million fewer bottles sold. Californians are 

buying from competitive states and countries. Santa Barbara Wine Country is 

impacted by this negative trend, with a 4.94 percent decline in direct sales 

since 2016 due to its reliance on the Los Angeles metro area only two hours 

away. Santa Barbara's grape growers and wineries, most of whom are familyowned businesses are too small for distribution and depend on Direct-toConsumer (DtC) sales for their livelihood. A focused effort targeting the Los 

Angeles area is needed before California loses more ground in this large, 

influential market. This project will reach consumers, wine trade, and media 

with an integrated marketing plan over a short timeframe to maximize 

exposure and reverse the downward trend.

$380,780.00
20

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

8. Discovering 

California’s Zinfandel 

Trail

Zinfandel’s contribution to California's wine industry, lifestyle, and 

agricultural heritage is indisputable; however, Zinfandel growers and 

producers are struggling. As the only state-wide, single varietal trail, 

"Discovering California's Zinfandel Trail" guides enthusiasts to unique 

adventures and meaningful connections with Zinfandel growers and 

producers. Leveraging existing technologies, compelling storytelling, and realworld experiences, this project will improve the economics of growing and 

producing Zinfandel. By sharing positive attributes of Zinfandel winegrapes 

and wines (e.g., small family farms, food-pairing, and high quality) through 

education, marketing, and agritourism, the project will boost direct to 

consumer Zinfandel wine sales by eight percent and average bottle price by 

four percent. Benefits will translate to all California Zinfandel growers and 

vintners. Success will be measured using surveys and industry sales data.

$259,113.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74 9. Paso Robles Wine in 

the Big Cities

The United States is the largest global wine market and growing, making 

overseas competition fierce. To compete California must maintain and grow 

market share by influencing the influencers. In the digital age influencers are 

diverse: media, bloggers, retailers, sommeliers, friends, etc., with some of the 

most influential located in New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. These 

cities offer a huge economic opportunity for California's wine producers 

based on their size, consumption behavior, the concentration of wine's target 

audience, and growth potential. This project will reach influencers at every 

touch point: media, retail, restaurants, and directly through advertising and 

social media. Introducing and educating wine enthusiasts about the up-andcoming region of Paso Robles, California grown wine will be top-of-mind and 

wine sales will grow.

$350,285.00
21

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

10. Expanding Access 

and Demand for Local 

Produce

Mandela Partners' (MP), formerly known as Mandela MarketPlace, will 

increase food access points in underserved communities, strengthen 

specialty crop sales for small-scale farmers within a 250-mile radius of the 

communities served, and advance the competitiveness of California specialty 

crops in urban markets. The project will provide five Healthy Retail Network 

(HRN) program stores with in-depth technical assistance, support, and 

equipment to market and sell fresh, frozen, and lightly processed specialty 

crop products; develop a cohesive and efficient inventory management 

system to expand product offerings of specialty crops that bolsters sales for 

twenty-five HRN farmers; identify and train local stakeholders to lead 

community outreach to increase the visibility of specialty crops among select 

HRN corner stores; and support nutrition education efforts to familiarize 

surrounding community with health and wealth benefits of purchasing 

specialty crops from local, minority-operated farms.

$218,254.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

11. California Grown Figs 

FIT the Needs of Product 

Developers

Figs and fig products are increasing in popularity due to the strong nutritional 

profile, functionality and versatile flavor of figs. In fact, Fermenich, a leading 

global flavor company, named fig the 2018 flavor of the year. This is a prime 

opportunity, and a critical one, for California fig farmers to ensure product 

developers are seeking out California grown figs. While California produces 

100 percent of United States figs sold commercially, a 57 percent increase in 

fig imports in 2017 versus 2016 further threatens the economic viability of 

the California fig industry. To raise awareness and drive sales of California 

grown figs and fig ingredients, the California fig industry is requesting grant 

funds for a campaign targeting food manufacturers, technologists, and chefs 

who influence development of thousands of new food products each year. 

Success will be evaluated by increased farm gate value, actual sales, 

shipments, and surveys.

$449,800.00
22

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

12. Understanding the 

Role of Lettuce Leaf Lipid 

Composition in Salinity 

Tolerance

Increasing salinity is a problem in all major lettuce growing districts in 

California. Lettuce is sensitive to salinity, causing reduction in yield and 

affecting profits. Reports in other plant species suggest phospholipids and/or 

fatty acid composition in leaves to be important for tolerating salinity. This 

project aims to perform deep lipidomic studies to analyze phospholipid and 

fatty acid composition in leaves of 10 sensitive and tolerant lettuce varieties 

selected from a previous study. In addition, the project will screen lettuce 

germplasm and analyze fatty acid composition in leaves, correlating with 

salinity tolerance, and good seed germination under high salinity. An added 

advantage of this screen will be to identify lettuce varieties with high levels of 

healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The success of this project will be measured by

identification of phospholipid and fatty acid composition ideal for tolerating 

salinity in lettuce, publications and citations, and outreach activities.

$328,048.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

13. Informing Vineyard 

Irrigation Practices 

Through Improved 

Understanding of 

Grapevine Physiological

Responses to Heat 

Extremes

Future climate changes will expose vineyards to heat events of greater 

frequency, intensity, and duration. Grapevine cultivars are adapted to specific 

growing climates, and thus, likely to respond differentially to increased heat. 

As growers primarily respond to extreme heat with irrigation, understanding 

cultivar specific water demands will better inform grower decisions and 

increase water use efficiency. However, little information exists on current 

irrigation and cultivar specific responses to extreme heat. Working with 

industry and agency partners, this project will identify current irrigation 

responses to heat events, model irrigation needs under future climate 

scenarios, and establish long-term field experiments to quantify cultivar 

specific tolerances and physiological responses to heat extremes. Project 

outcomes will inform cultivar specific irrigation recommendations and 

solicited stakeholder feedback will allow for project evaluation and coproduction of future work.

$427,763.00
23

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

14. Refining Sustainable 

Navel Orangeworm 

Management in 

California Almond

Conventional and organic almond producers in California lack scientifically 

based research regarding the effectiveness of spring insecticide sprays 

against navel orangeworm (NOW). This proposal addresses the question of 

whether targeting first-generation NOW with reduced-risk or organic 

insecticides, applied during spring and in conjunction with NOW mating 

disruption, will significantly reduce damage to almond nutmeats. Research 

from the mid-1970s and late 1990s evaluated spring insecticide sprays. 

However, the development of conventional and organically-registered mating 

disruption, and improved monitoring tools, provide a new opportunity to 

develop more sustainable integrated pest management strategies for NOW. 

This project will conduct large-scale field trials in almond orchards under 

NOW mating disruption to evaluate spring applications of Intrepid 

(methoxyfenozide), Delegate (spinetoram), and the organically registered 

insecticides, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Venerate (Heat-killed Burkholderia 

spp.).

$115,230.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

15. Demonstration of a 

Pilot-Scale Sequential 

Direct Flame and 

Catalytic Infrared DryPeeling System for

Fruits and Vegetables

The need exists to develop a new peeling method for fruits and vegetables. It 

is needed to replace the current lye and steam peeling methods in order to 

improve sustainability by reducing water use and wastewater generation. An 

infrared (IR) dry-peeling technology based on electric emitters was 

successfully developed. To minimize the operation cost and improve 

movement, a lab-scale, sequential direct-flame and catalytic infrared peeling 

system (SDFCIR) was developed that uses natural gas as an energy source and 

a new tomato conveying mechanism during heating. This project will further 

develop the technology for commercialization by demonstrating the benefits 

and adaptability of the new peeling technology for tomatoes by building a 

pilot-scale system and demonstration.

$440,952.00
24

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

16. Optimizing CompostMicrobe Interactions to 

Enhance Drought 

Resilience and 

Nutritional Quality in

Tomato Production

Soil biology is an integral feature of soil health and has great potential to 

enhance resource use efficiency in specialty crop cropping systems. In tomato 

production, compost can improve soil health and, possibly, drought 

resistance. However, the effects on certain groups of beneficial soil biota 

depend on compost types. Tradeoffs between compost use and soil biological 

ecosystem services are rarely investigated. In a controlled field-trial and in 

participatory on-farm research, this project will study interactions of highand low-phosphorus (P) composts with native beneficial arbuscular

mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and commercial AMF inoculum under full and deficit 

irrigation. The project aims to identify practices that maximize combined 

benefits of compost and soil life for nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) and wateruse efficiency (WUE), crop quality, and soil health in tomato production. 

Results will be shared with growers, specialty crop stakeholders, and 

scientists through on-farm workshops, online media, and a bilingual 

information leaflet.

$397,442.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

17. Irrigation and 

Nitrogen Management 

and Monitoring to 

Improve Nut Production 

While Minimizing

Groundwater Nitrate 

Leaching

Growers face new regulations to minimize nitrogen (N) fertilizer use and to 

monitor impacts on groundwater quality. This project addresses the issue by 

using high-frequency low-concentration (HFLC) fertigation in orchards and by 

performing an unprecedented whole orchard systems analysis of N dynamics. 

Three monitoring systems will be used to estimate nitrate loss to 

groundwater: 1) mass balance [nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)]; 2) water and 

nitrogen flux monitoring in the vadose zone; and 3) groundwater quality 

monitoring. Outcomes will focus on developing improved systems for 

assessing groundwater impacts from specific practices, developing an in-field 

demonstration site, and outreach to at least 5,000 orchard growers, 

extension advisors, and regulatory and policy decision makers. Project 

success will be measured through model and field site documentation; N flux 

assessment from a fully instrumented, commercial, 140-acre almond orchard; 

employing the model to demonstrate sustainability benefits of HFLC; and 

adoption of tools in the agricultural industry.

$449,675.00
25

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

18. Improving Water Use 

Efficiency of Cool Season 

Vegetable Crops

Water use efficiency is a key component of drought resilience and other 

agricultural water security aspects. This project will conduct a series of 

controlled, scientific experiments designed to quantify water efficiency in two 

high-value vegetable crops (artichoke and red cabbage). Replicated irrigation 

trials will be performed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural 

Research Service (USDA-ARS) Salinas field station. Differing water amounts 

will be applied by drip irrigation as a percentage of crop water use 

(evapotranspiration) guided by the CropManage specialty-crop web 

application. Crop development, soil water content, and soil nitrate will be 

monitored. Aboveground biomass, marketable yield, water use efficiency, 

and nitrogen use efficiency will be derived. The study will improve knowledge 

regarding water requirements for artichoke and red cabbage and serve to 

verify and further promote CropManage capability throughout the 

stakeholder community. Project success will be evaluated in terms of the 

number of growers adopting best practices.

$333,435.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

19. Water and Nitrogen 

Management Decision 

Support Tool for Asian 

Vegetables (Bok Choy 

and Napa

Cabbage) and Bell 

Peppers

The majority of the vegetables grown in the Central Coast region of California 

are irrigated using ground water. Prolonged drought conditions and nitrate 

leaching have impacted the Central Coast groundwater aquifers. Growers 

now face reduced water allocations and stricter regulations to minimize 

nitrate leaching. Given the large number of crops produced and fields that 

must be managed, growers need a simple-to-use tool to guide both water 

and fertilizer management decisions. CropManage (CM) an online decision 

support tool, is currently used by vegetable growers on the Central Coast to 

better manage water and nitrogen applications. This project will expand the 

capabilities of CM to include additional crops such as bok choy, napa 

cabbage, and bell peppers and enhance critical decision support algorithms. 

This project will also provide support to help growers integrate CM into their 

farming systems through trainings and workshops that will include 

evaluations to determine the adoption and benefits of CM.

$320,472.00
26

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

20. Cover Crop 

Strategies to Tighten 

Nitrogen Cycling, Save 

Water, and Increase Soil 

Carbon in Walnut

Orchards

The use of cover crops increases soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) fertility, and soil 

productivity, making it an appealing practice for climate change adaptation 

and sustainable land use. However, little information is available to walnut 

growers to reassess N inputs following implementation of cover cropping. 

The project goal is to develop management guidelines for walnut growers 

that use cover crops by providing information on the mineralization, 

distribution, and uptake of soil N, as well as water use and C sequestration. 

Such information is needed to predict seasonal N availability. This project 

will: 1) investigate the effect of cover crops on soil N transformations and 

water use; 2) quantify the N credits of cover crops in walnut orchards; and 3) 

evaluate the cost and returns of cover crop use. It is expected that N 

management guidelines will improve adoption of cover crops to address soil 

health. Extension products and education activities will inform stakeholders.

$448,951.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

21. Grazing Winter Cover 

Crops with Sheep to 

Increase Adoption in 

Annual Vegetable 

Systems

PROJECT DURATION

Despite the known benefits of winter cover crops (WCC) for improving soil 

health and decreasing the environmental footprint of tomato cropping 

systems, adoption remains low among California vegetable growers due to a 

lack of economic incentives. Re-integration of livestock into California 

vegetable systems represents an opportunity to increase adoption of WCC 

through the generation of income from WCC grazing while augmenting the 

benefits of WCC’s to soil health, carbon storage, and reducing tillage. 

However, major knowledge barriers to grazing integration exist among 

California growers. This project will compare the effects of grazed WCC with 

un-grazed WCC and winter fallow on soil health indicators including soil 

organic matter, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. It will provide California 

tomato growers with information on benefits, tradeoffs, and the food safety 

risks of manure deposition associated with incorporating WCC and sheep 

grazers into tomato systems.

$300,887.00
27

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

22. Optimizing 

Fertilization and 

Irrigation 

Recommendations in a 

Newly Planted Almond 

Orchard After

Recycling

The recycling of tree biomass into the soil at the end of an orchard’s life 

represents an alternative sustainable practice to burning or transporting 

debris to cogeneration plants. Growers may be reticent to implement whole 

orchard recycling (WOR) because it leads to decreased nitrogen (N) 

availability and negatively impacts young tree nutrition and growth. However, 

WOR also results in soil with enhanced moisture content and water 

retention, which should reduce irrigation demands and leaching. This project 

would optimize N fertilization and irrigation regimes in an experimental 

recycled orchard with the goal to provide growers with better guidance on 

managing tree nutrition and water usage and an estimate of the costs of 

implementing WOR. The findings will be disseminated to growers through 

field day events, talks, and publications. As a measure of project success, 

growers and orchard removal companies will be surveyed to gauge views on 

WOR and determine the extent of its adoption as a practice.

$439,570.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

23. Bee Where, GIS 

Technology to Protect 

Pollinator Populations 

for Specialty Crops

Many California specialty crops use pollinators thus, bee health is important 

to these crops. Even with new regulations requiring beekeeper registration to 

track and monitor their locations, communication is limited and slow 

between beekeepers, pesticide applicators, pest control advisors, and county 

agricultural commissioners, which can lead to bees accidentally being sprayed 

by pesticides. A new tool called Bee Where, a web-based Geographic 

Information System, brings these groups together by electronically mapping 

hive locations across the state. Bee Where allows beekeepers to register and 

plot the location of their hives electronically thereby informing relevant 

pesticide applicators, pest control advisors, and agricultural commissioners. 

This project will implement extended education training programs with 

industry partners, creating awareness and usage of Bee Where among 

beekeepers and pesticide applicators with the goal of protecting specialty 

crops and their pollinators.

$90,000.00
28

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

24. Developing Orchard 

Crops and Vineyard 

Management 

Apprenticeship Program 

to Train Beginning

Farmers and a Skilled 

Workforce

The goal of the Orchard Crops and Vineyard Management Apprenticeship 

Program is to create an effective, structured pathway to develop a skilled 

workforce and educate beginning farmers to replace aging farmers and farm 

managers. Through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job 

training (OJT), apprentices will get knowledge of crop production, processing, 

management, and marketing. Mentor farmers will host the apprentices and 

provide them with on-the-job training that will provide apprentices with 

comprehensive field experience. Industry and grower associations will assist 

to identify needs and build a network of mentor farmers. The National Center 

for Appropriate Technology will develop Spanish language resources and 

workshops to encourage socially disadvantaged farm workers (Latino) to take 

part in this program. A robust evaluation plan (pre/post surveys, interviews, 

apprentice tracking) will be used to measure project success.

$421,873.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

25. California Specialty 

Crop Small- and 

Medium-Scale Farm 

Food Safety Technical 

Assistance Program

According to 2012 agricultural census data, 22,472 farms in California need to 

be in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Of those, 

75 percent are small (less than $250,000 in gross sales) and medium scale 

(less than $500,000 in gross sales) produce farms. There are another 2,300 

farms in California that are qualified exempt under FSMA and also need 

assistance. Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) will provide 680 

California specialty crop producers with direct FSMA technical assistance and 

provide all farmers access to helpful resources. CAFF will train growers 

through a suite of methods: in-person workshop trainings, farmer field days, 

webinars, podcasts, a six-week e-course, and creation of practical resources. 

CAFF will track milestones completed with a subset of farmers and evaluate 

increased farmer knowledge through pre- and post-evaluations. The project 

will be successful if it reaches 680 farmers through in-person and electronic 

training and at least 75 percent of them increase their food safety 

knowledge.

$281,231.00
29

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

26. Technical and 

Leadership Training: 

Preserving Jobs and 

Maintaining Winegrape 

Competitiveness

Labor shortage in the winegrape specialty crop industry is one of the biggest 

challenges facing winegrape growers today, according to the 2018 Wine 

Business Monthly Vineyard Survey Report. Seasonality of work, immigration 

laws, and competition from other industries has increased pressure on 

vineyard labor. Investing in Spanish-language training is vital to retaining a 

technically skilled workforce and ensuring the competitiveness of 

winegrapes. This project will foster job retention with hands-on technical and 

leadership training for crew leaders; labor law and human resources training 

for vineyard supervisors; career awareness for high-school students; and a 

website portal featuring Spanish-language educational materials and training 

resources. The goals of this project are to retain skilled workers in the 

winegrape industry and to introduce career opportunities to the next 

generation. Success will be measured through participant surveys and 

employer surveys on training and job retention.

$96,609.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

27. Investing in 

Conservation Practices 

Through A Farmer 

Demonstration Network 

to Make California

Specialty Crops Thrive

Conservation agriculture has been shown to increase crop yields and 

promote climate change resiliency, making it critical to the long-term 

agricultural sustainability, competitiveness, and marketability of California's 

400 specialty crops. There is a need to increase the adoption rates of 

conservation practices among specialty crop growers statewide in order to 

further enhance the specialty crop industry. The project will promote greater 

adoption and information sharing of conservation practices by new and 

existing specialty crop producers and will enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops by increasing the adoption of practices that improve the 

quality of soil health, water, climate, and nutrient smart systems for 

California's specialty crop production. This will be achieved by supporting the 

number of statewide on-farm demonstration events about conservation tools 

and practices, creating an opportunity to convene and train farmers, 

technical assistance providers and researchers, and creation of a website to 

increase access to information about conservation tools for the specialty crop 

industry.

$306,541.00
30

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

28. Seeds of Success: 

Training Beginning 

California Organic 

Specialty Crop Seed 

Producers in Business 

and

Marketing Skills

Organic specialty crop seed sales are projected to exceed $1.5 billion by 2024. 

California is the leading vegetable seed producing state because of its ideal 

microclimates. California producers can satisfy a large part of the organic 

specialty seed market while helping meet the seed needs of organic specialty 

crop producers. The project will help beginning and potential organic seed 

producers overcome economic and business challenges by providing: 1) seed 

business and economics courses and tools; and 2) training in how to market 

to seed buyers and how to build up-stream demand from chefs and 

consumers. Over 300 beginning producers will benefit, with a net benefit of 

over $400,000. Project success will be assessed through feedback and 

increases in revenue and jobs using pre- and post- survey tools.

$266,521.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

29. Control of 

Overwintering Olive 

Fruit Fly Through Soil 

Applied Insect 

Pathogenic Fungi

Olive fruit fly (OLF) is the most important insect pest of California olives. Fruit 

infestation can reach 100 percent if not treated. An estimated 63 percent of 

olives grown in California are susceptible to OLF with potential losses of over 

$120 million. OLF is primarily managed with a single product, GF-120 

spinosad bait, for which resistance is well documented. Control costs are 

significant and increasing. Danitol, the alternative insecticide, causes 

secondary pest outbreaks. This project proposes to evaluate insect 

pathogenic fungi (IPF) that are commercially available and sustainable as a 

control for overwintering OLF. A similar strategy has shown promising results 

in Spain. The project will test the efficacy of IPF products in killing 

overwintering OLF in the field, the persistence of IPF in orchard soil, and IPF 

compatibility with fungicides used to control olive knot. Project success will 

be evaluated by determining impact of IPF on OLF populations through lab 

studies and field trials in commercial orchards.

$142,645.00
31

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

30. Scaling the Adoption 

of Environmentally 

Responsible Almond 

Farming Through DataDriven Outreach,

Training, and Tools

Market demand for California almonds increasingly includes environmental 

sustainability in addition to price and quality. To address this need, the 

Almond Board of California (ABC) has established four environmentally 

responsible farming goals to increase the adoption of environmentally 

friendly pest management tools, increase water-use efficiency, achieve zero 

waste in orchards, and reduce harvest dust. This project will implement a 

coordinated set of formal, social, and experiential learning opportunities for 

growers through workshops, field-days, printed media, and digital tools 

focused on Integrated Pest Management, water use efficiency, biomass and 

soil health, and harvest dust reduction. The success of outreach and training 

will be documented and evaluated through growers' in-person participation 

in events, use of the ABC's Sustainability Program online platform, and the 

number of completed orchard assessments of environmentally responsible 

management practices.

$286,770.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

31. Synergizing 

Biocontrol of Asian 

Citrus Psyllid and Other 

Sap Sucking Citrus Pests

The Argentine ant (AA) has formed mutualisms with sap sucking pests (SSP) in 

citrus, including Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), the vector of Candidatus 

Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) that causes the lethal citrus disease 

Huanglongbing (HLB). HLB is not in commercial citrus. Ants protect more than 

85 percent of SSP and over 55 percent of ACP from natural enemies (NE) and 

are rewarded with honeydew. AA exacerbates pest infestations. Sprays for 

AA and SSP kill NE which cause secondary pest outbreaks and increase 

resistance. Biocontrol of ACP and SSP can be synergized through three 

management practices: 1) monitoring AA activity with infra-red sensors (IRS); 

2) controlling AA with biodegradable hydrogel beads (HGB) infused with 25 

percent sucrose water and 0.0001 percent insecticide (plastic liquid bait 

stations are cost prohibitive); and 3) floral resources that provide food to NE 

that attack SSP. This project proposes to evaluate the impacts of orchardwide management of AA with sensors, HGB, and floral resources on 

biocontrol of ACP and SSP in citrus orchards.

$416,183.00
32

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

32. Landscape 

Engineering to Manage 

Beet Leafhoppers 

Vectoring Beet Curly Top 

Virus in Tomato and

Other Specialty Crops

The project proposes an innovative and sustainable management of beet 

curly top virus (BCTV), a major disease in specialty crops (including tomato), 

which is vectored by beet leafhoppers (BLH). This project will demonstrate 

that barley planted as a trap crop next to tomato fields can significantly

decrease the risk of BCTV outbreaks. Barley is an ideal trap crop for BLH 

because there is strong preliminary data showing that barley is significantly 

more attractive to BLH than tomato, BCTV cannot replicate in barley, and 

barley is easy to plant and grow in plots or strips adjacent to tomato fields. 

Different barley planting strategies (when to plant and fertilization/irrigation) 

will be experimentally tested to optimize the use of barley as a trap crop. A 

risk warning decision support tool will be developed based on modeling of 

immigration by BLH from overwintering sites into tomato fields. Project 

outcomes will be disseminated via hands-on presentations and contributions 

to University of California’s Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) website.

$229,503.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

33. Evaluation of RNA 

Interference-Based 

Resistance in Almond 

and Walnut Rootstocks 

Against

Phytophthora Pathogens

Phytophthora root and crown rots cause serious losses to California almond 

and walnut nurseries and nut producers. This reduces the efficiency of soil 

and water use which require costly prevention and remediation. Although it 

will be slow and challenging to develop them using only conventional 

breeding, almond and walnut rootstocks optimally adapted with resistances 

to Phytophthora and other key pests are urgently needed. The project’s goal 

is to facilitate rootstock improvement via ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) 

based host induced gene silencing (HIGS) for resistance to Phytophthora. 

HIGS resistance can be stacked with other traits and it has demonstrated its 

effectiveness against walnut crown gall disease and root-lesion nematodes. 

The previous project created 80 transgenic walnut lines carrying HIGS 

constructs for Phytophthora and developed almond embryo lines suitable for 

HIGS insertion. Success of this project will be measured by the number of 

Phytophthora-resistant walnut lines and HIGStransformed almond lines it 

generates.

$388,377.00
33

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

34. Mitigation of 

Huanglongbing Using 

Bioinoculants Developed 

With Strain Level 

Metagenomics of the

Citrus Microbiome

Plant health is a function of the activities of its resident microbiome. This 

project’s objective is to derive beneficial citrus bioinoculants (microbes) from 

the citrus microbiome as a sustainable management tool for Huanglongbing 

(HLB). The key for developing successful bioinoculants is to seek candidates in 

the same niche (host) as the pathogen. A phenomenon in Florida shows that 

citrus groves with severely symptomatic trees also contain trees that have 

slower HLB progress, referred to as survivor trees. Microbes have been 

identified and found to be associated with these survivor trees. The project 

will infer comparisons between California and Florida citrus microbiomes 

with strain level specificity using a new metagenomic tool, ProxiMeta Hi-C 

Metagenome Deconvolution. This will guide development of specific strains 

as bioinoculants and allow for selection of microbes with a high likelihood of 

success in the ecological niche of California. These HLB mediators will be 

tested in the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) plant facility.

$448,406.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

35. Enhancing 

Diagnostics of Regulated 

Root-Knot Nematodes in 

Specialty Crops

This project will develop and apply recombinase polymerase amplification 

(RPA) technology as a novel molecular tool for rapid diagnostics of root-knot 

nematodes (RKN) Meloidogyne hapla, M. incognita, M. javanica and M. 

arenaria, which are pests of many specialty crops in California. The RPA 

technique has some clear advantages over polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 

It does not require any DNA extraction steps or thermal cycling and the 

amplification products may be detected at end-point, in real-time between 

15-20 minutes, or even in field conditions. Molecular diagnostic protocols 

dealing with the technique will be available to the state, private nematology 

laboratories, and farm advisers. The method will represent substantial 

improvements regarding time and costs over existing diagnostics based on a 

PCR approach. It does not require any training. The tools developed will 

enhance significant accuracy and early detection of agricultural important 

RKN in California.

$63,761.00
34

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

36. Discovering 

Contributors to the 

Walnut Replant Problem 

Using Diverse Rootstock 

Genotypes Before

Commercial Release

California produces most of the walnuts in the United States with an annual 

farm gate value of approximately $1.6 billion (2017). When orchards are 

replaced after 35 to 40 years, the replanted walnut trees often grow 

unevenly and lack vigor. These impediments can be caused by infestations 

from root lesion nematodes and poorly understood soil-borne microbes, 

resulting in the "replant problem" (RP). Methyl bromide was highly effective 

in mitigating this disorder. After Methyl bromide was banned in 2005, mixes 

of 1,3-D and chloropicrin (with a use restriction) provided some relief, but at 

the risk of gassing-off of volatile organic compounds. A selection of Juglans 

rootstocks planted to non-fumigated and fumigated replant soil at two 

locations will be used to test novel walnut rootstocks for their tolerance to RP 

and to decipher microbial components of RP-rootstock interactions. 

Determining the cause of RP will improve rootstock selection and design of 

mitigating tools.

$429,551.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

37. Developing 

Innovative Detection 

Tools and Cultural 

Solutions to Minimize 

Economic Damage of

Fusarium Wilt in Tomato

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici race 3 (Fol3) is 

one of the most destructive diseases to the California tomato processing 

industry. Existing crop rotation practices provide ineffective control because, 

as revealed in recent studies, many crops cryptically host Fol3 and may allow 

pathogen persistence. Resistant cultivars have become available but with 

high soil pathogen loads, the risk of resistance-breaking strain emergence is 

high. To mitigate disease impacts the project proposes to develop soil testing 

tools to demystify inoculum loads in soil prior to planting and Fol3-

suppressive crop rotations. This proposal will transfer new technologies to 

private labs, provide diagnostic training, and promote adoption through 

outreach efforts. Success indicators include the number of companies 

offering soil testing, the number of first detectors trained, and producers 

using soil testing and recommendations.

$169,982.00
35

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

38. Detection, Biology, 

and Management of the 

Expanding WhiteflyTransmitted Cucurbit 

Virus Disease

Complex in California

The whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted virus (WTV) and the Cucurbit yellow 

stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) has impacted production of California melon 

and watermelon in the Imperial Valley and other desert regions since 2006. It 

has eliminated fall cucurbit production due to high whitefly and virus 

pressure. Recently, CYSDV-resistant melon varieties have become 

commercially available and may allow the return of summer and fall melon 

production in these regions. However, in 2014, a new WTV, Squash vein 

yellowing virus (SqVYV), emerged which caused the collapse of watermelon 

vines. In 2018, Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) was identified with 

symptoms identical to those of CYSDV. Resistance to CYSDV is not effective 

against SqVYV or CCYV. This project will develop a universal detection system 

to rapidly differentiate all three viruses, add to the knowledge of virus 

biology, and lead to improved management. Information and tools will 

facilitate resistance breeding for these new WTVs.

$192,228.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

39. Remote SensingAssisted Scouting of 

Virus Infections in 

Vineyards

The cost of virus infections per acre in average lifespan vineyards ranges from 

$10,000 to $16,000. With 880,000 acres, California has the most vineyards in 

the United States (80 percent). As there is no cure for viruses in the field, 

cost-effective, accurate, early detection and eradication of infected plants is

crucial to manage pathogen spread in field conditions and limit the economic 

impact. Chemical control of insect vectors of viruses has limited efficacy and 

is often not an option in organic agriculture. Supported by preliminary data, 

this project seeks to demonstrate that remote sensing coupled with machinelearning can be used to detect major grapevine diseases (red blotch and 

leafroll) more efficiently than traditional methods. The new tools would be 

adopted by commercial companies and be made readily available to growers 

or included into decision-support systems. Transfer of results to growers will 

increase knowledge and awareness of viruses in commercial fields and assist 

decisions.

$279,757.00
36

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

40. Identifying the Basis 

of Lettuce Drop 

Resistance to Develop 

Cultivars With Superior 

Resistance

Lettuce drop is an economically important soil borne disease of lettuce. It is 

caused by two fungal pathogens, Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum, 

resulting in the total collapse of the entire plant before harvest. Fungicides 

and cultural methods have traditionally been used for lettuce drop control 

with unsatisfactory results. The incorporation of genetic resistance in lettuce 

drop management would provide a sustainable approach to the loss of 

produce. Research funded previously by the California Specialty Crop Block 

Grant Program (SCBGP) identified resistance not affected by the current 

breeding program. The mechanism of this resistance is largely unknown. To 

complement preliminary data from the previous project, this project 

proposes to evaluate disease symptoms, quantitative phenotyping, and tissue 

composition to incorporate the findings in breeding. The success of the 

project will be measured by the number of new diagnostic techniques 

developed for detecting lettuce drop resistance.

$430,677.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

41. Ground Cover Strips 

in Pistachio to Control 

Stink Bugs and 

Leaffooted Bugs Through 

Improved BioControls and Monitoring

Though once virtually pest free, pistachios are now attacked by a variety of 

insect pests, including true bugs, commonly grouped as small and large bugs. 

Large bugs include stink bugs and leaffooted bugs that can use their large 

needle-like mouthparts to penetrate the pistachio shell throughout the 

season. Currently, pesticide applications are the most common control. The 

project goal is to test novel, irrigated strips of ground covers (shown to 

reduce weeds in organic farms) and determine if they can be employed to 

improve large bug monitoring, increase the abundance of natural enemies to 

large bugs, and/or hold large bugs away from the pistachio canopy to reduce 

damage. Field samples will be taken during the project to catalog large bug 

numbers, crop damage, and develop the monitoring and control programs. 

Measures of success include an accurate description of the pros and cons of 

the system, a reduction in pesticide sprays, and greater adoption by other 

stakeholders.

$289,073.00
37

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

42. Characterization of 

Resistance to 

Verticillium Dahliae 

Races 1 and 2 for 

Improved Iceberg 

Germplasm

Development

Verticillium dahliae is highly destructive to lettuce production and total losses 

of crisphead-types are high. Genetic resistance is the most economical and 

environmentally sound control method. Complete resistance to Race 1 

isolates of V. dahliae is conferred by the single, dominant gene Vr1, but only 

partial resistance has been identified for Race 2 isolates of V. dahliae. The Vr1 

gene is currently effective in many commercial fields but Race 2 isolates of V. 

dahliae are being introduced on spinach seed, a common rotation crop with 

lettuce. Therefore, characterization of resistance to Race 2 isolates of V. 

dahliae and development of improved lettuce germplasm is imperative. The 

project objectives are to: 1) combine Vr1 and resistance genes with Race 2 

isolates of V. dahliae into a single genotype; 2) identify the most resistant 

lines from partially-resistant crosses; and 3) develop improved crisphead-type 

lettuce germplasm. Success will be indicated by releasing new lettuce 

germplasm, publications, citations, and requests for seeds and information.

$262,518.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

43. Preemptive 

Development of 

Management Strategies 

for Branched 

Broomrape: An Emerging 

Threat to

California Specialty 

Crops

Re-emergence of branched broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa), an A-listed 

quarantine pest, is a threat to the California tomato industry and could 

threaten several other specialty crops. Yet California is lacking management 

solutions to cope with this difficult-to-control weed. The goal of this project is 

to develop preemptive solutions for detection, containment, management, 

and eradication of P. ramosa before it disrupts the viability of the tomato 

industry and other specialty crops. As broomrape is hidden underground for 

most of its life, this project will test hyperspectral remote sensing to 

iscriminate broomrape infected and non-infected plants for rapid detection 

of infestation foci. To prevent seed dispersal, the project will test machinery 

sanitation methods and assess a sustainable fumigation practice, 

biosolarization, to eliminate soil seedbank. The project will recalibrate the 

Israeli-developed decision support system (DSS), called PICKIT, to equip 

California growers with the most effective P. ramosa management tool.

$334,651.00
38

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

44. Cooking Matters: 

Increasing Fruit and 

Vegetable Consumption 

Through Cooking Classes 

and Market

Tours

18 Reasons will increase awareness and consumption of California-grown 

specialty crops through Cooking Matters cooking and nutrition education 

programs for low-income community residents. Cooking Matters includes 

one-time market tours as well as six-week, cooking-focused nutrition 

education series. The project will reach 9,000 Cooking Matters participants 

over the grant duration. In each class, participants prepare and eat healthy 

fruit- and vegetable-based recipes. Tours focus on how to purchase, prepare, 

and store specialty crops. Classes and tours are led by peer educators from 

the community who have completed a training series with 18 Reasons. 

Success of the program will be evaluated with matched pre- and post-surveys 

completed by each graduate that measure changes in fruit and vegetable 

consumption.

$300,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

45. Enhancing Specialty 

Crops Through Farmer 

Training and SchoolBased Education

This project will provide on-the-job farmer training for beginning refugee 

farmers, and increase access to, education about, and consumption of 

California specialty crops in Yolo County annually at twelve participating Yolo 

County schools with Kids Farmers’ Markets. The project has three core 

activities: 1) providing advanced on-the job farmer training to six refugee 

farmers to produce specific commercial quality specialty crops; 2) providing 

outreach and education on the health benefits, preparation methods, and 

how to access specialty crops to underserved children and families; and 3) 

teaching school aged children about growing and consuming specialty crops 

via school gardens. The project will track consumption of specialty crops at 

participating schools.

$405,846.00
39

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

46. Solano County Farm 

to Institution and Public 

Education Project

Sustainable Solano is creating an environmentally and economically 

sustainable, value-driven, community-based local food system to ensure the 

economic viability of farms and create a stronger market for specialty crops in 

Solano County. A key part of this vision is increasing awareness, consumption, 

and sales of specialty crops grown by Solano farmers. The project has four 

interrelated parts: 1) develop a comprehensive information hub of specialty 

crops, farmer profiles, and materials to promote Solano-grown specialty 

crops; 2) build a foundation for in-house hospital kitchens and culinary 

professionals (restaurants/caterers) to introduce one to two seasonal 

specialty crops per month; 3) expand the current local food public education 

program, “What's for Dinner?”, to increase knowledge on health benefits, 

sourcing, and preparation of specialty crops; and 4) showcase local farms and 

crops through agritourism and Bounty of the County events.

$238,524.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

47. Increasing Specialty 

Crop Access and 

Consumption in LowIncome and Low-Access 

Bay Area

Communities

The project will create a healthier food environment to promote increased 

consumption of California specialty crops in San Francisco Bay Area 

communities defined as low-income/low-access by the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2015 USDA ERS data showed that twenty 

percent of census tracts in the cities that Fresh Approach serves are lowincome/low-access. Fresh Approach will employ overlapping strategies to 

increase specialty crop consumption throughout the urban Bay Area. The 

project will offer low-income residents nutrition and cooking skills that 

reinforce ways to eat specialty crops on a tight budget; increase the locations 

that specialty crops can be purchased by adding mobile farmers markets; and 

increase the number of traditional farmers markets that provide nutrition 

incentives for low-income customers. This will create new outlets for 

specialty crop farmers and increase the number of customers who shop for 

specialty crops. Success will be measured by increased specialty crop sales 

and consumption.

$441,960.00
40

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

48. Eating Right from the 

Start - Increasing 

Consumption of 

Specialty Crops in LowIncome Communities

NeighborWorks Sacramento will increase specialty crop sales and specialty 

crop consumption at two Farmers’ Markets in Oak Park, a racially diverse 

community with high rates of poverty and health challenges. This project will 

reach low-income families that have not traditionally been Farmers’ Market 

customers and encourage them to improve eating habits and health and to 

become lifetime specialty crop consumers. The "Eating Right from the Start" 

campaign will include fun, child-friendly, interactive education activities, 

including the popular "Passport Play" specialty crop nutrition education 

activities, family tours at local farms, and tours of farmers markets. The 

project will also add new sales outlets for specialty crop farmers and will link 

farmers with local grocery stores and restaurants, and provide training, 

resources, and support to help farmers be prepared and positioned to take 

advantage of these opportunities.

$75,431.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

49. Developing 

Sustainable Farm to 

Institution Market 

Coordination in San 

Diego County

Community Health Improvement Partners (CHIP) has cultivated strong 

relationships with San Diego County growers and institutional buyers. These 

farm to institution (F2I) relationships were built through CHIP's food service 

collaborative groups that have catalyzed increased procurement of Californiagrown specialty crops. In the 2016-2017 school year, San Diego County 

schools procured $6 million of California grown specialty crops. However, per 

the 2018 San Diego Grower Needs Assessment, farmers face major 

challenges to business viability due to a lack of farm business planning, 

regulatory, and crop planning support. CHIP will coordinate San Diego 

specialty crop supply with institutional demand to increase access and 

consumption, using CHIP's food service groups to specify product demand 

and local grower sessions to adjust supply. Intertwined with this, experts in 

farm business planning, regulations, and crop planning will support growers 

sustaining profitability.

$342,429.00
41

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

50. Expanding Education 

and Knowledge of 

Fermented Fruits and 

Vegetables

Consumer and food processor education is needed on the safe preparation of 

specialty-crop fermented foods and incorporation of these foods into healthy 

eating habits. The current lack of educational resources and information is 

detrimental to specialty crop market growth. This project will provide up-todate, educational materials and trainings supported by new research on the 

nutritional and bioactive properties of live-culture, specialty crop fermented 

fruits and vegetables. Outcomes are print and electronic materials, 

workshops for consumers, new or improved methods for fermented food 

processors and their feedback, and new data on those foods. Success of the 

project will be measured by learning and behavior change among consumers 

and commercial processors. The project benefits specialty crop growers and 

processors by increasing consumption, access, and awareness of specialtycrop foods in the context of healthy diets.

$213,051.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

51. Expansion of the 

Riverside Unified School 

District Food Distribution 

Hub

The Riverside Unified School District has leveraged a successful Farm to 

School program and established relationships with local growers to develop a 

Food Hub serving small school districts, childcare centers, and restaurants. 

The Food Hub has sold $1.5 million of California grown produce to date and is 

well positioned to expand to new markets. This project will increase the Food 

Hub's long-term sustainability by expanding its customer base to additional 

buyers in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, including additional school 

districts, charter schools, colleges and universities (seeking to comply with 

the University of California's twenty percent goal of sustainable produce), 

childcare centers, and hospitals. The project will also evaluate and 

disseminate outcomes and lessons learned regarding expansion and 

replication of this model to other interested parties, including large school 

districts.

$432,861.00
42

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

52. California Grown 

Retail Promotions in 

Japan Featuring 

California Fresh Cherries 

and Blueberries

The California Cherry Board (CCB) and the California Blueberry Commission 

(CBC) propose conducting a series of California Grown retail promotions in 

Japan featuring fresh California cherries and blueberries. To meet price 

requirements, Japanese importers have shifted to purchasing lower quality 

fruit. This has negatively affected the reputation of California fresh fruit, 

leading to decreased demand and lower export volumes. By organizing largescale promotions with Japanese retail outlets, CBC and CCB will increase 

consumer demand, demonstrating to importers the high quality and 

profitability of California fresh fruit. Leveraging the California Grown identity, 

CCB and CBC will highlight the availability of California cherries and 

blueberries as the first fresh imported fruit of the summer. Following the 

activity, CB/CBC will collect sales data and survey importers on their 

perceptions of California fruit and interest in increasing purchase volumes in 

subsequent seasons.

$395,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

53. Stanislaus Grown’s 

Farm to School to 

Community - Nutrition 

and Specialty Crop 

Education

The Stanislaus Grown Nutrition and Specialty Crop Education program will 

enhance marketability and consumption of specialty crops by connecting 

producers with schools, schools with educational programs, and educational 

programs with parents and the community to create an integrated farm to 

school to community system. The program will build upon existing outreach, 

such as Harvest of the Month, Junior Chef at the Market and the Regional 

Food and Nutrition Network, by incorporating specialty crop specific 

curriculum and activities, reinforcing the importance of eating fresh, locally 

grown fruits and vegetables. The program's integrated approach will include: 

1) producer outreach to develop a procurement list for schools; 2) school 

outreach to develop farm-to-school implementation kits; 3) educational 

outreach to provide farmer profiles and cooking lessons for students; and 4) 

community outreach to provide community garden for farmers, schools, 

students, parents, and educators to work together.

$200,931.00
43

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

54. Technological 

Innovations to Increase 

Specialty Crop 

Consumption Among 

CalFresh Participants

This project will increase demand for and increase consumption of specialty 

crops among San Diego County CalFresh participants, by utilizing the County's 

new text messaging system to provide all CalFresh participants with 

information about: 1) the benefits of consuming specialty crops; 2) 

affordable, seasonal, specialty crops (particularly fruits and vegetables; and 3) 

how to select, store, and prepare specialty crops. The project will reach tens 

of thousands of San Diego County CalFresh participants. The partnership 

between the University of California (UC) San Diego Center for Community 

Health and the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Nutrition 

Policy Institute offers a unique opportunity to test and replicate an innovative 

technology-based model for promoting specialty crops and providing 

nutrition education statewide and beyond.

$443,422.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74 55. Watch Us Grow

The Watch Us Grow project will blend together, with a full “Ground-to-Table” 

approach, healthy eating and local farming through year-round curriculum 

lessons, activities, and food tastings for young people from underserved 

communities. This project will aim to improve access to, and knowledge and 

consumption of specialty crops from locally sourced farms in Fresno, Madera, 

Alameda, and Kern counties. The planting of specialty crops will teach 

children and parents the benefits of consuming specialty crops such as blackeyed peas for addressing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease issues. 

Participants will plant and grow specialty crops through demonstration 

events on the African American Farmers of California (AAFC) 20-acre farm 

and smaller urban farms in Fresno County. Participants will also learn about 

the nutritional benefits of consuming the specialty crops that they helped 

grow through outreach events that include demonstrations and recipe 

development. The program will be provided to school districts, reaching 275 

students and 50 adults. Project success will be measured by changes in 

knowledge of and interest in consuming more specialty crops, as measured 

by surveys of Watch Us Grow Project participants.

$100,000.00
44

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

56. Southeast Asian 

Small 

Farmers/Businesses 

Capacity Building 

Project: Building 

Networking and Training

Opportunities

The Asian Business Institute & Resource Center (ABIRC)’s mission is to assist 

Southeast Asian (SEA) business owners through access to resources, business 

and financial plans, marketing assistance, nontraditional loans, workshops 

conducted in various languages, networking, advocacy for small businesses, 

certifications for various contractual opportunities, and other means of 

building capacity within the SEA Asian business community. ABIRC will 

convene three networking opportunities for SEA small specialty crop farmers 

with potential buyers, conduct an ethnic media outreach program, and 

perform community outreach and training activities. ABIRC will work directly 

with SEA small specialty crop farmers through a case management system to 

monitor the number of new careers created, jobs maintained or created as a 

result of project efforts.

$100,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

57. Increasing Health 

Awareness Within the 

Native American 

Community of California 

Specialty Crops 

Start Date:

The California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC) was formally 

created in 1978 under state law as a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of 

working for the social welfare, and educational and economic advancement 

of its member tribes, groups, organizations, and Indians and other Native 

Americans living in its service area. The goal of the project is to increase 

awareness and consumption of specialty crops within the Californian Native 

American community through culturally-appropriate events, workshops, and 

educational materials. By utilizing the Sacramento Native American Health 

Center (SNAHC) and CIMC’s social and health programs and effective 

statewide communication network (social media and traditional), CIMC 

anticipates reaching 400 Native American community members during the 

one-year project. The plan for evaluating and measuring the success of the 

project will include tracking the number of participants receiving nutritional 

assistance, sign-in and out sheets, pre- and post-surveys.

$100,000.00
45

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

58. Health Centers: 

Partners for Increasing 

Access to Fruits, 

Vegetables, and Culinary 

Education

CommuniCare Health Centers (CCHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center, a 

designation conferred by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

on community-based organizations that provide comprehensive health care

services regardless of ability to pay. As part of an ongoing effort to support 

the holistic health of patients, CCHC conducts wellness initiatives that 

empower patients to prevent disease and to successfully manage existing 

conditions. The wellness team coordinates Group Medical Visits (GMVs) that 

bring together patients who share a chronic disease diagnosis, a medical 

provider, and health educators to inspire social support, develop knowledge 

and skills for disease management, and improve patient access to medical 

care. CCHC will increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among low 

income patients by incorporating culinary education into existing GMVs. The 

culinary education will include culturally-relevant weekly cooking classes 

offered in conjunction with GMVs at each of three clinic sites and at an 

outdoor classroom 40 weeks per year, and monthly food demonstrations in 

clinic waiting rooms to promote cooking class participation while introducing 

tasty dishes that emphasize fruits and vegetables. Waiting room food demos 

will be monitored via satisfaction surveys, and cooking class participants will 

complete assessments at their first and fourth GMV to measure changes in 

knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and skills. Electronic Health Record data will 

provide clinical data.

$93,776.00
46

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

59. Development of New 

Walnut Drying Methods 

for Reduced Drying Time 

and Energy Usage

California produces about 690,000 tons of walnuts each year, contributing 

$1.24 billion to the state's economy. However, about three percent of the 

walnuts are lost due to delayed drying. This is caused by insufficient drying 

facilities and the low drying efficiency of the conventional hot air-drying 

method of in-shell walnuts at 43°C. The low drying efficiency results from the 

resistance of walnut shells to moisture transfer, also leading to high drying 

costs. Preliminary test results have shown that when the kernels and cracked 

in-shell walnuts were dried by the same method, they had significantly 

reduced drying time (47 percent and 21 percent respectively) with 

corresponding amounts of energy savings, while still meeting the quality 

requirements of the industrial standard. The aim of this project is to develop 

and optimize new, efficient walnut drying methods using infrared pre-drying 

followed by hot air drying of walnut kernels or cracked walnuts. The 

technology will be disseminated for adoption.

$429,143.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

60. Increasing 

Profitability of Fig 

Production in California 

by Increasing the Shelf 

Life of Fresh Figs

California ranks first in the nation in fig production. About 87 percent of the 

figs are processed and sold as dry figs. Selling figs as a fresh market product is 

desirable and profitable, but distribution is limited for growers because figs 

are highly perishable and have a short shelf life. Extending shelf life can 

increase the profitability of fig production. The preliminarily studies show 

that application of ozone on freshly harvested figs can control weight loss and 

extend shelf life by an additional week. This additional time allows the 

growers greater flexibility in storage and shipping and could increase the 

market for fresh figs. This proposed method is environmentally-friendly, 

chemical-free, and low-cost. The project aims to develop an ozone generator 

that can be used in the field or in storage and to determine optimal 

application parameters, such as ozone concentration and application 

duration. Evaluation of this method will also include recording the shelf life of 

the sample in the following year.

$199,567.00
47

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

61. Verification and 

Validation of 

Environmental 

Monitoring Programs for 

Biofilm Control in the

Packinghouse

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Clemson University to 

develop informational tools for environmental sampling and sanitation 

frequency in packinghouses. Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), an important 

foodborne pathogen, has been involved in foodborne outbreaks linked to the 

consumption of fresh produce and stone fruits. To avoid contamination 

events, the packing industry must rely on rigorous sanitation practices and 

environmental sampling plans. The project will grow biofilms formed by 

background microbiota collected in stone fruit packinghouses and by Lm 

under conditions simulating industry settings. The main findings regarding 

biofilm growth rate and transfer will be then validated in pilot plant studies, 

in which background microbiota will be inoculated and allowed to develop as 

biofilms on selected surfaces. Growth of the biofilms over time, as well as 

transfer rates to the produce used in the trials, will be evaluated. Data from 

biofilm growth and transfer experiments will be used to build a mathematical 

model of biofilm development, and ultimately designed as a user-friendly 

Excel add-in. The add-in could be developed into a practical tool to predict 

microbial behavior in the packinghouse and anticipate optimal sampling time 

and sanitation intervals, and thus provide the scientific data for sanitation 

schedules and environmental monitoring programs. Overall, the findings 

from this project will improve packing operations and the safety of products.

$190,789.00
48

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

62. Environmental 

Microbial Risks 

Associated with Vented 

Produce in Distribution 

Centers

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with the University of Georgia to 

assess the contamination risk for fresh produce in vented packaging in 

distribution center environments. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 

Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule requires the establishment of 

environmental monitoring programs within FDA-registered facilities, 

including in distribution centers that receive, hold, and ship fresh produce. 

Generally, in the DC environment, product arrives fully packaged and is 

shipped in the same packaging, with minimal to no handling. However, FDA 

has determined that fresh produce entering these environments may be at 

risk for contamination due to the vented nature of the packaging materials 

used. Produce is typically shipped and stored in packaging that allows the 

accumulated postharvest gas and moisture to dissipate. The vented 

packaging also helps maintain product quality throughout the supply chain. 

This project will examine the risk of contamination in the distribution center 

environment by surveying distribution center managers and sampling their 

facilities, with a focus on potentially high-risk areas, practices, or equipment 

within the distribution centers. Knowledge gained from this project and 

guidance documents developed will assist distribution centers in evaluating 

the environmental microbial risks of vented produce as well as eliminating 

high-risk practices that may contribute to contamination events within 

distribution center environments.

$358,218.00
49

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

63. Post-Harvest Fresh 

Produce Wash Water 

Disinfection by 

Submerged Cold Plasma 

Non-Chemical

Continuous Treatment 

System

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Drexel University to optimize 

and test a novel energy efficient wash water treatment system for fresh and 

fresh-cut produce, based on cold plasma technology. Cold plasma technology 

uses electricity and a carrier gas to inactivate pathogens in water and does 

not require antimicrobial chemical agents. The challenge with a plasma-based 

disinfection technology system is to provide sufficient mixing of the plasmatreated water with bulk water in the produce wash system. The goal of this 

project is to design a plasma-based wash water management system for 

minimally processed fresh produce to eliminate cross-contamination. The 

research team will optimize existing reverse vortex gliding arc plasmatron for 

the specifics of produce processing plants, validate this new system in labscale studies, and finalize this project by full validation of the plasma system 

prototype at an industry-scale testing facility.

$354,229.00
50

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

64. Analysis of the 

Presence of Cyclospora 

in Waters of the MidAtlantic States and 

Evaluation of Removal

and Inactivation by 

Filtration

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with the University of Delaware to 

evaluate a novel filtration method to remove and inactivate the protozoan 

parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis (C. cayetanensis) from water used for 

produce. C. cayetanensis presents a unique challenge to the scientific 

community in understanding its persistence, transfer, and detection in the 

environment. The first documented domestic C. cayetanensis outbreak, in 

2018, was linked to produce grown in the United States. Previous outbreaks 

had often been associated with produce imported from countries where this 

organism is endemic. Zero valent iron (ZVI), an affordable by-product of the 

steel industry, has been shown to be effective in removing and neutralizing 

bacterial, viral, and chemical contaminants from water. The efficacy of ZVI on 

parasites has not been studied but shows great potential in filtration 

applications. This project will determine if C. cayetanensis is present in 

potential sources of irrigation water within the U.S. Mid- Atlantic Region and 

assess the effectiveness of ZVI filtration in removing and inactivating 

protozoan parasites like C. cayetanensis from irrigation water to ensure the 

safety of produce. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) detection 

of presumptive-positive Cyclospora in the waters will be correlated with 

sequencing data and location and climactic data associated with the water 

sample collection. Filtration parameters for successful removal of protozoa 

through ZVI filtration will be established; two protozoa surrogates, 

Cryptosporidium and Eimeria, will be used to address the removal of 

Cyclospora.

$58,613.00
51

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

65. Sources and 

Prevalence of Cyclospora 

Cayetanensis in 

Southeastern U.S. Water 

Sources and Growing

Environments

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess domestic prevalence of Cyclospora 

cayetanensis in agricultural environments in the southeastern United States. 

In 2018, a domestic produce–associated cyclosporiasis outbreak and the first 

Cyclospora detection on domestic produce demonstrated the need for a 

better understanding of Cyclospora prevalence in U.S. produce-growing 

environments. The Southeastern Coastal Plain growing region has several risk 

factors that warrant the evaluation of Cyclospora prevalence, including a 

farm worker population from Cyclospora-endemic areas, use of surface water 

for irrigation, and heavy rainfall that could transport Cyclospora into surface 

waters. This project will assess Cyclospora prevalence in this region through 

two Georgia industry partners representing growing practices across the 

southeastern states. Human sewage samples from municipal wastewater 

influents and on-farm portable toilets will be tested to assess Cyclospora 

shedding in the region and on-farm, respectively. Cyclospora prevalence in 

the agricultural environment will be assessed in water and on produce (via a 

proxy measurement of packinghouse wash water). Using newly developed 

tools, Cyclospora contamination found will be traced through the producegrowing process by genetic typing to match detections between samples and 

by assessing the parasite’s maturation state to the approximate time since 

shedding. This project will add to the understanding of Cyclospora 

contamination in U.S. produce-growing environments and provide 

information about contamination routes to produce.

$415,433.00
52

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

66. The Prevalence of 

Cyclospora in Water and 

Produce

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with the University of Georgia to 

compare detection methods for Cyclospora cayetanensis (C. cayetanensis) in 

water and produce and determine the prevalence and persistence of this 

parasite in selected regions in California and Florida. C. cayetanensis is an 

important enteric pathogen but its prevalence and persistence in the U.S. 

environment (water and soil) is unknown. Humans who become infected with 

C. cayetanensis by consuming contaminated food can develop an intestinal 

illness known as cyclosporiasis. Cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the U.S. have 

historically been associated with ingestion of produce imported from 

cyclosporiasis-endemic regions. In 2018, however, two large cyclosporiasis 

outbreaks were associated with fresh produce (romaine lettuce and 

shredded) and vegetable trays (cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots), implicating 

vegetables produced in the U.S. This project will first examine the specificity 

and sensitivity of three molecular detection methods for Cyclospora in water 

and fresh produce to determine the most suitable approach to test for 

Cyclospora in agricultural settings. The research team will collect samples of 

river water in California and pond and canal water and fresh produce in 

Florida over two years, with sampling in seven months each year. The data 

provided will contribute to understanding the distribution, persistence, and 

prevalence of Cyclospora oocysts in the environment, which is the first step 

to address interventions to eliminate and/or prevent introduction of the 

parasite in produce at the farm level.

$245,118.00
53

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

67. Building Bay Area 

Cooperation for Urban 

Specialty Crop 

Production, Market 

Access, and Nutrition

Equity

This project will be conducted as a collaborative partnership, led by Acta Non 

Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) and in collaboration with the 

Multicultural Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA) and Mandela 

Grocery Cooperative to increase access to and the consumption of specialty 

crops grown in socially disadvantaged communities and support beginning 

urban specialty crop growers. ANV will facilitate trainings to youth and adults 

and develop new market outlets for specialty grown crops. MESA will add 

momentum to increase production capacity and resources for beginning 

specialty crop growers and Mandela will expand trainings as well as increased 

sales of specialty grown crops. The target communities include West and East 

Oakland, Berkeley and El Sobrante. A collaborative monitoring and evaluation 

process will: 1) include initial needs assessments to develop the baselines for 

consumer and participant; 2) evaluate the production, supply, and access of 

specialty crops; 3) evaluate the number of individuals (youth and adults) 

reached; and 4) evaluate the quality of reach with identified core 

competencies for the learning programs.

$100,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

68. Promoting Specialty 

Crops by Training 

Retailers, Mobile 

Vendors, and Educating 

Community Members.

The Center at Sierra Health Foundation is an independent 501(C)(3) 

nonprofit. The Center brings people, ideas and infrastructure together to 

create a collective impact that works to eradicate health inequities across the 

state of California and especially within the San Joaquin Valley. The Center at 

Sierra Health Foundation will serve as the fiscal agent for Cultiva La Salud, 

which is a public health advocacy organization based in Fresno, CA. Its 

mission is to engage, inform, and inspire residents of the San Joaquin Valley 

to become actively involved in promoting their health, the health of their 

families and the broader community through policy, system and 

environmental improvements that promote healthy eating and active living. 

The project will increase access to produce grown by local socially 

disadvantaged specialty crop farmers by making the produce available in 

underserved neighborhoods. The project will also provide education on. 

specialty crops to disadvantaged community residents. These two goals will 

be accomplished by training mobile food vendors who will sell locally grown 

specialty crops and provide needed community education.

$100,000.00
54

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74

69. Growing a Vibrant 

East San José from its 

AgriCultural Roots

The mission of Veggielution is to connect people from diverse backgrounds 

through food and farming to build community in East San José, California. 

Programs expand opportunities for East San José residents to rebuild their 

local food system. Each year, Veggielution grows over 30,000 pounds of 

produce using pesticide-free and sustainable growing practices. All of the 

produce grown is distributed to local residents through channels that include 

a farm stand, cooking classes, middle school field trips, and Veggie Vouchers 

(veggie “prescriptions” issued by local pediatricians). Through this project, 

Veggielution will increase consumption and raise awareness of the nutritional 

benefits of ethnic specialty crops among San José residents through various 

programs and marketing channels. Project success will be evaluated and 

measured through surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one conversations with 

adults and youth about the knowledge they have gained about specialty 

crops, their intention to eat them, and their reported consumption of these 

foods. Project success will also be measured by the number of additional 

ethnic crops added to the crop plan during the two-year grant period.

$98,927.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$22,987,649.74 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$2,075,542.25

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

1. Colorado Pavilion at 

the 2020 PMA Fresh 

Summit

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will lead the project to exhibit 

at the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit Expo on October 

15-17, 2020 in Dallas, TX. CDA will partner with Colorado produce 

associations, growers and handlers. The PMA Fresh Summit is the largest 

produce marketing expo in the U.S. Because of the cost of attending, and the 

fact that booth location is selected by seniority, it is most beneficial for 

Colorado businesses to attend under the umbrella of the CDA. CDA will assist 

up to nine Colorado companies and associations in gaining a national and 

international buying audience through attendance at Fresh Summit Expo. The 

project focuses on increased sales and customer base for Colorado specialty 

crop companies.

$76,000.00
55

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38 2. The Benefits of Sod in 

an Urban Landscape

The Rocky Mountain Sod Growers (RMSG) will lead this project to educate 

the public concerning the benefits of sod in the environment through an 

advertising campaign designed to highlight environmental benefits, inform 

the public about the actual water needs of turf, discuss the role of turf in an 

urban environment, and show how grass in the landscape increases property 

values. In addition, the RMSG will run a digital campaign, update the official 

website, and invest more in geo-targeting. A possible drought in 2020 will be 

utilized to educate growers about how to effectively conserve water 

throughout the state of Colorado.

$30,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

3. Stimulating Consumer 

and Wholesale 

Purchases of Colorado 

Produce Through 

Targeted Promotional

activities

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) will lead this 

project to promote Colorado produce through activities that reach both 

consumers and commercial buyers. , Building upon the successes of prior 

project activities, this project aims to increase sales of Colorado produce by 2 

percent through out-of-state produce expos, grower and buyer 

tours/meetings and general networking sessions, and targeted social media 

campaigns. CFVGA will also share results with stakeholders through email, 

conferences, radio interviews and organizational annual reports.

$27,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

4. Advancing Produce 

Grower Education and 

Networks Through 

Business Management 

Focused

conferences

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) will led this 

project to assist Colorado growers gain knowledge about business 

management tools and resources through annual conferences in 2020 and 

2021 and a labor conference in 2020 then share results with stakeholders 

through email, conferences, radio interviews and organizational annual 

reports. Building on the successes funded from prior SCBGP awards for 

annual conferences, CFVGA will utilize the new funding to support speaker 

costs and room rental for these two CFVGA annual conferences to provide 

business management continuing education and networking for growers.

$14,200.00
56

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

5. Strengthening Existing 

Food Safety Programs by 

building a Traceabiliity 

Curriculum and Grower 

Training

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) will lead this 

project to assist Colorado growers enhance their produce safety programs by 

developing a food safety traceability curriculum. The program will be 

delivered at one or more grower-workshops and then curriculum and 

workshop outcomes will be shared with stakeholders through email, 

conferences, radio interviews and organizational annual reports. This 

workshop will build on knowledge and skills CFVGA started addressing in its 

2017 “Recall Readiness and Crisis Communications Workshop.” The outcomes 

from this project will position Colorado growers to better meet evolving food 

safety and marketplace requirements.

$7,442.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

6. Research to Establish 

Cider Apple Industry in 

Colorado

The Colorado Cider Guild (CCG) will lead this project to create a body of 

knowledge for Colorado’s apple growers to supply cider apples to the fastgrowing Colorado hard cider market. CCG will use the fund to allow the 

grantees to establish what the market is, where the apples are coming from 

now and in the future, and what growers can do to meet the increasing 

demand from Colorado cider producers, both from a horticultural standpoint 

and on an economic basis. CCG will also develop an innovation model to 

provide prospective cider apple growers with best management practices, 

varietal recommendations, and ROI information. CCG will also host three 

workshops around the state to educate farmers on what is learned and how 

to start cider orchards.

$58,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

7. Cooperative 

Distribution and Market 

Access for Remote 

Specialty Crop Producers 

in Southern Colorado

The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (LFC) will lead this project to 

develop market access for and consumption of the abundant supply of 

Southern Colorado’s specialty crops. The focal specialty crops within this 

proposal are those grown in abundance with reliable supply in the San Luis 

Valley and Arkansas Valley, many of which lend to minimal processing, 

canning, and freezing. The project aims to increase gross sales by 12 percent 

through facilitating increased institutional procurement by engaging 

institutional buyers, undergoing production planning, developing distribution 

efficiencies, and expansion of the Harmonized GAP Plus+ certification.

$22,500.00
57

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

8. Effect of Crop 

Rotations on Soil-Borne 

Pathogen Population 

Dynamics

The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee will lead a collective effort in 

this project with partners such as California State University researchers from 

Fort Collins and the San Luis Valley Research Center, as well as potato grower 

cooperators in the San Luis Valley (SLV) to determine the effect of two and 

three-year crop rotations on changes in soil-borne potato pathogen levels. 

This project aims to identify crop rotation schemes that would allow 

sustainable production of potatoes in the SLV. Build on the previous research, 

this project will focus on gaining understanding of shifts in causal agents of 

specific soil-borne pathogens (causing diseases such as silver scurf, black dot, 

black scurf, black leg, common scab, powdery scab etc.) of importance to SLV 

potato growers.

$33,148.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

9. Increasing Production 

and Education of 

Specialty Crops at High 

Altitude

Guidestone Colorado will lead this project aiming to increase production of 

specialty crops at high altitude by strengthening the capacity of season 

extension models. Guidestone Colorado will work with the school district to 

incorporate more produce into their year-round meal planning and to 

increase infrastructure and year-round production on site. The project aims 

to increase access and awareness to Specialty Crops by providing more 

produce to local wholesale markets, and fostering the development of 

knowledge, skills, and awareness of how to grow food in a high-altitude 

environment through education programming for youth and adults.

$18,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

10. Management 

Strategies to Maximize 

Colorado Peach 

Orchards Productivity 

and Fruit Quality 

Potential

Colorado State University (CSU) will lead this project to develop sustainable 

orchard management strategies that improve the economic aspects of tree 

fruit production in western Colorado. The general aim of this project is to 

provide Colorado peach growers with knowledge and technology to produce 

more value-added fruit with less inputs and provide consumers fruit of 

consistent and excellent quality. New peach cropping systems that are 

resilient for the Colorado growing conditions (high soil pH, cold damage, 

Cytospora canker, replant disease) and improve productivity and fruit quality 

will be evaluated. The project aims to enhance the competitiveness of the 

peach industry in Colorado by increasing productivity and profitability.

$53,897.00
58

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

11. Cytospora Canker 

Threshold Computer 

Decision Aid for 

Colorado Peach Growers

The Cytospora Working Group will lead this project to develop best 

management strategies for canker pathogens in stone fruit orchards, 

including: 1) live with the disease, 2) chemical controls, and 3) sustainable 

sanitation. Cytospora canker (CC) is a potentially devastating fungal disease in 

western Colorado. Palisade peach production is culturally and economically 

important in this region. Without a viable solution, sustainability of the 

industry and region are at high risk. The goal is to develop a model that 

accounts for the economic impact of CC with each type of best management

strategy, and then to develop a computer “app” to inform growers of 

economic thresholds for management options.

$98,373.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

12. Regaining Control of 

Colding Moth in Organic 

Apple Production 

Identifying Integrated 

Pest Management 

Failures and Potential 

Solutions

Colorado State University will lead this project in partnership with the 

Colorado Department of Agriculture and local organic apples growers, to 

conduct the following tasks: 1) identify the reasons for a significant increase 

in damage caused by Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) in organic orchards 

that have historically controlled the pest successfully using integrated pest 

management (IPM), and to 2) identify methods to regain successful 

management of this pest. Codling moth (CM) is one of the most serious insect 

pests in organic apple and pear production. The purpose of this project is to 

identify failing IPM practices to control codling moth and to correct these 

practices, allowing organic apple growers to again operate profitably. This will 

require exploratory research, proofing, and education.

$37,647.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

13. Evaluation of 

Lactobionate to Enhance 

Pepper Production 

Through Improved Soil 

Health

Colorado State University (CSU) will evaluate the effect of lactobionate 

amendments for improved soil health and water retention on Colorado 

pepper production. One of the challenges to the sustainability of specialty 

crop production is maintaining crop production as climate change drives 

more frequent and severe droughts. This project aims to provide new, 

targeted technologies that are easy-to-use and compatible with current 

grower practices are needed to provide producers with new tools to address 

water retention and soil health. This project will also test the effects of 

lactobionate on pepper yield and quality as well as soil moisture and soil 

health to determine the impact of lactobionate on soil health and pepper 

yields.

$59,075.00
59

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

14. Identifying 

Integrated Pest 

Management (IPM) 

Methodologies for The 

Control of Cornseed 

Maggot (Delia Platura) in 

Organic Colorado Sweet 

Corn

Colorado State University will lead the project to identify Integrated Pest 

Management (IPM) methodologies for the control of cornseed maggot (CSM) 

in organic sweet corn production in Colorado, in partnership with the 

Colorado Department of Agriculture and local organic sweet corn growers. 

The purpose of this project is to identify sustainable IPM methodologies to 

manage CSM organically that will allow growers to successfully grow organic 

sweet corn profitably. Identifying and implementing these methodologies will 

allow Colorado sweet corn growers to diversify and expand their market 

options and increase their profitability.

$36,847.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

15. Colorado Native 

Plant Finishing Protocols 

for the Horticultural 

Industry

Plant Select® will lead this project to survey growers in Colorado and collect 

the information of what species of Colorado native plants that growers are 

able to successfully produce and sell. Based on the results of the initial 

survey, this project will generate a list of species to be selected to collect 

finishing protocols. Upon receiving the protocols from growers, Plant Select® 

and Colorado State University (CSU) will evaluate the protocols and look for 

commonalities to draft a ‘master’ protocol to test in the greenhouse. CSU will

be charge of planting and collect data on a replicated study that tests the 

effectiveness of the protocols. The objective of this project is to improve the 

finishing protocols to increase marketability of Colorado native plants.

$37,858.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

16. Defining Rocky Ford 

Melon Quality 

Characteristics and 

Screening Cultivars That 

Meet the Criteria

Arkansas Valley Research Center will lead this project to research 

characteristics of Rocky Ford melons and identify varieties with longer shelf 

life suitable for the Rocky Ford growing area. Overall, both genetics and 

growing environment play significant roles in determining a melon’s physical 

attributes, composition, and flavor. The purpose of this project, therefore, is 

to characterize the physical and chemical nature of existing varieties of Rocky 

Ford melons as well as new LSL types. In addition, the project will determine 

how variety, state of maturity, and post-harvest handling influence melon 

shelf life, sensory attributes, and ultimate marketability.

$56,748.00
60

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38

17. Specialty Crop 

Production Research, 

Technical Support, and 

Coordination for 

Colorado Growers: 2020

The Colorado State University (CSU) will lead this project to oversee and 

conduct researches combined with technical support and outreach to provide 

Colorado specialty crop producers with science-based information to 

stimulate innovation, competitiveness, and success. The objectives for this 

project are: 1) determine the most suitable specialty crop cultivars for 

Colorado via vegetable crop cultivar trials; 2) evaluate crop production 

technologies and new inputs for Colorado specialty crop production; 3) 

develop an innovative strategy that can be adopted by Colorado specialty 

crop producers; and 4) disseminate information to Colorado specialty crop 

growers and extension personnel.

$77,762.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,118.38 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$94,421.68

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$243,470.95 Student Farmers

The Division of Agriculture will work with various schools within the CNMI 

Public School System to help students learn how to plant specialty crops 

beginning with a range of topics from preparing the soil, to germinating, 

planting, harvesting and selling the produce at the market. Students will be 

introduced to the farming of specialty crops as far as how and when to plant, 

providing the plants with water, applying fertilizer and insecticide, harvesting, 

and marketing them.

$243,470.95

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57

1. Drone Imagery for 

Early Detection of Fruit 

Crop

Nutrition Deficiencies

The University of Connecticut will identify and quantify nutrient deficiencies 

in perennial fruit crops using drone

imagery and interpretation in order to positively impact the present season’s 

crop of the participating growers. The project results will be disseminated to 

stakeholders through grower meetings, newsletters, a story map, posters and 

factsheets.

$79,424.00
61

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57

2. Regionalization of a CT 

Grown Specialty CropBased Food System

The Brass City Regional Food Hub – Connecticut’s first, purpose-built fresh 

food aggregation, processing, and distribution facility - will catalyze a 

paradigm shift of traditional specialty crop distribution, market share, and 

sales by regionalizing key aspects of the specialty crop industry across 

relevant agricultural sectors. The main objective of this project is to utilize the 

Brass City Regional Food Hub as an instrument of regionalization for key 

areas of the Connecticut specialty crop industry by increasing its 

competitiveness, market share, and consumption across all relevant 

agricultural sectors through utilization of quality assurance, food safety, 

marketing, and logistical distribution/transportation strategies.

$99,700.00

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57

3. Optimizing Irrigation 

Water Use in 

Greenhouses and 

Nurseries

The University of Connecticut aims to reduce the environmental footprint of 

greenhouse and nursery-grown crops by increasing the efficiency of water 

and fertilizer use. The project will collect water quantity and quality data in 

commercial operations and use it to develop nutrient programs that are 

specific to the needs of Connecticut greenhouses and nurseries. We will 

promote the implementation of improved water and fertilization practices in 

greenhouses and nurseries by disseminating the results to stakeholders 

through direct and indirect

communication channels.

$99,478.00

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57

4. Survey for Grapevine 

Leafroll-Associated 

Viruses in Connecticut

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) scientists will conduct 

a statewide survey of the viruses that cause grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) 

to develop efficient management strategies to control this devastating 

disease in Connecticut (CT) vineyards. In this research proposal, we join 

experts in plant virology, entomology, and epidemiology in a collaborative 

effort to identify the extent of the viruses spread and the insect vectors 

(hemipterans) capable of spreading these viruses in CT. With this 

information, we will then be able to raise awareness among grape growers, 

vineyard managers, and vintners on the detrimental effect of this devastating 

virus disease in grape production and quality. CAES will partner with CT 

Department of Agriculture in knowledge dissemination and outreach. The 

long-term goal is to develop a statewide management plan that is 

$94,938.00
62

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

mechanistically and economically feasible, which might then be adopted by 

all growers throughout the northeastern region of the United States.

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57

5. Increasing 

Consumption of 

Connecticut Specialty 

Crops in WIC Participants 

and Seniors through the 

Farmers’ Market 

Nutrition Program

CT Dept. of Agriculture, in partnership with 211 Counts, the Connecticut 

Department of Public Health (DPH), and select local Women, Infant, and 

Children (WIC) agencies and elderly municipal agencies and organizations, 

will work to increase consumption of specialty crops in nutritionally at risk 

individuals, WIC participants and seniors over the age of 60, by increasing 

redemption of the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers’ 

Market Nutrition Program checks. This shall be done by identifying 

underserved municipalities and conducting targeted outreach efforts to 

program participants where nutrition education and local food access 

information has shown to be insufficient.

$14,574.00

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$424,082.57 Grant Administration 

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$35,939.00
63

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

1. Small Fruit Extension 

Programming and 

Establishment of Small 

Fruit Demonstration Plot

Members of the University of Delaware Agriculture Extension Team will work 

to enhance Extension programming and resources for small fruit growers and 

beginning farmers. They will establish a small fruit demonstration plot at the 

University of Delaware’s research farm located in Georgetown. During the 

project, the demonstration plot will be used for workshops on small fruit 

establishment and management, including recommended commercial 

practices for planting, weed management, fertilization, irrigation and 

trellising. In each year of the project workshops will be held at the 

Georgetown demonstration plot and at existing facilities in New Castle 

County. As the demonstration plot is established, photographs and videos 

that are taken will be used to develop digital and print Extension publications 

to help growers be successful in establishing and producing small fruit crops.

$15,474.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

2. Biological Control of 

Two Spotted Spider 

Mites in Cucurbits

This University of Delaware research project will conduct research on 

biological control of Two Spotted Spider mites, focusing on watermelon and 

muskmelon fields. Spider mites are among the most economically important 

arthropod pests of watermelon, and can be significant pests in other 

vegetable crops, including tomatoes and eggplant. Predatory mites will be 

evaluated for their ability to control two spotted spider mites and their 

potential integration with other insecticide programs that may be used in 

watermelon. In addition, spider mite distribution in commercial watermelon 

fields will be assessed. Melon fields will be scouted intensively for mites 

following a grid sample method. Consistent mite invasion patterns may aid 

targeted predatory mite releases. It is anticipated that this work will help 

build a biological control program for mites, potentially reducing the need for 

miticide input, decreasing resistance selection pressure, and reducing 

exposure to non-target organisms. Project results and progress will be 

summarized and distributed to stakeholders.

$33,918.89
64

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

3. Characterization and 

Deployment of Newly 

Identified Genes for 

Durable Resistance to 

Downy Mildew in Lima 

Beans

The project team at The University of Delaware seek to further characterize 

and develop recently identified lima bean accessions that contain new

sources of resistance to the most important plant pathogen of this crop in the 

mid-Atlantic region, Phytophthora phaseoli, the causal agent of downy 

mildew. Many commercially available lima bean cultivars with other desirable 

traits do not contain resistance to this pathogen. This project will characterize 

these novel sources of downy mildew resistance, as well as identify markers 

to facilitate the incorporation of this trait into important breeding lines. 

Further, our project goal includes identification of additional mechanisms of 

resistance against this pathogen; we have a near-complete reference genome 

for lima bean, and completion of this resource will provide numerous 

candidates for downy mildew resistance. The reference genome will also 

facilitate development of markers, which will then be used to rapidly identify 

major resistance genes in germplasm.

$49,091.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

4. Miticide Resistance 

Monitoring for Spider 

Mites in Delaware 

Specialty Crops

This University of Delaware research project will conduct research on miticide 

susceptibility and resistance monitoring of the two spotted spider mites 

(Tetranychus urticae Koch, Acari: Tetranychidae) in Delaware vegetables. 

Spider mites are key pests of watermelon and can be important pests of 

solanaceous crops and high tunnel production systems. The research funded 

by this project will examine miticide susceptibility in Delaware specialty 

crops, focusing on but not exclusive to watermelon. Stakeholders will be

advised what pesticides, if any, are at risk for reduced efficacy. Comparing 

bioassay findings with pesticide use records will enable conclusions to be 

generalized for farmers whose pest populations were not sampled. Project 

results will be disseminated at extension meetings, including Delaware 

AgWeek fresh market fruit and vegetable sessions. Results will be posted on 

UD extension’s web page, and incorporated into Weekly Crop Update, a 

weekly electronic agricultural extension update for stakeholders.

$15,382.87
65

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

5. Digitally Marketing 

Delaware's Specialty 

Crops

Delaware Farm Bureau (DFB) will run a digital advertising campaign over two 

years via social media, digital audio, web banners, and location-based 

targeting displays starting April 1, 2020 until December 5, 2021 to introduce 

24 fresh market crops available seasonally at Delaware markets. The purpose 

of this project is to digitally market specialty crops to consumers. According 

to a 2018 study by Nielsen, consumers spend almost 11 hours per day on 

their phones and computers interacting with media, including watch, reading 

and listening to media. The goals for this project are to reach consumers on 

digital platforms such as Facebook and the web to educate about 24 different 

specialty crops, 12 per year, over two years, to increase awareness of the 24 

specialty crops during their specific seasons; and potentially increase sales of 

specialty crops in Delaware.

$39,000.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

6. Expanding Specialty 

Crop Garden Program to 

Schools in Kent and 

Sussex Counties

Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids (HFHK) specializes in designing and 

implementing school vegetable garden programs for Kindergarten-8th grade 

students. HFHK programs run during the academic year and allow every 

student to participate in hands-on learning activities. By coordinating garden 

building, providing teacher training and lessons, and using fast-growing, coolweather crops, HFHK makes it practical for public schools to engage in “seedto-table” growing every spring and fall. Radishes, beets, kale, arugula, and 

various leaf lettuce plants from the garden are either served to students in 

school cafeterias or as part of classroom cooking demonstrations. The 

organization currently serves 12,000 students in 33 Delaware schools (28 

public, 2 charter, 3 private), most of which are K-5 schools in New Castle 

County. HFHK proposes through this grant to expand service to include two 

schools in Kent County and two schools in Sussex County during the two-year 

grant cycle.

$49,782.00
66

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

7. Sustainable Energy 

Improvements to 

Support a Hydroponic 

Vegetable Production 

Facility and Improve 

Economic Viability of 

Vacant Poultry Houses

Hope Floats Farm, LLC(HFF) is committed to retrofitting an out of production 

40’ x 500’ poultry house into a hydroponic production facility growing 

specialty crops, herbs and vegetables, at Mil-Chick Farm, located in 

Bridgeville, DE. The goal is to produce year-round herbs and vegetables for 

the local markets in Delaware and Maryland. The conversion of vacant 

poultry houses into hydroponic production facilities is a newer endeavor that 

has been launched by Envista Farms, LLC through a collaboration with the 

University of Delaware (UD), DE Dept. of Agriculture (DDA), the SMART 

Congressional Initiative (SMART) and Delaware Electric Cooperative. In DE, 

there are approximately 1,200 vacant poultry houses that present 

approximately 30,000,000 square feet of vacant space. Our goal is to 

determine that there are effective ways to create a more sustainable, yearround and energy efficient production method with true economic and 

environmental benefits when a poultry house is retrofitted into a hydroponic 

production facility. We will cooperate with Envista Farms and will share our 

scientific results with interested growers, extension specialists and other 

interested agriculture specialists.

$50,000.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

8. Educational and 

Community Garden at 

the Corteva Agriscience 

Farm at the Food Bank 

of Delaware

The Food Bank of Delaware (FBD) will create an educational and community 

garden to educate those that visit our campus and farm, particularly lowincome populations and children, about different techniques on how to grow 

fruits and vegetables and the benefits of eating more of them. By creating an 

educational and community garden space at the FBD facility it creates an 

opportunity to reach individuals with important education about the need to 

eat more fresh fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet, while educating them 

about how they can create similar gardens at their home or within their 

community to grow their own produce.

$26,524.17

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

9. Introducing Goji Berry 

(Lycium barnarum) 

Production Methods to 

Delaware

1st State Hemp will develop successful propagation and cultivation methods 

for growing goji berries to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops 

produced in Delaware. Goji Berries are a highly-nutritious perennial berry 

that belongs to the nightshade family. The large-scale production of this berry 

has not yet been attempted in the state of Delaware (to our knowledge) but 

has produced very well in-home gardens. The need for farms to diversify 

$33,600.00
67

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

some of their acreage brings opportunities for new crops for the area. 

Because this fruit is yet to be tested on an agricultural level in the state, this 

project will show the best propagation and cultivation methods for the crop 

in hopes of expanding production. This will be done through conveying the 

information we gather through extension agencies, online/paper documents, 

and at Delaware agricultural events.

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$359,060.91

10. The Conversion of an 

out of Production 

Poultry House into a 

Hydroponic Growing 

Facility

Rodney L. Messick Farm, Inc is a family farm located in Milford, DE. The family 

is proposing to retrofit an out of production 40’ x 500’ poultry house into a 

hydroponic production facility growing specialty crop herbs and vegetables. 

The goal is to produce year-round herbs and vegetables for the local markets 

in Delaware and Maryland. The farm family desires to partner with Extension 

and State Agency Specialists to determine if this hydroponic production 

facility is sustainable and productive. The retail demand for locally grown 

year-round herbs and vegetables has increased in the suburban and urban 

centers located in and around Delaware. The conversion of an out of 

production poultry house into a hydroponic facility will provide farmers a 

new alternative use of crop production. Thereby: 1. providing year-round 

local crops, 2. decreasing the cost of transportation of produce to the market 

place, 3. improving the environmental stewardship of raising high value herbs 

and vegetables by decreasing fuel, electric, and pesticide and water usage for 

crop production as compared to field grown crops, and 4. increasing farm 

revenue.

$46,243.02

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00

1. Develop and Run a 3-

Season Workshop Series 

for Beginning and 

Socially Disadvantaged 

Farmers

Through development and implementation of a 3-season urban agriculture 

workshop series, DC Urban Greens will increase knowledge and awareness of 

urban specialty crop production and access in District of Columbia food 

desert neighborhoods and build a skillful, knowledgeable workforce of 

beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers.

$44,000.00
68

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00

2. Out Teach School 

Garden Enhancement 

and Specialty Crop 

Integration in 

Washington, DC

Out Teach (formerly REAL School Gardens) will partner with two Title I 

elementary schools in Washington, DC—Ketcham Elementary School in Ward 

8 and Whittier Education Campus in Ward 4—to enhance their school 

gardens with specialty crops, while providing two years of training to help 

teachers effectively use specialty crops as a multi-disciplinary educational 

resource. During the grant period, the following outcomes will be achieved: 

1) make enhancements to existing school gardens for use as instructional 

tools integrated into the culture of each school; 2) prepare and equip 

teachers with the knowledge and tools to provide valuable outdoor learning 

opportunities for students; 3) introduce and teach under-resourced 

communities about seasonal specialty crops and their importance to our 

ecosystem and local food systems; and 4) increase consumption and use of 

specialty crops by connecting schools to essential academic lesson plans 

aligned with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, while 

promoting the DC Healthy Schools Act of 2010. Over two academic years, Out 

Teach will assist each partner school in planting new specialty crops in their 

school gardens and provide teachers at each school with hands-on, one-onone instructional coaching sessions to learn more about the specialty crops 

and how they can be used for instruction. At the end of the program, 90 

percent of the teachers trained will actively utilize specialty crops to help 

students apply academic concepts which are critical to success in the upper 

grades and beyond, while instilling healthy eating habits and fostering 

environmental stewardship.

$36,977.00
69

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00

3. FoodPrints: Growing 

Young Gardeners and 

Nutritious Easters and 

Increasing Food Access 

in Ward 7

FRESHFARM FoodPrints provides partner DC public schools with urban school 

gardens, teaching kitchens, hands-on curriculum, and parent education that 

increase production of, access to, and consumption of in-season vegetables 

and fruits for students and their families. This project will serve one of the 

highest needs areas of DC through a full-scale garden, food and 

environmental education program with family engagement, school meals, 

and farmshare components to increase knowledge of and access to specialty 

crops in the Kimball school community in Ward 7. The outcomes of this 

project are to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through 

increased consumption and increased access as measured by: 1) variety and 

amounts of crops grown in, harvested and consumed from the school garden; 

2) knowledge of and preference for produce similar to what is grown in the

school garden and prepared in in-school food education classes; 3) 

participation by school community members in a flexible, subsidized farm 

share and 4) increased student access to fresh produce in meals served in the 

school lunch program.

$49,900.63

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00

4. Washington Youth 

Garden's Specialty Crop 

Program

Washington Youth Garden (WYG) is the flagship program of Friends of the 

National Arboretum and the longest running garden-based education 

program in Washington, DC. WYG grows and donates over 150 specialty 

crops produced at our one-acre fruit and vegetable Youth Garden on the 

grounds of the US National Arboretum and at five additional gardens at Title 

1 schools. Child-oriented fruit and vegetable gardens on the grounds of 

arboreta and botanical gardens are not uncommon. However, WYG has a 

uniquely rich history and heritage in its close, personal connection to the 

neighboring community. First established in 1971 as a community garden plot 

for nearby youth to grow food after school and on weekends, WYG programs 

now reach thousands - through field trips, drop-in activities, school garden 

development partnerships, and high school internships - nurturing curious 

minds and healthy bodies by connecting youth to food, the land, and each 

other. Through this project, WYG seeks support to improve efficiency and to 

establish innovative long-term programming to increase general positive 

exposure to specialty crops, and, more importantly, significantly increase 

consumption of specialty crops for some of the most vulnerable youth.

$49,618.76
70

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00

5. H2H's Sankofa: 

Nourishing Ourselves to 

Grow

This project will grow H2H’s local community-led food system programming. 

The purpose is to build a network of productive organic farmers, food 

entrepreneurs and healthy consumers united in purpose, to combat food 

insecurity and eradicate socioeconomic disparities. The vision is to engage 

reentry residents, seniors and marginalized immigrants to adopt urban 

agriculture by embracing urban farming as a culturally responsive, wellnessdriven, inclusive undertaking to produce, distribute, market, 

prepare/consume, and recover our ecology and lifelong happiness. The 

objectives of this project proposal are fully designed to benefit target 

communities and the H2H team to: 1) provide eco-green career paths and 

startup garden renovation support for H2H’s staff and trainees; 2) garner 

essential vendor licenses and permits to establish H2H’s first farmers market 

in hyper local communities of returning citizens, seniors and immigrants in in 

Ward 1 and 7; and 3) support with applied research and educational 

programing the implementation of H2H’s hyper-local, equitable and 

community-led food value chain enterprising system.

$43,232.31

University of 

the District of 

Columbia

$241,627.00 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$17,898.30
71

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

1. Reforming the H-2A 

Guest Worker Program 

and the Economic 

Impact

The University of Florida researchers will study the economic impact of 

reforming the H-2A guest worker program and recommend labor strategies 

to Florida strawberry and tomato growers in response to reforms. Labor 

shortages, decreasing domestic migrant labor pool, increasing labor costs, 

and widespread use of illegal labor force are posing tremendous challenges 

to the labor-intensive specialty crop industries. Without a secure and 

affordable labor supply, the sustainability and survival of the industry is at 

risk, and the market shares of Florida strawberries and tomatoes are 

expected to continue declining. However, the current H-2A program has long 

been criticized for its high wage rates, high overhead costs, and long 

bureaucratic procedures involved, which increase growers’ cost burden and 

the risk of delayed or missed harvest. There have been various proposals and 

discussions on H-2A program reforms. This project will examine major rules 

or restrictions of the H-2A program and evaluate the economic impact of 

reforming these rules, quantifying the costs and benefits of various reform 

scenarios. Regulators and industry leaders could use the information 

generated from this research to pursue program reforms. The research will 

further help growers identify optimal labor strategies that maximize profits 

under the reformed guest worker program.

$113,790.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

2. Improving Delivery 

and Control with 

Postemergence 

Herbicides for 

Problematic Weeds in 

Vegetable Row-middles

The University of Florida will identify additional herbicide modes of action 

and develop a precision applicator to deliver cost effective control of 

herbicide resistant American black nightshade and ragweed parthenium for 

strawberry and vegetable row-middles through development of a precision 

sprayer prototype and research-based scientific experimentation.

$109,535.00
72

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

3. Molecular Breeding 

for Charcoal Rot 

Resistance in Florida 

Strawberries

Strawberry varieties released from UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program are 

grown approximately 95 percent of Florida's commercial strawberry fields. 

Our program efforts will continue to enhance earliness, sweetness and flavor, 

as well as resistance to multiple diseases. Charcoal rot of strawberry caused 

by Macrophomina Phaseolina is an emerging threat to Florida strawberry 

industry. This disease has spread rapidly in Florida’s strawberry industry in 

the last three years. There are no other effective chemical controls to reduce 

yield losses. Throughout this project, the UF strawberry breeding program at 

the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center will 

increase resistance to charcoal rot disease and improve fruit quality in new 

strawberry varieties by developing and applying new DNA markers in the 

breeding program. The proposed project will be completed with the following 

objectives: (1) Identify new sources of charcoal rot resistance, (2) Develop 

new DNA markers for marker-assisted selection for charcoal rot resistance 

breeding, (2) Apply DNA markers to combine multiple genes for fruit quality 

and disease resistance. The outcomes from this project will benefit Florida 

strawberry growers and industries by providing new strawberry varieties for 

charcoal rot resistance with superior fruit quality.

$222,378.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

4. Field-Deployable 

Recombinase 

Polymerase 

Amplification for Early 

Detection of Destructive 

Viruses in Florida 

Cucurbits and Whiteflies

University of Florida and Agdia Inc. will develop field deployable, rapid, and 

highly sensitive DNA/RNA-based assays for early detection of highly 

destructive plant viruses affecting Florida cucurbits. In the recent years, 

Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder 

(CYSDV), and Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV) by itself or in mixed 

infection with other viruses has been causing major yield reduction and 

affecting fruit quality in North and South Florida. Currently, there are no 

commercial field deployable diagnostic assays available for CuLCrV, CYSDV, 

SqVYV. Our team will develop field deployable RPA assays for these viruses in 

2020. This will lead to the development of commercial single-step assays with 

Agdia Inc. and field-testing on all plant parts and whiteflies in 2021. The RPA 

assays will significantly improve early intervention in reducing risks 

associated with these viruses for Florida cucurbits in collaboration with seed 

companies, transplant producers, field producers, extension agents, federal 

and state agencies and crop consultants.

$222,341.00
73

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

5. Evaluation of 

Surfactants and SlowRelease Carriers for 

Improving Pre-Emergent 

Herbicide Efficacy in 

Vegetable Plasticulture 

Production

University of Florida’s (UF) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center 

(SWFREC) and Gulf Coast Research Center (GCREC) will evaluate innovative 

herbicide placement and application technique for weed management in 

raised beds under vegetable plasticulture production. The methods evaluated 

in this project include the utilization of surfactants (e.g., soil surface stickers, 

deposition agents, etc.) and slow-release carriers (e.g., hydrogel) in 

combination with pre-emergent herbicides for maximizing weed control in 

the beds under the plastic mulch. Our research group has previously 

demonstrated the potential of the ‘hydrogel’ as slow release carriers for preemergent herbicides in vegetable plasticulture production. The preliminary 

observations show 98 percent control of nutsedge (Cyperus spp.), two 

months after application, within the raised beds. In this proposed two-year 

project, surfactants and slow release carriers in combination with preemergent herbicides will be evaluated for their (1) weed suppression within 

plastic beds (e.g., nutsedge emergence) (2) crop safety parameters (e.g., crop 

vigor, yield), and (3) and method of application for effective weed 

management. The proposed system has the potential to reduce the risk of 

crop damage, as well as minimize adverse environmental impacts.

$135,853.00
74

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

6. Development of 

Criteria for Variable NFertilizer and Irrigation 

Management of 

Potatoes

Sustainable best management practices that integrate irrigation and Nfertilizer management can effectively reduce irrigation water application and 

maintain nutrients in the crop root zone. This project will be conducted by 

the University of Florida in partnership with potato growers. The project aims 

to develop “criteria for variable N-fertilization and irrigation on potatoes” 

with in-season adjustment depending on weather variability and crop stage. 

Growers will have precise information to make decisions of when and how 

much irrigate and fertilizer the crop, and ultimately make the crop more 

resilient to weather variability by minimizing N loss while maintaining tuber 

yields. Trials will be conducted in two commercial potato farms using seepage 

and sub irrigation with drain tile (SDT), varying timing of N and rate of Nfertilizer application depending measured weather and crop parameters. We 

will compare three fertilizer strategies in each irrigation method: fixed Nfertilizer rate of 200 lb/ac (recommended); in-seasons decision of a Nfertilizer rate ranging from 200 to 250 lb/ac depending on rainfall; and 

grower’s practice for N-fertilizer rate and timing (benchmark). Strategies will 

be modeled with DSSAT-Potato to predict yield and N-leaching. Crop N use 

efficiency, yield increment, age of crop and potential risk of leaching will 

determine the need of additional N-fertilizer.

$182,476.00
75

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

7. Reducing Pink 

Rib/Pinking, a StressInduced Disorder in 

Lettuces, Endive and 

Escarole

The University of Florida will mitigate the stress-induced disorder, pink 

rib/pinking, in lettuces and leafy greens by applying treatments to inhibit the 

biosynthetic pathway that leads to its expression. The focus of this project is 

to inhibit pink rib/pinking in lettuce, endive and escarole by giving Florida 

growers, shippers and processors the ability to predict and alleviate its 

development. Two lines of research will utilize laboratory and field studies: 1) 

to compare efficacy of L-cysteine, shown to be successful inhibiting the 

formation of red/brown pigments in laboratory tests, to two additional novel, 

natural compounds, naringenin and melatonin, that inhibit formation of 

these pigments, resulting in a commercially viable method for diagnosis and 

treatment, and 2) to incorporate Florida-adapted lettuce varieties with 

tolerance to pink rib/pinking into elite breeding lines under development in 

the UF Lettuce Breeding Program, leading to release of commercially viable 

cultivars that are less prone to develop this disorder. The anticipated 

outcome is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by reducing 

postharvest losses caused by this serious disorder, thereby increasing yields 

and profitability for growers and fresh-cut processors in Florida while making 

these crops more accessible to consumers.

$171,847.00
76

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

8. Improving Dragon 

Fruit Production in 

Florida: Reducing 

Economic Losses by 

Developing ScienceBased Disease 

Management 

Recommendations

Florida’s dragon fruit production has expanded rapidly during the past 15 

years. A recent survey estimated over 720 acres of dragon fruit; grown in at 

least five counties. Along with the increase in acreage, there has been an 

increase in the diversity and incidence of diseases that affect vines, roots, and 

fruit. One of the main challenges facing the industry and research and 

extension faculty is rapid identification of the disease pathogens and 

availability of disease control products. University of Florida will (1) catalog 

and characterize diseases affecting dragon fruit production in Miami-Dade 

County at different seasons, developmental stages and grove age; (2) develop 

detached stem and fruit inoculation assays to document disease progress; (3) 

test the efficacy of selected pesticide active ingredients on selected disease 

agents; (4) develop educational material, including extension publications 

and field guides, that are easily accessible to growers; (5) offer seminars, 

workshops, and field days to inform current and potential dragon fruit 

producers of the results of the project and recommendations on crop 

management. This project will mitigate the economic losses in dragon fruit 

production by increasing grower’s awareness of the diseases affecting their 

crop and by developing scientifically-based practical recommendations. In 

addition, results obtained here will constitute the baseline for further 

research regarding pesticide efficacy.

$211,143.00
77

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

9. Growth Strategies to 

Reduce Labor Costs and 

Increase Sustainability in 

Low-chill Peaches

The University of Florida will test strategies to reduce the excessive 

vegetative growth of low-chill peach under tropical and subtropical climates. 

Factors affecting fruit yield and quality include distribution of light in the 

canopy, tree training and pruning, crop load, pest and disease control, 

irrigation, and nutrition - all of which are significantly affected by vegetative 

growth. Tree vigor control will improve fruit yield and quality, reduce labor 

costs, and promote improved spray coverage and penetration during foliar 

application of nutrients, pesticides, and fungicides. Further, if tree size was 

controlled, growers would benefit from a higher than normal planting 

density. Vigor control practices in low-chill peach production should 

maximize orchard productivity and profitability (pruning, thinning, number of 

trees/acres, fruit quality and size, irrigation cost, labor cost, pest and disease 

or IPM costs), minimize the environmental impact (pesticides, fungicides, 

nutrition, and other chemical applications), and provide best management 

practices for increased sustainability

$168,561.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

10. Improving Hop 

Production Strategies 

and Assessing Economic 

Feasibility to Establish 

the Viable Hop Industry 

in Florida

The University of Florida will establish the viable hop production system in 

Florida by selecting suitable cultivars, modifying trellising, developing pest 

management recommendations, and assessing the economic feasibility. 

Research results will be disseminated to stakeholders through on-farm trials, 

grower meetings, field days, and extension publication. In this project, we will 

perform field trials at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) 

in Balm to evaluate critical production practices for successful hop production 

in Florida, including 1) modification of trellis design and height, 2) selection of 

suitable cultivars via long-term evaluation of commercial cultivars and 

experimental cultivars, and 3) development of management 

recommendations for arthropod, pathogen and nematode pests. Second, we 

will perform cost and profitability analysis to assess the economic feasibility 

of hop production in Florida. The expected outcomes will include 1) number 

of recommended hop trellis designs in Florida, 2) number of recommended 

cultivars in Florida, 3) number of Florida growers who will gain knowledge 

about pest problems and management options for hop production, 4) 

number of Florida growers who will start growing hops, and 5) number of 

local breweries who will brew craft beers using hops produced in Florida.

$259,298.00
78

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

11. Labor and Market 

Challenges to the Florida 

Blueberry Industry: 

Impact and Solutions

The Florida blueberry industry has experienced a fast growth in the past 

decade and is becoming increasingly vital to the state’s economy. However, it 

has been facing two major challenges, namely, labor challenges and foreign

competition. Blueberries, like many other specialty crops, are a laborintensive crop. Labor challenges in the industry include labor shortages and 

high labor costs. Labor is by far the largest cost item in blueberry production. 

Foreign competition, another major challenge closely related to labor, is 

mainly from Central and South America, particularly Mexico which has the 

same production window with a significantly lower cost of labor. Policy 

makers and growers need a thorough study of the impact of these serious 

challenges and identify solutions. The objectives of this project are twofold. 

First, the researchers at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 

University of Florida will analyze the economic impact of labor and market 

challenges on the industry to inform policy and business decision making. 

Second, we propose to address the challenges by identifying best 

management strategies that optimize labor management and mechanical 

harvesting decisions to make Florida blueberries more competitive in the 

market. We identify optimal harvesting decisions in labor use, mechanical 

harvesting, or a combination of both to maximize growers’ profits. The study 

of new options such as mechanical harvesting is vital to blueberry growers for 

that and other reasons.

$111,910.00
79

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

12. Labor, Production, 

Hurricane, and 

Environmental Aspects 

of Compact Bed 

Plasticulture

The University of Florida and University of California will evaluate compact 

bed designs for fresh produce with regards to: 1) labor efficiency; 2) inputs, 

yield, water and nutrient efficiency, flooding, and costs; and 3) hurricane 

(wind) damage; to recommend an optimal bed geometry. The taller and 

narrower compact beds better fit the wetting patterns of drip-applied water 

and chemicals. We will evaluate additional potential benefits of reduced: 

labor stress/time; inputs, costs, and system efficiency; and wind, flooding, 

and salt damages for tomato. One conventional and three compact 

geometries will be evaluated at a commercial farm for two seasons. Labor 

movement (e.g., stooping/bending) will be tracked to determine the time for 

farm operations (e.g., staking/tying, harvesting); data will be used to evaluate 

musculoskeletal stress. To evaluate water/nutrient use efficiencies and 

flooding and salt damages, water, nutrient and salt levels and their 

movement will be measured along with crop yield. Wind damage to beds 

(torn/blown plastic) will be assessed in a wind tunnel facility to understand 

the forces (e.g. uplift) and quantify relative damage. Benefits (e.g. reduced 

inputs and risks) and trade-offs (e.g. machinery cost) combined with grower 

feedback will help select optimum bed geometry that is most economically 

and environmentally sustainable for growers of various sizes and socioeconomic background.

$259,772.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

13. UAV-Based High 

Throughput Phenotyping 

in Specialty Crops 

Utilizing Artificial 

Intelligence

University of Florida’s (UF) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center 

(SWFREC) will develop a remote sensing (UAV-based), low-cost, and 

automated high throughput phenotyping technique (software), utilizing 

artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to: (i) detect, count and 

geo-locate plants; (ii) categorize plants based on their canopy size and height; 

(iii) develop individual plant health status maps; (iv) predict yield and crop 

load; and (v) develop a weed pressure map and create a prescription map 

(compatible with precision equipment) for variable rate applications. 

Dissemination of results will occur at grower meetings, field days, industry 

meetings, and production videos illustrating the technology.

$75,933.00
80

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

14. Development of 

Pepper Weevil 

Management Program 

Integrating Biocontrol 

Agent, Reduced Risk 

Insecticides and 

Aggregation Pheromone

The Pepper Weevil (PW) is the most harmful pest of pepper which remains 

active all year-round incurring 70-90 percent crop loss. Growers use long 

residual insecticides several times a week aiming at killing adults. This project 

aims at investigating potentials of a parasitic wasp, Catolaccus Hunteri, of PW 

both in the laboratory and field situations. The compatibility of C. hunter with 

biorational pesticides will be tested in a laboratory bioassay and small plot 

field trials to achieve effective control of PW. Study will also be conducted to 

enhance population increase of C. hunter during off-season by growing 

cowpeas and nightshade, alternative hosts of PW, and placing aggregation 

pheromone in the pepper agroecosystem. The result of these studies will be 

shared with clientele in field days and by publishing articles in extension and 

referred journals. The anticipated outcome of this project will be a more 

sustainable pepper production system with increase knowledge of PW 

management practices to growers, stakeholders, consultants, scouts and 

researchers. The short and long-range goal of this program is to increase 

sustainability, reduce management cost and increase marketable yield. 

Florida pepper growers will be more competitive than other states by 

growing more pepper crops and increasing profitability.

$224,572.00
81

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

15. Avoiding the Spread 

of Fusarium Wilt in 

Lettuce and First 

Responses to This 

Threatening Disease

University of Florida lettuce breeders, in collaboration with plant pathologists 

and extension agents, will partner with Florida growers to investigate 

methods for minimizing or even preventing the impact of fusarium wilt of 

lettuce in Florida. The project will initially focus on confirming the suspected 

presence of the long-lived pathogen in the histosols of the Everglades 

Agricultural Area (EAA), the state’s major production area, where lettuce is 

commonly rotated with other crops. The Florida team will also partner with 

specialists from California and Arizona, major U.S. production areas that have 

already been impacted by this disease. It is hoped that their shared 

experiences will prove helpful in efforts to mitigate the effects of this 

important pathogen in a new region. Due to the uniqueness of the EAA’s 

soils, studies will also be conducted to investigate potential impacts of soil 

type, soil pH, seasonal temperatures, and fallow flooding on the disease. A 

cultural practice that is a proven method for controlling nematodes, insect 

pests, and preserving the region’s organic soils, flooding could be 

instrumental in either controlling or perhaps spreading fusarium wilt. The 

partnership will initiate screening of lettuce cultivars for Fusarium resistance 

in three types of lettuce: 1) cultivars currently planted in Florida, 2) available 

breeding lines, and 3) southern latitude cultivars that are currently nonadapted to Florida.

$104,302.50
82

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

16. Improving the 

Production of 

Subtropical Blackberries 

by Artificial Induction 

and Release of 

Dormancy Using 

Defoliants and 

Gibberellic Acid

University of Florida will improve blackberry production in Florida’s 

subtropical climate by developing production strategies to improve bud break 

and disseminating results to stakeholders through on-farm trials, grower 

meetings, field days, and extension publication. This project will focus on 

developing production strategies that overcome the problems associated 

with inadequate chilling, including 1) defoliants to induce dormancy, 2) 

gibberellic acid to break bud dormancy, 3) selection of suitable floricanefruiting cultivars (high yield potential but high chilling requirements) for 

defoliant and gibberellic acid treatments, and 4) improving cane 

management practices for primocane-fruiting cultivars (low chilling 

requirements but low yields). We will perform field trials at the Gulf Coast 

Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Balm, as well as at one 

commercial farm. The expected outcomes will include 1) number of defoliant 

and gibberellic acid treatments selected as recommended practices, 2) 

number of floricane-fruiting cultivars identified suitable for defoliant and 

gibberellic acid treatments, 3) number of primocane-fruiting cultivars 

identified to improve fruit set by tipping, 4) number of growers who gained 

knowledge about blackberry management practices.

$157,646.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

17. Improved 

Techniques for 

Managing Thrips Vectors 

of Tospoviruses and 

Virus Transmission 

Potential of Melon 

Thrips

The project will focus on the development of an advanced management 

program for controlling melon thrips, common blossom thrips, western 

flower thrips and thrips transmitted tospoviruses. These thrips species occur 

in South Florida tomato fields and transmit tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) 

and other tospoviruses. The development of additional tools for thrips and 

tospoviruses management will be attempted to reduce movement of thrips 

from outside hosts to tomato. Specific objectives of this project are: 1) 

Conduct further surveys to determine the seasonal abundance and 

distribution of thrips on off-season vegetable, ornamental and weed hosts in 

groves and fallow tomato fields. 2) Determine the effects of vertically placed 

reflective plastic mulch, chemical insecticides, non-host boarder crop and a 

biocontrol agent on the population abundance of thrips and tomato chlorotic 

spot virus infected plants in tomatoes. 3) Investigate the potential of melon 

thrips in transmitting tospoviruses in tomato plants.

$260,387.00
83

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

18. Improved Precision 

Herbicide Application 

Technology for 

Vegetable Production

The University of Florida will reduce pesticide inputs in vegetable and berry 

crops by improving precision herbicide application technologies developed at 

the University with funding from a previous specialty crop block grant. Drs. 

Boyd, Schumann and Ampatzidis have successfully developed precision 

sprayers equipped with machine vision that detect, identify and apply 

herbicides only where weeds occur. This project will build upon this success 

by: (1) training neural networks to detect and identify additional weed 

species, (2) refining our ability to detect where weeds occur within a crop and 

localize herbicide application to that precise location, (3) developing the 

capability to adjust the application volume based on weed size and growth 

stage, and (4) testing and refining the enhanced technology in production 

fields. Dissemination of results will occur at grower meetings, field days, 

industry meetings, and production videos illustrating the technology.

$197,524.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

19. Improving Cucurbit 

Foliar Disease 

Management through 

Improved Scheduling 

and Application of 

Efficacious Fungicides

Downy mildew, gummy stem blight and powdery mildew are highly explosive 

diseases of cucurbits (watermelon, squash, cucumber, and cantaloupe) and 

are intensively managed on conventional farms with fungicides. The diseases 

can occur separately or together on all cucurbit hosts and can cause up to 

100 percent loss if untreated. Powdery mildew is one of the most damaging 

diseases on squash, and in recent years, it has also become more prevalent in 

Florida watermelon production for reasons that are not exactly clear, 

although speculation has varied from shifts in the pathogen population to 

warmer temperatures. This collaborative project has the objective of 

improving disease management on these important crops using a decision 

support system (DSS) to assist with the timing of fungicide applications with 

the goal of reducing fungicide inputs while maintaining a high level of disease 

control. An additional need is to establish the efficacy of active ingredients in 

fungicides to the emerging population of powdery mildew fungus to ascertain 

if the population is becoming insensitive and thus effectively eliminating the 

fungicide’s usefulness. These two activities should together will prevent 

unneeded or ineffective fungicide applications and reduce the cost of inputs 

for growers.

$285,119.00
84

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

20. Developing a PushPull System to Manage 

Whiteflies in Vegetables

The University of Florida will mitigate the spread of whitefly infestation in 

vegetables by developing a push-pull technology using both visual and 

semiochemical cues. The push component (repellency) will be achieved by 

the combined use of kaolin clay and essential oil repellents. The pull 

component (attraction) will be achieved using visual cues consisting of large 

yellow banners displayed on the border of the vegetable crop. To accomplish 

this project, we will determine: 1) The best repellents to be used against 

whiteflies; 2) the best yellow shade to attract whiteflies and; 3) The best 

method to combine kaolin clay and essential oils. Laboratory assays will be 

conducted to screen for different repellents, and different visual attractants, 

and to compare diffusion of volatiles with different diffusion methods. In 

parallel, four field trials will be conducted in two locations, two in 

conventional and two in organic setup in Florida to assess the efficiency of 

the push-pull system.

$178,930.80
85

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

21. Examining 

Regenerative Farming 

Practices to Benefit 

Specialty Crop Growers

Regenerative farming is an emerging concept that incorporates the interrelated practices that result in increased resiliency in the farming system. The 

University of Florida (UF) will assist specialty crop growers in Florida adopt 

regenerative farming practices to improve soil quality and evaluate its effect 

on subsequent specialty crop production. Summer time in South Florida is 

typically off season, and the fields are frequently fallowed, either dry or 

flooded. We propose evaluating the application of cover-crops like Sunn 

Hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and cow-peas (Vigna unguiculata) as green manure 

options that would perform well in Florida during summer. We anticipate 

four knowledge-based outcomes to emerge from successfully completing this 

project. (i) Increased awareness of soil health benefits to specialty crop 

growers that adopt regenerative farming practice during the summer. (ii) 

Higher yielding crops - A quantitative (lb/ac) and qualitative assessment of 

the crop will be conducted to evaluate yields at cooperative farms. (iii) Less 

input of fertilizer - Increase in extractable nutrient concentrations in the soils 

will be equated to fertilizer inputs of N, P2O5, and K2O (lb/ac) and potential 

cost savings ($/ac). (iv) Increase in number of growers that adopt and adapt 

regenerative farming practices. This will be achieved by providing outreach 

services in the form of extension fact-sheets, and field-days to assist growers 

adopt cover-cropping. The project will address this issue by engaging local 

vegetable growers in South Florida who either currently practice covercropping during the summer or are open to the possibility of trying it out in 

the future.

$154,452.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

22. Improving 

Management of 

Diamondback Moth in 

Florida Cole Crops

The Vegetable Entomology program at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast 

Research and Education Center (GCREC) will carry out field trials at GCREC 

and UF’s Hastings Agricultural Extension Center (HAEC) to improve 

management of diamondback moth (DBM), a key pest of cabbage and other 

cole crops throughout Florida. Trials will focus on addressing gaps in 

knowledge regarding optimal placement of soil applied diamide insecticides, 

which are the among most effective for management of DBM. In addition, 

DBM populations from across the state will be assessed for susceptibility to 

key insecticides using a critical dose bioassay. These tests will provide 

information on the degree to which insecticide resistance is responsible for 

$138,202.00
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Project Title Description Project 

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challenges in managing DBM. Results will be disseminated to growers during 

field days and through extension publications.

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67

23. Integrated Weed 

Management System for 

Sweet Corn

The proposed project will focus on developing an integrated weed 

management program for sweet corn grown mainly for the fresh market in 

23,000 acres in south Florida in the winter and spring. Sweet corn production 

in the region is heavily reliant on the herbicide atrazine for weed 

management, which is a major cost of production. However, despite 

extensive use of atrazine in the crop, weed persistence and resulting yield 

reduction from weed interference is now common. This is attributed to 

reduced efficacy of the herbicide. In addition, a shift to mainly grass weed 

species in sweet corn in south Florida has compounded weed management 

because atrazine mainly provides broadleaf weed control with little or no 

effect on grass weeds. Therefore, an economically effective integrated weed 

management system for sweet corn using other herbicides and weed control 

tactics that are less reliant on atrazine will be developed to allow for 

sustenance and expansion of sweet production in south Florida to meet 

growing regional demand. The proposed project will be conducted in south 

Florida over two years under supervision of a weed scientist at the University 

of Florida. The outcome of the research also applicable to other sweet corn 

production areas in Florida will be disseminated in extension and professional 

meetings locally and regionally.

$114,179.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

$4,332,309.67

24. Listeria Develops 

Reduced Sanitizer 

Sensitivity but Not 

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Cornell University to provide 

the produce industry with tools for more rapid identification and control of 

sanitizer-resistant Listeria. Foodborne disease-causing microbes, such as 

$222,787.00
87

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Consumer 

Services

Resistance at 

Recommended Sanitizer 

use Levels

Listeria monocytogenes, can survive in food processing facilities over 

decades. By hiding in places that are difficult to clean or in places with high 

levels of organic material, Listeria may only be exposed to dilute 

concentrations of sanitizers. Some Listeria may survive the dilute sanitizer 

due to mutations (changes in the DNA) or resistance genes, and repeated 

exposure may lead to survival in increasing sanitizer concentrations. These 

resistance mechanisms can be passed on and spread across a population, 

making it more challenging to control Listeria. To better understand the 

occurrence of resistant bacteria, this project will screen Listeria collected 

from produce processing facilities for sanitizer resistance. The research team 

will determine whether continuous exposure to sanitizer can lead to further 

increased resistance and will perform whole genome sequencing and apply 

bioinformatic tools to identify possible mutations or resistance genes. The 

data collected in this project will provide tools for more rapid identification of 

resistant Listeria and will inform industry which sanitizers may be problematic 

for resistance. This information will help in the design of improved sanitation 

strategies such as sanitizer rotation and/or use of higher sanitizer 

concentrations that overcome resistance.

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$4,332,309.67 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$47,616.93
88

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

1. Fort Valley State 

University- Optimizing 

Cultivation Practices to 

Develop Turmeric 

Production in Georgia

It is the aim of Fort Valley State University to boost the economic stability of 

regional growers by developing high curcumin content turmeric cultivars and 

best management practices. Our goals are 1) optimizing agronomic practices 

for small to mid-scale growers, 2) creating genomic resources to breed highyielding, disease-resistant turmeric varieties, and 3) developing cost of 

production models for turmeric cultivation in different production systems 

and formation of consortium that connect producers to supplier/consumers 

to support an emerging market in climate favorable middle Georgia. Turmeric 

biomass and curcumin productivity will be measured using different growing 

systems and intercropping with staple crops. The proper leaf/rhizome age 

and health condition will be monitored to determine maximum yield and to 

identify factors responsible for curcumin content in both traditional farming 

vs hydroponics systems.

$100,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

2. Georgia Agricultural 

Commodity

Commission-Georgia 

Grown - Georgia Grown 

Taste Test Box

The Georgia Grown Taste Test Box is a project of the Georgia Grown 

Commodity Commission designed to increase awareness of Georgia Grown 

specialty crops in schools by using simple and interactive taste test kits. 

Georgia Grown will partner with a local food box distributor to create a cost 

share program with schools so they may receive a reduced-price taste test 

box. Each box will include everything needed for a teacher or school 

volunteer to have a fun, interactive taste test in the classroom. This is a pilot 

project to determine if the taste test boxes increase student’s awareness of 

Georgia Grown specialty crops and if the project can become sustainable in 

its mission.

$70,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

3. Georgia Blueberry 

Growers AssociationGrowing awareness of 

Georgia blueberries 

through learning exhibits

The Georgia Blueberry Growers Association will enhance and make available 

blueberry information in various forms to provide opportunities for 

children/youth/adults to expand their knowledge of Georgia’s #1 fruit crop. 

Our major outcome is to augment the competitiveness of blueberries 

through increased access and awareness through videos, signage, field trips, 

displays, websites, and visual aids.

$35,000.00
89

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

4.Georgia Fruit and 

Vegetable Growers

Association- Providing 

Educational Resources to 

Increase Specialty Crop 

Producer’s Profitability 

(SERVC)

This project addresses the need to increase the profitability of specialty crop 

growers, packers and shippers by providing timely information, research, 

education, etc. as they make decisions that impact their family farms and 

operations, handling practices, employees, and ultimately their markets. The 

Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) will meet this need 

by planning and coordinating a four-day educational conference and trade 

show to provide the latest and most current research based educational 

information on pest management techniques, production practices, 

regulatory issues, sustainability needs, food safety guidelines, etc. The 

information from this conference will be organized, archived, and made 

searchable through an archival, online website of educational content. The 

website or database will be made available through the GFVGA website.

$100,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

5. Georgia Fruit and 

Vegetable Growers

Association - Cost share 

agreement for 

development of food 

safety programs and 

certifications (FSMA)

The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) will provide 1) 

on farm food safety education, 2) develop full or partial food safety 

programs, 3) educate farm and packing facilities on Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA) rule(s) that may apply, as well as 4) provide cost 

share for a market driven audit fee and the staff time to conduct the 

education and program development. This comprehensive approach to on 

farm food safety is intended to increase the competitiveness of Georgia’s 

specialty crop industry by enhancing the marketability of produce through 

food safety programs and audits as well as assist in FSMA readiness.

$85,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

6. Georgia Fruit and 

Vegetable Growers

Association - Georgia 

Grown Product 

Marketing to Reach 

National Retail 

Wholesalers (PMA)

This project will provide Georgia specialty growers the opportunity to 

highlight the Georgia Grown brand and present thousands of wholesale 

buyers a focused platform as to the diversity and quality produce grown in 

Georgia. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, working in 

cooperation with growers, commodity organizations and agribusiness 

companies across Georgia, will bring together farm and ranch producers to 

feature Georgia’s specialty crop fresh produce industry at the 2019 PMA 

Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA. Fresh Summit will host more than 21,000 

produce industry leaders, including retail store and food service buyers 

looking for new suppliers, gathering new product information and 

investigating new technologies.

$40,000.00
90

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

7. Seven Rivers RC&D 

Council & UGA -

Enhancing Pomegranate 

Competitiveness by 

Adding Value and 

Improving Food Safety

The Seven Rivers RC&D Council, in collaboration with the Department of Food 

Science and Technology and the Center for Food Product Innovation and 

Commercialization at the University of Georgia, and the Georgia 

Pomegranate Association, proposes to enhance the competitiveness of 

Georgia pomegranate via adding value and improving food safety. The 

eventual outcome of the project is to introduce local pomegranate and its 

value-added products to a broader market. Through a holistic approach 

proposed in the application, the project will 1) help Georgia pomegranate 

growers to safely deliver value-added products to consumers, 2) provide a 

sustainable economic return to the members of Georgia Pomegranate 

Association, and 3) increase the Farm Gate value of our state.

$100,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

8. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Building Sustainable 

Insect Management 

Programs in Georgia 

Tree Fruit (Blaauw)

The University of Georgia and the principle investigators propose to develop 

ecologically-based and cost-effective sustainable IPM strategies. The 

proposed work will develop innovative tactics to exploit insect pest behavior 

and enhance biological control to reduce plum curculio (Conotrachelus 

nenuphar Herbst) pressure in Georgia peach orchards. Additionally, the 

researchers will use a combination of insect sampling and molecular gut 

content analysis to quantify predator effects on plum curculio and their 

prevalence in Georgia peach orchards. The combined approach will 

document natural enemy activity on plum curculio in peach production and 

reveal the spatial distribution of plum curculio for targeted management. As 

consumer demand for ecologically-friendly foods continue to grow, our 

research and extension program aims to develop more sustainable 

management practices, which will allow GA peach growers to more 

effectively meet consumer demands, subsequently increasing their 

competitiveness in the market.

$100,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

9. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Sustainable IPM 

strategies to enhance 

competitiveness of snap 

beans in Georgia (Dutta)

The University of Georgia will develop a sustainable and economically viable 

management package against the whitefly-transmitted begomovirus complex 

in snap beans. With SCBGP funding, we intend to further characterize this 

resistance, and provide a list of resistant cultivars available to growers in 

three years. Together with resistant cultivars, we will evaluate several 

cultural and chemical tactics. The cultural tactics will include: optimum 

$100,000.00
91

Organization

Amount 

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Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

planting date, nitrogen fertility, and mulch. We will also evaluate numerous 

insecticides and their effectiveness against whiteflies and virus transmission. 

Additionally, we will conduct cost-benefit analyses to assess how new 

management tactics will result in increased profits. Finally, we will develop a 

risk-assessment index based on the management package developed, and 

make it freely available online and using which, growers can reduce risks 

prior to planting.

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

10. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Mitigating the impact of 

emerging races causing 

watermelon Fusarium 

wilt (Ji)

The University of Georgia (UGA) will develop advanced molecular techniques 

to identify races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, the causal agent of 

Fusarium wilt of watermelon, and develop integrated and sustainable 

management approaches to mitigate the impact of this devastating disease. 

The objectives of this proposal are (1) to develop advanced molecular 

techniques for rapid identification of races of the pathogen; (2) to screen and 

identify watermelon accessions for resistance against aggressive races of the 

pathogen; and (3) to develop integrated programs for effective management 

of the disease caused by all races. Techniques generated in the project will be 

readily applicable for disease monitoring and management in commercial 

watermelon production. This mission-oriented project supports the longrange goal of improving the sustainability and profitability of specialty crop 

production through the development of economically and environmentally 

sound disease management tactics.

$100,000.00
92

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

11. University of Georgia 

Research

FoundationManagement strategies 

for ambrosia beetles in 

tree-nursery, tree-fruit, 

and pecan (Joseph)

The University of Georgia will develop research-based management tools for 

pecan and peach orchards as well as ornamental nurseries to mitigate the 

attacks from ambrosia beetles (Xylosandrus spp.) and the new information 

will be extended through a series of grower meetings and other Extension 

outlets. This project will develop a sustainable pest management solution by 

alleviating the negative impacts of this pest in Georgia through reduction of 

insecticide usage and increased adoption of newly developed tactics. These 

outcomes will be documented through grower surveys during meetings in 

2020 and 2021. This project proposes a long-term, self-sustaining solution by 

developing strategies that are not entirely dependent on insecticides. It will 

document the seasonal incidence and distribution of the pest, improve the 

pest monitoring tools, and evaluate novel non-chemical management tactics 

using biochar, kaolin clay and entomopathogenic fungi to reduce ambrosia 

beetle infestations on trees.

$73,918.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

12. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Rapid molecular 

detection and fungicide 

resistance tests for 

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa 

(Martinez-Espino

The University of Georgia will develop and optimize advanced molecular 

techniques for specific and rapid detection and fungicide testing for 

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa. This information will aid in better 

understanding/assessing the impact of S. homoeocarpa and its sensitivity 

against different fungicides in Georgia. Dollar spot of turfgrass, caused by S. 

homoeocarpa is an insidious disease and has been recognized as a problem 

for many decades in Georgia that affects all warm and cool season grasses. In 

this proposal, we intend to develop and optimize advanced molecular 

techniques (LAMP, qPCR, port RT-PCR etc.) for specific and rapid detection of 

S. homoeocarpa and its sensitivity against different fungicides in turfgrass 

under laboratory and field conditions.

$95,321.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

13. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Statewide survey of 

citrus greening caused 

by Candidatus 

liberibacter asiaticus 

(Oliver)

Through this project, the University of Georgia will establish a detection 

network for citrus greening and determine its prevalence within Georgia 

citrus plantings by educating growers and carrying out surveys for the 

disease. The outcome of this project will be the first comprehensive 

assessment of where citrus greening is present within Georgia citrus and it 

will provide information necessary for growers to take initial steps to manage 

$100,000.00
93

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

this important disease and/or exclude its establishment in commercial citrus 

orchards.

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06

14. University of Georgia 

Research Foundation -

Method for pre-harvest 

intervention to control 

of Listeria 

monocytogenes in 

produce (Zhao)

The University of Georgia will evaluate one food-grade strain to treat fresh 

produce at pre-harvest stage for long-term control of L. monocytogenes. We 

will use pepper and pepper plants as the model, but the application of this 

model will be universal for all produce. The purpose of this project is to 

validate the application procedures of our bio-control method for 

reduction/elimination of L. monocytogenes in fruits and vegetables. The L.

monocytogenes can survive, reappear, and the biofilm becomes more solid 

than formed previously. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop a 

ready-to-use biocontrol approach for fresh produce industry and to evaluate 

its efficacy to remove the L. monocytogenes from fresh produce.

$32,000.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,230,019.06 Grant Administration

To ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and 

State requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$98,367.95

Guam 

Department of 

Agriculture

$243,681.38

Ungulate Management 

Control and Production 

of Root Crops for the 

Recovery, Distribution 

and Sustainability

The Guam Department of Agriculture will oversee the program, operations, 

and overall fiscal responsibility of the grant and closely work with 

stakeholders and producers throughout the grant period to satisfy the 

expected outcomes and deliverables. The program will address ungulate 

management control in crop lands devastated by feral pigs concentrating on 

the reduction in population to enable root crop production as a staple crop 

and fresh market commodity thus decreasing dependency on imports.

$243,681.38
94

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

1. Enhancing Kahumana 

Farm Hub’s specialty 

crop growers’ capacity 

through increased 

agroforestry training, 

education and 

specialization

Kahumana Organic Farms (KFH) will lead this project to plant fruit trees to the 

growers and to conduct training workshops, with a focus on improving the 

marketing of three specialty crops: mangoes, breadfruit, and citrus, based on 

the foundation built by previously funded work. The objectives of the project 

are to 1) increase sales of specialty crops to the existing access points; 2) 

increase the mango, breadfruit, and citrus tree planting; and 3) to develop 

better information and guidelines about food safety and food quality 

practices and link them to direct opportunities to improve sales.

$40,044.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

2. Integrated Pest 

Management for 

Macadamia

The University of Hawaii will lead this project to conduct a two-field study 

project on integrated pest management in macadamia. The first study will 

evaluate the use of pruning and living mulches for improved control of 

macadamia felted coccid and increases in insect diversity while maintaining 

yield. The second will test herbicide efficacy to reduce herbicide applications 

and weed resistance while improving weed control and reducing costs. The 

results will be extended to growers through field days and presentations at 

the annual Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association meetings.

$42,109.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

3. Expanding the Hawaii 

Market for Hawaii-grown 

Passion Fruit

Maui Fruit Jewels will lead this project to enhance the competitiveness of 

locally grown passion fruit (lilikoi)through 1) developing and growing market 

share of Hawaii-grown lilikoi puree through marketing to the food service and 

retails sectors in Hawaii; 2) replacing a portion of Hawaii’s current 

consumption of imported lilikoi puree with Hawaii-grown and processed 

lilikoi puree; 3) partnering with Tiki Farms to grow lilikois on trellis to create a 

cultivation model for commercial growers and share results with the farming 

community in Hawaii; 4) partnering with local non-profit organizations to 

cultivate lilikois ); and 5) exploring market potential for lilikoi seed oil, an 

upcycled byproduct of lilikoi processing, as a sub-component of the overall 

project.

$40,000.00
95

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

4. Enhancing the 

Competitiveness of 

Hawaiian Coffee by 

Adding Cover Crops and 

Weather Stations

United Kau Farmers’ Cooperative (UKFC) will lead this project to measure the 

extent to which cover crops improve soil nutrients, increase retention of soil 

moisture, and reduce weeds. Successful field trials will demonstrate the use 

of cover crops by Hawaii coffee farmers, with the aim of building soil health, 

can cut farm-maintenance costs and conserve water. In addition, the project 

will pay for weather stations to measure variables that affect plant-nutrient 

uptake, such as temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and solar radiation to 

add invaluable weather data to the public domain by implementing weather 

stations on five farms in “the coffee belt” of Hawaii Island’s Kau District.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

5. HENA’s Outreach 

Program for New 

Farmers, New Markets 

and New Production 

Methods

The Hawaii Export Nursery Association (HENA) will lead this project to 

establish relationships with potential distributors outside of California 

through a trade mission in order to diversify the Hawaii potted foliage 

industry’s market. New potential distributors will be invited to Hawaii to tour 

member nurseries and learn the benefits of using Hawaii potted foliage 

plants. The project will create a comprehensive outreach program to 

introduce the Hawaii potted ornamental industry to develop relationships 

and to cultivate student and potential new farmers. In addition, the HENA will 

also test new agricultural production and biological control products to 

reduce soil pathogens and enhance growth of foliage.

$39,750.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

6. Enhancing Cacao 

Production and 

Profitability by 

Improving Post-Harvest 

Practices

Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council (Oahu RC&D) will 

lead this project to enhance cacao production and profitability through 

grower adoption of best practices for post-harvest processing tailored for 

local conditions. This goal will be achieved through the development of 

innovative, Hawaii-specific tools (informed by cacao experts and experienced 

local farmers) and production of three on-farm workshops to deliver training 

and demonstration of best practices applied to the harvest, fermentation and 

drying of cacao. On-farm workshops will be held on multiple islands and 

informational resources will be distributed to cacao producers across the 

state.

$43,530.00
96

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

7. Expanding the Market 

for Organically Produced 

Hawaiian Ginger with 

High Gingerol Content 

Varieties.

The University of Hawaii will lead this project to complete a series of activities 

that will result in improved yield and quality of Hawaii-grown ginger, 

increased availability and consumption of Hawaii-grown ginger; and greater 

profitability for Hawaii ginger growers. The objects of this project are to: 1) 

identify ginger varieties with high yield, gingerol content, and determine their 

viability at different locations in Hawaii; 2) determine the effects of different 

growing methods on yield; 3) distribute varieties of disease-free ginger seeds 

to local growers; and 4) disseminate the findings in various outreach activities 

and develop a ginger production manual. The project will be a collaborative 

effort between UH and local growers and agencies.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

8. Safe Guard Hawaii 

Papaya Industry by 

Promoting Clean 

Vegetative Propagative 

Materials and Root 

Shield Techniques

The University of Hawaii (UH) will lead this project to develop economically 

viable vegetative propagative techniques to mitigate seed shortage, mass 

produce hermaphrodite papaya from the desired specialty papaya through 

cuttings to avoid planting unnecessary female papaya plants that are not 

marketable. The papaya industry in Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of seed 

supplies. The will work with farmers that are interested to propagate Papaya 

Ring Spot Virus (PSRV)-resistant variety, “Leia Gold” as a model to prove the 

concept of hermaphrodite papaya vegetative propagation. The objectives of 

this proposed project are to educate entrepreneurial farmers on techniques 

to supply clean propagules, and to encourage the farmers to produce clean 

planting materials for their production.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

9. Hawaii GroupGAP: 

Neighbor Island Farmer 

Training & New Market 

Access Workshop

The North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership (North Shore EVP) will lead 

this project to expand its USDA GroupGAP program statewide so that farms 

beyond Oahu can lower the cost of obtaining their Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) certification. By allowing farmers, food hubs, and marketing 

organizations of all sizes to band together and pool resources to achieve 

USDA GAP certification, GroupGAP is helping more farmers supply fresh, local 

specialty crops to retail and institutional markets. The objectives of this 

project are to: 1) train and obtain USDA Harmonized GAP certification for an 

additional 15 small to medium-sized specialty crop; 2) establish the first 

Regional GroupGAP group of neighbor island; and 3) introduce new market 

access to growers and buyers via a data-driven process.

$40,000.00
97

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

10. Increase Awareness 

& Access of Hawaiian 

Floriculture to the 

Wedding Industry 

through HFNA’s 

Educational Program

The Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) will lead this project 

to host an educational seminar with floral designers from each of the main 

Hawaiian Islands aiming to increase awareness and access of Hawaii 

floriculture products to the wedding industry. The seminar will demonstrate 

how to use flowers and foliage distinct to their island to create wedding floral 

needs. In conjunction with the seminar HFNA will hold a trade show with 

displays depicting wedding related designs dedicated to each of the major 

islands. The objectives of the project are to: 1) educate the domestic wedding 

industry on the superior quality of Hawaii flowers and foliage; 2) provide the 

wedding industry first-hand trade knowledge of Hawaii flowers and foliage; 

and 3) create a social media campaign using HFNA’s educational videos

$35,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

11. Educational 

Marketing Campaign for 

Five Hawaii Specialty 

Crops Grown in 

Diversified Production 

Systems

Hawaii Ulu Producers Cooperative will lead this project to enhance the 

competitiveness of five Hawaii specialty crops grown in concert under 

diversified agroforestry systems by conducting a community-based 

educational marketing campaign spotlighting specialty crop “champions” 

including high school culinary arts students, institutional food service 

managers, celebrity chefs, and local farmers. Through the campaign, these 

diverse spokespeople will highlight the benefits of minimally processed local 

ulu (breadfruit), green and ripe papaya, sweet potato, banana, and kabocha 

squash - all crops that can be grown together in polyculture systems that 

tend to be more sustainable, profitable and aligned with Hawaii farmers’ 

values than mono-cropping.

$42,810.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

12. Promotion of OffSeason Mango 

Production to Meet 

Increased Market 

Demand for Local 

Produce

The University of Hawaii will lead this project to evaluate and demonstrate 

through applied field evaluations, workshops and field days, increased 

consistency of current production and the opportunity for off-season 

production of mangoes for the State of Hawaii. The project looks to identify 

strategies that will stimulate the production of local mangoes during the fall 

to winter months when mangoes typically don’t produce. The project also 

looks to evaluate the economic feasibility of producing mangoes during nontypical production periods.

$40,000.00
98

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00

13. Import Replacement: 

Increasing Production of 

Hawaii Specialty Crops

Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) will lead this project under the 

procurement rules governing project partner selection/s. The project seeks to 

award projects that will have Outcomes and Indicators that increase 

production of specialty crops that are currently imported into the state. The 

objectives of the project are to 1) increase production of the most imported 

specialty crops of 2016; 2) utilize domestic suppliers of germplasm of 

specialty crops that do not require post-entry quarantine.; and 3) minimize 

the risk to the socially disadvantages and beginning farmers by distributing 

the germplasm at no charge or at a discount.

$51,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$580,753.00 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding

$46,407.77

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

1. Web-Enabled Site 

Suitability and 

Visualization for Idaho’s 

Specialty Crop Industry

Boise State University will lead this project to enhance competitiveness of 

Idaho specialty crops by expanding an existing web-based site climate 

suitability and visualization tool, previously developed in support of Idaho’s 

wine industry, to include additional specialty crops of strategic significance to 

Idaho. The purpose of this project is to expand on a current climate 

exploration tool to include additional climate indicators relevant to a broader 

variety of specialty crops. Specifically, this project will: (1) identify 

stakeholders for each specialty crop; (2) engage with these stakeholders to 

obtain a list of climate factors used to select sites and cultivars for crop 

production, (3) use an existing climate database to create spatial layers 

visualizing the climate factors used by specialty crop growers, and (4) adapt 

the web-based portal to accommodate a broader range of specialty crops in 

the region.

$106,675.00
99

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

2. Effective Water 

Management And Soil 

Conservation For 

Sustainable Bean 

Production

The University of Idaho will lead this project to conduct two field experiments 

to develop sustainable water and soil conservation strategies for garden bean 

production. The study will focus on the effects of water management using 

drip irrigation versus furrow irrigation in two tillage systems: conventional 

and strip tillage. The objectives of this project are to: 1) evaluate the 

potential benefits of drip irrigation and reduced tillage systems, in 

comparison to conventional tillage and furrow irrigation, 2) develop grower 

guidelines for effective irrigation water application in garden beans grown 

under different tillage systems, and 3) conduct extension outreach.

$99,921.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

3. Selection of Suitable 

Tree Architecture and 

Rootstock for Pedestrian 

Cherry Production in 

Idaho

The University of Idaho will lead this project to establish high-density 

orchards aiming to reduce the cost of production, mainly through the 

reduction of labor costs, with a focus on the impact of eight rootstocks in 

combination with three tree architectures on tree growth rate, bloom and 

harvest dates, leaf mineral nutrients, yield, and quality attributes of cherry 

under southwest Idaho conditions. The objectives of this project are to 1) 

study effects of eight size-controlling rootstocks, and three tree architectures 

(trainings) on growth and yield performance of ‘Benton’ cherry under 

conditions of southwest Idaho; 2) study leaf nutrient uptake ability in various 

rootstocks and tree trainings in southern Idaho; and 3) provide educational 

programs to teach fruit growers about the use, cultural practices, fruit 

quality, precocity, and sustainability results on different rootstocks and tree 

architectures in cherries.

$163,254.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

4. Building Momentum: 

Strategic marketing to 

increase consumer 

awareness of Idaho 

wines

The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission (IWC) will lead 

this project to develop a comprehensive marketing campaign aiming to 

increase exposure and knowledge about Idaho wines through Increase and 

broaden national media coverage. The focus will be on maintaining national 

media relationships, as well as improving local media and consumer 

awareness through a variety of communication channels and in-person 

experiences. Elements identified as beneficial to continue to assist the 

industry’s growth include a focus on developing relationships with national 

media, inbound marketing, local and national advertising. In addition, the 

$314,640.00
100

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

project is expected to develop a more consistent and robust digital content 

creation and programing, as well as significant website enhancements.

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

5. Creating Awareness 

for Idaho Hops through 

Web Site Development, 

Social Media, and 

Informational 

Newsletters

The Idaho Hop Growers Commission (Commission) will lead this two-year 

project to develop, creation, and distribute a 5 to 6-minute video showcasing 

the growing, maturity, harvest, and packing season of Idaho Hops, with still 

photography provided at each stage of the progress. To further increase 

awareness, radio advertising will be run on local stations during harvest. The 

objectives of this project are to 1) increase sales and build demand for Idaho 

Hops; 2) create an ongoing relationship between Dealers and Idaho growers; 

3) enhance the Commission’s web site and Social Media; 4) develop a 

quarterly newsletter that will be distributed locally as well as nationally; and 

5) participate in local promotion, sponsorship opportunities, and purchase 

radio advertising.

$35,225.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

6. Precision Water 

Management For 

Agronomic, Economic, 

and Environmental 

Sustainability of Idaho 

Hop Production

The Idaho Hop Commission, hop producers, and University of Idaho 

researchers will collaborate on this project focused on improving the 

efficiency of water use in hop production. This project will create an efficient 

water application methodology based on a comprehensive climatological,

soil, and plant – related measurements collected throughout the season. The 

study will serve as a needed starting point for development of a more 

comprehensive hop grower guide detailing the water and nutrient 

management for hop varieties commonly grown in Idaho. Extension 

education will be conducted to encourage the adoption of efficient water 

management strategies by the Idaho hop producers and will discuss the 

estimated economic implications of such adoption.

$107,040.00
101

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

7. Develop resistance to 

Pale Cyst Nematode 

(PCN) in potato via loss 

of susceptibility

The University of Idaho will lead this project to conduct the research aiming 

to mitigate the potential impact of the notorious pale cyst nematode (PCN) 

by developing PCN-resistant potato cultivars via loss of their susceptibility to 

PCN. The overall goal of this project is to identify potato susceptibility genes 

targeted by PCN effectors and eventually develop resistance to PCN in potato 

through elimination of susceptibility genes via CRISPR-based gene editing. 

The PCN can cause up to 80 percent yield loss in potato. To protect the 

investment that has been made towards eradicating PCN, developing PCNresistant potato for Idaho growers is urgently needed. Findings from this 

research will be presented to the scientific community through publications 

and presentations at international/national/regional meetings; and to 

stakeholders at grower meetings such as the UI Potato Conference, the Idaho 

Plant Protection conference and other appropriate venues.

$114,328.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54 8. Taiwan Marketing 

Enhancement Program

The Idaho Potato Commission will lead this project to establish a marketing 

program in Taiwan aiming to increase marketing support for Taiwan 

importers of Idaho Potatoes and to increase Idaho potato exports to Taiwan. 

Marketing activities will consist of developing awareness programs for 

Importers, Retailers, and Foodservice operators. Taiwan government 

regulations require “late blight” testing, which creates a comparative 

advantage for the Idaho farmers as Late Blight, a common disease in 

Washington and Oregon, is extremely uncommon in Idaho. This project will 

help lower farmers’ production costs by providing access to low-cost Late 

Blight test so to keep Idaho potatoes at competitively lower price for export 

market in Taiwan.

$165,850.00
102

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

9. Marketing Idaho 

Specialty Crops through 

Idaho Preferred 

Advertising, Social 

Media, Public Relations 

and Retail Promotions.

Idaho Preferred will lead this project to promote specialty crops through 

digital advertising, social media, public relations and retail promotions in 

2020 and 2021, with a focus on increasing consumer engagement and 

purchases of Idaho-grown specialty crops. The digital advertising campaign 

will air in conjunction with an on-the-road retail tour that will include stops at 

retailers across the state to promote seasonal specialty crops with radio 

remotes, on-site demos, sampling and events. Social media will help promote 

the tour and events as well as increase consumer awareness of seasonal 

specialty crops. A nursery roadshow will occur in the Spring 2020 promoting 

locally-grown nursery plants and will be supported by digital and radio 

advertising.

$272,365.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

10. Establish best 

practices for growing 

truffles and increasing 

truffle yields in Idaho 

truffle orchards.

The Idaho Truffle Growers Association will lead this project to develop best 

practice strategies for production of truffles through the practices of crown 

pruning, root pruning, and irrigation techniques at specific times during the 

truffle growing season to create the optimum approach to farming the below 

ground fungus (how to create feast and famine events in the life of a fungus). 

We will analyze approximately 4500 soil samples for qPCR analysis to 

determine truffle mycelium mass and 4500 CO2 samples to determine fungus 

respiration rates in order to determine the optimal techniques to maximize 

production of this $100 per ounce agricultural specialty crop. The study 

results will be shared with current and future Idaho truffle farmers.

$111,189.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

11. Building Awareness, 

and Increasing Sales of 

Idaho-E. Oregon Onions 

in Domestic and 

International Markets

The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee (IEOOC) will lead this project to 

a domestic VIP Tour, Yellow Onion Promotion in Mexico, an international 

trade mission, and international and domestic trade shows. The objectives of 

this project are to 1) increase the sales of Idaho and Eastern Oregon onions 

both domestically and internationally; 2) build on domestic market share and 

increased awareness for Idaho-E. Oregon onions; 3) create awareness and 

develop market share for Idaho and Eastern Oregon onions in international 

markets; and 4) increase exposure and sales of Idaho and Eastern Oregon 

yellow onions in Mexico.

$103,400.00
103

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

12. Controlling 

nematodes in potatoes 

by enhancing a suicide 

hatch in the absence of a 

host.

The University of Idaho will lead this project to develop a product to improve 

potato production that targets society’s need for safer and more 

environmentally friendly natural alternatives to synthetic nematicides. This 

project will apply a natural chemical from seed meal of the mustard Sinapis 

alba to force the nematode Globodera pallida to hatch in the absence of a 

suitable host such as potato, creating a suicide hatch through nematode 

controlas a result of. Isolation, concentration, and formulation. The 

objectives of this project include using an existing pilot plant to extract and 

concentrate the compound, evaluating economic value of the co-products, 

testing hatch enhancement with G. pallida to demonstrate efficacy, and 

collaborating with a potential commercial partner to scale-up the technology.

$123,648.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54

13. Managing onion 

storage diseases through 

an integrated approach 

of diagnostics, modelling 

and optimum disease 

management.

The University of Idaho (UI) will lead this project to develop new diagnostic 

technologies, optimum disease management practices and disease modelling 

approaches for storage diseases of onion. Onion growers face considerable 

losses through storage diseases which can lead to a complete rejection of the 

shipment. Many of these diseases are latent showing no symptoms in the 

field. UI will develop a novel approach to combat storage diseases comprising 

of develop a new diagnostic technology to test bulk onion samples for latent 

diseases prior to storage. The diagnostic technology will also be employed in 

investigating the epidemiology of the storage pathogens from the field 

through to storage and will determine the primary means of disease 

transmission and how disease develops over time.

$141,070.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,114,200.54 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding

$254,785.96
104

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Building Demand Among 

Low-Income Clients For 

Specialty Crops Sold at 

the 61st Street Farmers 

Market 

The 61st Street Farmers Market, a program of the Experimental Station, 

seeks to further expand our Market’s educational programming and 

partnership with Carnegie Elementary School and Jackson Park Terrace to 

rebuild local knowledge of the nutritional benefits and pleasure of consuming 

fresh and healthy foods, and knowledge of how to grow and prepare them. 

This grant will enable us to provide enhanced at-Market, point-of promotion, 

in-school, after-school, and year-round educational programming aimed at 

teaching more than 2,000 low-income children and adults how to identify, 

grow, purchase, prepare and enjoy Illinois Specialty Crops sold at the 61st 

Street Farmers Market. In so doing, the Market seeks to increase SNAP client 

participation in the Market as well as sales of Illinois Specialty Crops sold 

there. Through point-of-sale data collection and evaluative surveys, we aim 

to demonstrate increased demand for and consumption of Illinois Specialty 

Crops, as a result of robust and dynamic educational outreach in our lowincome community.

$28,660.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Combining Apiary 

Inspections and SelfReported Stakeholder 

Data to Understand 

Honey Bee Pest Pressure 

and Success

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will help improve the Illinois 

apiculture industry by providing high quality data on the incidence and 

distribution of Varroa mites and other bee pests. This will be combined with 

estimations of honey production and surveying of beekeeping practices 

throughout the season to produce a valuable database to improve knowledge 

regarding predictors of beekeeping success and honey yields. This will be 

accomplished through an integration of expanded state inspections and the 

use of an extension and data collection webtool. The combination of these 

approaches will provide valuable information about pest pressure and 

predictors of success in Illinois and set the stage for further development of 

regionally-specific best management practices.

$123,944.00
105

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Educational Support, 

Outreach, and Marketing 

for Illinois Specialty 

Crops

The Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) will offer educational 

opportunities for specialty crop farmers at four regional programs and at the 

annual Illinois Specialty Crop, Agritourism, and Organic Conference and Food 

Safety trainings and workshops. This project will provide specialty crop 

growers the opportunity to become informed on production and marketing 

topics pertaining to their industry, including keeping up-to-date on some of 

the newest methods and techniques to ensure top grower performance. 

Furthermore, this will help to ensure specialty crop farms are in compliance 

with FSMA Produce Rule.

$69,317.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$32,924.68

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Increasing Illinois 

Specialty Crop 

Consumption in 

Marginalized and 

Immigrant Populations 

through Resource 

Development

The Land Connection (TLC) will increase knowledge of and consumption of 

Illinois specialty crops within marginalized and immigrant populations 

through the development of short, informational videos and the adaptation 

of pre-existing resources such as online blogs, specialty crop cards, recipes, 

etc. These resources will be modified to have a higher Flesch-Kincaid 

readability score, making them easier to understand, as well as translated 

into multiple languages – allowing for a greater reach with marginalized 

populations in our community. This project will increase consumer 

engagement with Illinois specialty crops through the addition of more 

specialty crop focused content; provide specialty grow growers, farmers 

market managers, and other stakeholders access to a variety of content in 

one convenient location that they can use to boost sales for their operation; 

assist Illinois specialty crop growers in becoming more economically viable; 

and increase knowledge of and access to specialty crops in marginalized and 

immigrant populations.

$45,942.07
106

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Increasing Knowledge, 

Access, and 

Consumption of 

Specialty Crops in 

Northern Illinois

Angelic Organics Learning Center will educate and collaborate with youth and 

adult leaders in all three operating locations (Rockford, Chicago, and 

Caledonia) through workshops, camps, and job-training programs. As part of 

the program, participants will act as peer community educators and 

advocates for community supported agriculture shares. This project will build 

on the work currently taking place to highlight community led education and 

leadership with the goal of increasing consumption of specialty crops. 

Participants in this program will become peer educators and advocates of 

community supported agriculture in their communities. In this way the 

project will address cost and spoilage issues by increasing access to the 

freshest and most cost-effective fruits and vegetables. And by learning to 

grow the demand will increase as was evidenced by Brunner’s study on the 

impacts of gardening

$61,650.72

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Increasing Readiness for 

Illinois Specialty Growers 

to Sell to Chicago and 

Cook County’s Public 

Institutions

Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) will support small and mid-sized 

Illinois specialty crop growers to sell to the City of Chicago and Cook County 

Government’s food service vendors, which are in the process of 

implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP). GFPP is a national 

metrics-based framework that leverages the power of public procurement to 

create a more transparent and equitable food system CFPAC will use the 

grant funding to research, conduct outreach, publish resource materials, and 

host in person events and workshops that will inform Illinois specialty crop 

growers about market opportunities, required food safety regulations and 

procedures, and different pathways available to supply public institutions. In 

addition, CFPAC will work with local producers to identify strategies for 

aggregating volume and efficiently distributing to food service vendors that 

serve the City of Chicago and Cook County’s public institutions. Outreach for 

this project will specifically target socially disadvantaged farmers (women, 

veterans, and minority-owned operations) looking to scale from direct-toconsumer markets. CFPAC aims to reach at least 80 specialty crop 

stakeholders in the project and prepare at least 20 specialty growers to sell to 

the City of Chicago and Cook County.

$63,270.72
107

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Making the Connection: 

Specialty Crop Food 

Safety, Market 

Readiness, and 

Commerce

This project aims to bridge the existing gap between many local, small to midsized specialty crop growers and their target markets by executing our 

nationally recognized farmer training program workshops in both English and 

Spanish, reaching a total of 60 farmers. The addition of a Spanish speaking 

workshop will allow us to reach a portion of the more than 700 Latin farmers 

currently operating in the state of Illinois. FamilyFarmed will offer one 

Wholesale Success training with the goal of accommodating 30 farmers to 

provide specialty growers with a comprehensive understanding of food safety 

requirements and wholesale markets. Additionally, we will offer one market 

readiness training with a target of 30 farmers, focused on packing, pricing, 

promotion, size and other key considerations when scaling their food 

businesses. Finally, FamilyFarmed will facilitate five meetings between 

specialty crop farmers and wholesale buyers during a targeted market 

development event hosted by FamilyFarmed.

$70,164.24

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94 Management of Palmer 

Amaranth in Horseradish

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with industry cooperation from the 

Horseradish Growers of Illinois Association will determine better options for 

controlling Palmer Amaranth in commercial horseradish fields. Palmer 

amaranth (Amarathus palmeri S. Watson) has resistance to several different 

herbicide sites of action and has become the most difficult weed to control in 

Illinois horseradish production fields in a relatively short period of time. This 

weed was unknown to Illinois horseradish growers 10 years ago and is now 

the primary weed found in production fields. The proposed studies will give 

growers some indication of the minimum length of time in days after planting 

that Palmer Amaranth control must be achieved in fields to not cause yield 

reductions and provide the best available herbicide options that can be used 

to control this devastating weed pest. Results from the project will be 

disseminated to stakeholders through presentations and printed materials at 

the annual horseradish grower meeting, as well as by personal contact with 

individual horseradish growers.

$39,971.00
108

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Meeting People in Need 

Where They Are: 

Partnering a Local Farm 

with Local Government, 

Service Organizations 

and Healthcare 

Providers to Aid with 

Community Food 

Engagement, Food 

Production, and Food 

Distribution

Sola Gratia Farm aims to expand access to and demand for fresh and healthy 

produce and nutrition knowledge in low-income/limited access (LI/LA) 

populations in Urbana and Champaign, where social services are currently 

lacking. Sola Gratia Farm will: a) continue to partner with the ChampaignUrbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to distribute produce and nutrition 

knowledge via a weekly pay-what-you can produce market in a LI/LA 

neighborhood; b) partner with Cunningham Township to further develop an 

on-site community garden and support its’ use for educational and 

networking events; distribute produce and share cooking and nutritional 

knowledge through the Township office; and survey Township clients to 

inform future workshops and events addressing food security needs; c) 

partner with Habitat for Humanity on development of a community garden in 

a neighborhood they have been building in and revitalizing for years in order 

to improve food access, empower residents in food production skills and 

build community; and d) distribute produce and nutritional information 

alongside health and wellness screenings, treatment and care provided by 

Carle Foundation Hospital at their weekly Carle Mobile Health Clinics serving 

LI/LA neighborhoods including Illinois WorkNet at Parkland Community 

College and Church of the Living God. These efforts will serve as the start of a 

pilot produce prescription program.

$28,515.00
109

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Revitalizing Illinois 

Vineyards: Education 

Programs to Develop 

New Growers and 

Promote Wine-Focused

Grape Production in 

Existing Vineyards

Vineyard acreage in Illinois is declining. As wine growers approach or surpass 

the age of retirement, the strenuous financial and climatic challenges of 

vineyard operations too often prevent them from renewing vines that were 

damaged or being able to hire help in the vineyard. It is imperative that 

Illinois continues to develop and promote quality-driven local grape 

production to ensure quality wine, improve crop value, and promote unique 

regional flavor profiles for the sake of the industry’s long-term growth and 

sustainability. To help reverse this decline in acreage, the Illinois Grape 

Growers and Vintners Alliance will develop a pilot sentinel vineyard program. 

These sentinel vineyard owners will work with vineyard and enology 

specialists to create regional hubs for grower information and demonstrate 

optimal grape growing practices for specific wine styles. These sites will then 

be used for educational workshops targeted at potential new growers, while 

reinforcing core principles of quality-driven winegrowing practices for 

existing growers in the region.

$50,265.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Specialty Crop Education 

& Consumer Awareness 

through Illinois 

Agriculture in the 

Classroom: Apples Ag 

Mag

Raising awareness and furthering education on specialty crops is an effective 

way to engage young consumers in understanding the importance of 

agriculture, and leading them to healthy food choices, like eating more fresh 

fruits and vegetables. Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom has a proven track 

record as a trusted source for educational materials teachers can use to 

incorporate agriculture into daily classroom lessons. Producing an Ag Mag 

educational resource focused on Apples provides a positive introduction to 

agriculture, specialty crops, and the farmers who grow them, by using a 

popular subject matter that captures students interest and meets learning 

standards for teachers. Apple Orchards throughout Illinois who engage 

consumers can also benefit from access to this free educational resource.

$12,000.00
110

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Understanding the 

Microbiota of 

Hydroponic Systems in 

Illinois to Improve Fresh 

Produce Safety

Hydroponic farming is gaining popularity in metropolitan areas because it 

requires relatively small space, less irrigation water, and is less dependent on 

the season or weather. Hydroponic planting is considered a safe farming 

method compared to traditional soil-based farming due to its better pest and 

wild animal control. However, the microbial food safety aspects of this 

emerging farming method are not well-studied or understood. There is an 

immediate need to understand the potential risk of pathogen contamination 

in hydroponic systems. This study, conducted by University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign, is designed to examine the potential microbial hazards 

and identify the critical control points in hydroponic farming systems in 

Illinois. The specific objectives are to: 1) survey regarding the current 

microbial control strategies for hydroponic farms and the potential 

contamination sources; 2) examine the microbiota in the hydroponic systems 

in Illinois; and 3) disseminate the findings to the hydroponic farms and the 

public.

$60,353.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$712,592.94

Utilizing Hyperspectral 

Reflectance Imagery to 

Improve Fertilizer 

Efficiency and 

Sustainability of 

Hydroponic Lettuce

Western Illinois University will conduct research and deliver educational 

programs on best management practices for fertilizer management of 

hydroponic lettuce production for IL growers. Hydroponic lettuce production 

is popular among specialty crop growers looking for ways to diversify their 

operations. Many questions exist regarding optimal nutrient management for 

lettuce production in recirculating hydroponic systems. Currently, data from 

precision agricultural methods for maximizing nutrient and water use 

efficiency in hydroponic systems is lacking. This research will enhance 

nutrient and water use efficiency for the production hydroponic lettuce, 

which in turn will increase sustainability and profitability of hydroponic 

lettuce producers in Illinois. Our objectives: (1) Purchase and construct a 

commercial (NFT) hydroponic system for trial purposes; (2) Evaluate nutrient 

use by hydroponic lettuce via hyperspectral imaging and visual observation; 

(3) Host field days to present findings and demonstrate our research; (4) 

Deliver findings via newsletters and statewide and regional meetings; and (5) 

Continue to use the hydroponic system for further evaluations.

$25,466.00
111

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46 1. Indiana Grown

Indiana Grown will create Public Service Announcements (PSA) to highlight 

the nutritional value and benefits of specialty crops and air them on 

television and radio statewide. Indiana Grown will use PSAs to raise 

awareness, and deliver clear and concise messages, regarding specialty crops. 

In addition, Indiana Grown will monitor the times, where, and when the PSAs 

are broadcasted. The PSA is not a commercial rather an informative and 

specific time and developed method to deliver educational information.

$75,000.00

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46

2. Purdue University: 

Developing Technology 

and Best Practices for 

Producing Escherichia 

coli (E. coli) Free 

Hydroponic Lettuce

Purdue University will develop technology and best practices for producing 

Escherichia coli (E. coli) free lettuce in hydroponic farms. In the U.S., two 

multi-state outbreaks of Shiga toxin producing E. coli O157: H7 resulted in 

121 people hospitalized and five deaths in 2018. The outbreaks were linked 

to the consumption of field-grown contaminated romaine lettuce. Although 

lettuce grown hydroponically is relatively safer than field-grown lettuce,

studies have indicated that hydroponic lettuce is not totally devoid of E. coli 

contamination. Indiana hydroponics industry is nascent and rapidly 

developing. An E. coli outbreak originating from a hydroponics farm can 

potentially change consumer preferences and threaten sustainability of 

hydroponics industry in Indiana. Purdue University will develop technologies 

that can reduce E. coli levels in irrigation water using ozone and photosterilize plants using UV-LED lights during production. In addition, the project 

will educate farmers and entrepreneurs on the developed technology and 

best practices for reducing the risk of E. coli in lettuce grown hydroponically 

through Extension efforts (e.g., workshops, conferences, social media and 

printed literature).

$90,115.00
112

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46

3. Purdue University: 

Assessing and 

Addressing Indiana 

Specialty Crop Weed 

Management Research 

and Outreach Needs

Purdue University will assess and address weed management needs of 

Indiana specialty crop producers by conducting a survey to determine the 

greatest weed-related concerns and current weed management practices, 

conducting research to establish vegetable crop tolerance and weed control 

data to support product registration and expand weed management options 

available to producers, conducting research to determine the influence of 

morning glory interference in cucurbit crops and tomato, and increasing 

outreach efforts by inviting out-of-state specialty crop weed scientists to 

address Indiana stakeholders.

$81,499.00

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46

4. Purdue University: Dig 

it...Connecting Soil Heath 

with Productivity and 

Food Safety in Indiana’s 

Urban Agriculture Sector

Purdue University will support the continued growth and persistence of 

specialty crop production in urban and peri-urban areas by helping growers 

quantify the health of their soil and develop targeted approaches to better 

manage nutrients, reduce severity of soil-borne and foliar diseases, and 

increase food safety by preventing heavy metal accumulation in produce and 

potential for foodborne pathogen outbreaks. To accomplish this goal, Purdue 

University will conduct surveys on farms and community gardens in three 

metropolitan areas (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and greater Lafayette) to 

identify barriers preventing growers from identifying and effectively treating 

degraded and contaminated soils and optimizing nutrient and disease 

management plans. After completing this survey, Purdue University will 

collaborate with a subset of growers to test their soils and identify key soil 

and environmental factors controlling bioavailability of heavy metals and 

persistence of plant and foodborne pathogens in vegetable systems. The 

results of these studies will help these growers develop targeted 

management plans to overcome site-specific soil health and management 

issues identified on their farms and gardens.

$104,568.00
113

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46

5. Purdue University: 

Healthy Food, Healthy 

Environment.... 

Developing Best 

Management Practices 

for 

Hydroponic/Aquaponic 

Crop Production in 

Indiana

Purdue University will help develop best management practices for growing 

vegetables and herbs in hydroponic and aquaponic systems by integrating 

multiple strategies, which include comparing crop yield and quality of 

coupled- and decoupled-aquaponic systems with those of hydroponic 

systems, reducing the use of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P), enhancing 

food safety, and conducting cost-benefit analysis in different production 

scenarios and disseminate the results to stakeholders through grower 

meetings, field day, and workshop. By adopting recommended best 

management practices, Indiana growers will be able to provide fresh and safe 

produce to local communities and meet the water needs of Indiana.

$100,314.00

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46

6. Regulating the Growth 

of Specialty Greens to 

Provide Consistency to 

Local Markets

Green Bridge Growers will develop a comprehensive approach to growing 

specialty greens to keep up with supply and demand in our local markets, 

regulating growth to bring our product to customers throughout the year. 

Consistency of supply will be improved through research and measurement 

of indicators such as plant varieties that perform best in specific conditions, 

structures, and micro-climates; integrated pest management practices most 

appropriate to our cultivars; and evaluating and assessing harvesting 

efficiencies and the production potential of specialty crops.

$56,128.00

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$515,250.46 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$7,542.88
114

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

1. Identifying & 

Evaluating High 

Performing Lettuce 

Types & Varieties for 

Iowa High Tunnel 

Growers

The goal of this two-year study is to help Iowa high tunnel growers effectively 

utilize their high tunnels by growing appropriate lettuce types/cultivars that 

have high economic value. Iowa State University will conduct research on 

several lettuce types/varieties and answer the following questions: 1) What 

are some high performing lettuce types/varieties, 2) How does planting date 

affect yield and quality, 3) Which cultivars are resistant to bolting, 4) Which 

cultivars show higher degree of disease resistance, and, 5) what is the 

economic feasibility of these crops? Data will be collected on air and soil 

temperatures, several crop growth parameters such as establishment, head 

diameter, leaf number and area, crop yield, and lettuce quality indices. Study 

will be conducted at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station, 

Ames, IA and research findings will be highlighted through field days, 

workshops, and research tours and presented at Iowa Fruit and Vegetable 

Growers Association (IFVGA) and Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) annual 

conferences. Grower outreach will include an on-farm trial working with Greg 

Rinehart, Rinehart Family Farms, Ogden, IA.

$23,994.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

2. Improving Food Safety 

Recordkeeping through 

Open-Source Software

Iowa Valley RC&D (IVRCD) proposes a project to improve on-farm food safety 

recordkeeping through Open Source Software. IVRCD will assist 4 eastern 

Iowa farms who are USDA GAP certified to implement and trial software to 

improve record keeping by making it more time efficient, user-friendly, and 

an asset for better in season decision making. Garden Oasis Farm (Coggon), 

Organic Greens (Kalona), Buffalo Ridge Orchard (Central City), and Kreuger 

Market (Letts) each achieved USDA GAP Certification in 2017 and 2018 as 

part of the Iowa Food Hub Group GAP program. At the conclusion of the 

project, the software will be made available to Iowa fruit and vegetable farms 

for free. Farms will be able to download the software to improve their food 

safety record-keeping to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act 

Produce Standards/GAP Certification.

$22,875.00
115

Organization

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Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

3. Farmer to Farmer 

Vegetable Yield Data 

Sharing to Improve 

Farmer Decision-Making

Since 1985, Practical Farmers of Iowa and our members have specialized in 

farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing and farmer-led on-farm research. A 

critical component of this process is open-sharing of farm specific 

information among farmers, including variety-specific information on 

vegetable yields. The central objectives of this grant are to more acutely 

encourage farmer-to-farmer yield data sharing online and in-person at 

events, to enhance the support network among farmers, and to increase 

awareness of specialty crops in Iowa. Formal objectives include: (1) 10 

specialty crop farmers will serve as “ambassadors” for the Farmer-to-Farmer 

Vegetable Yield Data website (data.practicalfarmers.org); (2) 30 specialty 

crop farmers and/or researchers will create profiles and share their yield data 

on the Farmer-to-Farmer Vegetable Yield Data website; (3) Specialty crop 

farmers, researchers, and public will have access to over 700 yield records for 

vegetables, directly from farmers (and mostly from Iowa growers); (4) 250 

specialty crop producers in the state; (6) 80 percent of attendees who attend 

field days will report an increase in knowledge; (7) 60 percent of attendees 

will report intentions to make changes to their production practices as a 

result of attending the field days; (8) 90 percent of field day attendees will 

report that they plan to share what they learned with other farmers; (9) 

Increase awareness about specialty crop (target 75,000 people) through 

media about these field days, meet-ups and the Farmer-to-Farmer Vegetable 

Yield Data website.

$23,995.00
116

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

4. Increasing Availability 

of Iowa Grown Fruits 

and Vegetables in Iowa 

Schools

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDAL) will create 

projects outlined within this grant to increase access of specialty crops in our 

Iowa schools through the following: (1) Create a program with 5 FFA Chapters 

that will grow and integrate 3 specialty crops into the school nutrition 

program; (2) Promote food hubs as an aggregator of Iowa-grown specialty 

crops by offering a delivery stipend of $50 to food hubs delivering specialty 

crops to schools; (3) Expand a web-site that was created to celebrate the 

Iowa Local Food Day event to offer tools and resources in one easy-to-find 

location for school food service wishing to procure locally grown produce; (4) 

Have a strong presence at growers conferences and career fairs to educate 

growers and potential future growers on Farm to School opportunities. The 

following benefits will be achieved through these projects: students will have 

the opportunity to try Iowa grown specialty crops in a school meal; School 

Food Service will find a new source for specialty crops by working with their 

FFA Chapter to incorporate their specialty crops into school meals and food 

hubs will gain new school customers while schools will have the benefit of an 

aggregated school meals and food hubs will gain new school customers while 

schools will have the benefit of an aggregated source of local specialty crops 

with single billing and delivery to their schools.

$24,000.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

5. Growing the Hop 

Industry through 

Education to Iowa Craft 

Breweries & Consumers

Cedar Falls Hops Company will partner with Iowa State University to increase 

the visibility and competitiveness of Iowa grown hops. This will be done by 

highlighting comparative laboratory analysis of Iowa grown hops, hosting 

field days to show hop production practices, and providing education to local 

consumers via presentations in partnership with local extension offices and 

craft breweries.

$23,965.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

6. The Impact of 

Polypore Mushroom 

Mycelia Extracts on 

Honey Producing 

Honeybee Colonies

In partnership with Forest Avenue Outreach, as well as collaboration with 

Iowa State University’s Toth Lab, this project will be measuring the 

significance of viral reducing polypore mushroom mycelia extract treatments 

on honey production in honey bee colonies. The impact of virus reduction in 

colonies subject to extract treatments will be measured by monitoring honey 

crop weights, colony growth, and overwintering survival over the course of 

one year, and results will be disseminated to beneficiaries at a 2021 speaking 

$24,000.00
117

Organization

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Organization

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Budget

event, as well as through submissions to both state and nationwide industry 

publications.

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

7. Increasing Specialty 

Crop Availability through 

Transplant Production & 

Season Extension 

Training to Refugee

Producers

Through the project Increasing Specialty Crop Availability through Transplant 

Production and Season Extension Training to Refugee Producers, Lutheran 

Services in Iowa will provide classroom, in-field and experiential trainings, 

and a learning plot for farmers to improve their skills and knowledge in the 

areas of plant propagation, season extension techniques, and utilizing row 

covers for pest and weed management. Project objectives include 1) 

Providing classroom training and farm visits with 27 farmers on transplant 

production and season extension techniques; 2) Developing visual timelines 

and resources for limited English proficient farmers on transplant production 

and season extension for diversified vegetable production; 3) Constructing a 

shared low tunnel at the Global Greens training farm as a group activity and 

providing access for five advanced market farmers to trial a crop using this 

season extension method; and 4) Provide graduated supports, technical 

assistance, and referrals to four transitioning farmers around transplant 

production and season extension in the areas of: building projects, field 

walks, purchasing equipment, crop planning, accessing insurance and 

accounting services, loan applications and various certifications.

$24,000.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

8. Determining 

Appropriate Organic 

Fertilizer Application

Strategies for Producing 

Seedling Plugs & 

Finished

Research at Iowa State University will seek to reduce the amount of synthetic 

fertilizer applied to seedlings/plugs and Finished containerized culinary herbs 

grown in greenhouse by developing guidelines for organic fertilization 

strategies that minimize the amount of organic nutrients that result in 

healthy, commercially acceptable and marketable culinary herb seedling 

transplants and finished containerized plants. Results will be distributed 

through grower meetings as well as industry and extension publications.

$23,261.00
118

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Containerized Culinary 

Herbs

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

9. Yours, Mine and Ours: 

A Collective Awareness 

Campaign for North 

Iowa Specialty Crop 

Farmers

The goal of this project is to increase demand for and consumption of 

specialty crop products and farmers through an awareness campaign that is 

crafted by a collective effort of farmers, consumer advocates, and Healthy 

Harvest of North Iowa. Through market research, consultation with a 

marketing expert, and cooperation with a group of key partners, Healthy 

Harvest of North Iowa will facilitate the development of a core message 

about the value, availability, and use of specialty crops. Utilizing visually rich 

social media platforms and YouTube videos, the campaign will amplify the 

values of specialty crop products through and with the stories of our 

participating farmers and will support from consumer contact partners. We 

will update the Healthy Harvest library of farmer photos, last updated 2017, 

with eight new farmer photo shoots during the grant. These photos are 

important resources for the social media images we will plan to use. We are 

mindful of the lack of any one designated specialty crop or local food 

campaign in Iowa. This project, while regionally specific, will generate tools 

and lessons of best practices that we will gladly share through a presentation 

to a statewide audience such as the Regional Food System Working Group or 

Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference. We will develop project 

documents that will increase transferability of the expertise gained through 

this campaign to support the specialty crop branding efforts across Iowa.

$24,000.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

10. Developing 

Fertilization Practices for 

Containerized Iowa 

Native Prairie & 

Woodland Plants

Research at Iowa State University will reduce the amount fertilizer applied to 

containerized native Iowa prairie and woodland plants in greenhouses by 

developing guidelines for fertilization concentrations that minimize the 

amount of nutrients that produce healthy, commercially acceptable and 

marketable containerized Iowa native plants. Results will be distributed 

through grower meetings as well as industry and Extension publications.

$23,623.00
119

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

11. Development of a 

Signature Iowa Wine: 

Identification of 

Consumer Preferred 

Cultivars & Styles

The Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute (Department of Food Science 

and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University) will identify and select 

exemplary Iowa wines made from statewide Iowa grown cultivars (i.e. 

varieties) in distinctive styles followed by consumer sensory panels to identify 

wines that appeal to Iowa wine drinkers. This will lead to a better 

understanding of which variety and/or style could be used to give the Iowa 

grape and wine industry a unique identity that has shown to be beneficial in 

marketing and tourism campaigns of other wine regions around the USA. In 

conjunction with the consumer sensory panels, information will be obtained 

as to the consumer awareness of the Iowa wine industry. This will aid in 

developing the marketing by understanding how consumers are currently 

engaging with the Iowa wine industry.

$17,436.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64

12. Using the Life Cycle 

Assessment for 

Evaluation &

Recommendation of 

Sustainable Practices in 

the Grape &

Wine Industry

Researchers at Iowa State University will apply the methods of Life Cycle 

Assessment (LCA) to develop and deliver the first LCA-based 

recommendations of sustainable practices for the Iowa grape and wine 

industry. LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the 

environmental impacts and efficiency of products and processes. Baseline 

data will be collected by visiting Iowa vineyards and wineries and 

interviewing grape and wine producers. These data, along with detailed data 

from LCA professionals, will be used within a specialized LCA computer 

program to 1) analyze and model sustainability of the grape and wine 

industry in Iowa, 2) identify hotspots and priorities for improving sustainable 

practices based on LCA results, and 3) compare the impact and efficiency of 

production practices adjusted to reduce the effects of these hotspots and 

impact priority areas in order to define and outline best sustainable 

production practices for the Iowa grape and wine industry. Results and 

recommendations will be provided to Iowa grape and wine producers though 

presentations at the Iowa Wine Growers Association (IWGA) annual 

conference, and through an open-access extension publication. Extended 

outreach will be provided through publication in an open access, peerreviewed journal, and through presentations at an American Society for 

Horticultural Science (ASHS) annual conference.

$20,684.40
120

Organization

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Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64 13. Iowa Specialty Crop 

Conference

Many of the Associations in Iowa’s Specialty Crop Industry are struggling to 

stay competitive. As the industry continues to evolve, the current 

conferences and trade shows are lacking the change, innovation and vitality 

to support and increase this sector of farming. With few resources and an 

ever-changing market, this new generation needs the tools to sustain and 

grow their specialty crop/agritourism businesses. Many of these associations 

are now reaching out to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship to create a platform that will unite these different agencies, by 

allowing them to provide an educational opportunity to support diversity in 

agriculture while allowing them to maintain their associations. IDALS will 

work in conjunction with the stakeholders of the specialty crop industry in 

our state to create a conference/trade show that will showcase Iowa’s 

farmers and our many specialty crops. Key partners include Iowa Fruit and 

Vegetable Growers Association, Iowa Wine Growers Association and Iowa 

State University.

$30,000.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship

$343,099.64 Grant Administration

To ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and 

State requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$32,509.24
121

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

1. Improving yield, 

quality and economic 

potential of strawberries 

growing under high 

tunnels in Kansas

Kansas State Research and Extension (KRSE) will conduct a comprehensive 

investigation of the economic potential of spring-planted day-neutral 

strawberry high tunnel production (HT) compared with tomato production in 

the same system, in Kansas. We will also conduct replicated trials at the KSTATE Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center to investigate the 

effect of different types of mulching on yield and quality of day-neutral 

strawberries growing in HTs and their effect on the profitability for this crop. 

The overall goal of this proposal is to increase the production of fresh 

strawberries in Kansas, which will result in the increase of availability and 

accessibility of fresh strawberries in the state. Additionally, we are expecting 

that we are going to provide Kansas growers the practical information that 

they need to introduce an alternative to the HT tomato crop, like 

strawberries. Our specific outcomes include: 1) production budget for dayneutral strawberry production in HTs in Kansas, 2) research-based knowledge 

relevant to the use of the appropriate much for day-neutral strawberry 

production, 3) extension outputs such as publications, videos, social media, 

and field days.

$67,990.32

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

2. Enhancing High 

Density Apple 

Production in Eastern 

Kansas with Drape 

Netting

Johnson County Extension, in collaboration with Douglas County Extension, 

Gieringer’s Family Orchard & Berry Farm, and South Baldwin Farms will trial 

the commercial viability of protective drape netting in local high-density 

apple orchards to decrease fruit loss caused by hail, sun, and pest damage. 

Johnson County Extension will use grant funds to purchase a specialized 

hydraulic net applicator and drape netting for on-farm research and future 

rental to local fruit producers at little to no cost. Results from on-farm trials 

will be disseminated through a mix of publications, field days, online videos, 

and extension presentations.

$35,084.56
122

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

3. Novel and sustainable 

wash-water systems for 

improving the safety and 

quality of leafy greens

Leafy greens are a growing specialty crop commodity area in Kansas. Episodes 

of foodborne illnesses linked to fresh and minimally processed produce, 

especially leafy greens, are still a big concern in the nation. Therefore, 

produce growers and processors are in need of innovative solutions to ensure 

produce safety and quality without altering existing handling practices, 

preferentially using sustainable ingredients to meet the organic production 

requirements. Kansas State Research and Extension (KSRE) will collaborate 

with growers to implement cost-effective and sustainable antimicrobial 

wash-water systems to increase the safety, shelf-life, and therefore the 

competitiveness, of leafy greens produced in Kansas. Specifically, we will use 

combinations of organic acids, essential oils, cationic surfactants (e.g., lauric 

arginate) to create synergistic effects and enhance surface interactions for 

elimination of pathogenic microorganisms and reducing the total microbial 

count more than traditional methods. The quality of the products, such as 

visual appearance, color, and texture, will be evaluated in addition to 

consumer panels. The findings will be promoted using social media, meetings 

with grower groups, such the annual Great Plains Growers Conference & 

Trade show, and local market outlets (e.g. farmer markets). The team will 

also collect data through a survey regarding current washing practices and 

perception of postharvest safety of leafy green producers to increase the 

visibility of specialty crops in Kansas.

$54,174.96

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

4. GAPs certification 

funding and produce 

safety outreach for 

Kansas growers

Kansas State Research and Extension (KSRE) will assist at least 14 Kansas (KS) 

fruit and vegetable producers to earn USDA Good Agricultural Practices 

(GAPs) certification during the project, which will help growers access new 

markets which require that certification. This will help improve the 

profitability of KS fruit and vegetable producers. Accordingly, we envisage the 

following activities: 1) Provide produce safety workshops and on-farm 

technical assistance to assist farmers with obtaining GAPs certification. 2) 

Establish a GAPs certification cost- share program. 3) Provide microbial water 

testing to farmers, which is a requirement for GAP certification. This project 

will build on the success of our previous and current produce safety training 

efforts, including on general produce safety, as well as on the Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety 

$57,875.04
123

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Rule. We will also continue to share information that can help KS produce 

growers obtain GAP certification on our KSRE produce safety website, so 

other farmers can also access that information.

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

5. Enhancing Beginning 

Farmer Training and 

Market Access in 

Northeast, KS

K-State Research & Extension-Douglas County will collaborate with the 

Common Ground program managed by the Lawrence-Douglas County 

sustainability Office to build relationships with the economic development 

community, specialty crop buyers, and educational partners that lead to a 

long-term Sustainability Action Plan for an improved beginning specialty crop 

farmer training program at the Common Ground Incubator Farm. This will 

include a series of hands-on workshops for beginning producers at the 

Incubator Farm. The model developed and lessons learned will be shared 

with other specialty crop technical assistance providers and economic 

development organizations in Kansas.

$44,739.00
124

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

6. Specialty Crop 

Conference Education 

Support

Specialty crops are a growing industry in Kansas. The Kansas Department of 

Agriculture recognizes there are insufficient learning opportunities available 

to Kansas growers. These specialty crop focused conferences will provide 

Kansas specialty crop growers an opportunity to learn and discover valuable 

tools and resources that will help them be more competitive and discover 

new opportunities. The beneficiaries of this project will learn more about 

topics such as: fruit crops, vegetable crops, other specialty crops, greenhouse 

crop production and marketing, farm marketing ideas and operations, 

farmers’ markets, organic production, marketing, food safety, and labor. This 

project will financially assist Kansas specialty crop growers in attending a 

recognized conference focused on specialty crop growing techniques and 

industry to increase their knowledge base. Specialty crop growers will also be 

able to develop a plan of action to incorporate knowledge gained into their 

operations. The specialty crop growers benefiting from this project will 

complete three surveys throughout the duration of this grant to measure and 

evaluate learning outcomes, implementation, and end results (e.g. increase in 

yields, increased efficiency, access to a new type of market, increase in sales, 

implementation of new technologies, etc.)

$25,500.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

7. Identifying Best 

Management Practices 

for Upright Dry Bean 

Production in Northwest 

Kansas

Dry edible beans have been a long-standing specialty crop in Northwest 

Kansas. They are a unique cropping option in this region as they are a high 

value specialty crop destined for human consumption. They are an 

economically viable legume pulse crop in a region whose cropping rotations 

are typically dominated by grass species, specifically irrigated corn. Research 

regarding production practices has not been conducted in decades. In recent 

years, producers have shifted their production systems towards growing 

upright type varieties instead of vine types. This shift in production practice 

has reduced or eliminated some of the barriers to entry for new growers. 

Optimal management practices have likely changed with this transition from 

vine-type to upright dry edible beans. Research by Kansas State University 

will establish best management practices for upright dry edible beans. In 

addition, this project will evaluate several other management questions 

developed from producer interviews. Extension activities will communicate 

findings to current and potential future dry bean growers.

$38,223.36
125

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19

8. Increasing regional 

vegetable production 

and distribution capacity 

for grocer markets in 

Western Kansas

The Greater Northwest Kansas Community Foundation (GNWKCF) will 

partner with local producers and grocers along with the High Plains Food Coop (HPFC) and Advancing Rural Prosperity, Inc. (ARPI) to assist producers in 

Northwest Kansas scale up vegetable production and prepare to deliver to 

local grocery markets. The outcomes this project strives to achieve are to: 

increase supply of specialty crops, primarily vegetables, from area producers; 

establish HPFC relationship and role with grocery system; strengthen HPFC 

aggregation and distribution system and food-safety protocols; increase 

markets for specialty crops through local grocers; and improve the local 

economy through specialty crop development. This project will help address 

food supply and access related to vegetable production and grocer markets 

within the High Plains food shed that includes Northwest Kansas. This will be 

accomplished by supporting expansion of growth-oriented vegetable 

producers with expansion planning and implementation assistance and 

recruiting new producers. Development of a delivery mechanism to grocers 

within the HPFC distribution system will be initiated, food safety of the 

distribution system will be considered, and grocer markets will be developed.

$42,250.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$373,576.19 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$7,688.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

1. Tomato grafting for 

plant-parasitic nematode 

management in 

Kentucky high tunnels

The University of Kentucky (UK) will lead this project to evaluate grafted 

rootstocks for root knot nematode resistance in Kentucky high tunnel 

systems to determine the level of pressure that plant-parasitic nematodes 

exert on vegetable cropping systems across the state of Kentucky, specifically 

in high tunnels. The UK will also host workshops to train county extension 

agents on the proper methods of grafting as well as publishing the results of 

the trials, including how grafting can improve soilborne disease resistance, 

crop yield, plant vigor, stress tolerance, and teach them how to graft and 

train them how to train and educate growers in their communities on 

grafting.

$71,067.00
126

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

2. Cultivate Kentucky 

Partnership Quality 

Assurance Initiative

The Cultivate Kentucky Partnership (CKYP) will lead this project to expand its 

Quality Assurance Initiative efforts to include grower education focused on 

developing and implementing quality assurance protocols for the wholesale 

specialty crop market, which includes one-on-one technical assistance, 

development and delivery of training on quality management protocols, and 

a series of field days across Kentucky. This project aims to ensure an 

integrated network of technical assistance and connect the dots between 

business and production planning for wholesale specialty crop growers.

$48,600.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

3. Super Snax Program: 

Leveraging Marketing 

Efforts to Expand 

Specialty Crop Access 

and Consumption for 

Children

Need More Acres and the partners will lead the Super Snax Program to offer 

specialty crop taste testing in schools with the purpose of leveraging 

marketing efforts to expand access and increase consumption of fruits and 

vegetables in children. This project aims to encourage students to try new 

varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, increase their nutrition knowledge and 

increase their future consumption of specialty crops; and to expand market 

opportunity for local farmers. This project will increase nutrition knowledge 

and consumption of specialty crops students consume by including new and 

unique fruits and vegetables. The project also aims to create a community 

wide branding effort that would help connect consumers to healthy fruit and 

vegetable options.

$47,677.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

4. Kentucky’s Small Fruit 

Industry Assessment to 

Increase Grower 

Competitiveness

The Kentucky Horticulture Council will lead this project to conduct an 

assessment to determine the status of the small fruit industry in Kentucky 

through grower and mid-tier value chain operation surveys to document and 

address local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop 

small fruit growers. Small fruit crops include blueberries, blackberries, and 

strawberries as well as raspberries, elderberries, and table grapes. Collected 

data will be used to develop an assessment report and current industry 

model. Stakeholders will gather to develop recommendations for specific 

research projects, educational programs, market development tools, and 

policies needed to ensure competitiveness of the small fruit specialty crop 

industry by expanding access to and availability of locally-grown small fruits 

in Kentucky.

$49,901.00
127

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

5. Plate It Up! Kentucky 

Proud: Sustainability 

Project

The University of Kentucky (UK) will partner with the Kentucky Department of 

Agriculture to lead this project to connect the expertise of faculty and staff at 

UK, community partners, and local producers to increase demand for 

Kentucky specialty crops The Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud (PIUKP) 

Sustainability Project will include the development of innovative educational 

resources and presentation tool kits related to the benefits of purchasing and 

consuming locally grown specialty crops as part of a commitment to 

promoting sustainability in the community and consuming a sustainable diet. 

This project aims to promote consumer purchase and preparation of locally 

grown fruits, vegetables, nuts, and herbs, thus improving health and 

supporting local specialty crop producers.

$50,000.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

6. Developing 

Management Tools 

against Invasive 

Ambrosia Beetles 

Affecting Apples and 

Nurseries in Kentucky

The University of Kentucky-Research-Foundation (UK-RF) will lead this project 

to evaluate and improve horticultural practices to disrupt ambrosia beetles 

(AB) infestations; monitor AB populations and develop management 

strategies to lessen AB attack to apple trees and ornamental nursery stocks; 

and effectively disseminate information obtained in this project. The overall 

purpose of this project is to improve horticultural practices and provide 

sustainable pest management tactics against invasive ambrosia beetle (AB) 

species affecting the establishment of young apple and landscape trees in 

orchards and nurseries in Kentucky.

$21,786.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66

7. Expanding Local 

Specialty Crop 

Availability

The SoKY Marketplace and its partners will lead this project to offer farmers 

educational tools and technical support that allow them to diversify their 

products and introduce new specialty crops that are not readily available at 

local farmers markets. This effort will increase income for farmers and access 

for consumers while strengthening the local food economy. Specifically, the 

project will host educational workshops for farmers and provide information 

to consumers through cooking demonstrations and social media promotion. 

The project will also utilize social media to promote the information provided 

in the educational workshops and cooking demonstrations to increase the 

reach to more consumers and producers.

$23,568.00
128

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$339,582.66 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$26,968.16

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

1. Application of 

Ultraviolet Light to 

Reduce Microbial Loads 

and Extend Fresh 

Strawberries' Life

Strawberries are a popular fruit among consumers. In general, harvested 

strawberries are not washed before they are placed in retail packages 

because small amounts of moisture can lead to rapid decay primarily due to 

the growth of Botrytis cinerea. The Food Safety Modernization Act, (FSMA) 

requires producers to address food safety concerns such as the presence of 

pathogens on fresh produce. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C, 254 nm) light use has been 

approved by FDA for the inactivation of microorganisms. A pilot scale 

ultraviolet light system at LSU Agricultural Center may reduce microbial loads 

and extend fresh strawberries’ shelf life. It is designed to reduce pathogen 

and spoilage microbial loads. Our preliminary study showed that the UV lights 

have the potential to reduce the microbial loads on fresh produce and extend 

shelf life. The proposed study is to determine the effectiveness of the UV 

lights in reducing Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, and 

Escherichia coli O157:H7 levels on the surface of strawberries, and in 

reducing spoilage microbial loads for extending the shelf life. Nonpathogenic 

bacteria Enterococcus faecium, L. innocua B-33016 and E. coli ATTC 25922 

will be used as surrogates to evaluate the effectiveness of the UV lights. We 

will use various UV light dosages on fresh harvested strawberries with 

pathogenic bacteria surrogates (non-pathogenic bacteria) and spoilage 

microorganisms prior to their packing to determine the effectiveness.

$37,899.00
129

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

2. Identifying Best 

Practices to Increase 

Productivity and 

Minimize Food Safety 

Risk Associated with 

Hydroponic System

Hydroponic systems are a method to grow crops in which water-soluble 

fertilizers solution are used to provide nutrients to the crops. Most bacterial 

pathogens required similar type of nutrient for growth. Understanding fate of 

pathogens in a hydroponic system is crucial for food safety risk assessment 

and to develop control strategies to mitigate foodborne hazards. The overall 

goal of this project is to investigate the fate and dissemination of foodborne 

hazards in a hydroponic production environment and to develop strategies 

using sanitizers and UVC light technology to reduce microbial hazards for 

fresh produce. This project will be conducted at the LSU AgCenter and will 

evaluate the growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes on fertilizer 

solution used in the hydroponic system. Furthermore, this project will 

develop appropriate treatment techniques to minimize food safety risk and 

maintain the productivity of specialty crops grown with hydroponic system. 

This advancement in evaluating and managing food safety practices will help 

Louisiana’s hydroponic producers growing specialty crops such as lettuce, 

strawberry, and tomatoes to minimize food safety risks and meets the 

regulatory and market driven food safety requirements. The outcomes of this 

project will help build upon researcher and grower knowledge of food safety 

risk associated with hydroponic system and optimize disinfection techniques 

for specialty crop production. The results from this study will be disseminated 

to Louisiana specialty crop growers through Dr. Adhikari’s ongoing food 

safety training, LSU AgCenter extension outreach programs, and presentation 

during Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association meeting.

$51,900.00
130

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

3. Education for 

Southeast Louisiana 

Specialty Crop Farmers 

on Best Pest 

Management Practices

This is a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and forestry (LDAF) project to 

enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by implementing an 

education program for specialty crop producers in southeast Louisiana on 

abatement of a serious, invasive, agricultural pest – wild hogs. The damage 

wild hogs render to agricultural land and crops is a significant and growing 

concern for specialty crop producers in the region. It is significant because 

fifteen parishes in southeast Louisiana produced over 40 percent of fruits, 

nuts, sod, and vegetables in our state in 2017. This one-year project builds 

upon a previous project for specialty crop farmers in eight southeast parishes 

as the need for additional and expanded education has become increasingly 

apparent. LDAF will educate specialty crop producers in mitigating the 

damage wild hogs render to specialty crops in 15 parishes in southeast 

Louisiana, including Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, 

Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Landry, St. 

Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana 

Parishes. Specialty crop producers in these parishes will receive education on 

best management practices to control the pest.

$49,788.00

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

4. Developing a 

Sustainable Nanocoating 

Material for Extending 

the Market Life and 

Quality of Louisiana Fruit 

Crops

The LSU Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) research team for this project will 

develop a new technology to extend the market life and nutritional quality of 

Louisiana grown fruit crops after harvest. This will be accomplished by 

creating a sustainable and edible nanocoating material and demonstrating its 

positive effect on fruit postharvest quality and market characteristics.

$92,280.00
131

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

5. Develop a ValueAdding Food Safety 

Educational Program for 

Louisiana Specialty Crop 

Growers

To assist the specialty crop growers who are entering a value-added business, 

Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) will work in 

partnership with Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association to 

develop a science-based value-adding educational program. Within the LSU 

AgCenter, four groups of experts will work collaboratively including the 

School of Nutrition and Food Sciences (SNFS), Food Incubator (Incubator), 

Department of Communications (Communications), and the Department of 

Agricultural & Extension Education & Evaluation (AEEE). SNFS (PI’s home 

department) delivers quality education and provides training, consultation 

and services to meet the needs of the local, national and international food 

industries and consumers. Incubator scientists and staff will assist the 

proposed project by providing success case-study examples for the 

workshops and videos. The participants of the workshops will also have 

access of business plan and marketing resources the Incubator offers. 

Communications consists of 20 professionals who are experts in news, 

graphic design (print and video), high value production including 

documentary and promotional videos, animation to demonstrate complex 

scientific concepts to general public, magazines (electronic and print), as well 

as social media. AEEE (Co-PI’s home department) provides expertise in 

program evaluation. We will use qualitative and quantitative approaches to 

identify the unique barrier for Louisiana specialty crop growers to enter 

value-added business. We will then develop, pilot, deliver, and evaluate a 

value-adding educational program for the specialty crop growers who are 

entering the value-added business. Louisiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers 

Association will provide input throughout the entire project.

$58,849.00
132

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

6. Increasing Labor 

Efficiency in Louisiana’s 

Nursery Industry 

Through Benchmarking 

Current Labor Practices

The LSU Agricultural Center will investigate current labor practices involving 

common tasks that can be normalized across the entire diverse Louisiana 

nursery industry (i.e. transplanting cuttings, pulling orders, loading trucks, 

etc.). Labor use (i.e. labor-hours) benchmarks will be established for each 

observed task at a group of nurseries selected to represent the entire 

Louisiana nursery industry. This information will then be utilized to determine 

costs associated with each task on multiple scales (i.e. per plant, per truck, 

per container, etc.). LSU Agricultural Center scientists and Louisiana nursery 

professionals will then work together to identify important procedures and 

methods for increasing labor use efficiency in the observed tasks. Best 

management practices for labor utilization will be developed for the 

Louisiana nursery industry. The overall goal of this research is to provide 

nursery professionals with a standard to their current labor productivity. 

Understanding the labor efficiency of their specific nursery relative to the 

industry will allow for the identification of problematic areas as well as the 

identification of successful areas within each nursery. Professionals can then 

reallocate labor usage or provide additional training in specific areas to 

increase the efficiency. These Best Management Practices and the efficiency 

benchmarks will be disseminated to stakeholders and industry professionals 

through Extension publications, on-farm visits from LSU Agricultural Center 

faculty, an industry field day workshop, and presentations. Additional 

assistance with interpreting results and implementation of Best Management 

Practices will be provided to any grower through LSU Agricultural Center 

Extension faculty.

$35,601.26
133

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

7. Apprenticeship 

Trainee Project For 

Growing New 

Beekeepers in Louisiana

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), in partnership with 

Louisiana Beekeepers Association, will enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops through a beekeeping program focused on specialty crop 

development of sustainability production practices in the area of beginning 

farmers. A growing interest in developing honey production and a need for 

additional beekeeping in the state is apparent. Experienced beekeepers are 

concerned over a decline in small beekeeping enterprises, the increasing age 

of Louisiana beekeepers, and attracting young people as beekeepers into the 

industry. Experts indicate barriers to becoming a beekeeper are the financial 

costs, the time it takes to care for bee colonies, and the general perception 

that it is a specialty crop industry too complicated for young farmers to 

understand or start up. LDAF will address some of these concerns by 

implementing the Apprenticeship Trainee Project for Growing New 

Beekeepers in Louisiana. This program addresses the loss of small producer 

operated bee hives due to beekeeper aging and the need for a new 

generation of beekeepers to maintain the industry and benefit overall 

specialty crop production in Louisiana.

$24,500.00
134

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58

8. Hustle & Grow Youth 

Education Program -

Education Program on 

Urban Farming and 

Increased Access to 

Specialty Crops

The Walls Project’s Hustle & Grow program will teach high school students 

the business of urban agriculture through community farming. The program 

empowers surrounding neighborhoods to develop a sustainable food system 

and land stewardship ethic through outdoor hands-on experiences in 

growing, producing, and distributing fresh food in an urban setting. Fresh 

produce grown at the four-acre Baton Roots Community Farm at BREC 

Howell Park will go directly to the surrounding 70805 community and may be 

sold at a farmers’ market located on site. This farm was collaboratively 

developed with Louisiana 4-H, leveraging subject matter expertise from LSU 

Ag, Southern Ag, and BR Green, with input and participation from Mount 

Pilgrim, Star Hill, and Living Faith churches. Baton Roots incorporates best 

practices from similar organizations with impressive track records: The Food 

Project (Boston, MA); Grow Dat (New Orleans, LA); Urban Roots (Austin, TX); 

Acta Non Verba (Oakland, CA); EarthDance Organic Farming School 

(Ferguson, MO); and The Youth Farm (New York, NY). Baton Roots 

differentiates itself from similar urban farming initiatives by addressing the 

food security needs of a specific community with a fresh arts-integrated 

approach. Baton Roots engages residents of all ages through thoughtful, 

strategically customized programming, meeting each participant at their level 

of interest.

$22,540.00

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$405,873.58 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$32,465.84
135

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 1. Food Safety Planning

AgMatters LLC’s “Food Safety Planning” is year two of a three-year proposal 

that will provide growers the training and understanding needed to 

streamline recordkeeping processes that comply with third-party audit 

standards as well as the Produce Safety Rule. “Food Safety Planning” is for all 

farms in Maine to help them to determine what they need to log and keep 

track of and will go one step further in that it will also guide growers to 

examine these records that they are mandated to keep and glean information 

from them that may inform their business decision making. It is possible to 

combine all requirements into one system. This will mean looking critically at 

the farm system to determine priority areas, determining what training needs 

consist of, figuring out what is needed to provide proof of performance, 

assisting with the writing of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), or the 

organization of materials and logs for traceability and possible recalls. This 

grant will assist growers as they prepare to grow and establish new markets, 

each with their own specific requirements regarding food safety. The ability 

to coordinate record keeping that meets the requirements of both a thirdparty audit and the Produce Safety Rule will enable efficiency and has the 

potential to save money. The ability to utilize mandated records in making 

business decisions may also save money.

$27,000.00

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 2. Keeping Up with the 

Produce Safety Rule

“Keeping Up With the Produce Safety Rule”, year two of three, as proposed 

by AgMatters LLC, will offer all Maine Specialty Crop Growers opportunities 

to be made aware of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) of the Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA) and be given the guidance needed to implement 

the rule. It will ensure that growers are updated as the law evolves and is 

phased in; offer guidance to growers of options they may have; and serve as 

an information funnel for those looking for solutions to issues. AgMatters LLC 

will reach out to Specialty Crop growers and organizations, including those 

who have shown written support for this proposal, to offer workshops, talks, 

and one-on-one meetings in order to accomplish this goal.

$42,050.00
136

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 3. Integrated Pest 

Management Education

The Maine Landscape and Nursery Association (MELNA) will educate specialty 

crop consumers and home gardeners about Integrated Pest Management 

(IPM) with a marketing campaign that benefits specialty crop producers, 

wholesalers, and re-sellers large and small. MELNA is an association of 

independent garden centers, nurseries, landscape gardeners, and 

stakeholders, consisting of 363 members. MELNA is seeking funding for an 

awareness campaign to promote good gardening practices (specifically IPM) 

and minimize reliance on pesticides, targeting gardeners/homeowners. The 

average home gardener has no IPM training which often results in: 1) more 

pest control than needed, potentially causing environmental problems; 2) 

misperception that ALL synthetics are bad and all problems (at any scale) can 

be controlled without IPM; and 3) missed opportunities to take 

preventive/protective measures. This can lead to harmful, unnecessary 

legislation which can make IPM ineffective, causing specialty crop producers, 

and retailers to be less efficient, less profitable, and less likely to be 

sustainable into the future. UMaine Cooperative Extension works hard to 

educate and train but is not reaching people at retail locations and garden 

centers where consumers turn for advice. MELNA is perfectly positioned to 

use their proven marketing and communication delivery vehicle; “Plant 

Something! Plant Maine!”, to reach gardeners in Maine with the message 

that IPM offers a proven, science-based strategy for sustainable gardening.

$53,950.00
137

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 4. Plant Something at 

School - Year 2

This is year two of a two-year grant awarded in 2018. The Maine Landscape 

and Nursery Association (MELNA) will team with the Maine School Garden 

Collaborative in “Plant Something at School”, a two-year, coordinated 

outreach program to Maine’s PK-12 students in support of Maine’s Nursery 

and Landscape Specialty Crop Industry. The Maine School Garden 

Collaborative (MSGC), a group of four partners, consists of Maine Agriculture 

in the Classroom (MAITC), ReTreeUS, Maine School Garden Network (MSGN), 

and MELNA. This project was developed as an offshoot of MELNA’s successful 

Plant Something! Plant ME! (PSPME!) marketing effort supported by SCBGP in 

previous years and will include new resources for school gardens, newly 

planted school orchards, and the publishing of a new children’s book. MELNA, 

as the lead for this project in the School Garden Collaborative, will bring 

agriculture education and promotion to tens of thousands of students and 

their families. This education and promotion will bring specialty crop fruit and 

vegetable production practices to schools including integrated pest 

management to generate school grown produce that can be displayed at 

regional fairs throughout Maine. MSGN and ReTreeUS will be working directly 

with teachers and students in schools, MAITC will facilitate development of 

curricula and educational materials, while MELNA will oversee and promote 

the project. Through this collaboration we will promote the production and 

consumption of healthy, nutritional specialty crops while growing the next 

generation of consumers, employees, owners, and supporters of the industry.

$54,738.00
138

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

5. Increasing Maine's 

Maple Market Share -

Year 2

In order to expand the market for maple syrup products, the Maine Maple 

Producers Association (MMPA) will establish an agreement with the Maine 

Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry to execute a 

professionally designed and executed marketing plan that will promote the 

growing state maple industry and increase retail sales by at least 10 percent. 

This will increase jobs, retail business opportunities and the profitability of 

Maine’s maple economy and the people employed directly and indirectly in 

the industry. Actions for increasing market share include: hiring a 

professional agency to conduct a monthly marketing strategy on behalf of 

producers, hiring a professional photographer to create a photo library of 

Maine maple related pictures, and developing high quality recipe cards for 

MMPA’s promotional use as handouts and to use for social media outreach.

$40,260.00

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

6. Evaluating No-Till 

Production Practices in 

Potato Cropping Systems

The Maine Potato Board will investigate the potential economic and 

environmental benefits as well as the challenges of adopting and 

implementing no-till production practices during the non-potato years of the 

crop rotation by managing a series of on- farm demonstration trials 

evaluating cash and cover crops.

$87,714.00
139

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

7. New methods of 

improving wild blueberry 

production with IPM for 

diseases

This University of Maine project, supported by the Wild Blueberry 

Commission of Maine (WBCM), will develop new methods of pathogen 

detection and control and implement those methods in an Integrated Pest 

Management program for diseases. There are 510 wild blueberry growers in 

Maine managing 44,000 commercial acres. This project would prevent an 

estimated $33 million in annual grower losses due to diseases. Over the past 

few years, wild blueberry growers have consistently ranked controlling 

diseases as one of their top concerns for sustaining crop production and 

yield. With more growers interested in fresh pack and organic production, 

lesser-known diseases are now having an impact on production, and new 

methods of control need to be developed. This project will: 1) evaluate the 

best timing for control of Exobasidium fruit spot; 2) evaluate the best timing 

of new fungicides, particularly organic materials, for control of mummy berry 

and leaf spots; 3) test new DNA-based methodologies for detecting pathogen 

spores to determine correct timing of fungicide applications;, and 4) use 

weather station network data and applied research to provide growers with 

disease forecasts for mummy berry and Botrytis blight. Correct timing of 

fungicides reduces crop loss, is cost effective, and can decrease the impact to 

the environment. This program will also educate growers on fungicide 

rotation to decrease the risk of fungicide resistance. Growers will be surveyed 

at educational sessions to determine understanding and adoption of the 

disease management strategies evaluated in this program

$86,354.00

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 8. Expanding Maines's 

Berry Industry

The University of Maine will establish scientifically designed trials of 

strawberries, raspberries, and highbush blueberries at the Maine Agriculture 

Experiment Station in Monmouth to determine the adaptability of new 

varieties from breeding programs both national and international, which will 

generate critical information needed to select the best performing plants for 

Maine growing conditioning and could result in significant improvements in 

current fruit quality and yield standards. This will allow Maine farmers to 

successfully expand fresh berry production and meet the growing demand for 

locally produced fruit.

$19,666.00
140

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

9. Effects of Fertilizer 

and Temperature on 

Wild Blueberry Pests, 

Yield, and Quality

On behalf of the wild blueberry growers in Maine, the University of Maine 

proposes a project to extend the current SCBGP funded project to study the 

Effects of Fertilizer and Temperature on Wild Blueberry Pests, Yield, and 

Quality (this is a continuation of the SCBGP project from 2018). The project 

has accomplished the task to evaluate new fertilizers advertised to wild 

blueberry growers for their efficacy and impact on pests in the prune 

(vegetative growth) year. We also began the process of evaluating blueberry 

growth under increased temperatures that mimic climate change. Both 

organic and conventional fertilizers were applied to prune year plots, and 

now we must measure the true impact of these new fertilizers and warmer 

temperatures on blueberry growth, yield, quality, and pests in the crop year. 

The new proposal aims to: 1) study the effect of new fertilizers on wild 

blueberry crop year pests, yield, and quality; 2) access the impact of warmer 

temperatures on wild blueberry pests, yield, and quality in the crop year; and 

3) disseminate the results to growers, processors, and stakeholders. We will 

provide revised guidelines for the timing of fertilizer and pesticide 

applications. Wild blueberry remains a culturally and economically important 

crop for Maine as a $128 million industry fueled by 510 growers covering 

40,000 commercial acres. Without continued block grant support, blueberry 

plants and pests will shift their timing without farmers being aware. It is 

essential that we monitor this shift in plant and pest development in addition 

to this crop’s response to new fertilizers for the success of Maine wild 

blueberry farmers.

$89,314.00

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

10. Pilot to encourage 

GAP/GHP certification 

for growers of eligible 

specialty crops in Maine

The Division of Quality Assurance and Regulations (QAR), Department of 

Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, will administer a pilot project aimed 

at opening marketing opportunities for Maine produce growers. This program 

will reimburse growers for 50 percent of the cost of an initial Good 

Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) Audit up to $500. 

QAR staff perform the audits under the auspices of the Food and Drug 

Administration; QAR will verify audit costs and process requests for 

reimbursement.

$20,000.00
141

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

11. Enhancing 

Competitiveness of the 

Potato Specialty Crop 

through More 

Sustainable, Diverse and 

Resilient Cropping 

Systems

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will conduct a pilot study to 

potentially increase the efficiency and profitability of potato production by 

evaluating optimal varieties and processes for rotational crops using a 

greenhouse study, conducted by students, with results shared via workshops 

for growers.

$12,233.00

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67

12. Promoting 

awareness of key Maine 

specialty crops through 

video to increase sales

In order to promote the sale of Maine specialty crop fruits and vegetables 

both within Maine and across the region, the Maine Department of 

Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry will work with a professional 

marketing firm to create a series of educational videos and public service 

announcements for use on television and social media. The series will 

educate consumers about what specialty crops are grown in Maine, where to 

purchase them, and the value of selecting locally grown. The project will 

benefit the small growers who raise a variety of crops, and we’ll work to 

ensure it supports the messaging of the larger grower/producer groups. The 

one-year project will include planning the campaign, taping and editing the 

video, and planning and implementing a social media campaign. (Televisionready video will be prepared but may not be implemented by the end of this 

grant period.)

$58,815.63

Maine 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Conservation, 

and Forestry

$639,624.67 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$47,367.57

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

1. Increasing Maryland 

Apple and Honey 

Industry Visibility and 

Profitability

Grow and Fortify will increase the visibility and profitability of Maryland 

grown apples and honey by developing a marketing and promotion plan that 

supports the apple and honey specialty crops, and the larger industries that 

are dependent on these ingredients.

$25,861.25
142

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

2. Specialty crop 

coverage in Maryland 

Public Television’s 

Maryland Farm & 

Harvest

Maryland Public Television and its co-producer Maryland Department of 

Agriculture will include segments on specialty crops in Season 7 of Maryland 

Farm & Harvest. These segments will explain the production of specialty 

crops, introduce Maryland citizens to farmers who grow specialty crops and 

provide recipes for specialty crops. The segments will be in ten episodes; 

total gross viewership for the first six seasons is 7,382,616 (viewership only). 

The episodes are available online and can be streamed through Roku, Apple 

TV, DVD’s are provided to all Maryland libraries (for free) as well as all public 

and home-schooled students via MPT’s educational arm Thinkport. Maryland 

Farm & Harvest will increase awareness and demand for Maryland specialty 

crops.

$35,000.00

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

3. Produce Safety 

GAP/GHP Programs to 

provide Market Access 

and FSMA Produce 

Safety Rule Compliance

The Maryland Department of Agriculture Food Quality Assurance Program, 

the University of Maryland Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture 

Department, University of Maryland Extension and the University of 

Maryland Agricultural Law Education Initiative will partner to provide 

coordinated food safety programs to assist specialty crop producers in 

complying with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule 

and maintaining and gaining market access. Programs will include formal and 

informal training, certification of compliance with food safety practices, food 

safety technical assistance, verification of food safety practices effectiveness 

and cost share funds to assist with the implementation of effective food 

safety plans and practices.

$122,861.63
143

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

4. Maryland’s Best: 

Increasing Market Share 

and Consumer Demand 

for Maryland Specialty 

Crops

This project aims to increase sales and consumer demand for Maryland 

grown specialty crops through targeted advertising, strategic consumer and 

wholesale promotions, networking events, a farm to school pilot project with 

Baltimore City, and direct partnerships with Maryland specialty crop producer 

associations. Previous Maryland’s Best promotions funded by the Specialty 

Crop Block Grant Program have increased sales of Maryland specialty crops 

by millions of dollars. Maryland’s Best assets such as the web site 

www.marylandsbest.net, Maryland’s Best brand awareness and preference, 

producer and buyers contacts, the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 

Communications Office and established events will be leveraged to ensure 

that the proposed funds will achieve a maximum return on investment.

$133,817.28

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09 5. Food Safety & 

Traceability

NetGlo will enhance Maryland specialty crop producers and processors ability 

to meet regulatory and buyer food safety requirements by demonstrating the 

use of an automated lot tracking system (including Blockchain) and 

disseminating feedback to Maryland stakeholders.

$27,000.00

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

6. Legal Guide to Direct 

Farm Marketing for 

Maryland Produce 

Growers

According to the last Census of Agriculture, Maryland farmers sold upward of 

$28 million worth of produce directly to consumers, and demand for farm-toconsumer produce continues to increase. Although direct marketing of 

produce is popular, it is not without its legal risks. No single source exists of 

the legal information Maryland farmers should be aware of when engaging in 

direct marketing. To fill this gap, the Agriculture Law Education Initiative 

(ALEI) proposes to develop the Legal Guide to Direct Farm Marketing for 

Maryland Produce Growers. This resource will outline the legal aspects of 

direct marketing, including, but not limited to, contractual considerations, 

product liability and business and labor laws. The Guide will equip farmers 

with the knowledge they need to effectively manage the legal risks involved 

with direct marketing and empower them to strengthen and expand their 

direct marketing efforts. The ALEI will partner with University of Maryland 

Extension (UME) and Maryland Vegetable Grower Association (MVGA) to 

present the Guide to specialty crop growers throughout the state.

$32,860.79
144

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

7. Evaluating field 

effectiveness of 

miticides for managing 

the honey bee pest 

Varroa destructor in 

Maryland

University of Maryland’s (UMD) Bee Lab will reduce the high rates of Varroainduced honey bee colony losses suffered by Maryland’s beekeepers. To 

achieve this end, UMD’s Bee Lab will compare the effectiveness of major 

Varroa mite control products, identify optimal state Varroa management 

strategies and develop and deliver an extension program that encourages, 

and tracks beekeeper adoption of Maryland tested best practice 

recommendations.

$48,508.65

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09

8. Managing D. suzukii 

and fungi in raspberries 

using peroxyacetic acid

The University of Maryland will evaluate the efficacy of crop sterilants for 

managing spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) and fruit rot fungi in Maryland 

raspberries. SWD is the most significant pest of soft-skinned fruit crops in the 

U.S., and lays eggs in ripening, marketable soft-skinned fruit. Currently, 

management relies heavily on broad spectrum insecticides and numerous 

applications are necessary to achieve adequate control. In addition to the 

direct damage caused by SWD, the wounds SWD creates can increase the risk 

of fruit rot infection. Fruit rots also cause serious yield loss in small fruit 

production. Approaches that integrate insect and pathogen management can 

more effectively and efficiently manage fruit pests, and recent research has 

suggested that a crop sterilant may reduce SWD incidence as well as manage 

fruit rots in blueberries. However, how this product impacts SWD (efficacy 

results have varied) and whether it will work in raspberries remain unknown. 

Therefore, the University of Maryland will perform field trials in raspberries 

that compare the crop sterilant to an unsprayed control and measure effects 

on the fungal community, SWD infestation, and fruit rot incidence. Further, 

we will be comparing growers’ standard applications (e.g. pyrethroids and 

other insecticides) with applications that include a crop sterilant on-farm to 

evaluate control of SWD and fruit rot fungi. Data will be used to recommend 

alternative management strategies for growers through winter extension 

presentations, summer field days, and extension articles.

$26,472.40

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$504,843.09 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$52,381.05
145

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86

1. Connecting 

beekeepers with 

veterinarians in order to 

improve disease 

management and 

educational 

infrastructure for honey 

producers in 

Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts- Amherst will lead this project to enhance the 

infrastructure to support Massachusetts honey producers by providing the 

following efforts: 1) form a steering committee to create protocols and an 

explanatory video for vet-beekeeper interactions; 2) host a hive health 

workshop for certified veterinarians, and 3) design a set of 10 graphical fact 

sheets with clear and concise information about hive health for beekeepers 

and veterinarians. These efforts are developed based on the areas of need 

that have been identified through previous surveys and conversations with 

stakeholders that will improve the sustainability and profitability of honey 

production in Massachusetts.

$39,123.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86 2. Learn to Love Local 

Food Education Program

Coastal Foodshed will lead this project to implement a robust Local Food 

Education Program, Learn to Love Local, by delivering 125 cooking 

demonstrations and tastings to over 2,000 people in New Bedford, one of the 

highest need communities in the state. These educational events will focus 

on seasonal, locally-sourced produce available at our Farmers Markets, 

Mobile Farm Stand sites, and pop-up community events with the desire to 

increase access to, sales and consumption of MA specialty crops.

$54,706.88

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86

3. Practical Approaches 

to Urban Soils Health & 

Remediation

Massachusetts Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association 

(NOFA/Mass) will lead this project to educate people about different 

bioremediation techniques by working with two different approaches 

designed by bioremediation experts and track outcomes. NOFA/Mass, 

partnering with two urban community garden associations (Worcester 

Regional Environmental Council and Gardening the Community in 

Springfield), will work closely with the youth program with each of these two 

associations to conduct on-farm trials of bioremediation techniques with 

heavy metal contamination and/or hydrocarbon pollutants to educate urban 

growers about remediation methods and healthy soils practices The project 

also will test strategies to address remediation of soils with an aim to make 

them viable for healthy vegetable production without resorting to cap-and-fill 

methods.

$63,917.00
146

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86 4. Scaling Up Specialty 

Crop Business Program

Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) will lead this project 

aiming to overcome barriers to specialty crop integration by bolstering the 

demand for local specialty crop products and supporting the overall 

profitability, variability, and sustainability of specialty crop producers. Based 

on the success of previous efforts, this program will facilitate the 

establishment of new business partnerships between local specialty crop 

growers and buyers through a year-long program including a Specialty Crop 

Trade Show; year-long programming for wholesale buyers of different 

categories (includes in-person meetings), conference calls, and a panel 

discussion. The program also will enhance specialty crop growers’ 

competitiveness by providing quality educational programming and technical 

knowledge supports.

$48,502.40

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86

5. Risky business? 

Conducting a risk 

assessment of 

postharvest operations 

using washing machines 

for leafy greens

The University of Massachusetts will lead this project to investigate the risk of 

microbial cross contamination due to small scale postharvest processing 

practices by developing a scientifically-based assessment of postharvest 

practices to identify risks; determine practical, easily-implemented measures 

for small scale production operations. The objectives of this project are to: 1) 

identify, source and build converted washing machines for drying leafy 

greens using the “DIY” resources; 2) conduct a science-based risk hazard 

identification assessment that will investigate the harborage and sanitation 

risks of using DIY converted washing machines for drying leafy greens; and 3) 

develop and design a mixed-media portfolio of extension-based tools to 

disseminate results to stakeholders.

$71,294.28

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86

6. Establishing a 

Massachusetts 

Cranberry Bog Tour 

Program

The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association will lead this project to 

develop a self-sustaining cranberry bog tour program to further educate the 

general public on the Massachusetts cranberry industry and simultaneously 

provide a farm diversification option for cranberry growers. The objectives of 

this project are to: 1) provide an educational outlet for the public looking to 

visit a cranberry bog; 2) Establish a sustainable income opportunity for 

cranberry growers looking to diversify their farming operation; 3) increase 

the interest of cranberry growers for participating in ag-tourism; and 4) 

create, promote and manage a self-sustaining cranberry bog tour program.

$77,672.00
147

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86

8. Groundwork Lawrence 

Cooking Class Participant 

Expansion: Increasing 

Local Nutrition and 

Sustaining Specialty Crop 

Consumption

Groundwork Lawrence (GWL)will lead this project to promote the purchase 

and utilization of specialty crops and create a healthier Lawrence by 

increasing the number of people who are able to attend GWL healthy cooking 

classes each year. The objectives of the project are to increase specialty crop 

consumption and purchase and to improve public health within Lawrence, 

Massachusetts. Despite the availability of produce, 45 percent of Lawrence 

youth are still overweight or obese, and 68 percent of adults in Methuen and 

Lawrence have four or more chronic diet-related diseases. In order to 

alleviate these health-related inequities and to sustain a continued interest in 

the purchase of specialty crops, this project aim to provide a shift in approach 

to engage more community members to increase specialty crop use in their 

everyday lives.

$37,411.60

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$426,834.86 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding

$34,141.49

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

1. International and 

Domestic Promotion of 

Michigan Specialty Crops

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development’s (MDARD) 

International Marketing Program will continue to work collaboratively with 

the Cherry Marketing Institute, Michigan Bean Commission, Michigan Apple 

Committee, and the Michigan Potato Industry Commission to promote 

specialty crop products both domestically and internationally. The project will 

allow Michigan specialty crop companies and commodity groups the ability to 

exhibit at domestic and international trade shows and the ability to bring 

international buyers to Michigan as part of a buyers’ mission for specialty 

crops. Connecting the Michigan specialty crop industry with potential buyers 

is critical for the expansion of sales both domestically and internationally, 

especially, as production continues to increase. The International Marketing 

Program will work to secure booth space at the trade shows and organize the 

specialty crop exhibitors for each of the shows. Additionally, the International 

Marketing Program will collaboratively work with the specialty crop 

commodity groups to provide grants to bring international buyers to 

Michigan with the goal of increasing purchases of Michigan specialty crops.

$148,108.01
148

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

2. Improving Strategies 

to Limit Root Rots for 

Michigan Asparagus

The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board will be responsible for this project. 

The overarching goal of this project is the development of integrated 

soilborne disease management and extension programming for Michigan 

asparagus production. The overall goal of this project is the development of 

integrated soilborne disease management and extension programming for 

Michigan asparagus production. The general tasks to be completed are to: 1) 

evaluate the efficacy of soilborne disease management strategies for 

Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. in asparagus; 2) determine the efficacy 

of pre-plant fumigation programs for soilborne disease management of 

Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. in asparagus; and 3) disseminate 

research findings and develop and deliver extension programming focused on 

soilborne disease management recommendations to Michigan asparagus 

growers and stakeholders.

$80,566.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

3. Risk Prediction to 

Improve IPM Programs 

for

Spotted Wing Drosophila 

in Michigan

Blueberries

The Michigan Blueberry Commission will lead this project to develop, 

validate, and disseminate a scientifically-based program for predicting the 

risk of fruit infestation by the invasive insect pest, spotted wing Drosophila 

(SWD). This will improve blueberry pest management programs and reduce 

dependence on insecticides. Michigan State University researchers will 

develop a decision system for growers to implement on their farms and will 

work with extension staff to disseminate information about the project to 

stakeholders through weekly scouting information, grower meetings, and 

field days. This project will combine information gained from recent analysis 

of how SWD are affected by winter conditions with the Enviroweather 

network of weather stations to develop pre-season risk assessment of 

expected SWD population levels. These assessments of infestation risk will be 

updated after the spring season, and then sampling of fruit across 

commercial blueberry farms during the summer will be used to better 

understand when and where risk of SWD infestation increases. This project 

will also optimize fruit sampling techniques for speed and cost effectiveness 

and will continue monitoring populations for insecticide resistance. 

Throughout the project, information will be shared with the Michigan 

blueberry industry through workshops, educational meetings, and weekly 

summer pest reports. This project will increase grower confidence in their 

$99,991.00
149

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

management programs for SWD and will lead to reduced dependence on 

insecticides for managing this pest.
150

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

4. Implementation of 

Precision Decision 

Support Systems to 

Protect and Optimize 

Michigan Tree Fruit 

Production

The Michigan Apple Association, in partnership with Michigan State 

University’s AgBioResearch horticultural scientists and Extension educators, 

has established a network of well-equipped labs and trained personnel for 

assessing winter cold hardiness, plant dormancy, and spring crop loads across 

the state’s major tree fruit production regions. Data from these networks will 

be used to develop and refine plant response models and precision decision 

support systems for growers to better implement orchard measures that: 1) 

reduce the risk for low temperature crop damage in winter and spring, and 2) 

improve spring crop load management procedures to optimize yields and 

fruit quality. Cold hardiness and crop load assessment technologies will be 

utilized by a team of MSU Extension educators and grower-cooperators 

located in the Southwest, Grand Rapids, West-Central, and Northwest 

Michigan tree fruit-growing regions for weekly-to-biweekly sampling of apple, 

tart and sweet cherry, and peach orchards to track changes in plant 

dormancy and flower bud cold hardiness from fall through bloom. In spring, 

assessments will shift to record and analyze subsequent initial fruit growth 

rates to more precisely predict fruit set for implementation of early crop load 

management strategies that are key to improving labor efficiency and 

achieving targeted yields and fruit quality for optimization of market returns 

and consumer satisfaction.

$99,119.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

5. Developing a Risk 

Model for Managing 

Spotted Wing Drosophila 

in Tart Cherry

Michigan State University (MSU) will help cherry growers better manage 

spotted wing drosophila (SWD) by developing a risk model using 

environmental, physiological, phenological, and rain fast data. MSU will 

disseminate results to stakeholders through both print materials and face to 

face meetings. Spotted wing drosophila has become the number one pest 

management priority for the tart cherry industry. This funding will build upon 

previous efforts to develop precise and efficacious management strategies 

that are economically and environmentally sustainable.

$99,992.00
151

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

7. Elevating the 

Profile/Profitability of 

Michigan Cherries: 

Digitally, Regionally, and 

Nationally

The Michigan Cherry Committee (MCC) will promote increased awareness, 

consumption, and sales of one of the state’s primary specialty crops 

cherries—to regional, national, and international audiences via three

strategic marketing strategies, comprising several broad campaigns 

encompassing both sweet and tart Michigan cherries in multiple product 

forms. Taken together, these efforts will target both industry-facing (food, 

beverage, and restaurant professionals, with high-volume purchasing power 

and influence in their field) and consumer facing audiences. The three 

strategies that MCC will use are to:1) work with mPerks, a popular grocery 

rewards program; 2) partner with YouTube influencers to produce new 

recipes and digital video content featuring this Michigan specialty crop; and 

3) produce underwriting advertising for the Heritage Radio Network (HRN), 

“the country’s leading food radio station,” which hosts 35 weekly live shows 

and podcasts to listeners in over 150 countries.

$81,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

8. Leaf Blight Decreases 

Michigan Onion Yields 

and May Increase Bulb 

Rot: New Approaches 

Are Needed

Leaf blight, caused by Stemphylium vesicarium, has emerged as a critical 

issue for Michigan onion producers. In 2017 and 2018, onion growers 

struggled to control this disease despite close adherence to management 

recommendations. Recent field trials show that strobilurin fungicides, which 

had been a cornerstone of fungicide control programs, are no longer working. 

The finding that this important group of fungicides is not able to protect the 

onion foliage leaves the industry vulnerable to destructive leaf blight. Only a 

few newer fungicides are effective but cost-prohibitive. In addition, these 

high-cost fungicides can only be used two to three times (per the label) over 

the course of the relatively long growing season. Growers are concerned that 

severe foliar blight in the field results in increased bacterial bulb rot during 

storage. In this proposal, the Michigan Onion Committee aims to mitigate the 

impact of Stemphylium leaf blight by determining whether Stemphylium leaf 

blight renders the bulb more susceptible to bacterial bulb rot and developing 

strategies that maximize fungicide.

$82,721.00
152

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

9. MWC Will Advance 

Michigan Wine through 

Activities Contributing to 

Market Expansion, 

Access, and

Workforce Development

The Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC) was formed in 2016 with a mission 

to “enhance the sustainability and profitability of the Michigan wine industry 

by supporting wineries, growers and other businesses and individuals 

connected to the industry – today and for future generations”. Contracting 

with project director, Emily Dockery, viticulturist and experienced wine 

professional, MWC will execute the following objectives aimed at effectively 

absorbing the Michigan Grape and Wine Council, expanding the Michigan 

wine market, strengthening industry partnerships and training hospitality 

workforce. The following objectives of this project will increase the market 

visibility, competitiveness and sustainability of the Michigan grape and wine 

industry: 1) launching Coravin Wine Program to strengthen restaurant and 

community commitment to serving Michigan wines; 2) establishing a biannual MiCAST training event that will provide hospitality partners with 

workforce development; 3) developing new events to bring consumer and 

national industry attention to Michigan wines; and 4) registering, 

representing and promoting Michigan wines at critical industry events.

$100,000.00
153

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

10. Developing Cultural 

Practices to Manage 

Critical Pests in Carrots

Michigan State University (MSU) will evaluate and deliver cultural strategies 

to control critical pests in carrot production. Critical carrot pests include the 

major plant-parasitic nematodes root lesion (Pratylenchus penetrans) and 

Northern root knot (Meloidogyne hapla), as well as common weeds including 

Powell amaranth (Amaranthus powellii). Current management of these pests 

relies heavily on a single pesticide – vydate for nematodes and Lorax for 

weeds – whose continued use is threatened both by increased regulation and 

development of resistance among key pests. MSU proposes to develop 

preventative and cultural management practices, including cover cropping, 

stale seed bedding, and use of competitive carrot cultivars to reduce reliance 

on these products. The impact of these practices on soil biology and health 

will be evaluated using a combination of traditional soil chemical and physical 

tests and nematode community indices. Development of cultural pest 

management strategies that leverage the soil health benefits of these 

techniques are expected to improve the profitability of carrot growers by 

reducing chemical costs, sustaining environmental quality, and enhancing the 

quality of life for carrot growers by reducing the reliance on chemical 

products.

$99,382.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

11. Accelerated Cultivar 

and Rootstock for the 

Michigan Peach Industry

The Michigan Peach Sponsors, a non-profit grower organization, will partner 

with Michigan State University (MSU) to accelerate cooperative grower trials 

to test elite peach breeding lines from MSU for the fresh market and from 

Ontario for the processing peach market. These selections have improved 

disease resistance and fruit characteristics compared to standard varieties. 

Selections from these two programs will be propagated on a range of 

rootstock types to demonstrate compatibility, and then established in grower 

site trials monitored by MSU researchers. Grower-cooperator tests will 

provide performance data, stimulate grower interest, and encourage the 

nursery industry to add them to their inventory. MSU selections will be virus 

tested and heat treated, which are processes critical prior to wide scale 

propagation for commercial production. Adoption of these new varieties 

suited for the Michigan growing conditions by the Michigan fresh and 

processing peach growers will help Michigan growers to remain competitive 

in the national marketplace.

$55,940.00
154

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

12. Sustainable 

Management of Potato 

Early Die Complex with 

Custom Compost Blends

Michigan State University will develop, evaluate, and deliver compost blends 

utilizing biological control agents for suppression of the potato early die 

complex, which includes the major potato pests Verticillium dahliae and root 

lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus penetrans). Soil-based management 

practices will be developed for potato early die complex with the goal of 

providing an alternative to soil fumigation. The impact of these practices on 

soil biology and health will be evaluated using a combination of traditional 

soil chemical and physical tests and nematode community indices. 

Development of soil-based pest management strategies that leverage the soil 

health benefits of compost are expected to improve the profitability of 

potato growers by reducing chemical costs, sustaining environmental quality, 

and enhancing the quality of life for potato growers and agricultural workers 

by reducing the use of soil fumigation.

$97,967.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

13. Small Fruit and Hops 

Acreage Inventory and 

Labor Survey

The Michigan State Horticultural Society, the state’s largest fruit grower 

organization, representing over 1500 Michigan fruit growers, will be the 

primary organization carrying out the reporting requirements of this project. 

The project goal is to conduct a fruit acreage inventory survey of brambles,

cranberries, grapes, strawberries, and saskatoons as well as include hops. 

This survey will complete a data collection on all major fruit acres being 

grown in Michigan, which was started with the 2018/2019 survey of tree fruit 

and blueberries. Hops are being included in this survey because they do not 

have a natural home with either fruit or vegetables, but as a large and 

growing segment of Michigan agriculture, it is necessary to know their status. 

Data will be disseminated to Michigan State Horticultural Society members 

and partners in the industry, including Michigan Farm Bureau. This will allow 

the fruit industry and policy makers to make sound business, marketing and 

policy decisions and improve the position and competitiveness of Michigan’s 

fruit industry in both national and global markets. The fruit industry as a 

whole is a major component of Michigan’s economy with an estimated 

annual farm gate value well over $500 million. The survey will be conducted 

by the USDA-NASS Great Lakes Regional Office. NASS is the recognized 

collector and provider of valid, third-party agricultural information and data 

for the U.S. agricultural industry. The industry believes the information 

$75,000.00
155

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

changes, often annual, warranting data collection on acreage on a three to 

five-year rotational basis.
156

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

14. Cultural Techniques 

for Improving MidSummer Leafing and 

Heading Brassica Crop 

Yields

Based at Forgotten Harvest Farm (FH Farm), this project will be led by 

Forgotten Harvest, working with Michigan State University Extension (MSUE), to research and supply the Specialty Crop industry with information about 

the effectiveness of various leafing and heading Brassica crop planting 

techniques applied during the mid-summer growing seasons. Treatments will 

include planting on a) bio-degradable black plastic mulch, b) bio-degradable 

while plastic mulch, c) conventional white plastic mulch, d) strip-tilled rolled 

rye mulch, and e) bare soil. The project’s hypotheses are that: 1) use of white 

plastic mulch will reduce crop mortality and yield loss associated with heat 

generated by black plastic mulch; 2) yield of corps on the white plastic mulch 

and rye mulch will be greater than the other treatments; and 3) yields will be 

similar between the conventional and bio-degradable white plastic mulches. 

During and after crop harvest and data collection, the information gathered 

will be analyzed and disseminated to Specialty Crop growers through 

Extension publications with plans to publish the results and participate in 

specialty crop and vegetable grower working groups, seminars, and 

conferences after the 2019 growing season and project conclusion.

$17,503.00
157

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

15. Market 

Enhancement to the 

Traverse Wine Coast 

Region

The Traverse Wine Coast (TWC) is a distinguishable brand, created by the 

collaborative effort of 35 member-wineries. TWC is made up of two 

peninsulas boasting 105 miles of beautiful coastline surrounded by the 

protective waters of Lake Michigan. This unique climate provides warm days 

and cool autumn nights, allowing fruit to ripen optimally. TWC produces 

exceptionally well-balanced white and red wines that are fruit-forward, crisp, 

clean with bright finishes which pair perfectly with foods of all styles. The 

major outcomes of the project are: 1) to achieve economic growth due to an 

expanded, sustainable and effective brand of the Traverse City area wineries; 

2) to raise the ethos of the region to cohesively drive traffic from beyond the 

Grand Traverse region so that all wineries, large and small, can benefit from 

increased traffic; 3) to provide sustainability to growers, large and small, that 

are providing agriculture for the region’s wine production; and 4)to establish 

to the customer that the region is a premier wine region. The general task of 

the project is the integration of a comprehensive marketing strategy that is a 

scientific and ongoing process that will make the TWC brand stronger in a 

measurable way.

$75,500.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

16. Influence and Ibotta: 

Getting Michigan 

Cherries a Slice of the 

Digital Pie with Rebates 

and Reach

The Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) will promote increased awareness, 

consumption, and sales of one of the state’s primary specialty crops—

cherries—to a national audience via the content inspired by prominent food, 

beverage, and health-and-wellness influencers tour to northern Michigan 

during the height of harvest. Dovetailing with this effort, CMI will further 

entice consumers towards greater consumption (some 15,116 frozen cherry 

pies, to be exact, at minimum) via Ibotta, one of the top mobile apps used in 

the United States.

$91,478.00
158

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

17. Verification of 

Proposed Fertilizer 

Recommendations for 

Michigan Dry Bean 

Growers: Enhancing 

Economic and 

Environmental 

Sustainability

The Michigan Bean Commission (MBC), which has demonstrated 

commitment to sound economic development and environmental 

stewardship of dry bean production in Michigan, will manage this project. 

The primary growing region of dry beans is directly adjacent to the Saginaw 

Bay and Great Lakes watershed (80 percent of Michigan beans are grown 

within Bay, Huron, Saginaw and Tuscola counties). Improvements in fertilizer 

management within this highly concentrated land space will have significant 

impact on environmental quality in the Great Lakes watershed. This project is 

designed to verify proposed nutrient recommendations to ensure optimal soil 

fertility required for enhanced crop productivity. Current dry bean fertilizer 

application recommendations were established in the 1970-80’s. The 

application rates have recently been reassessed through a comprehensive 

study. These recommendations are vitally important due to major agronomic 

and varietal changes across the Michigan dry bean growing region. Fertilizer 

recommendations specific for optimized bean growth must include the 

traditional macro nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) and 

micronutrients (Zinc and Manganese). This knowledge will facilitate efficient 

and precise fertilizer use and overall soil nutrient management. This project 

will require use of both plot trials located the SVREC research farm and 

replicated grower strip trials. Project objectives include establishing and 

verifying revised rate recommendations that reflect the optimum plant 

nutrient uptake over very diverse growing conditions to boost crop yields and 

improve environmental stewardship and economic sustainability. Grower 

education will occur to assure adoption and industry wide implementation.

$99,959.00
159

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

18. Developing 

integrated field and 

post-harvest pest 

management strategies 

to advance chestnut 

quality and market 

expansion.

The Midwest Nut Producers Council (MNPC) and the Michigan State 

University (MSU) chestnut research team will collaborate to identify and 

address the causes of internal nut disorders, specifically rot pathogens and 

weevil larvae. These disorders affect chestnut quality, consumer confidence 

and marketable yield of Michigan chestnuts. Researchers will: 1) identify and 

study key pathogens and insects causing nut disorders; 2) develop preharvest management strategies; 3) develop post-harvest treatment options; 

and 4) disseminate results and recommendations to growers and processors. 

Management strategies may include horticultural practices, pesticide 

application, and pre-or post-harvest heat treatment. Integrating these 

activities will link researchers, extension educators and commercial growers, 

ensure resources are used efficiently, and generate practical and 

economically viable pest management options. Results will improve chestnut 

quality, increase marketable yields, and support sustainable chestnut 

production in Michigan. This work will advance the entire Michigan chestnut 

industry, protecting current grower investments along with future grower 

returns. Results will be disseminated to growers via joint MSU, MSU 

Extension and MNPC programming and publications.

$97,495.00
160

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

19. Expanding Consumer 

Awareness and 

Consumption of 

Michigan Potatoes

The Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) is seeking to assist growers 

of table stock potatoes (red-flesh, yellow-flesh, russet, round white potatoes, 

and other novelty varieties) with specific consumer-based marketing trends 

and messaging for Michigan potatoes. This project will focus on the 

expansion of consumer-focused messaging and branding materials to assist 

Michigan based growers of fresh potatoes in marketing their potatoes to 

consumers in the Great Lake’s region, specifically targeting Michigan. During 

focus groups conducted in the fall of 2017 in metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, 

and Chicago; consumers expressed great interest in Michigan potatoes and 

their potential to know more and support their local economy through 

purchases. While some suggest that they solely shop for convenience, the 

overarching consensus presumes that area consumers are dedicated and 

willing to alter their shopping habits and increase their attention to detail in 

response to simply being made more aware of the Michigan potatoes brand 

and how it helps support local farmers. By strategically prompting consumers 

with emotional, informational, and social incentives to participate in acts of 

support, it is believed that consumers will gain a stronger relationship with 

the Michigan potatoes brand and begin actively selecting products based on 

familiarity and consciousness. In addition, the arrival of unique digital 

platforms and avenues for communication will be collectively advantageous 

in providing consumers with the information and the emotional response 

needed to consistently make the desired purchasing decisions.

$45,000.00
161

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

20. Increase awareness, 

sales and sustainability 

of our region by 

implementing an 

Interactive Vineyard 

Experience.

The Petoskey Wine Region (formerly the Bay View Wine Trail) is a nonprofit 

501(c)6 established in 2014 and comprised of twelve wineries that reside 

within Michigan’s newest American Viticulture Area established in 2016 - “Tip 

of the Mitt”. This project expands on a Specialty Crop Block Grant awarded in 

2018 to develop a Mobile App. Through this project, the Petoskey Wine 

Region will introduce an “Explore the Vineyards” Mobile App feature that will 

offer an experience similar to “Pokemon Go” where visitors look for plaque 

signs within the vineyard and the surrounding areas to earn badges and 

prizes when interacting with the App. This will be educational and something 

winery guests who are under 21 guests can participate in. The project aims to 

attract visitors that normally do not visit wineries. Studies have shown that 

consumers want interactive experiences when they visit wineries.

$87,500.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

21. Building Trust and 

Increasing Sales of 

Michigan GROWN, 

Michigan GREAT 

Specialty Crops

The Michigan Ag Council (MAC) will work with a Michigan-based public 

relations agency to measure the sales of MAC partner specialty crops and 

leverage the findings to develop a multi-channel marketing strategy including 

in-store promotions, traveling exhibitions and social media/paid digital 

campaigns to increase consumer awareness and sales of Michigan GROWN, 

Michigan GREAT specialty crops – particularly as sales relate to trust in 

Michigan specialty crop farmers. Activations will include in-depth research 

and consumer trust engagement, retail partnerships with regular reporting, 

exhibits to influence specialty crop consumer spending behaviors, material 

distribution to share farmer stories and constant evaluation of messaging 

impact. By project-end, Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT will have 

increased sales of specialty crops and moved the needle toward consumer 

trust in farmers who grow and raise specialty crops in Michigan.

$50,000.00
162

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

22. The Sagacious and 

Shrewd Weed Control

Imperative for 

Herbaceous Perennials

The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) will create weed 

control programs for herbaceous perennial (HP) growers that are expedient 

to their current equipment and cultural practices. Previously funded Specialty 

Crop Block Grant Program projects have shown that HP growers were 

equipped to deal with liquid applications, on a large scale, but not granules. 

Further research is needed to find acceptable rates and tank mixes for weed 

control products is essential to their adoption. Plant biomasses from the 

untreated/controls compared to treated areas will be evaluated at the start 

and end of each study period and results will be disseminated to HP growers 

in Michigan.

$75,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

23. Raising Awareness of 

Real Michigan Christmas 

Trees through Consumer 

Education and 

Promotion

The Michigan Christmas Tree Association will increase awareness and sales of 

Michigan grown Christmas trees by developing a marketing program that will 

educate consumers about the various species and benefits of buying a 

natural cut tree vs. an artificial tree. The marketing program will drive the 

target audiences to the association website, member farms and to special 

events throughout Michigan.

$75,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00

24. Increasing Sales of 

Michigan Apples by 

Leveraging Online and 

Retail Outreach

In 2018, the Michigan Apple Committee (MAC) board approved its strategic 

plan for the period 2018 to 2023 and placed consumer awareness as one of 

its top three priorities. Significant emphasis was placed on strengthening 

consumer preference and increasing market penetration of Michigan Apples. 

MAC aims to increase sales of Michigan Apples by leveraging online and retail 

outreach efforts. This grant is a top priority for the Michigan Apple 

Committee. MAC proposes to spend $100,000 on a consumer awareness 

campaign using online and print tactics as well as retail marketing outreach to 

educate consumers and increase demand for Michigan Apples. The project 

will build engagement with consumers and retailers to drive a deeper 

connection and awareness that will translate to increased apple movement in 

the retail marketplace.

$100,000.00
163

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,208,795.00 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$174,772.78

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

1. Statewide Promotion 

of Minnesota Grown 

Specialty Crops

This project increases sales of MN specialty crops through statewide 

marketing, including sponsored search advertising (pay-per-click), promoted 

social media posts, and promotion of specific specialty crops in the printed 

Minnesota Grown Directory. MGPG’s project improves the competitiveness 

of MN’s specialty crop industry by addressing these SCGB and MDA funding 

priorities: 1) Improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing 

access to distribution systems and new markets for specialty crops, 2) 

Increasing the demand for locally produced specialty crops, and 3) Benefiting 

beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers We will address these goals 

through the following activities: 1) Build on our previous SCBG experience 

with sponsored search (pay-per-click) advertising and promoted social media 

posts to link consumers with growers via the online Minnesota Grown 

Directory. MDA staff create the sponsored search campaigns and monitor 

performance throughout the project. Sponsored search campaigns are 

conducted on all major search engines including Google, Yahoo, and Bing. 

Promoted social media posts are on the Minnesota Grown Facebook page 

which has over 31,700 followers. These activities deliver interested 

customers to the online Directory, which has 375,000 unique visitors 

annually. 2) Encourage increased purchases of specialty crops by highlighting 

them in the 2020 Minnesota Grown Directory. This will include eight pages of 

full color ads. These pages will include wineries, Christmas trees, apples, 

peppers, berries, honey, maple syrup, cut flowers, and pumpkins. MDA staff 

will provide ad design as well as distribution and promotion of the printed 

Directory. We anticipate distributing 155,000 copies statewide.

$93,600.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

2. Expanding Hybrid 

Hazelnut Propagation 

Capacity

With this project, we will begin scale-up of the Upper Midwest hazelnut 

industry by expanding micropropagation capacity for our 1st Generation 

hybrid hazelnut selections to enable faster distribution of plants to growers. 

$21,519.00
164

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Specifically, the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Department of 

Agronomy and Plant Genetics will contract with two private 

micropropagation nurseries that have experience micro propagating 

European hazelnuts for development of propagation protocols for two 

selections of hybrid hazelnuts each. These cultivars were selected in the 

Upper Midwest specifically for Upper Midwest growers. Researchers at the 

University of Minnesota will send propagules (either juvenile spring shoots, 

or rooted mound layers) of top ranked hybrid hazelnut bushes from our 

breeding program to microplant and North American Plants in Oregon for 

them to establish in microculture. If they are successful, we will negotiate 

non-exclusive licenses with them to produce microplants that they will sell to 

nurseries in the Midwest to grow out to field-ready size to sell to hazelnut 

growers.

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

3. Integrated Pest 

Management for Local 

Hydroponic Vegetable 

Crop Industries

This project will investigate fertility optimization, cultivar selection, and 

biocompatibility of insecticides with biological control to develop integrated 

pest management practices for local hydroponic and aquaponic vegetable 

crop industries. This project will be conducted by the University of Minnesota 

Department of Horticultural Science and includes two research objectives 

and two outreach/education objectives. For objective 1, we investigate the 

relationship between cultivar preference and fertility on aphid infestations in 

‘ponic’ systems. For the objective 2, we will investigate the efficacy of organic 

approved biopesticides on aphids in ‘ponics’ systems, as well as 

biocompatibility of these products with commonly used biological control 

agents. Our grower collaborators will help select the cultivars and 

biopesticide products to test, based on their practical experience. For 

objective 3, we focus on outreach and dissemination of results in the form of 

a published IPM guide for the ‘ponics’ vegetable industry, grower 

presentations, and online resources. For objective 4, we will connect with 

Spark-Y Youth Action Labs, a local non-profit that focuses on youth 

empowerment through aquaponics systems in schools. We will work with 

Spark-Y to create demonstrations and curriculum that can be integrated into 

their pre-existing programs and teach youth about integrated pest 

management in these systems.

$95,298.00
165

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

4. Expanding Farm to 

Institutional Sales: 

Moving Beyond Farm to 

School

The Good Acre (TGA) food hub is partnering with the Central Corridor Anchor 

Partnership (CCAP), a collaboration of large higher ed and health care 

institutions along the 11-mile Green light-rail line in the Twin Cities, to 

develop ordering, inventory and distribution systems to expand farm to 

institution sales for the small-scale, beginning and underserved farmers that 

TGA supports. Ellen Watters, Co-project manager of CCAP and TGA Wholesale 

Manager will coordinate and facilitate strategy session meetings with the 

president or CEO of each participating CCAP anchor partner, food 

management company and distributor to identify challenges and develop 

strategies to address said challenges. In addition to securing new wholesale 

markets for the growers that sell into TGA, we are also applying for funding 

to help TGA growers improve record keeping and prepare for FSMA 

compliance. Through individualized on-farm technical assistance, TGA Grower 

Support Specialist, will work with growers on understanding how FSMA 

differs from GAP and how they can begin to prepare for this federal food 

safety regulation. TGA Grower Support Specialist will also help growers 

improve on-farm record keeping for GAP certification by inviting ten farms to 

test out COG Pro, an electronic recording keeping program that offers a 

dedicated section toward record keeping for GAP.

$98,050.00
166

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

5. Resistant Plants as a 

Source of Novel 

Phytochemicals to 

Control Japanese Beetles 

on Specialty Crops

This project will determine the phytochemical differences between 

susceptible and resistant specialty crop cultivars and the correlation of 

metabolomic and genomic information to develop new control measures for 

Japanese beetle in specialty crops. Several research programs at the 

University of Minnesota have identified cultivars of birch, grapevine, 

raspberry, rose, apple and several species of Prunus that are susceptible or 

resistant to herbivory by invasive Japanese beetles (JB, Popillia japonica). We 

will compare the metabolic profiles of susceptible and resistant individuals of 

each of these species in order to identify extractable phytochemicals from 

resistant plants that may be applied externally to other plants as a naturallyderived, potentially organic, Japanese beetle repellent. We will also identify 

candidate genes associated with beetle resistance in rose and grapevine to 

inform future cultivar development and deployment. We also plan to engage 

the public, growers and academics with planned workshops, and 

presentations.

$99,922.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

6. Market Opportunities 

for New Early Season 

Apple Varieties - Year 2 

& 3

This project is being carried out internally by Minnesota Department of 

Agriculture (MDA) staff and directly addresses the MDA funding priority of 

"improving operational efficiency, reducing costs or other barriers, or 

increasing access to distribution systems and new markets for specialty 

crops". Minnesota apple growers are rapidly planting apple varieties that 

ripen between mid-August and early September. In addition to an earlier 

harvest date, these new varieties provide a vastly superior eating experience 

to traditional early season varieties suitable for Minnesota's climate. This 

project will accelerate market development for these locally grown apples 

through a multi-pronged approach including point-of-sale materials, social 

media and other digital marketing efforts, and a targeted public relations 

campaign to secure positive media attention via statewide mainstream media 

as well as non-traditional media such as bloggers.

$84,169.33
167

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

7. Unlocking Community 

Support to Drive 

Specialty Crop Sales 

through Farmers’ Market 

Aggregation

In 2017, with a Specialty Crop Block Grant, Renewing the Countryside and our 

partners launched the Farmers’ Market Aggregation project with eight 

markets across the state to assist them in recruiting a broader pool of buyers 

for locally grown specialty crops. Market-run aggregation enterprises would 

facilitate sales to institutions, restaurants, groceries, and other local retailers, 

thus providing increased sales for farmers and increased local food access 

within communities. Having refined this model, where Farmers’ Markets 

serve as Aggregation hubs for sales of specialty crops to wholesale markets, 

this phase of the project garners community support to drive sales to a level 

that ensures long-term success of the model. While we have made extensive 

progress in the sixteen months, we’ve been implementing this project, we’re 

realizing that we need more time and resources to fully develop and evaluate 

this complex and innovative model. A third year of funding will enable us to 

grow sales through targeted PR and marketing efforts that will persuade 

people who live in these communities to purchase specialty crops through 

the businesses participating in the aggregation project (in addition to buying 

directly from farmers). This will help us determine what is required for an 

aggregation enterprise to achieve break-even sales and sustainability, which 

is crucial for determining if this is a model that can be broadly promoted as 

self-sustaining, or one that will require ongoing subsidies.

$99,909.00
168

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

8. Evaluating a Tabletop 

System for Growing 

Local Strawberries

The University of Minnesota (UMN) Department of Horticultural Science and 

West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) are partnering with 

two beginning farmers to evaluate an innovative method of producing 

strawberries in a tabletop system. The project goal is to expand day neutral 

strawberry production in Minnesota by evaluating a tabletop system that 

increases labor efficiency, reduces inputs, and allows for crop production on 

marginal land. The outcome of this project is to enhance the competitiveness 

of specialty crops though greater capacity of sustainable practices of specialty 

crop production resulting in increased yield, reduced inputs, increased 

efficiency, increased economic return, and/or conservation of resources. 

Achievement of this outcome will be indicated by the number of 

growers/producers indicating adoption of recommended practices. We 

anticipate 200 farmers will learn about this project and gain the information 

needed to adopt the practice on their farms. Of these, 50 farmers will gain 

firsthand knowledge of the system through on-farm tours. To fulfill this goal, 

we will evaluate a tabletop strawberry system that has been widely adopted 

in Europe and Canada to determine its feasibility for use in Minnesota. We 

will educate stakeholders about the tabletop production method. Outreach 

will include field tours, presentations, online resources, and published reports 

for growers and researchers.

$97,031.00
169

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

9. Evaluation of 

MN13142: An Advanced 

Breeding Clone with 

Long Dormancy and 

Other Desirable Traits

This project, by the Regents of the University of Minnesota, will improve 

potato production sustainability in the Midwest through development of a 

new clone with improved tuber quality, long-term storage and reduced 

chemical use. The clone will be evaluated for commercial production 

potential. With increasing concern over the use of chemicals in our food 

supply, it is imperative for the potato industry to identify/develop cultivars 

that can be stored with minimal or no chemical application. Use of pesticide 

CIPC as sprout inhibitor has been of great concern. The current proposal 

seeks to evaluate MN13142-32 for agronomic traits including plant stand, 

stems per seed, plant vigor, yield and yield attributes, dormancy length, and 

long-term storage evaluation. Susceptibility to diseases will also be 

monitored. The overall goal of this project is to collect data for potato variety 

protection (PVP) and assess the suitability of this promising clone for fasttrack development and ultimately commercialization.

$99,953.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

10. Preparing for Battle: 

Minnesota Apple 

Orchards vs. The Brown 

Marmorated Stink Bug

This project, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Plant Protection 

Division, seeks to expand monitoring of the brown marmorated stink bug 

within Minnesota apple orchards to identify emerging problem areas and lay 

the ground work for implementation of biological control. This project will 

assess the distribution of brown marmorated stink bug through monitoring 

and survey to inform growers and help mitigate loss. We will also survey at 

cooperating orchards for adventive populations of the samurai wasp, a 

known and successful parasitoid of BMSB. The MDA will work with growers to 

monitor for BMSB at high risk sites and to identify emerging problem areas 

and lay the ground work for implementation of biological control. Outcomes 

include: Enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops through more 

sustainable, diverse, and resilient specialty crop systems. The sustainability 

and resilience of apples grown in Minnesota will be enhanced directly 

through this project and other specialty crops will be enhanced indirectly. 

Beneficiaries of the project include growers and consumers of apples 

produced at local orchards as well as other specialty crop systems such as 

community gardens and fresh market fruit and vegetable farms. By 

preventing losses in quality and quantity of apples caused by BMSB, the 

overall production and competitiveness of apples will be enhanced.

$81,065.00
170

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

11. Unlocking the 

Potential of Hop Genetic 

Resources for 

Developing Powdery 

Mildew Resistant 

Germplasm

The University of Minnesota will identify wild hop germplasm that confers 

field-level resistance to powdery mildew and enhanced agronomic potential. 

In addition, we will identify genetic markers associated with powdery mildew 

resistance for use in breeding. The project outcomes include the 

identification of wild hop accessions that exhibit field-level powdery mildew 

resistance and good agronomics, and genetic markers associated with 

powdery mildew resistance derived from the cultivar Zenith. These genomics 

tools and resources will be made available to hop breeders for continued 

improvement of hop germplasm. General tasks that will be completed to 

achieve the project goals include: (1) establishing a field trial of wild hop 

accessions and a biparental mapping population; (2) screening the wild hop 

accessions and biparental mapping population for powdery mildew 

resistance and agronomic traits; (3) generating marker data for the biparental 

population and using the combined genetic and phenotype data to identify 

markers associated with powdery mildew resistance; (4) communicating the 

results in peer reviewed journals, the annual American Hop Convention, and 

local hop grower and fruit and vegetable grower meetings; (5) assessing the 

knowledge gained by the growers at the growers meetings; and (5) providing 

germplasm and genetic markers to breeders for improving hop.

$46,467.00
171

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

12. Premium MN Garlic: 

Increasing Market 

Access, Supply Chain 

Networks, Improving 

Production, Phase II

Sustainable Farming Association will increase profitability of farmers and 

beginning farmers by increasing premium garlic production, training farmers 

on best garlic growing and marketing practices, expanding markets and 

supply chains, and researching improved cultivation methods. SFA will again 

partner with the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Dr. Carl 

Rosen to complete Phase II of the current project. We have found that 

Minnesota garlic production and marketing is small scale but has great 

potential for growth. AND farmer interest in garlic growing is much greater 

than we can meet in the first two years. Though SFA's 11 workshops and field 

days have increased the number of garlic growers and amount grown, 

interviews with chefs, distributors, groceries, and small food entrepreneurs 

reveal great interest in procuring local garlic, but a lack of consistent supply 

and volume to serve larger scale markets. This grant proposes to develop and 

implement a process that convenes growers to assess their production, 

distance to market and willingness and/or interest to develop value chains for 

Minnesota Premium Garlic. In addition, this grant aims to connect growers 

with market channels, including wholesalers, schools, restaurants and food 

processors to foster the investment and interest in sourcing and supporting 

local garlic production.

$73,500.00
172

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

13. Evaluating 

Minnesota- Adapted and 

European Cider Apple 

Cultivars for Minnesota 

Cider Production

University of Minnesota Extension will develop the young Minnesota cider 

apple industry by identifying apple cultivars that are well adapted and 

produce desirable cider traits, and by educating Minnesota orchardists and 

winemakers on the best practices for high quality cider products, including 

cider, wine, and infused beer and mead. The overall goal of the project will be 

achieved through the following objectives: 1) Evaluate and compare chemical 

and sensory attributes of ten (10) locally-adapted apple cultivars both as juice 

and cider; 2) evaluate ten European cider apple cultivars for production in 

Minnesota; and 3) develop recommendations based on the results of 

objectives 1 and 2, for apple growers and cider makers to grow and use 

apples for cider in the upper Midwest. In both years of the study (2020-2021), 

the juice from fruit of each cultivar at multiple orchards will be assessed for 

juice traits important to cider quality, including sugar-content (degree Brix), 

pH and Total Titratable Acidity (TTA). We will conduct analyses of the acidprofiles and phenolic compounds (tannins). The juice will then be fermented 

into cider and assessed for cider quality. The project team will develop a 

University of Minnesota Extension guide to growing and using apples for 

cider in Minnesota, using the results from this project. The content will be 

adapted into videos, web pages, and workshops, in order to effectively reach 

diverse audiences of apple growers and cider producers.

$94,371.00
173

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46 14. Management of Late 

Season Potato Virus Y

The University of Minnesota Northwest Research & Outreach Center (UMNNWROC) proposes to develop better risk estimates and management tactics 

to limit the late season transmission of Potato Virus Y (PVY), an aphid 

transmitted disease that limits both yield and quality of seed potatoes. 

Currently there are previously un-encountered factors facilitating the 

epidemic of PVY in MN; 1) new strains of PVY may be more easily transmitted 

than older strains and are becoming more common, 2) seed growers may be 

delaying killing vines to optimize bulking and increase yield, and 3) the recent 

recovery of 2 aphid species, which were previously uncommon but are now 

increasing due to the establishment of new cropping systems, may be 

additional efficient vectors of the disease. The tactics developed in this 

research will improve the within season management of the disease and 

improve the certification rates of seed potatoes by providing growers with 

optimal timing for management tactics that limit disease transmission while 

sustaining yield. Because there are few, if any, techniques to ‘cure’ viral plant 

diseases, this project will instead focus on the weak link in the disease 

transmission cycle, management of the insects that transmit the disease 

(referred to as ‘vectors’).

$75,000.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46

15. Opening Farm to 

Rural Grocery Markets 

for MN Specialty Crops

University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development 

Partnerships (RSDP) will work with 15 Minnesota specialty crop farmers and 

15 rural grocery store owners to increase Minnesota specialty crop farmer 

access to larger regional markets by opening new farm-to-rural-grocery 

market channels. More than 250 grocery stores are in Minnesota towns with 

populations under 2,500. While this project will primarily benefit specialty 

crop farmers, the reach extends to numerous small businesses and MN local 

economies. This project will develop a framework and resource materials to 

open new specialty crop farm-to-rural-grocery market channels across 

Minnesota. The objectives of this project include: 1) Publish the UMN 

Extension “Farm to Rural Grocery Store Toolkit,” 2) Develop a specialty crops 

farm to rural grocery (F2RG) workshop curriculum, and, 3) Deliver five F2RG 

workshops in rural Minnesota.

$54,500.00
174

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,366,227.46 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$151,676.61

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26 Cut Flower Producer 

Training

Flower Growers of Mississippi will increase the production/growing of cut 

flowers and market share by Mississippi farmers and growers by providing 

education on what, when and how to grow, harvest, condition and market 

locally grown cut flowers and will increase the number of flower farms in MS 

by 10 percent.

$8,900.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Developing Sustainable 

Nutrient Management 

Practices to Optimize 

Blueberry Yield and 

Quality in Containerized 

Production

Blueberries are an important crop for MS. Nutrient management plays a 

critical role on timing of fruit production. By applying different rates of 

fertilizer, we might be able to control the timing of berry production to 

extend the production season even further to increase blueberry market 

price. Research has shown that nutrient management can also influence 

berry yield and quality including mineral nutrient and health beneficial 

compounds such as antioxidants. Currently there is limited information on 

how to efficiently manage nutrient management in containerized blueberry 

production to optimize yield and quality. Therefore, the objective of this 

proposed project is to investigate substrate type and sustainable nutrient 

management practices, both conventional and organic, inside and outside of 

high tunnels, to optimize plant growth, nutrient use efficiency, and improve 

blueberry yield and quality in containerized production. The project’s results 

will be disseminated through grower meetings, workshops, field days, and 

national conferences.

$30,097.80
175

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Explore the Use of 

Heirloom Varieties in 

Specialty Vegetable 

Production of Mississippi

Production of edible horticultural crop is a very important part of agriculture 

in Mississippi. The value of horticultural crops in Mississippi in 2018 was $104 

million. It is challenging for growers to adopt heirloom varieties without 

recommendations on cultivar performance and suitable cultural practices. 

Therefore, Mississippi State University will conduct research to: 1) Collect and 

compare variety performance of different heirloom vegetables including 

tomatoes, beans, peppers, and cucumbers; 2) Develop cultural 

recommendations adapted to Mississippi climate; and 3) Investigate 

vegetable compositions and nutritional values of heirloom varieties 

compared to commercial ones. Results generated from this study are 

expected to increase competiveness of Mississippi vegetable production and 

promote a healthy local food system in the state.

$21,873.75

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

GAP/GHP Cost-share 

Program to Better Equip 

Growers for the Produce 

Safety Rule

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) would like 

to continue a reimbursement cost-share program with the goal of increasing 

the number of Mississippi farmers with GAP/GHP certification at 75 percent 

percent of certification costs or a maximum of $500 to allow them to 

compete in these markets, while also educating other growers on the 

possibilities of new markets that can open once they receive this certification.

$30,000.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26 Honey Producers 

Production Seminar

The Mississippi Beekeepers Association will provide two seminars over two 

years to relay knowledge that should enhance productivity of honey for sale 

and distribution within the state. These seminars are designed to give the 

commercial and sideliner beekeeping community the tools and information 

needed to increase productivity, production efficiencies, and food safety 

practices that will increase and enhance their businesses.

$12,274.73
176

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Identification of Lifecycle 

Volatile Organic 

Compound Signatures 

from Fungus Infected 

Sweet Potato

Mississippi State University proposes to continue development of Detection 

Machinery capable of identifying charcoal rot pathogen (Macrophomina 

phaseolina-Mp) contamination of sweet potato and other agronomic crops. 

This fungal species is a causal agent of charcoal rot in row and horticultural 

crops important to Mississippi’s agricultural industry. Mp is the major cause 

of significant agricultural economic losses each year in the US, therefore 

analytical methods that can provide an early warning for the presence of Mp, 

especially with storage crops is economically important to the state. Portable 

fungi detection equipment that can be used within warehouse pre-storage 

and packaging facilities could eliminate losses and prevent infected product 

from entering the marketplace. Therefore, to complete the project it is 

necessary to maintain the collaboration of our diverse team to explore the 

development of rapid detection methods for qualitative and quantitative 

analysis of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) and extractable 

organic compounds (EOCs) to identify specific chemicals unique to Mp. This 

project will concentrate on collecting volatile chemical profiles during the 

entire lifecycle of the infected sweet potato. This will allow for the 

development of the discriminating algorithms that will be able to identify the 

presence of the fungus during all stages.

$29,463.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Integrating Low-Cost Soil 

Moisture Sensor 

Technology for 

Sustainable Vegetable 

Production

Mississippi State University will implement soil moisture sensor technologies, 

irrigation management, and nutrient management strategies to mitigate 

over-or-under irrigating, nutrient leaching, decreased vegetable yields, while 

determining facilitators and barriers to stakeholder adoption of these 

technologies by developing scientifically-based practical measures and 

disseminating results through a multi-media website, Extension training 

module for new and beginning farmers, scientific and grower meetings, and 

hands-on field days.

$37,671.30
177

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Public Relations and 

Marketing Campaign to 

Promote Buying 

Mississippi Watermelons

Farm Families of Mississippi will develop and implement a promotional 

campaign that educates consumers on the benefits of buying Mississippi 

grown watermelons. We will establish a baseline sales figure for the 2019 

crop year, produce and air television and radio spots and buy billboards and 

digital marketing space promoting the purchasing of Mississippi 

watermelons. We will then compile sales figures for the 2020 crop year to 

compare with the baseline sales figure, as well as statistics for the number of 

people potentially reached by our advertisements and promotional materials.

$150,000.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Sustainability for 

Specialty Crop Producers 

thru Chef / Restaurant 

Partnerships

Eat Y’all will conduct two sales & marketing training workshops for specialty 

crop producers that will include classroom training, in-restaurant experience 

as well as a sales networking event with chefs. Follow-up mentoring and 

referrals will be provided to all program participants for up to 12 months.

$23,962.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Using Soil Steaming and 

Cover-Crops for Weed 

Management and 

Increased Profitability of 

Tomato Production

The Mississippi State University will provide effective control of problematic 

weeds in tomato production systems using soil steaming and integrating 

them with cover crops and OMRI-approved herbicides. The main goal of this 

project is to use steaming in combination with cover-crop treatments to 

control major weeds in organically grown tomato, including yellow and 

purple nutsedge, annual grasses, and pigweed species. The soil steaming and 

cover-crop treatments will be compared with standard, conventional 

commercial practices, to determine the relative profitability and overall 

sustainability of the alternative system (utilizing soil steaming and cover 

crops) for growers. Results from this project will be made available to 

approximately 1,200 stakeholders at the Vegetable Field Day, American 

Society of Horticultural Science, and Southern Weed Science Society Annual 

Meeting, combined.

$30,000.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26

Utilizing the Terminal 

Flowering Locus 1 Gene 

to Revolutionize Plant 

Breeding by Overcoming 

Flower Inhibition

The Terminal Flowering Locus 1 (TFL1) gene inhibits flower development. 

Roses and strawberries that carry mutant alleles for this gene continuously 

flower. Continuously flowering plants are precious to the landscape industry, 

and flower formation is also a key component of plant breeding programs. 

Mississippi State University will develop a revolutionary method to accelerate 

plant breeding by utilizing virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to initiate early 

$20,000.00
178

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

flower formation by programming the tobacco rattle virus (TRV) to turn off 

TFL1 in plants transiently.

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,843.26 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$31,539.41

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

1. GAPs Certification 

Funding and Produce 

Safety Outreach for 

Missouri Producers

The University of Missouri (MU) Extension will assist at least 25 Missouri 

(MO) fruit and vegetable producers in earning USDA Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAPs) certification each year for two years of the project, which 

will help growers gain access to new markets that require this certification. 

This will help improve the profitability of MO fruit and vegetable producers 

and will enable more MO-grown produce to be sold through markets in MO 

(grocery stores, distributors, schools, etc.) that require GAP certification, so 

more MO consumers will have the opportunity to consume safe, MO-grown 

produce. To accomplish this, we envisage the following project activities: 1) 

Provide produce safety workshops and on-farm technical assistance to assist 

farmers with obtaining GAPs certification. 2) Establish a GAPs certification 

cost share program where MU Extension will directly pay USDA up to half of a 

MO produce farm’s cost of USDA GAP certification, with a maximum payment 

of $800 per farm per year. The farm will be responsible to pay the remaining 

certification costs. 3) Provide microbial water testing to farmers, which is a 

requirement for GAP certification. This project will build on the success of our 

previous and current produce safety training efforts, including on general 

produce safety, as well as on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) 

Produce Safety Rule. We will also share templates and other information that 

can help MO produce growers obtain GAP certification on our MU Extension 

produce safety website, so other farmers can also access that information.

$49,482.00
179

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04 2. Assessing Demand for 

Missouri Specialty Crops

The University of Missouri requests Specialty Crop Block Grant funding to 

measure how specialty crop food product demand varies throughout 

Missouri and share that information with Missouri producers, so they can 

make well informed marketing decisions. To assess demand for Missouri 

specialty crop products, the project will collect 1,100 survey responses from 

Missouri consumers — 100 in each of the 11 regions defined by the Missouri 

Department of Agriculture. Survey questions will ask consumers to indicate 

their preferences for specific foods (e.g., tomatoes, apples) and identify 

attributes (e.g., organic, local) that they expect. Questions will also gauge 

whether consumers have enough access to Missouri-grown specialty crop 

goods in various distribution outlets (e.g., grocery stores, farmers markets). 

By comparing responses on a regional basis, the project will create a regional 

food demand index that Missouri producers can reference to identify 

specialty crop marketing opportunities according to geography. The index will 

be shared via the Food Market Evaluation Tool in the Agriculture 

Opportunities in Missouri platform, an online educational resource that 

provides decision tools that producers can use to evaluate crop 

opportunities. Train-the-trainer sessions and direct-to-producer training will 

equip Missouri specialty crop producers with the market intelligence 

developed through the project and enable them to deliver products that 

satisfy Missouri consumers’ needs and enhance their operations’ 

competitiveness.

$25,031.00
180

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

3. Determining the 

Impact of the Endophytic 

Microbiome on Grape 

Physiology

Researchers at the University of Missouri will investigate the role of grape 

endophytic microbes in grape berry growth, including berry size and cluster 

compactness. The grape berry microbiome is not well understood, and little is 

known about fungal endophytes. This study seeks to explore the role of the 

grape microbiome by manipulating it and measuring the effect. Preliminary 

results conducted in 2018 show that through the application of four different 

single-species commercial yeast to the grape clusters at bloom, berry size, 

cluster compactness and amount of juice at harvest were all affected by 

manipulation of the microbiota. In this study, we seek to understand the 

dynamics of the endophytic populations using Illumina sequencing, and to 

understand the role of these microbes in berry physiology. Little is currently 

known about the role of fungal endophytes in berry development. The 

implications of this research for Missouri grape growers is substantial, as 

Missouri’s most widely planted white grape cultivar, Vitis interspecific hybrid 

cv. Vignoles, is a famously tight-clustered grape cultivar, resulting in high 

amounts of disease, and therefore, pesticide applications. While research has 

been undertaken for many years to attempt to loosen clusters, with little 

success. The preliminary research in this study, however, shows that both 

berry size and cluster compactness can be affected through changes to the 

microbiome. Furthering this area of research could lead to significant 

advancements in viticultural practices, resulting in changes to management 

of certain cultivars, including the potential for reduced pesticide usage.

$38,010.00
181

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

4. Buffer Distance 

Impact on Dicamba 

Damage to Potato, 

Watermelon and 

Tomato

The Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia will 

estimate the safety of field grown potatoes, watermelons, and tomatoes to 

applications of dicamba on adjacent dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybeans. 

Currently, buffers from sensitive crops are required on the label (110 feet), 

but these are established based upon distance to adjacent sensitive soybeans 

and cotton. The sensitivity of specialty crops to dicamba may be higher, 

rendering current buffers insufficient. Growers planted 40 million acres of 

dicamba-tolerant soybeans nationwide in 2018. Off-target damage attributed 

to dicamba was widespread in 2018, even though guidelines for use were 

more stringent than for any other herbicide. In Missouri, up to 45 percent of 

soybeans in 2018 were dicamba-tolerant. Because soybeans in Missouri 

occupied ~5.7 million acres, the probability that dicamba applications occur 

near specialty crops is high. Specialty crops may be at risk both upwind and 

downwind of dicamba applications from particle or vapor drift. In addition to 

visual damage and reduced yield, the fruit of sensitive plants may also 

contain low concentrations of dicamba. Residues in fruit would reduce sales 

at farm-stands and farmer’s markets; residues in organic crops would make 

fruit unsaleable. Research would be conducted over a two-year period and 

results disseminated to vegetable growers throughout Missouri. Results 

would also be shared with dicamba manufacturers and the MO Dept. of 

Agriculture officials to determine if current dicamba use guidelines are 

acceptable. The viability of the vegetable industry and public trust for safe 

consumption of vegetables relies on research projects such as this.

$49,853.10

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

5. Optimizing Cultivars 

and Processing for Hard 

Cider and Apple Wines

The University of Missouri will revitalize the Missouri apple industry by 

opening new markets for growers by improving the quality of apple 

beverages that can be produced from Missouri-grown fruit. We will optimize 

processing options for common apple cultivars currently planted, as well 

evaluate new cultivars classically used for cider production. Results will be 

disseminated to stakeholders through a cider school, grower meetings, 

demonstrations, and on-line publications. The overall goal of this two-year 

project is to evaluate apple juice from conventional cultivars presently grown 

in Missouri, as well as those with high tannin content for processing with and 

without pomace into hard cider or wine.

$33,410.00
182

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

6. Evaluating Essential 

Oils for Insect Control in 

High Tunnels

Webb City Farmers Market will test the efficacy of essential oils in repelling 

and killing of aphids, spider mites and Thrips in high tunnels. There is 

currently no research on essential oils to be found in any literature on 

specialty crops. With insects developing resistance to many chemicals and 

the need to protect beneficial insects, natural insecticides may provide relief 

for high tunnel farmers. The research component will consist of three farms, 

a certified organic farm, a farm that uses organic practices and one 

conventional farm. Oils to be purchased are pure 100 percent therapeutic 

and include 1) Cedar, 2) Lemongrass, 3) Peppermint, 4) Lavender and 5) 

Orange. These oils in various concentrations will be applied using a backpack 

fogger. Participating farmers will apply oils based on the insect issues in 

greens, tomatoes and cucumbers they have had in previous seasons. 

Application will be preventative at the start of the growing season and 

applied weekly year-round for two years. Farmers will observe insect 

populations on a weekly basis and record numbers of aphids, spider mite and 

Thrips present using sticky cards and traps.

$30,569.32
183

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

7. Explore the Economic 

Opportunities and 

Health Benefits of the 

Pawpaw in Missouri

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) will identify the 

health-benefits and explore the novel uses of the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) in 

cosmetic, personal care products, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical 

industries by systematically examining their health-promoting compounds. 

Tasks to be completed to address this research aim include: 1) conduct 

scientific research in characterizing the health-promoting compounds in the 

pawpaw and its byproducts (fruits, juices, bark, leaves, and root extracts) 

through modern mass spectrometry, global metabolomics analysis and highthroughput screening bioassay protocol, 2) conduct a market research to 

identify potential uses and formulation of the identified health-promoting 

compounds from pawpaw and byproducts for cosmetic, personal care 

products and pharmaceutical industries; 3) conduct a national consumer 

survey to examine the niche market of the identified value-added products; 

and 4) perform outreach activities to transfer the knowledge about new uses, 

and market potentials to local producers, harvesters, and industries. A 

market guide will be compiled to provide information on health-promoting 

compounds from pawpaw and byproducts, their potential uses in producing 

value-added products in the industries; market price ranges for the identified 

value-added products; strategies in pricing pawpaw byproducts; and a 

database of potential byproducts buyers. Market potential of the organic 

based products derived from pawpaw and its byproducts will also be 

predicted and illustrated in the guide. The proposed study will increase the 

overall incomes of the chain production and benefit all the participants 

involved in the supply chain of pawpaw industry in Missouri.

$46,689.00
184

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

8. Columbia Farmers 

Market Specialty Crop 

Cooking Demonstration 

Educational Program

The Columbia Farmers Market will increase purchasing and consumption of 

specialty crops (SCs) by developing relationships with mid-Missouri chefs and 

establishing a specialty crop cooking demonstration program at the market. 

CFM customers will be educated on best cooking techniques of SCs through 

30 cooking demonstrations (over two years) with local chefs, SC vendor and 

product information, through product samples, and by receiving recipe cards. 

Researchers at the University of Missouri will investigate the role of grape 

endophytic microbes in grape berry growth, including berry size and cluster 

compactness. The grape berry microbiome is not well understood, and little is 

known about fungal endophytes. This study seeks to explore the role of the 

grape microbiome by manipulating it and measuring the effect.

$28,775.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

9. Educating KC Metro 

Farmers on Climate 

Resilience Strategies

Cultivate Kansas City plans to develop a pilot program to help specialty crop 

farmers learn about, plan for, and adapt to current and projected changes in 

weather associated with climate change. The program will require 1) 

organizing farmer-to-farmer education groups (1 per year) that work to 

gather and share knowledge and data organizing; 2) training of systems to 

help farmers focus on development of a simple soil monitoring plan and 

strategies to increase soil resilience and productivity; 3) development of 

shared learning/ data gathering systems to help farmers focus on the 

challenges of changing pest pressures in specialty crops; and 4) assisting 

farmers with risk assessment and management plans related to current and 

future disruptions to their farming operations caused by climate change. The 

pilot will focus on strategies that help them ameliorate the impact of climate 

change through use of technologies such as shade cloth, insect netting, and 

high tunnels, develop farm resilience through storm water management, soil 

improvement, and crop diversification, and explore transformative 

approaches to their farming operations to ensure their farms will be 

productive and viable despite projected disruptions to their farming systems.

$38,200.85
185

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

10. Impact of Viruses on 

Soluble Sugar Content in 

Grapevine Leaves

The University of Missouri will research plant viruses such as Grapevine 

leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) and Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) 

that are major threats to grape and wine production in the United States. 

Both GLRaV-3 and GRBV have been associated with delays in ripening and 

altered fruit juice chemistry in Vitis vinifera, including a reduction in Brix and 

lower anthocyanin contents, as well as diminishing vine health. However, 

little is known about the impact of these viruses on the physiology of grape 

hybrids. Almost all the 1,700 acres of wine grapes grown in Missouri are 

hybrids. We recently completed a survey for grapevine viruses in Missouri 

and found that GRBV and GLRaV-3 were detected in a significant number of 

our samples. Consequently, it is important to investigate the impact these 

viruses might have on vine physiology. In this proposal we will examine the 

influence of virus infection on the accumulation of soluble sugars in leaves of 

Norton, Chambourcin and the symptomatic host Crimson Cabernet. Crimson 

Cabernet is the progeny of Norton crossed with Cabernet Sauvignon, 

resulting in a genetic background of 62.5 percent V. vinifera and 37.5 percent 

V. aestivalis. The accumulation of soluble sugars in leaves of grapevines 

infected with GRBV and GLRaV-3 has been associated with delays in berry 

ripening in V. vinifera varieties. The information generated from this research 

will be important for assessing the impact of virus infection on grape hybrid 

production and provide guidance for managing vineyards infected with GRBV 

and GLRaV-3 in Missouri.

$32,683.00
186

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04

11. Optimization of 

Vignoles Grape Breeding 

Using Molecular Genetic 

Approaches

Missouri State University will research genetic resistance into grape cultivars 

by developing genetic mapping to prevent fungal diseases in the production 

of Vignoles. Vitis interspecific hybrid ‘Vignoles’ is a popular white wine grape 

in mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states including Missouri. It is a cold hardy 

French hybrid with V. vinifera ‘Pinot Noir’ background and produces high 

quality sweet fruity wines. However, it is highly susceptible to Botrytis bunch 

rot and powdery mildew. Thus, the production of Vignoles requires extensive 

pesticide use for fungal diseases. This study will begin with the confirmation 

of the F1 interspecific hybrids using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to 

enable rapid development of a mapping population. Careful genetic mapping 

of this population will provide the foundation and tools to associate 

molecular markers with the Botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew 

resistance. The integration of effective genetic resistance into grape cultivars 

would reduce the dependence of viticulture on chemical inputs and have 

significant environmental, health and financial benefits.

$49,900.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$459,408.04 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$36,748.11

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

A diagnostics tool for 

potato and pulse crop 

pathogens

Montana State University will lead this project to develop a computer 

program to help identify fungal plant pathogens of potatoes and pulses from 

photographs captured with mobile phones. Seed potato and pulse production 

systems are negatively impacted by plant diseases that reduce crop yields, 

quality, and marketability. Because accurate disease diagnostics are timeconsuming and often require specialized expertise and resources, this project 

aims to develop a fast, accurate, and inexpensive tool to enable 

diagnosticians to identify plant pathogens without specialized skills and 

resources. To accomplish this goal, the research team will identify common 

potato and pulse pathogens with traditional molecular biology tools, train 

artificial intelligence algorithm to identify pathogens from photographs, and 

Conduct workshops where diagnosticians will be trained.

$104,718.00
187

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Advancement of Potato 

Virus Y Detection and 

Quantification Assays

Montana State University will lead the project to develop nucleic acid-based 

tests for Potato Virus Y (PVY) in both potato leaf and tuber tissue and to 

perform numerous nucleic acid based diagnostic tests on tuber and leaf 

samples. Montana growers have experienced increasing losses of early 

generation seed potatoes due to wider prevalence of PVY in their fields. PVYinfection reduces the value of the initially infected potato tubers, as well as 

successive generations of seed potato crops. Severe PVY-infection may result 

in loss of entire seed potato generations. One important strategy to limit PVY 

infection is early detection and elimination of infected plants. Currently, 

members of the MSU Seed Potato Lab inspect all potato fields in the state 

and intensively test leaf tissue in early generations for PVY using an antibodybased enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure PVY 

incidence. The outcomes of this project include the development sensitive 

and quantitative PVY-diagnostic tests that will address Montana potato 

growers’ need to obtain PVY-data in a timely fashion.

$19,377.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Expanding Montana’s 

Apple Industry through 

Research, Outreach, 

Education and Orchard 

Preservation

Montana State University Western Agricultural Research Center (MSU-WARC) 

will lead this project to 1) provide farmer education; 2) support research; 3) 

plan and support infrastructures; and 4) increase consumer awareness. 

Through cultivar research both at the WARC and in heritage and commercial 

orchards around Montana, the research team will identify cultivars suitable 

to grow for cider and dessert purposes in extreme environments. The study 

will provide recommendation and other grower resources that are accessible 

to growers through publications and at workshops. MSU will work with 

established growers to continue to market Montana grown apples using the 

story of Montana’s apple heritage to help the industry brand and to 

propagate heritage apple trees for distribution to growers through local 

nurseries.

$189,435.00
188

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Expanding Montana’s 

New Specialty Crop 

Producer Efficiencies 

through Mini-grants and 

Field-Tested Education

Expanding Montana’s New Specialty Crop Producer Efficiencies through Minigrants and Field-Tested Education will grow Community Food and Agricultural 

Coalition’s (CFAC) established mini-grant process to financially aid a minimum 

of 12 beginning specialty crop producers over a one-year period to purchase 

farm infrastructure or tools that will increase on-farm production capacities. 

The project will provide education to farmers by way of one-on-one regional 

technical assistance and Field-Tested reports. The Field-Tested reports offer 

an avenue to educate other specialty crop producers throughout the state 

through a farmer-peer network to learn about time-saving tools, techniques 

to increase output, and infrastructure to enhance small-farms, which will 

increase production and competitiveness of specialty crops in Montana.

$106,018.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13 Farm to Glass Video 

Series

FireRoot Spirits will lead this project to create a compilation of twelve videos 

promoting Montana’s orchards, vineyards, and farms, which take a specialty 

crop from the farm and craft it into a unique and delicious beverage. The 

object of making these 12 videos is to show the farms and craft beverage 

operations, encourage agritourism in Montana to purchase these valueadded products in and out of state. Video is one of the best educational and 

marketing tools. This video series is intended to grow the knowledge and 

excitement about specialty crops, and their associated value-added 

production as a part of the Farm-To-Glass movement of Montana’s craft 

alcohol industry, educating the public on the importance of specialty crops 

agriculture in our state’s economy.

$67,488.00
189

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Foundational Research 

for Specialty Crop 

Pollination Security –

The (Wild) Bees of 

Montana

Montana State University will lead this project to collect bees in many unsampled or under-sampled regions of Montana, and curate them into the 

Montana Entomology Collection. The project also includes a training of a 

student in bee taxonomy. Training the student in bee taxonomy is necessary 

to increase the efficiency. Identifying bees is the first step of building the 

knowledge on how pollination happens for specialty crops around the state. 

Mis-identifying or slowing the process of identification of bees will inhibit the 

project from meeting the goal of categorizing specialty crop pollinators. 

Building on the previous SCBG by MSU on huckleberry pollinators, this project 

will continue the first documentation of occurrence and distributional 

documentation of the native bees of Montana.

$60,000.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Identifying beneficial 

root traits in field pea 

and lentil breeding 

populations

Montana State university (MSU) will lead this project to identify: 1) the root 

characteristics that lead to water extraction patterns favorable for grain yield; 

2) genotypic variability in traits such as root length density at different 

depths, biomass accumulation, harvest index, and water use efficiency; and 

3) lines that could subsequently be used as parents in the breeding program. 

Water availability is the most important constraint to yield in Montana, and 

efforts are needed to understand characteristics that confer better tolerance 

and resilience in specialty crops under dry conditions. We can then use this 

knowledge in breeding programs to provide producers with better-adapted 

varieties. Root characteristics are candidate traits for improved drought 

tolerance but have historically been difficult to investigate. New tools are 

allowing us to observe roots in the ground and non-destructively over the 

growing season and assess differences between crops and cultivars. Root 

characteristics are likely to be the next major traits that will contribute to 

genetic gains for improved yields.

$60,165.00
190

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Organic management of 

root rot disease 

complex, a major 

constraint to pulse crop 

production

Montana State University (MSU) will lead this project to accomplish the 

following tasks: 1) evaluate seven herbal essentials oils for root rot pathogen 

growth inhibition in agar plate assay; 2) treat seeds of chickpea, dry pea, and 

lentil with essential oils. The effects of oil treatment on seed germination rate 

and phenotypes of subsequent plants will be compared with untreated seeds 

to determine phytotoxicity; and 3) treat seeds at non-phytotoxic essential oil 

dilutions. Treated seeds will be planted in soil inoculated with each of the 

root rot pathogens; 4) evaluate Different dilutions of the seven herbal 

essential oils for toxicity on commonly used strains of Rhizobium species for 

chickpea, dry pea, and lentil; and 5) evaluate the effectiveness of the oils to 

eliminate root rot pathogens in infested soils.

$82,226.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Plant Nutrition and Soil 

Fertility Management for 

High Tunnel Vegetable 

Production

Montana State University will lead this project to 1) identify the most 

effective soil amendments to increase the yield and quality of specialty crops 

grown in high tunnels; 2) document the effect of soil amendments on 

measurable soil health parameters; and 3) engage with specialty crop 

producers to foster dialogue about implementation and interpretation of the 

tests that can be used in plant nutrition and soil fertility management. The 

objective of this project is to address market gardener’s concerns regarding 

soil fertility in the production of high value specialty vegetable crops. This 

research will help Montana specialty crop growers using high tunnels to 

manage soil health to both maintain cropping intensity and mitigate risks of 

excessive nutrient accumulation.

$118,208.00
191

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13 Root rot mitigation in 

specialty crops

This project by Montana State University focuses on dry pea production in 

Montana but will benefit lentil, chickpea, dry bean and potato production 

since dry peas are often grown in rotation with these crops. Aphanomyces 

root rot is a major threat to the pulse crop industry and has driven dry pea 

acreage out of infested areas in Canada and North Dakota. Once 

Aphanomyces is established in a field, the rotation interval for susceptible 

crops is 8-20 years. Prevention is highly preferable to management after 

infestation, as this disease is very difficult to control. Here, we will continue 

host range studies of A. euteiches isolates collected in Montana, study 

simulated greenhouse crop rotation cycles for effect on Aphanomyces root 

rot disease potential, test the relationship between pH and Aphanomyces 

growth and disease severity, and disseminate the information to growers and 

stakeholders.

$65,214.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Strategically Growing 

Cider and Apple Market 

In Montana

The Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) will lead this project to conduct 

direct to consumer and industry professionals (gatekeepers) marketing to 

grow the overall market for cider made in Montana. Consumers, buyers, and 

bartenders in Montana are not largely aware of the variety and quality of 

cider produced in Montana. This project will coordinate a marketing 

campaign to simultaneously raise consumer awareness of Montana cider and 

build out the supply chain for Montana cider sales. Based on the foundation 

of previous efforts, this project will address the lack of awareness about 

Montana craft cider through strategic, traditional advertising and marketing 

projects. NWCA will also address the supply chain limitations and grow 

distribution for cider through the state targeted industry events and 

education campaigns.

$106,345.00
192

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Supporting emerging 

needs and enhancing 

profitability in Montana 

small fruit production 

through research, 

education, and market 

development

Montana State University (MSU) will lead this project to address emerging 

grower needs and knowledge gaps, with anticipated outcomes, with the 

following five focuses: 1) defining and assessing treatments to lengthen the 

window of fresh marketability for haskaps and serviceberries, 2) determining 

consumer acceptance for fresh market sour cherries, haskaps, and service 

berries, relative to other fruits available at similar seasonal time frame, 3) 

determining fruit postharvest characteristics for value-added products 4) 

tabulating and reporting expected labor costs, and 5) performing grower 

education and consumer awareness activities. This project addresses meets 

objectives in all four program Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) 

Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) priorities, including Farmer Education, 

Research, Planning and Infrastructure, and Consumer Awareness.

$167,731.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Understanding Chickpea 

and Dry Pea Water Use 

to Build Better Crop 

Rotations

The Montana State University will lead this project to conduct a replicated 

study using drip-irrigation to supplement seasonal precipitation and a 

regression model to quantify the yield response of chickpea and pea in a 

semi-arid environment. Pulse crop water use is less than wheat, but 

quantification is not known for the producers in Montanathis region. A better 

understanding of water use efficiency (WUE) of pulses will assist growers in 

deciding on appropriate crop sequences. This project aims to generate a 

regression analysis to analyze chickpea and dry pea yields in an experimental 

design where small increments of irrigation water are added to a rainfed 

system to provide side by side environments, using the drip irrigation to 

quantitatively make these water additions. The study aims to gain a better 

understanding of water use efficiency (WUE) of pulses, which will benefit 

growers in making better decision on appropriate crop sequences.

$83,670.00
193

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Variety Selection and 

Agronomic Performance 

of Faba Bean

Montana State University will lead this 3-year pioneer project to evaluate 

faba bean germplasm to select varieties suitable for cover crops and/or grain 

production, and to develop agronomic best-management strategies. Faba 

beans is not as susceptible to crop disease and has the potential to be 

successfully integrated in the cropping systems in Montana. Promoting faba 

bean (and other legumes) can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers that 

can lead to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emission. This 

project aims to improve faba bean production in Montana by screening 

germplasm, under dryland and irrigation, to select adapted varieties. This 

research will also focus on best management practices for planting date, 

seeding rate, and disease management. It will provide growers with 

knowledge and tools to grow faba beans more efficiently and profitably.

$41,187.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13

Variety Selection and 

Intercropping Strategies 

for Disease Management 

in Conventional and 

Organic Chickpea 

Production

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a high-value pulse crop with excellent market 

potential and rotational benefits for growers in Montana. Demand for 

chickpea, especially for organic chickpea, has been growing rapidly, creating 

opportunities for growers. Disease management is the primary challenge in 

both conventional and organic productions. Recently, researchers and 

growers are attempting to intercrop chickpea with other crops, such as flax, 

in conventional and organic production systems to reduce disease infestation 

and spread. However, little information on what varieties are compatible 

with what crops in intercropping, and agronomic strategies have not been 

well developed for intercropping chickpeas.

$137,383.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,522,401.13 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$112,718.17
194

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

A Wine Industry 

Dilemma: Does Crop Size 

Reduction Make Better 

Wine?

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) Viticulture Program will lead this 

project to optimize vineyard production and quality in order to produce the 

best quality wine at the most profitable crop load. This project will 1) control 

crop load at three levels for two different cultivars of grapes in a commercial 

vineyard; 2) apply best canopy management practices for the different 

cultivars based on their individual growth characteristics ; 3) assure that crop 

load is the experimental variable providing meaningful results; 4) compare 

field sampling versus lab analysis of fruit quality and wine quality; 5) establish 

if crop load affects ripening time and thus harvest date; and 6) determine 

crop load level that produces the best quality wine.

$69,948.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Adoption of 

Evapotranspiration (Crop 

Water Use), Irrigation 

Requirements, Crop 

Production Functions 

and Crop Coefficients of 

Vineyard, Watermelon, 

and

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), in partnership with produce 

growers, will measure crop evapotranspiration (ETc), irrigation requirements 

(IR), ET-yield production functions (ETYPFs) and crop coefficients (Kc) for 

three different irrigated watermelon hybrids, irrigated and rain-fed sweet 

corn, and irrigated vineyards. This study will make significant contributions in 

providing information and knowledge to producers that are seeking to better 

manage their specialty crops. The end goal is to provide producers with 

scientific and research-based data and information that will help them make 

better informed decisions in their crop and water management practices, 

enhance their productivity, and increase their economic return.

$93,396.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Development of 

CRISPR/Cas Gene Edited 

Dry Bean for Non-GMO 

Genetic Modifications

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Department of Plant Pathology, will 

develop a dry bean gene editing (CRISPR/Cas) system that offers quick and 

targeted development of next generation of improved common dry bean 

genotypes able to mitigate negative effects of diseases, drought and other 

adverse conditions stabilizing and improving productivity and availability of 

this nutritious food crop. Availability of genetically altered bean lines free 

from regulatory constraints of transgenic plants will significantly expedite the 

ongoing comprehensive, integrated and multi-disciplinary approach for 

common bean improvement expanding opportunities and enhancing crop 

value for the Nebraska dry bean growers.

$42,120.00
195

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Elucidating the Genetics 

of Bacterial Wilt 

Resistance in Dry Beans 

and Mapping the 

Resistance Genes

The University of Nebraska will lead this project to test a Recombinant Inbred 

Line Population developed by single seed descent against the seven bacterial 

wilt isolates. Bacterial wilt has reemerged as a significant disease impacting 

dry bean production throughout the Central High Plains. This project plans to 

1) elucidate the inheritance of bacterial wilt resistance in dry beans; 2) map 

the genes associated with bacterial wilt resistance.; 3) identify molecular 

markers that can be used in dry bean breeding programs; and 4) Genetic 

characterization of bacteria isolates. The overall goal of this project is to 

determine the genetics of bacterial wilt resistance and identify molecular 

markers that can be used in dry bean breeding programs.

$48,630.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16 Great Plains Hybrid 

Hazelnut Trials

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) will lead 

this project aims to provide test plants for interested collaborators in western 

Nebraska, central Kansas, eastern Colorado, southern Arkansas, and central 

Tennessee. NFS will purchase and distribute two genotypes of hybrid 

hazelnuts to collaborators for testing. Below is the work that will be 

performed. NRF will collect data from the collaborators to include plant 

survival, cold hardiness, disease resistance, and pest issues, and to compile 

data to examine whether the plants are indeed suitable for each state and 

climate zone. The result will be delivered in different platforms.

$10,800.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Growers Leaderboard –

Youth Education 

Program

Nebraska Extension will provide summer outreach education programs to 

urban and rural youth ages 13-18 in the cultivation, production, harvest, and 

distribution of fresh specialty crops to increase awareness, improve personal 

wellness, community involvement, explore opportunities in 

entrepreneurship, and expand availability of specialty crops in fresh food 

drought areas. Participants will develop and cultivate specialty crops in a 

garden, record productivity data, determine and record amount of harvest 

consumed and distribution through a team accountability competition 

described as the Growers Leaderboard.

$40,526.00
196

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Honey Production: 

Testing the Effectiveness 

of Alternative Hive 

Structures

The Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) will lead this project to test the 

effectiveness and production of alternative hive structures, in partner with 

the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) Bee Lab and area beekeepers. The 

honey industry has experienced a drop in the number of hives since at least 

2015 through pressures on bee health and beekeeper retirement. This 

project will educate new and existing beekeepers on alternative hive 

structures that support honey production and honey bee health by tracking 

production and hive behavior at existing apiaries selected as test sites. 

Results will be shared with beekeeping associations, the newly established 

Great Plains Master Beekeeping program, and through CFRA media to reach 

other beekeepers.

$62,875.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Improving Pest 

Management in Dry 

Edible Beans Using a 

Western Bean Cutworm 

Monitoring Network

The University of Nebraska’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center (UNLPHREC) will create a program for the more effective control of the Western 

Bean Cutworm. The goal of this project is three-fold. First, we intend to 

design and develop a Western Bean Cutworm monitoring network that will 

provide timely, accurate information to growers and crop consultants. 

Second, we intend to analyze the effect of insecticide applications on 

beneficial arthropods and damage levels in dry edible bean. Third, we intend 

to quantify the economic impact of the Western Bean Cutworm on 

Nebraska’s dry edible bean production with a particular focus on the 

correlation between Western Bean Cutworm numbers and dry bean damage. 

Results will be made available to the public.

$32,832.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Increased Access and 

Awareness of Nebraska’s 

Specialty Crops through 

Culinary Education 

(IAANSCCE)

Southeast Community College (SCC) will lead this project to increase 

awareness, access, and utilization of selected Nebraska specialty crops. The 

project has four components: 1) SCC’s Culinary Program will create and 

incorporate specialty-crop-specific content into the culinary curriculum; 2) 

culinary students will grow specialty crop foods in a campus garden, an 

innovative way to make the curriculum more engaging and hands-on; 3) the 

culinary curriculum will include more class visits to farms that produce 

specialty crops; and 4) conduct outreach in SCC’s student-operated 

restaurant and coffee shop, demonstrations, and educational events by 

promoting and featuring dishes made with specialty crops. SCC will also 

$37,463.00
197

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

evaluate effectiveness of curriculum in increasing students’ intention to 

access and utilize specialty crops post-graduation.

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Producing High Seed 

Protein Pea 

Manipulating Nitrogen 

Fertilizer Application in 

Nebraska Panhandle

The University of Nebraska-Panhandle Research and Extension Center will 

evaluate nitrogen fertilizer management strategy (rate, sources and time of 

application) for improving pea seed protein quantity and quality in western 

Nebraska. The project will be in collaboration with Drs. Bijesh Maharjan (UNLPHREC) and Dr. Kaustav Majumdar (UNL Food Sci. & Technology). Two high 

seed protein and two low seed protein varieties will be plated at under 

rainfed production conditionals in Sidney and Scottsbluff following three 

different N sources, four N rates and two different application times. The 

experiments will be repeated 2nd year. An on-farm trial will be conducted to 

compare farmer’s common practice and a best N source/rate identified in 

year-1 & 2.

$43,200.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16 Terroir of Nebraska 

Grown Hops

University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers will deploy Arable Mark P001 

sensors in Sutton, Norfolk, Lincoln, and Panhandle regions of Nebraska to 

collect environmental and hop growth data from diverse Nebraska growing 

environments. Hop tissue samples will be collected at multiple times 

throughout the growing season and subjected to gas chromatography-mass 

spectrometry (GC-MS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to characterize volatile 

compounds and other elements. A model will be developed to describe how 

hop flavor profiles are influenced by their growing environment. In years two 

and three, similar samples will be collected from different hop yards in 

Eastern Nebraska to validate and refine the models.

$52,056.00
198

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Vegetable Variety Trial 

Research and Education 

for Eastern Nebraska 

Growers

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Extension will lead this 

project to provide tools and educational programming and resources to help 

produce farmers in Nebraska improve yields and performance by conducting 

vegetable variety field trials on broccoli, bell pepper and cucumbers. This 

project will 1) evaluate newly-released broccoli, bell pepper, and cucumber 

cultivars for yield, quality, pest-resistance, and customer preference across 

two years and a minimum of three farms per crop in eastern Nebraska; 2) 

develop educational programming and published resources about vegetable 

cultivar selection for commercial growers.; and 3) evaluate learning 

implications of on-farm research and the emergence of participating 

producers as farm community leaders.

$90,462.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16

Year-Round Strawberry 

Production / New 

Propagation Techniques

Papio Valley Nursery Inc., in conjunction with the University of Nebraska –

Lincoln (UNL) will conduct technology transfer experiments at Papio Valley 

greenhouses. Utilizing a new heat and power-combined energy system, the 

goal is to create year-round production schedules for fresh strawberries and 

conduct experiments on propagation of strawberry plants. If successful, this 

project will allow Nebraska growers to obtain dormant crowns locally and/or 

produce fresh berries throughout the year.

$50,000.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$733,142.16 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$58,637.46

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05

10th Annual Nevada 

State Beekeepers 

Conference 2020

The Mason Valley Beekeepers (MVB) is organizing the 10th Annual Nevada 

State Beekeepers Conference on February 21-22, 2020 in Yerington, Nevada. 

This conference intends to provide research, education and outreach for local 

honey producers and others interested in beekeeping. Funding this grant will 

provide speaker fees and lodging for renown educators and researchers in 

the beekeeping industry and help defray the cost of the conference venue.

$10,040.00
199

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05 Butternut SquashesField to table

The objective of this research and education project are to test the new 

variety of butter nut squash, 898 squash which is found to have concentrated 

sweetness, flavor, beta-carotene, and mature in 110 days, and thus compare 

the outcomes with already existing two marketable varieties which tend to 

have thin skin and short shelf life. The addition of new variety will enhance 

the competitiveness through increased production and thus consumption by 

introducing this new crop to regional community and specialty crop 

producers through different outreach activities. Project will be conducted at 

two locations (research station, Fallon and farmer’s field) for three years 

starting March 2020 and will be completed by September 2022. The project 

aims to establish local growers and school students (at Fallon, Lovelock, 

Yerington) awareness and knowledge of butter nut squash as a valuable new 

specialty crop, and associated health benefits of increasing locally grown 

produce.

$24,982.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05

Establishing Best 

Production Techniques 

and Varieties for 

Enhancing the 

Production of Nevada 

Grown Melons

The Desert Farming Initiative (DFI) in collaboration with University of Nevada 

Cooperative Extension (UNCE), both housed in the College of Agriculture, 

Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR) at the University of Nevada, 

Reno (UNR), propose to develop a melon variety field trial to identify varieties 

that confer improved crop performance, increased yields, and fruit quality; 

and to evaluate production techniques and Integrated Pest Management 

(IPM) methods that may accelerate crop establishment and improve 

performance, yield, and fruit quality in the Nevada high desert climate. 

Results from this study will increase confidence of best melon varieties, 

production techniques, and IPM methods to adopt for increasing the 

competitiveness of melons and farm sales revenue.

$70,052.18

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05

Expansion of Specialty 

Crop Production and 

Programming at Park 

Farm

Reno Food Systems (RFS) will expand both production of specialty crops and 

programming related to specialty crops at its Park Farm location, thereby 

increasing the availability of specialty crops while also training the next 

generation of specialty crop farmers in Washoe County.

$69,800.00
200

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05

Expansion of the 

Production and Use of 

Specialty Crops in 

Douglas County

Douglas County, Nevada will survey current and future demand for specialty 

crops, identify local farming potential to grow these crops, identify benefits 

of future Agrihood developments to make significant growth of these crops 

and initiate expanded production through a demonstration project. 

Agrihoods are organized communities that integrate agriculture into a 

residential neighborhood to facilitate food production. This allows for more 

growers to collaborate on production in a relatively small space with local 

access.

$52,000.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05

Growing NV: A local food 

week celebration of 

specialty crops based in 

Reno, NV

NEON Agency will expand upon the event ‘Growing NV’: a weeklong 

celebration of specialty crop themed events (daily) during the second week of 

August for a second year to increase demand for specialty crops.

$29,750.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05 Reno Garlic Fest 2020

Reno Food Systems will host Reno Garlic Fest (RGF). RGF will be a convivial 

and educational garlic one day event featuring local farmers selling garlic, 

local chefs selling garlic-based foods, educational literature and workshops 

highlighting the benefits of local garlic production and consumption, and 

additional sources of locally grown crops through activities and musical 

entertainment for people of all ages. Reno Food Systems sees the Reno Garlic 

Fest (RGF) as the perfect opportunity to connect our local community to the 

local food system in a tangible and entertaining way. From production to 

selling to consumption, folks will have an opportunity to learn about and 

celebrate one of the region’s finest specialty crops.

$16,850.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$297,705.05 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$21,877.93

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

$296,263.40

1. Increasing Awareness 

and Consumption of NH 

Grown Tree Fruit

New Hampshire tree fruit growers annually produce crops of apples, peaches, 

plums, pears, apricots, and cherries. In New Hampshire there has been a 

transition from tree fruit production for wholesale markets to production 

focused on local on-farm retail and harvest-your-own sales and sales to local 

grocery stores, farmers markets, schools, etc. This project led by the New 

$30,000.00
201

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Markets and 

Food

Hampshire Tree Fruit Growers Association will focus on outreach to the local 

consuming public by creating marketing activities such as using social media 

platforms to increase interest and promote farm visits as well as promotion 

of the New Hampshire Tree Fruit Growers Association website. Additionally, 

this project will work to gain publicity for the tree fruit industry in New 

Hampshire through targeted multi-media outreach via print, radio, and 

television media.

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

2. Exploring Herb 

Enterprises to Increase 

Farm Profits and 

Diversify Farm 

Production

Small and Beginner Farmers of New Hampshire (SBFNH) has put together a 

twelve-workshop series to encourage farmers to explore herbal enterprises. 

SBFNH will be working with the NH Herbal Network and Genuine Local for 

education and support for this project.

$21,963.58

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

3. Identifying Cold-hardy 

Hydrangea Cultivars for 

Cut Flower Production 

and Sales in NH

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension will identify suitable 

panicle and oakleaf hydrangea cultivars for cut flower production and sales in 

New Hampshire. Results will be shared in a cultivar selection guide and at 

grower meetings throughout New Hampshire.

$42,990.00
202

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

4. Integration of Natural 

Products to Enhance 

Efficacy of Fungicides for 

Control of Summer Fruit 

Rots and Postharvest 

Decay of Apple

Management of tree fruit diseases is especially challenging in the 

Northeastern United States due to ideal climatic conditions for plant 

pathogens. To manage diseases successfully and sustainably, an integrated 

approach is necessary. The University of New Hampshire will conduct a series 

of research and commercial orchard trials to develop best practices for the

use of natural products to manage apple fruit rots. The specific objective of 

this project is to evaluate integration of the natural biostimulant, chitosan, 

into apple IPM spray programs for management of fruits rots that develop 

during the growing season and postharvest. Experiments will test chitosan 

application timing and rate in combination with standard and reduced risk 

fungicide spay programs typical of NH apple orchards. The outcomes of this 

project include identification of chitosan spray schedules that reduce 

fungicide inputs, reduce losses to disease, improve fruit quality, reduce risk of 

fungicide resistance, and contribute to conservation of natural resources. 

This research is an important step in grower adoption of effective and 

sustainable practices for disease management. Results will be disseminated 

to stakeholders through grower meetings, twilight meetings, and UNH 

Extension publications.

$32,082.00

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

5. Establishing a 

Statewide Food Hub 

Network to Support New 

Hampshire’s Local Food 

Economy

Kearsarge Food Hub will partner with four additional New Hampshire 

regional food hubs to establish a statewide network to improve the local food 

economy through sales, aggregation, and distribution of locally grown 

specialty crop products. Regional food hub partners include Monadnock 

Menus/Food Connects in Keene, NH; Genuine Local in Meredith, NH; Three 

River Farmers Alliance in East Kingston, NH; and North Country Farmers’ 

Cooperative in Colebrook, NH.

$20,250.00
203

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40 6. Plant Something NH

Plant Something NH is a program of the New Hampshire Plant Growers 

Association (NHPGA), founded under a 2015 Specialty Crop Block Grant and 

adopted in 2016 for New Hampshire, as part of a national grassroots 

campaign with a mission to promote public awareness of the health, 

environmental and economic benefits of plants to increase consumer support 

of local growers, nurseries, garden centers, landscapers, and affiliated trades. 

In 2018, the work of public education and building public awareness 

continued with a variety of promotions including public radio, social media 

and public relations. In addition, a consumer-focused seasonal e-Newsletter 

was introduced, and industry and consumer surveys developed to better 

understand and serve NHPGA’s audience. This project will analyze survey 

data to guide marketing efforts moving forward and continue the industry 

benchmarking survey to inform best business practices, while maintaining the 

foundations of the program already in place.

$20,000.00

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

7. Increasing LowIncome Family Access to 

Specialty Crop 

Production in New 

Hampshire's Upper 

Valley Region

Vital Communities’ Valley Food & Farm (VFF) program will work with farmerpartners, school districts social service agencies, community centers, and 

farmers markets engaged in VFF’s three-year Community of Learning, Inquiry,

and Practice (funded by a grant from the USDA Farmers Market Promotion 

Program) to increase consumption of affordable, culturally appropriate fresh 

and local fruits and vegetables for children and families at risk for food 

insecurity in the Claremont area of New Hampshire.

$34,676.00

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$296,263.40

8. Buy NH Specialty 

Crops Targeted Media 

Campaign in Partnership 

with NH Division of 

Travel and Tourism 

Development

The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food 

(NHDAMF) will continue a successful partnership with the NH Division of 

Travel & Tourism Development to promote the purchase of local New 

Hampshire specialty crops by visitors to New Hampshire from neighboring 

states and regions. This new program will build upon previously established 

efforts to market New Hampshire specialty crops.

$70,587.89

New 

Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

$296,263.40 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$23,699.95
204

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Markets and 

Food

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90 Advertising Jersey Fresh 

Blueberries – 2020

The New Jersey Blueberry Growers Association will lead this project to 

promote awareness and purchase of New Jersey Grown blueberries in season 

via a digital billboard campaign on major arteries throughout the state 

through the contract with a professional advertising agency. The objectives of 

the project are 1) inform consumers in a timely manner of the availability of 

Jersey Fresh blueberries; 2) create maximum demand for a highly perishable 

specialty crop during a limited growing season.; 3) promote Jersey Fresh 

blueberries as locally grown; and 4) increase demand for New Jersey 

blueberries.

$40,000.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Bringing Awareness to 

‘Jersey Fruit’ Farms and 

Local Specialty Crops 

Through Marketing and 

Advertising Initiatives

Princeton Partners will lead this project to address the need for New Jersey 

Specialty Crop growers to be recognized for their valuable contribution to the 

local, healthy, and fresh foods grown in the “Garden State.” The purpose of 

this project is to enhance the visibility and image of our Jersey Fruit 

Cooperative family run farms using a multipronged advertising approach to 

reach consumers and retailers/suppliers. Marketing toward consumers will 

highlight our local, sustainable, and family farms while industry marketing will 

be directed toward product safety and quality. Yearly sales records will be 

compared to verify if the marketing campaign is reaching the intended 

audience.

$40,000.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Continuing to Cultivate 

New Specialty Crop 

Expertise

The Atlantic County Board of Agriculture (ACBA) and Rutgers New Jersey 

Agricultural Experiment Station will lead this project to support summer 

interns to provide positive encouragement for those pursuing farming or 

agricultural careers. Through this project, summer student interns will 

graduate with positive, realistic, hands-on farm production, pest 

management and research experience that will make them more employable, 

either directly on specialty crop farms, by farm support businesses, or more 

attractive as potential graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in 

$19,367.00
205

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

agriculture. The project will also study the impact of the internship 

experience on the intern’s goals of pursuing an agricultural career.

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Ecology Based Weed 

Management Strategies 

for Beginning Organic 

Farmers

The Mercer County Board of Agriculture, in collaboration with Meredith 

Melendez (Agricultural Agent) and Thierry Besancon (Extension Specialty 

Crop Weed Specialist) are applying for SCBG funds to educate beginning 

farmers on weed control options. The purpose of this project will be to 

provide practical ecology- and biology- based weed management tools to 

help beginning farmers improving overall IPM and reducing costs associated 

with weed management over the long term. Information will be delivered 

through presentations at one vegetable growers twilight meeting in the 

summer and three workshops during the winter season.

$15,585.60

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Extending Strawberry 

Season in NJ through 

development and testing 

of new and existing 

strawberry varieties.

Rutgers University will lead this project to evaluate new NJAES strawberry 

crosses for extension of the production season for New Jersey growers. The 

project will develop and test new strawberry selections with a focus on 

season extension but also examine key traits such as flavor, yield, berry size, 

and disease resistance. Growers will help the Rutgers Research Team 

evaluate crosses and selections based on flavor, fruit quality, size and other 

key attributes to evaluate and incorporate day-neutral varieties suitable to 

New Jersey growing conditions. Results of the research and observational 

trials will be presented at local, state, and regional meetings, workshops and 

programs.

$39,990.00
206

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Increasing Sales and 

Consumption of 

Specialty Crops through 

Database Technology, 

Customer Education, and 

Marketing

The Tri-County Cooperative, consisting of 70+ grower members, seeks to 

enhance marketing and efficiency of operations in the sale of specialty crops 

through updated database technology, educational demonstrations and 

events, and marketing of specialty crops through “buy local” promotions. In 

addition, Tri-County has great potential to be an agritourism site, with its 

historic roots, central location between New York and Philadelphia, land for 

production, and unique wholesale pricing affordable to restaurants and 

community members on restrictive budgets. The market needs a fresh 

update, not only in its physical appearance, but also its ability to welcome 

new customers and make it a place where families come to shop, restaurants 

source from their local farms, and wholesalers move product efficiently.

$40,000.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Increasing Sales of Plants 

and Flowers in New 

Jersey through the ‘Plant 

Something’ Marketing 

Program

The New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association seeks to further develop 

a Plant Something Campaign started using SCBG funds awarded in FY2015. 

Our aim with this project is to continue to expose consumers in New Jersey to 

the successful Plant Something promotion being implemented around the 

country with a goal of increasing the sale and use of New Jersey grown 

landscape flowers, plants and trees. The project will accomplish the 

following: 1) increase participation and buy-in from plant dealers in New 

Jersey; 2) identify partnerships to increase messages and move towards 

project independence; 3) increase social media messaging and subscriptions; 

4) integration of New Jersey specific messaging and Jersey Grown/Jersey 

Native brand; and 5) Identify other opportunities as appropriate, including 

the dissemination of identification and reporting methods to prevent the 

spread of devastating pests.

$30,000.00
207

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Jersey Vines: Creating 

Awareness of Jersey 

Wines

Working in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the 

Garden State Wine Growers Association will use funding awarded from this 

Specialty Crop Grant to develop a marketing program that builds on the 

legacy of the Jersey Fresh program to promote N.J. wines. Our program will 

be called Jersey Vines. The goal of our campaign is to create awareness of the 

outstanding selection of wines produced in the Garden State by creating a 

highly visible consumer campaign, using an identifiable logo that has the 

same look as the Jersey Fresh logo. The Jersey Vines logo will be used for instore signage, bottle neck tags and shelf and aisle signage at retail locations, 

as well as on marketing materials targeting potential consumers throughout 

the state.

$19,270.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Marketing Program for 

Jersey Fresh Local 

Peaches by the New 

Jersey Peach Promotion 

Council

The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council (NJPPC) will lead this project to 

improve the exposure of New Jersey peaches and their presence in profitable 

markets in New Jersey metropolitan area including Philadelphia and New 

York, and New England. The project will also expand and develop a more 

informative media release, media delivery, and follow up visitation by phone 

or in person program. NJPPC will also work with the Rutgers University in the 

development of new and novel varieties and products for our NJPPC grower/ 

members to increase demand and for NJ grower members peaches.

$40,000.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Precision GPS mapping, 

photosynthetic light 

measurement, and 

growth chamber 

equipment for Rutgers 

researchers’ cranberry 

experiments.

The American Cranberry Growers’ Association (ACGA) will procure research 

equipment for the Rutgers Experiment Station scientists for precisely locating 

and monitoring Fairy Ring disease; for mapping and quantifying pre- and 

post-emergent herbicide treatments for weed control and phytoxicity; and 

for experiments on disease and rot resistance and new varieties. The results 

will be communicated at biannual ACGA meetings and will enhance growers’ 

sustainability by improving disease and weed management.

$34,204.00
208

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Project to maximize the 

effectiveness of the 

Jersey Fresh advertising 

program in 2020 and 

beyond

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture seeks Specialty Crop Block Grant 

funding to raise awareness of locally grown specialty crops and to drive sales 

through a multi-faceted marketing campaign. The Department seeks to 

increase the overall effectiveness of the marketing of all specialty crops in 

New Jersey through the continuation of the proven successful efforts of the 

Jersey Fresh program. This will be accomplished using outdoor advertising 

(digital billboards and bus sides), print ads, radio, point of sale materials and 

social media and other online promotions.

$378,310.90

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Promoting Specialty 

Crops Produced by the 

New Jersey Council of 

Farmers and 

Communities

The New Jersey Council of Farmers and Communities (NJCFC) will lead this 

project to market through traditional and social media avenues the 

promotion of specialty crop products that all associate farmers produce over 

the next 3 seasons (June – October) beginning in 2020. The objectives of this

project are to 1) advertise specialty crops through the community markets 

and farms; 2) train market managers to effectively highlight specialty crops 

sold at their markets; 3) dedicate the NJCFC website to specialty crop 

marketing and shopper resource; 4) use of marketing manager for social 

media and traditional advertising; and 5) utilize NJCFC markets promoting 

specialty crops availability at NJCFC markets on different locations and days.

$40,000.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Specialty Crop Exposure 

in Cross-Curricular 

Elementary Education

Learning Through Gardening (LTG), a program of the New Jersey Agricultural 

Society, will provide continued coaching and support to 20 elementary 

schools that have built and maintained school gardens, in order to reach 

additional students and teach them about agriculture in New Jersey and 

increase their exposure to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables 

they’ve grown themselves. In addition, LTG will develop at least 10 new 

lesson plans available to all schools involved with the program, and available 

online to the public, regardless of association with LTG. Finally, LTG will run a 

second printing of its children’s book on New Jersey agriculture book (which 

highlights agriculture and local specialty crops) for distributions to 

elementary schools across New Jersey.

$31,064.00
209

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90

Trenton Farmers 

Market: Connecting 

Mercer County to New 

Jersey Growers Around 

Healthy Fresh Food

The Trenton Farmers Market, under new management after thirty-nine years, 

will engage multi-ethnic food insecure community members on the benefits 

of using WIC/FMNP/SFMNP and SNAP/EBT at the Trenton Farmers Market 

through multilingual direct marketing at houses of worship and food pantries, 

street signage, newspaper advertising, and billboards. The project will bring 

awareness of federal assistance benefits available at the Trenton Farmers 

Market and educate consumers of New Jersey’s crop seasonality, food access 

education and nutrition information. The project also will increase 

redemptions of SNAP/EBT and WIC/FMNP/SFMNP vouchers at the Market.

$39,919.00

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$839,401.90 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$31,388.44

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

Field Evaluation and 

Marketability of 15 Table 

Grape Varieties for New 

Mexico

New Mexico State University will evaluate table grape production and 

varietal options to enhance sustainability of small farmers, home owners and 

community gardens by evaluating and comparing the vineyard performance, 

berry composition/quality and consumer acceptance of 15 table grape 

varieties. Results and successful production techniques will be disseminated 

to stakeholders through grower field days, workshops, regional educational 

conferences, master gardener trainings, consumer tastings at retail venues 

and farmers’ markets, and reports in peer reviewed journal articles, 

extension bulletins, newsletters and social media. The research team is 

comprised of experts in viticulture and horticultural fruit production with 

support from county cooperative extension agents and growers interested in 

table grape production.

$52,818.00
210

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

Increasing Rural 

Farmers’ Specialty Crop 

Sales and 

Competitiveness

La Semilla Food Center will increase regional rural beginning, small, mid-sized 

and disadvantaged partner farmers’ specialty crop sales and competitiveness 

by providing marketing, promotion, and outreach assistance; education and 

technical support for application of sustainable practices of specialty crop 

production; production support to increase specialty crop production 

capacity; and food safety training and technical assistance with 

implementation and documentation. This support will enhance and expand 

food safety, growth of specialty crops, access to and consumption of specialty 

crops--especially in underserved communities--improve efficiency and reduce 

costs to farmers and enhance and improve the local economy as a result of 

this project’s support for specialty crop production and distribution.

$75,428.15

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

Molecular Methods for 

Pathogen Detection in 

Chile Products and Chile 

Processing Facility 

Environmental Samples

The NMSU FSL plans to use molecular techniques to rapidly identify 

Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in green chile, red chile and 

environmental samples from processing facilities that manufacture red and 

green chile. We will evaluate these rapid methods against the FDA BAM 

procedures to determine their utility for the Chile Industry. We plan to use 

two rapid assays for Salmonella, (ANSR Salmonella and real time PCR for 

Salmonella) both of which require enrichment of the sample prior to 

screening. For Listeria, we plan to use ANSR Listeria and real time PCR for 

Listeria) for chile samples.

$104,122.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

New Mexico Garlic 

Marketing and 

Advertising Initiative

The Rio Grande Artisanal Garlic Association is a group of garlic farming 

families that have come together in order to work towards increasing the 

amount of this specialty crop grown in New Mexico. This project will develop 

and enhance marketing infrastructure for the Rio Grande Artisanal Garlic 

Association, as well as for all New Mexico garlic growers, to make New 

Mexico garlic economically viable and competitive in the regional and 

national marketplace. It will do so by getting assistance with marketing, 

advertising, website development, branding, and packaging for the sake of 

establishing a solid market outlet. The project also will increase consumer 

demand by educating the consumer regarding planting stock, culinary garlic, 

and garlic-derived products while maintaining high quality standards.

$27,329.00
211

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

New Mexico Hard Apple 

Cider Production & 

Promotion

To help revitalize interest in apple orchards, Bluefly Farms will provide 

harvesting, storage, pressing, and transportation services to participating 

orchards throughout New Mexico. The project will double its capacity to help 

develop and expand a new revenue outlet for previously non-marketable 

apples. The apples will be pressed into fresh cider that will be sold to New 

Mexico-based breweries for making Graff, a beer-cider hybrid and to New 

Mexico-based hard cider producers for making a traditional hard cider. Based 

on feedback from orchards and hard cider producers in 2018, the project will 

also help orchards diversify their apple varieties by grafting and planting the 

sought-after tart, cider-specific varieties that are less common in New 

Mexico.

$56,300.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

Northwest New Mexico 

New Farmer Network: 

Connecting Beginning 

Farmers to Land and 

Resources

The Northwest New Mexico (NWNM) New Farmer Network will lead this 

project to address both the aging farmer crisis in our region and the 

increasing demand for local specialty crop products at regional markets. 

Coordinator would advertise the accessible land to farm business incubators 

across the country and to local workforce. The project aims to Increase 

supply of specialty crops for Farmington Grower’s Market and Farmington 

Food Hub by 1) identify new available farm sites and connect new farmers to 

these available lands; and 2) provide technical assistance, lease facilitation 

assistance and resource aggregation for new farmers in the region on 

specialty crop production and marketing.

$158,870.39

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23

The Magdalena School 

District’s Specialty Crop 

Project

The Magdalena School District’s Specialty Crop Project will increase 

knowledge, access, and consumption of specialty crops across the Village of 

Magdalena, a food desert, through the marketing and promotion and sales 

and distribution of produce grown by Magdalena high school students. The 

project aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by 1) 

increasing marketing, promotion, and sales within the Village of Magdalena; 

2) increasing consumption; 3) increasing access and awareness; and 4) 

utilizing greater capacity of sustainable practices of specialty crop production.

$88,927.00
212

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$612,309.23 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$48,377.78

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

1. qRT-PCR for Detecting 

Colletotrichum Fungi 

Causing Apple Bitter Rot 

in New York Farms and 

Storages

Cornell University will develop and validate a new protocol for quick, 

sensitive, and accurate diagnosis and quantification of species fungi from the 

genus Colletotrichum that cause bitter rot disease on apple fruit in NY. For 

this, real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction will be used and specific DNA 

fingerprint regions for differentiating Colletotrichum species will be found. 

Protocol will be validated on fruit samples from NY farms, which will allow 

evaluate its economic impact and issue disease control recommendations to 

growers for early and late season infections. This protocol addresses an 

increasing need of NY fruit growers for disease diagnostics, will help prevent 

more apple fruit losses, and improve future approaches to control bitter rot 

in NY.

$99,999.00
213

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

2. High-quality NYadapted tomato hybrids 

combining enhanced 

Early Blight resistance & 

other fungal resistances 

to reduce disease impact 

& fungicide u

Cornell University researchers and grower-cooperators will produce and test 

high quality tomato hybrids with enhanced early blight (EB), late blight (LB) 

and Septoria leaf spot (SLS) resistances. Conventional hybrids require 

multiple fungicide sprays to control LB/SLS/EB. Initial lines with LB/SLS/EB 

resistances resulted in hybrids Iron Lady (2013) and Stellar (2016); however, 

growers needed greater EB control, since those hybrids provide good EB 

control on stems and fruit but not foliage. We identified a new resistance 

that controls EB on leaves and mapped the EB leaf resistance and transferred 

into a prior Cornell LB/SLS/EB line, creating new lines with enhanced EB 

control. The goals of this proposal are to: 1. Use the new enhanced-EB 

resistant lines to generate 17 experimental hybrids with optimal fungal 

resistances but varying for plant type, maturity, fruit size and flavor; 2. Test 

paired hybrids in an inoculated EB trial to determine if the enhanced EB 

resistance can still provide good control if it is in just one parent of a hybrid; 

3. Test experimental hybrids with six NY host growers with different 

conditions and practices, to assess hybrid performance under commercial 

production and learn grower preferences; and 4. Test hybrids in replicated 

trials for plant and fruit traits and flavor. This project will complete, with 

grower input, identification of the best hybrids, and provide seed companies 

the information needed to rapidly commercialize high quality hybrids with 

optimal fungal disease control for growers in NY and elsewhere in the 

northeast.

$99,989.00
214

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

3. Harvest timing and 

storage conditions for 

the New York apples 

varieties, SnapDragon 

and RubyFrost to ensure 

maximum fruit quality

Cornell University researchers, Chris Watkins and Susan Brown, will 

investigate the effects of harvest maturity and storage technologies on the 

quality of NY1 (SnapDragonTM) and NY2 (RubyFrostTM). These apples are 

products of the Cornell University apple breeding program that are grown 

exclusively in New York. The yields of each variety were 213,000 bushels in 

2018 and are anticipated increase by 50 percent to 350,000 bushels in 2019. 

Both varieties are challenging in that it is difficult to determine appropriate 

harvest dates and storage regimes, and that they are susceptible to 

development of external and internal disorders. Research to date has shown 

that fruit quality is affected by interactions between the effects of plant 

growth regulators used by the industry and postharvest technologies. The 

outcome of this project will be identification of optimal harvest indices so 

that the industry can harvest and store fruit in such a way that consumer 

satisfaction is maximized, and consumption is increased. This information is 

essential for the industry to ensure quality fruit in the marketplace as 

production volume grows. To achieve these outcomes, fruit will be harvested 

from major New York growing regions and stored under air and controlled 

atmosphere (CA) conditions. Fruit treated with plant growth regulators will 

be harvested at different timings and the effects of different CA conditions 

will be investigated. This project will yield the information necessary to 

ensure long term profitability, continued investment in these varieties, and 

quality fruits for consumers.

$54,047.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

4. Protecting Onions in 

New York with 

Entomopathogenic 

Nematodes

Cornell University will develop methods of controlling onion maggot using 

entomopathogenic nematodes for biological control. Onion producers have 

consistently identified onion maggot as a pressing pest management 

challenge despite the best pesticides available. With treatment options likely 

to be banned in the near future, progressive growers have identified control 

of onion maggot with entomopathogenic nematodes as a priority area for 

developing methods to complement existing pesticide management.

$98,671.00
215

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

5. Developing Microbial 

Seed Treatments for NY 

Sod Growers for 

Environmentally Safe 

Pest Management and 

to Enhance the Value of 

Sod for NY School Group

Cornell University will develop microbial seed treatments for turfgrass seed 

to elevate pest resistance in sod as a means for managing turf insect pests. 

Our goal is to create a new value-added trait for sod producers and a muchneeded pest management solution for school athletic fields and other turf 

end-users. The results of our work will be disseminated during turfgrass 

extension seminars and an electronic fact sheet.

$95,912.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

6. Mitigate Honeycrisp 

BP by understanding 

early Ca distributions 

and rootstock-conferred 

resistance using novel 

non-destructive and 

high-throughput a

Cornell University will identify key variables and genes for use in apple 

breeding programs and for the development of measures to mitigate the 

financial loss caused by bitter pit disorder of apple cultivar ‘Honeycrisp’. We 

will use novel non-destructive and high-throughput methods to understand 

the individual fruit gene expression and distribution of calcium and other 

minerals in the early phase of fruit growth, the direct linkage between bitter 

pit incidence and early season fruit mineral content, and the influence of 

rootstock selection on early season fruit mineral content. The project will be 

conducted over the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons.

$98,204.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

7. Improving Winter High 

Tunnel Soil Nitrogen 

Management

The Cornell Vegetable Program will increase the Productivity and quality of 

high tunnel specialty crops, specifically tomatoes and winter spinach, and will 

improve the sustainability of high tunnel soils. This will be accomplished 

through the development of Best Management Practices for winter cover 

cropping and development of nitrogen recommendations for winter greens in 

cold soils. Research includes trialing different species of cover crops suitable 

for high tunnel systems and optimizing the timing of planting and 

incorporation of cover crops to maximize soil health benefits while 

minimizing the time spent out of specialty crop production. In collaboration 

with the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Team, we will conduct winter 

spinach trials, and identify the optimum rates and sources of nitrogen 

fertilizer. Results will be disseminated to growers through field days, winter 

conferences, social media posts, and trade publication.

$86,551.00
216

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

8. Advertising and 

Promotion of New York 

Specialty Crops

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) will 

continue our consumer-facing marketing campaign to increase the 

competitiveness of NY specialty crops by increasing consumer awareness and 

demand. Marketing activities will be multi-channel, including production of 

promotional materials for use at point-of-sale locations, trade shows, and 

special promotional events, and purchasing strategic advertisements in radio, 

digital and print media. NYSDAM will also incentivize producers and retailers 

to develop and use packaging and point-of-sale materials designed to 

highlight NYS/local specialty crops through a cooperative marketing program. 

We will expand the campaign to additionally target industry buyers, 

particularly in the farm to institution marketplace. Consumer surveys will be 

used to determine effectiveness of marketing efforts.

$490,000.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69 9. On- Farm Food Safety

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) Food 

Safety staff will implement this project with planning assistance provided by 

Cornell University. This project will continue work that previous SCBG Good 

Agricultural Practices (GAP) projects successfully implemented. The proposed 

project will promote the GAP audit as the best way to prepare for new 

regulatory programs and standards to be implemented under the Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA). The program will offer producers up to a $1,000 

reimbursement incentive to obtain a GAP audit, the cost of training, and/ or 

GAP-required water test. An additional $1,000 may be used toward the cost 

of a consultant to help prepare farm safety plans. Applicants may apply for 

the funds each year of the SCBG program.

$55,000.00
217

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69

10. Cleaning, Sanitizing, 

and Sanitary Design for 

Small and Medium Scale 

Specialty Crop Growers

The Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University (IFS@CU) and the 

Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety at the University of Vermont will 

develop specialized equipment and training workshops on sanitary design of 

produce washing equipment that is focused on small and medium scale 

farms. This work builds on similar workshops for large scale growers being 

implemented under New York State’s 2017 SCBG project: Cleaning, Sanitizing 

and Sanitary Design: Helping Specialty Crop Growers Develop Effective 

Sanitation Programs. Understanding sanitary design and implementing 

sanitation programs to reduce microbial and chemical food contamination on 

farms and in packinghouses is essential to food safety and will help growers 

achieve compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and requirements 

of the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). The adoption of these 

technologies will increase the competitiveness of specialty crops by helping 

growers achieve a higher level of food safety, offering the opportunity to 

access new markets and achieve greater efficiency in washing and packing 

activities.

$99,900.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,382,486.69 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$103,762.28
218

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

1. Increasing 

Competitiveness: Food 

Safety and Quality

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) will assist farmers and 

food hubs to gain access to wholesale markets through improved technical 

knowledge, communication strategies, education, and system 

implementation. The outcomes of this project will solely enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops through Good Agricultural Practices, Good 

Handling Practices, and Good Manufacturing Practices, enhancing food 

safety. In order to meet these outcomes we will: 1) conduct 22 workshops on 

the following topics: Fundamentals of On-Farm Food Safety, Navigating the 

USDA Harmonized GAP or Harmonized GAP + Plus Audit, Strengthening 

Wholesale Relationships, and Building Wholesale Capacity to 440 workshop 

participants; and 2) provide one-on-one technical assistance on food safety 

program development and implementation and building wholesale capacity 

to fifty-six small-scale farms. This will result in 400 specialty crop growers 

with increased food safety knowledge and postharvest handling knowledge, 

200 changes on specialty crop farms in order to prevent fresh produce 

contamination, 40 specialty crop growers obtaining a GAP certification, and 

70 farmers who will enter new wholesale markets.

$127,749.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 2. NC GAP Program 2020

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture will reimburse up to $900 for 

certification of Good Agricultural Practices through a third-party audit. The 

funds are to assist growers in deferment of the cost and increase the number 

of growers who obtain on-farm safety certifications. Passage of the Food 

Safety Modernization Act has required many produce growers to obtain a 3rd 

party audit to ensure compliance with the new law. The new Gap Plus + has 

become one of those audits that is accepted as a compliance for this rule. 

Furthermore, food safety issues have caused many companies to demand 

increased vigilance of their growing and harvesting practices. Major retail 

stores such as Wal-Mart, Lowes, Food Lion and Harris-Teeter and North 

Carolina Public Schools all require their produce suppliers to be GAP certified 

and have at least a $2,000,000.00 insurance policy. Therefore, it is almost 

impossible for growers to move their produce through these market channels 

without GAP certification. The cost of certification is relatively high for small 

acre producers and it is crop specific. The cost for certification could be 

$600.00 -$1200.00, or more, per crop. This project will alleviate a portion of 

$64,800.00
219

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

this burden and help growers gain a strategic foothold and open a new 

marketplace for them.

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 3. NC Water Analysis 

2020

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture will reimburse growers for the 

cost of water analysis, performed on produce wash and irrigation water 

required for a Good Agricultural Practices/Food Safety Modernization Act 

(FSMA) third-party audit. The funds are to assist growers in deferment of the 

cost and increase the number of growers who obtain on-farm safety 

certifications.

$50,000.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 4. Attract and Kill for 

Managing BMSB

The Walgenbach Lab at North Carolina State University will test attract-andkill approaches to brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) management in 

commercial apple orchards. Such methods will result in fewer broadspectrum insecticide sprays and a possible return to sustainable Integrated 

Pest Management, which was common practice before the arrival of BMSB. 

Results will be presented at research conferences and disseminated to 

growers via commodity meetings, websites, and personal contact.

$127,800.00
220

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

5. Breeding flavorful 

disease resistant 

strawberry cultivars

North Carolina State University will implement the use of marker-assisted 

breeding (MAB) in in the strawberry program for the first time in its history. 

The ultimate goal of this project is to more rapidly develop superior new 

varieties of strawberries that are flavorful, disease resistant, and have other 

desirable horticultural traits (large fruit, high yield). In conjunction with our 

traditional breeding methods we will add additional DNA tests and tests 

developed by the USDA-NIFA Funded RosBREED project. We will evaluate a 

representative panel of diverse strawberry germplasm in our program for 

fruit quality traits (peach and sherry flavors) and disease resistance to two of 

the most common diseases in NC (anthracnose and phytophthora). These 

DNA tests will enable us to speed up the breeding process by identifying 

plants with either positive or negative markers and determine more accurate 

pairing of parents or eliminating seedlings that do not have the target traits in 

populations. Another goal of the program will be to use a set of DNA tests 

called single sequence repeat (SSR) markers to fingerprint our core 

germplasm. The use of fingerprints will verify identities in the cases of plant 

mix-ups in nurseries and for future research and plant patents. Finally, we will 

develop a set of markers for to detect a specific type of anthracnose that is 

inside of the plant. The use of MAB combined with our traditional breeding 

program will enable us to save time and money and make our breeding 

efforts more efficient.

$105,609.00
221

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

6. Comprehensive 

Christmas Tree 

Management Using 

Drones

In partnership, Extension Forestry in Forestry and Environmental Resources 

and the Center for Geospatial Analytics, both within the College of Natural 

Resources at NC State University will investigate the use of unmanned aerial 

systems (UAS, and also known as drones) to streamline Christmas tree 

farming operations by establishing methods to remotely measure and 

inventory trees, remotely detect common pests and pathogens, assess the 

use of drone based pesticide applications, and develop educational UAS 

materials for NC Christmas tree growers and ensure the knowledge transfer 

through hands-on instruction and workshops. Extension forestry provides 

research-based extension programs to diverse landowner audiences across 

North Carolina and has provided educational programs to Christmas tree 

growers for more than fifty years. The Center for Geospatial Analytics is an 

interdisciplinary research and teaching center focused on data-driven spatial 

modeling and visualization for sustainable solutions to environmental and 

societal challenges.

$122,800.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 7. Elongate Hemlock 

Scale and Fraser Fir

The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina 

State University will conduct field, greenhouse, and laboratory studies to 

improve our understanding of the ecology and management of the exotic 

insect pest Elongate Hemlock Scale in Fraser fir Christmas trees, one of North 

Carolina’s most important specialty crops. Although the scale typically causes 

little damage to Fraser fir, its presence on Christmas trees represents an 

important pathway by which this insect can spread to new areas where more 

susceptible host species might exist. When detected on Christmas trees 

entering states where the scale is not yet present, local regulatory agencies 

intercept and destroy the infested material. This causes detriment to the 

revenues and reputation of North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry. The 

results of this research will inform management recommendations to 

growers for reducing scale infestations and limiting the risk of future spread 

via infested Fraser fir. Outcomes will be reported to stakeholders through 

presentations at the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA), 

articles in Limbs and Needles (the official trade magazine of the NCCTA), and 

papers published in the scientific literature.

$122,800.00
222

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

8. Heirloom–type 

tomato hybrids for 

niche-markets

North Carolina State University will develop heirloom-type hybrid tomatoes 

suitable for local niche markets. These hybrids will be improved especially for 

flavor, taste, and disease resistance. It is widely believed that organic 

products are more nutritious than conventional. However, there are not 

enough data to support this claim. We will perform detailed nutrient analyses 

of tomatoes grown under conventional and organic conditions to determine 

the facts under growers’ field and research field station. Consumers prefer 

heirloom-type tomatoes because of perceived superior flavor and desirable 

fruit texture. Specialty tomatoes, including yellow, orange, brown, or 

organically produced fruit, hold an additional attraction for consumers. 

Unfortunately, most heirloom varieties lack disease resistance, are often low 

yielding because of poor fruit set, and are highly susceptible to fruit cracking 

and rough blossom end scars that lead to poor shelf life and rapid decay of 

fruit. In the proposed study, we plan to make crosses among the best 

heirloom varieties, and the NCSU developed lines to create superior hybrids 

with combined disease resistances and improved marketable yield while 

maintaining desirable flavor and texture comparable to the best heirloom 

varieties. Based on the nutrient analyses and overall performance of the 

tomato varieties grown under organic conditions, best performing varieties 

will be introduced to the growers’ field through field days, growers’ meetings, 

field visits, websites, and social media. Development of these improved 

varieties will offer both conventional and organic growers of specialty type 

tomatoes the ability to increase production and profitability and provide 

consumers with a dependable supply of high quality locally grown tomatoes. 

We may use some of the already developed hybrids in the trial to expedite 

the process.

$127,796.00
223

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

9. Hemlock Restoration 

in Nurseries and 

Landscapes

The Forest Restoration Alliance and North Carolina State University (NCSU) 

will lead this project to continue searching for surviving hemlocks using 

TreeSnap, collecting seeds and cuttings, providing a portion of the collections 

to private nurseries and the NC Forest Service nursery, and evaluating shortterm survival of seedlings by exposure to hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) in a 

screening facility as a measure of resistance to HWA. The objects of the 

project are 1) to determine appropriate silvicultural techniques and to 

evaluate the best long-term survival of hemlocks in ornamental and field 

plantings and the infestation rates as measures of HWA resistance; 2) to 

study existing hemlock cultures from open-pollinated and control-pollinated 

seeds; 3) to collect phenotypic data related to HWA resistance from 

potentially resistant and susceptible

Trees; and 4) to test CRISPR-based in vivo genome editing efficiency of 

Hemlock SE lines using CRISPR-SpCas9, LbCpf1, and LgaCas9 in Hemlock 

protoplasts and embryogenic masses.

$127,800.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

10. Horizontal Planting 

to Improve Sweet Potato 

Production

This proposed project is with North Carolina (NC) State University, 

Department of Horticultural Science which will work closely with the NC 

sweet potato industry that markets and sells over $300 million of product 

annually and is the top producer of sweet potatoes in the United States. The 

proposed outcomes revolve around the evaluation of a new mechanized 

horizontal sweet potato planter with the resulting primary outcome being 

improved sweet potato production efficiency. More specifically, we expect 

that the outcomes of this research will result in greater yields and more 

uniform root set and size, and the ability to incorporate efficient weed 

control when using this new planter. We plan to conduct several field 

research experiments on Research Stations in North Carolina, hold on-farm 

demonstrations and at least one field day at the Research Station to 

communicate and regularly update the sweet potato industry on the progress 

in the use of this new horizontal planter.

$102,800.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

$1,337,456.60

11. Improving Field 

Production of Grafted 

Tomatoes

North Carolina State University (NCSU) will evaluate cultural practices for 

grafted tomato production coupled with an analysis of the economic viability 

of the practices tested. The use of grafted vegetables, including tomatoes, is 

$62,800.00
224

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Consumer 

Services

becoming a common practice in protected agriculture production (high 

tunnels and greenhouses) to manage soilborne diseases, increase yields, and 

overcome environmental stressors; however, the use of grafted tomatoes in 

the field is relatively new to the southeastern US but can be economically 

productive. Recent research has revealed that growing practices (fertilization, 

irrigation, etc.) for successful production of grafted tomatoes may not be the 

same as with non-grafted tomato production. Pruning is standard practice on 

non-grafted tomato plants, but a recent study conducted by NCSU suggests 

that pruning reduced yield on grafted tomatoes, but this study was limited to 

one rootstock. We know varieties respond differently to pruning, but is this 

also true when they are grafted? Our objectives are to (1) evaluate the 

effects of pruning and non-pruning on four scion varieties commonly grown 

in NC on two rootstocks and (2) evaluate the cost effectiveness of these 

practices. Evaluations of practice adoption and cost savings will be conducted 

at stakeholder meetings. Results will be shared with stakeholders at field 

days and regional grower meetings. An extension publication also will be 

produced to reach a wider audience.

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60

12. Postharvest Disease 

Control for Export Sweet

Potatoes

North Carolina State University will improve postharvest disease control in 

sweet potatoes for export markets by evaluating registered and unregistered 

fungicides for efficacy in a mini packing line, determining the fungicide 

residue levels of products, and disseminating research results to stakeholders 

through web-based tools and presentations at grower meetings and field 

days.

$82,800.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 13. Tulip and Dutch Iris 

Extended Storage

Research conducted within the Cut Flower and Postharvest Floriculture 

Program at North Carolina State University will define protocols for long-term 

storage of the specialty cut flowers tulip and Dutch iris. This will allow these 

high-value crops to maintain their quality and to be sold for extended periods 

after harvest and will be done by 1) identifying longer-term storage 

conditions that preserve flower vase life; and 2) verifying that the storage 

conditions identified do not increase incidence or severity of diseases such as 

gray mold.

$44,482.00
225

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$1,337,456.60 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$67,021.99

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

1. High-Throughput 

Phenotyping for Genetic 

Dissection of 

Aphanomyces Root Rot 

in Dry Peas

NDSU plant pathologists and breeders will identify partial resistance to 

Aphanomyces euteiches in dry pea. A. euteiches causes root rot in pea and 

lentil and has been detected across pulse growing regions of North Dakota. In 

2017, the coordinated Pest Management Strategic Plan has identified 

Aphanomyces root rot as a top research priority for Pulse Crops. Partial 

resistance to this devastating disease has been identified; however, this work 

largely has been conducted using A. euteiches isolates and germplasm from 

France, and to a lesser extent the Pacific Northwest, USA. Evaluations of the 

pathogen indicate that differences exist both in genetics and disease 

aggressiveness across isolates from the USA, Canada and France. During this 

project, we will develop a high-throughput system to evaluate germplasm for 

reaction to A. euteiches in the greenhouse. This system will be utilized to 

screen germplasm from the NDSU breeding program. Results from 

greenhouse screening will be combined with sequencing data in a genotypeby-sequencing platform. The outcomes of this project will be the 

identification of genomic regions associated with resistance to A. euteiches 

and germplasm from the NDSU breeding program displaying partial 

resistance that can immediately be used to advance breeding efforts. 

Ultimately, although outside the scope of this project, this will lead to the 

development of genetic markers for ARR resistance and cultivars with partial 

resistance to this pathogen. Results will be disseminated by the PI’s and 

NDSU extension professionals to dry pea growers across the state and 

published in a scientific journal.

$226,888.00
226

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

2. Improve Detection 

Capacity and Resistance 

Evaluation for Control of 

Nematode Diseases in 

Potato

The Department of Plant Pathology at North Dakota State University will 

evaluate 20 potato cultivars used in the region to validate their resistance 

reactions to the stubby root nematode Paratrichodorus allius and to identify 

potatoes with resistance to dagger nematode that are present in potato 

fields in North Dakota, and develop novel, droplet digital PCR assays to detect 

and quantify P. allius from field soils and evaluate the factors associated with 

the droplet digital PCR quantification of P. allius from field soils. Results of the 

proposed research will help understand resistance or susceptibility of potato 

cultivars to the stubby root nematode and dagger nematode populations in 

North Dakota and improve the stubby root nematode detection and 

quantification accuracy and reliability in infested fields. This information is 

important to help growers preform risk assessment using a reliable diagnostic 

tool and select the validated resistant cultivars for controlling the nematode 

diseases to increase potato yield and quality.

$102,026.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

3. Root Rot of Lentil: 

Evaluation of Crop 

Rotation, Biofumigation 

And Risk Assessment

Lentil production has been an economic boon to northwest North Dakota, 

but in recent years root rots have becoming increasingly problematic. 

Recommendations to rotate four years between lentil crops to avoid the 

build-up of root rot pathogens in the soil can be a challenge for many 

growers, as lentils may be their primary profit generating crop. The North 

Dakota State University Williston Research Extension Center will evaluate 

one, two- and three-year intervals in between lentil crops to determine the 

effect of these rotation lengths on root rot disease severity and yield in a notill, dryland cropping system. Brassica cover crops, observed to reduce soilborne disease severity in other systems, will be evaluated in this context to 

determine if this treatment could reduce root rot in lentils planted after the 

cover crop. Finally, a soil root rot potential seedling bioassay will be used to 

determine the effect of rotation length on root rot inoculum in the soil and 

these data will be correlated with yield and field root rot severity. This effort 

will improve root rot management and help generate more specific rotation 

recommendations for lentils grown in North Dakota.

$27,875.00
227

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

4. Optimizing Fungicide 

Timing, Row Spacing, 

And Winter Rye for 

Improved Sclerotinia 

Management in Dry 

Beans

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center, in 

collaboration with the NDSU Robert Titus Research Farm in Oakes and the 

NDSU Williston Research Extension Center’s Nesson Valley Irrigation 

Research Site, will conduct field trials and conduct outreach to North Dakota 

and Minnesota dry bean producers to improve the management of white 

mold in dry beans. Fungicide applications in dry beans targeting white mold 

are often applied at bloom initiation, and dry beans are often seeded to wide 

rows when white mold is a concern. Preliminary findings suggest that 

delaying fungicide applications until full bloom sharply improves white mold 

control and that increased distance between plants – not distance between 

rows – maximizes dry bean agronomic performance under white mold 

pressure. This project seeks to establish multi-location field trials evaluating 

the impact of row spacing, seeding rate, and fungicide application timing on 

dry bean agronomic performance under white mold pressure. It also seeks to 

quantify the impact of planting dry beans into overwintered rye, terminated 

at or before dry bean planting, a practice that is reported to sharply reduce 

white mold but for which rigorous data are lacking. Testing will be conducted 

on pinto, kidney, navy, and black beans, with overhead irrigation applied as 

needed to simulate wet weather conducive for disease development. 

Research results will be disseminated at outreach meetings to dry bean 

producers in North Dakota and Minnesota, summarized in the annual 

research report published by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, and 

posted online in a user-friendly format.

$81,767.00
228

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

5. Pulse Proteins: From 

Varieties and Processing 

to Structure-Function 

Relationships

North Dakota State University will mitigate the beany flavor and negative 

taste of pulse proteins by mapping the flavor and taste profile of selected 

pulse varieties including field pea, chickpea and lentil grown in the northern 

plains and optimizing the isolation process. When pulse proteins are used as 

a functional food ingredient in food products, pulse varieties and processing 

can have an essential impact on end-product quality. However, there is a lack 

of systematic studies indicating how the pulse varieties and processing 

conditions have an impact on the end of use quality. In general, the 

bitterness and astringency of pulse proteins related to their saponin and 

phenolic compound contents, which strongly depend on cultivars and 

isolation processing. The beany flavor attributes to the activities of 

endogenous lipoxygenase enzymes, initiating lipid oxidation and the 

formation of beany volatiles. Off-flavor development in pulse harvest during 

storage and processing is highly dependent on the action of endogenous 

lipoxygenases. During protein extraction processing, the processing 

conditions (e.g., temperature, water activity and pH) also affect the enzyme 

activity. The aim of this project is to elucidate the structure-function 

relationships of pulse proteins to be influenced by varieties and processing. 

The accomplishment of this research will provide useful information not only 

to pulse growers to grow the varieties with premium characteristics, but also 

to pulse ingredient manufacturers and consumer companies.

$136,270.00
229

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

6. Vetting and 

Implementing Genomic 

Selection for Pea Quality 

Improvement

Seed quality is a major determining factor for dry pea value and 

marketability. No longer does the term quality merely refer to basic physical

properties (seed size, color, shape) but more specialized markets are 

developing which require greater knowledge of seed composition (protein 

content, minerals). Recently, processors announced a premium paid on dry 

peas with more than 24 percent protein content at the 2019 Northern Pulse 

Grower Association Meeting. Further, dry pea has been recognized as the 

new heart of health foods for being incredibly rich in key minerals. Improving 

protein content and mineral levels have thus become important breeding 

objectives. In this study, plant breeders and food scientists at NDSU will test 

and optimize a novel breeding methodology, called ‘genomic selection’, to 

accurately select and speed-up the development of dry pea variety. Genomic 

selection uses the DNA information provided by high-throughput genotyping 

and it is heavily used for genetic improvement of plants and animals in 

private sectors. To our knowledge, no research has been conducted on 

genomic selection for improving dry pea quality. This study will fully test 

genomic selection and provide a giant step forward to actual implementation 

of genomic selection in a public breeding program, leading to faster 

development of higher quality dry pea varieties. This project is timely and 

cost-effective because phenotyping cost for seed quality is becoming more 

expensive than genotyping cost. The outcomes of genomic selection are 

accurate selection and faster development of nutritionally-enhanced dry pea 

cultivars with high protein content and high mineral levels.

$203,343.00
230

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

7. Vine Desiccation as a 

Strategy to Manage 

Verticillium Wilt of 

Potato by Reducing Soil 

Inoculum

North Dakota State University will reduce the economic and environmental 

impact of Verticillium wilt of potato by identifying that period when potato 

vines should be desiccated to reduce pathogen inoculum production without 

reducing yield and quality of processed potato. Currently, the only means of 

controlling Verticillium wilt in French fry process potatoes is by soil 

fumigation which is not sustainable and environmentally unfavorable. Vine 

desiccation has been discontinued as a cultural practice by that portion of the 

potato industry involved in French fry processing in favor of allowing plants to 

naturally mature. This cultural practice is believed to increase yield. Previous 

studies performed in North Dakota demonstrated that inoculum production 

by the Verticillium wilt pathogen increases significantly during this period 

which subsequently increases disease pressure in future crops. Yield data 

from cultivar studies suggests there is a harvest window during midSeptember, centered around the fall equinox, in which yield does not 

increase. The studies proposed will determine the yield of Russet Burbank 

under field conditions in experimental plots where vine desiccation at six 

weekly intervals from September 1 to October 6 are compared to the yield of 

plants left to senesce naturally as is the current practice. Vine desiccation 

halts the production of Verticillium wilt inoculum. The level of Verticillium 

inoculum produced in stems of Russet Burbank desiccated at six intervals will 

be compared that produced in stems that have senesced naturally which will 

demonstrate that Verticillium wilt inoculum is increasing over time while 

yield is not. This information will be disseminated to stakeholders through 

grower meetings and field days.

$223,122.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

8. Increasing Breeding 

Efficiencies in Dry Bean 

by Using Improved 

Selection Tools for 

Cultivar Development

North Dakota State University aims to release improved dry bean cultivars 

more rapidly by increasing breeding efficiency in three ways: (i) developing 

molecular tools to assist in pyramiding common bacterial blight resistance 

genes, (ii) identify known and new disease resistance genes currently present 

within the Dry Bean Breeding Program for rust, anthracnose, and white mold 

to be used for Marker-Assisted Breeding (MAB) and to assist in future 

parental selection, and (iii) assess the potential breeding efficiency gains 

using MAB.

$202,040.00
231

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

9. On-Farm Validation of 

Planting Date as a Tool 

for Managing Root Rot in 

Peas, Lentils

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center, in 

conjunction with the NDSU Williston Research Extension Center and the 

NDSU Department of Plant Pathology, will conduct on-farm studies in 

western North Dakota to optimize the use of planting date and seed 

treatment fungicides for management of root rots in field peas and lentils. 

Fusarium and Aphanomyces root rots are serious constraints for pea and 

lentil production that have caused many producers to abandon the crops on 

all or part of their acreage. The diseases are favored by warm soil 

temperatures, and data from field trials suggests that an early planting date 

can confer satisfactory management of the diseases. Only one university 

research farm in North Dakota and Montana has fields with natural, 

economically limiting levels of Aphanomyces and Fusarium pressure, and all 

data on the impact of planting date on Aphanomyces root rot have been 

generated from one study location. Aphanomyces is particularly economically 

damaging but is difficult to establish with laboratory produced inoculum. 

Studies evaluating the impact of planting date on Fusarium root rot have 

been conducted with laboratory produced pathogen inoculum. This project 

seeks to validate the use of planting date as a tool for managing root diseases 

in peas and lentils by conducting on-farm studies in fields with natural 

infestations of Aphanomyces and Fusarium root rot that have caused 

economic losses in commercial field pea and lentil production. Rigorous 

disease management recommendations will be developed and disseminated 

to stakeholders in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.

$67,053.00
232

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

10. State-Wide Screening 

of Wild Oat for Herbicide 

Resistance

Weed resistance to herbicides is increasing and will impact specialty crop 

production. Weeds can adapt when the same production practices (i.e., same 

herbicides) are used repeatedly. Farmers growing specialty crops will benefit 

in the short term and long term from learning how to properly rotate 

herbicide chemistries and crops. No new herbicides are being developed to 

replace those lost to herbicide resistance. This will hurt specialty crops more 

than major crops. Specialty crops typically have fewer weed control options 

as companies focus their time and resources on higher acreage crops like 

corn and soybean. Understanding the types of resistance present in the field 

will help to plan future weed management strategies, thus helping farmers 

preserve and use wisely the weed control tools they currently have for 

specialty crops. Wild oat is one of the weeds that has shown a propensity for 

resistance. This project will screen about 100 wild oat populations from 

across the state to determine 1) how widespread is wild oat resistance, 2) to 

which herbicides or groups wild oat is resistant, and 3) if the pattern of 

resistance correlates with historical herbicide use.

$60,207.00
233

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

11. Optimizing the 

Deployment Of BeeVectored Clonostachys 

Rosea For Managing 

Sclerotinia Head Rot In 

Confection Sunflowers

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center, in 

cooperation with the NDSU Langdon Research Extension Center, will conduct 

multi-location field trials and conduct outreach to North Dakota and 

Minnesota sunflower producers to improve the management of Sclerotinia 

head rot of confection sunflowers, a sporadic but serious disease for which 

no management tools are currently available. Field trials will be established 

to develop rigorous recommendations for the deployment of a novel disease 

management strategy that has conferred consistent, strong control of head 

rot even under severe disease pressure. In field trials conducted in Langdon 

and Carrington in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the use of bees to inoculate 

sunflower heads with strain CR7 of the fungal biological control agent 

Clonostachys rosea conferred 33 to 60 percent reductions in Sclerotinia head 

rot under moderate to severe disease pressure. The biological control agent 

is deposited with an automated dispenser on the surface over which the bees 

travel as they exit their hives, and the bees deposit the biological on 

sunflower florets as they pollinate. This project seeks to determine the spatial 

distribution of bee hives required to achieve satisfactory control of head rot 

by quantifying the distance away from bee hives that satisfactory disease 

control is achieved. The project will contribute to the development of 

rigorous recommendations for managing Sclerotinia head rot in confection 

sunflowers, and results with be disseminated to producers and industry 

stakeholders at outreach meetings, in trade publications, and with reports 

published online.

$75,751.00
234

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

12. Field to Fork: 

Promoting Specialty 

Fruits and Vegetables 

through Education for 

Adults and Children

North Dakota State University Extension specialists, faculty and staff from at 

least 30 counties and external partners (including Iowa State) will enhance 

knowledge and safe food handling of specialty fruit and vegetable crops from 

field to fork. This project will build upon two successful projects and will 

expand to include more information about herbs and dry beans. It addresses 

three key priorities of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture related to 

enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops through increased 

consumption (Outcome 2); increased access (Outcome 3); and increased 

understanding of the ecology of threats to food safety from microbial and 

chemical sources (Outcome 7). The project will create new educational 

materials related to specialty fruits and vegetables grown in North Dakota 

targeting both youth and adults. Through the development of materials such 

as online modules, fact sheets, information releases, presentations, 

participants will increase their knowledge of specialty crops. Growers will 

increase their understanding of food safety practices and technologies. This 

project will offer face-to-face workshops, webinars and online module-based 

training for growers, small food businesses, including topics such as 

agricultural water, biological soil amendments, domesticated and wild 

animals, and worker health and hygiene. The project will increase knowledge 

and consumption of North Dakota specialty crops through the offering of 

education for children in 4-H programs and schools and farmers markets 

related to specialty crops. Knowledge gained and behavior changes will be 

evaluated using pre/post surveys.

$63,438.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

13. Evaluation and 

Selection of Improved 

Haskap for North Dakota

The Carrington Research Extension Center (CREC) will obtain new Japanese 

haskap from the only haskap breeder in the U.S. Cuttings will be propagated 

and planted followed by evaluations to identify selections which will replace 

commercial varieties currently available in North Dakota and the U.S. The 

selections made in this project will produce a larger fruit crop with desired 

quality characteristics and fruit that clings well in windy conditions.

$84,458.00
235

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80 14. Educating Youth 

About Specialty Crops

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) will create a hummus

toolkit that can be used by grade school and middle school teachers to 

educate students on chickpea and pulse crop production in North Dakota. 

The hummus kits that will be created and distributed to classrooms across 

North Dakota are timely because the Northern Pulse Growers Association and 

national pulse growers’ groups have identified the importance of quality food 

choices for consumers. These kits will introduce consumers to chickpeas and 

ways to eat them. The kit will consist of a small sample of chickpeas along 

with recipes for hummus and other dishes using chickpeas. A flash drive will 

have multiple resources specific to chickpea and pulse crop production in 

North Dakota. Specifically, one of these resources will be a PowerPoint 

presentation that the teacher can use. Funds from this grant will also be used 

to create a farm-to-fork video that will serve as both an introduction to the 

materials in the kits as well as a promotional piece that will be shared on 

NDDA digital channels to educate visitors about pulse crops in North Dakota. 

Teachers can use all these resources in the classroom to educate students 

where their food comes from by making and tasting hummus with the class. 

The teachers can then use the other materials in the kit to create lessons to

accompany the activity.

$27,164.80
236

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

15. Creating a Predictive 

Framework for Cold 

Tolerance in North 

Dakota Grape Cultivars

North Dakota State University will evaluate the association between 

environmental cues and phenological and physiological transitions essential 

to viticulture performance and resilience in northern climates. Response to 

environmental cues varies widely across grape cultivars with large impacts to 

both yield and vineyard sustainability. This project aims to comprehensively 

assess the interaction between temperature cues, phenology, and cold 

hardiness across multiple growing seasons in grape cultivars. This project will 

systematically assess the fine-scale relationship between temperature and 

the induction and breakup of dormancy and dormancy-related traits for six 

grape cultivars replicated four times across two distinct environments (NDSU 

Horticulture Research Farm and a regional vineyard). NDSU will (i) monitor 

temperature and (ii) phenological shifts over time and (iii) estimate 

development of cold hardiness using both electrolytic leakage and differential 

thermal analysis (DTA) across cane and bud tissue between October to May 

2019-2020 and July to May 2020-2021. NDSU will evaluate Ferguson et al.’s 

(2011, 2013) temperature-based model that predicts cold hardiness and bud 

break within Vitis genotypes comparing observed versus predicted values of 

cold hardiness and bud break. Results from this work will provide valuable 

information for varietal development and may be used for risk-management 

to predict winter injury. Data from this experiment may be incorporated into 

tools to identify sites with appropriate temperature conditions for select 

cultivar production and establish a probability of cold hardiness for grape 

cultivars within a region where cold damage is common.

$105,126.00
237

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

16. Enhancing Rust 

Resistance in Confection 

Sunflower Production 

through NextGeneration Technologies

The National Sunflower Association will use newly available genome 

sequence information for sunflower to identify diagnostic single-nucleotide 

polymorphism (SNP) markers tightly linked to the rust resistance genes (R 

genes) expanding the options for stacking resistance to obtain an enhanced, 

long-lasting resistance to the rust disease. Rust is a growing threat to 

sunflower production worldwide, leading to losses in yield and seed quality. 

This project will apply cutting edge genetic and genomic approaches to 

characterize the genetic basis for rust resistance in sunflower. With improved 

next generation sequencing (NGS) and the decreased cost of sequencing, it is 

now feasible to discover millions of SNPs for any plant and connect these 

markers to desirable phenotypic traits. We will use whole genome resequencing combining the fine mapping approach to generate high density 

SNP genetic maps for characterization of the rust R genes, R12, R13a, and 

R15, to dissect the R gene cluster, and to identify candidate genes for rust 

resistance. The diagnostic SNP markers linked to the rust R genes will be 

evaluated across a diversity panel of common breeding parents and 

optimized prior to public release. Project deliverables include new tools (i.e. 

diagnostic SNP markers) that will enable sunflower breeding programs across 

the US to more easily develop superior cultivars that are resistant to rust. 

Ultimately, these efforts will result in the development of improved rust 

resistant hybrids, providing a more economically sustainable solution for 

confection sunflower growers throughout the US and the world.

$124,050.00
238

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

17. Identification of 

Economically Important 

Fruit Quality Traits in 

Diverse Grapevine 

Genotypes for Elite 

Germplasm 

Development

North Dakota State University (NDSU) Grape Germplasm Enhancement 

Program (GCEP) will develop grapevine lines with improved fruit quality 

traits. We will utilize new methodologies and tools that can enhance 

selection efficiency. In this project, we aim to reduce generation timelines 

through the creation of useful selection indices and development of 

informative predictive correlations. Additionally, the program will join the 

leading global germplasm development programs in the genomic era with a 

goal of isolating useful molecular markers and genomic predictors guiding the 

selection of early ripening, low-acid grapevine selections. No U.S. grape 

breeding program works towards a shorter growing season than that of 

North Dakota, thus to breed specifically for our growers, a thorough 

understanding of the relationship between phenological timing and quality 

attributes in our germplasm material is fundamental to effective, timely 

selection. Significant findings will be shared with stakeholders in the grape 

and wine industry through grower meetings, field days, scientific 

publications, and eventually germplasm releases.

$192,981.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

18. Developing Improved 

Practices for Fresh 

Yellow Potato 

Production in North 

Dakota

Over the last 10 years, the average annual growth in yellow potato shipping 

has increased at a rate of 9.2 percent. Because of this demand, North Dakota 

potato farmers are growing more yellow potatoes, however quality problems 

(i.e. blackspot bruise and early sprouting) have caused a up to 60 percent of 

potatoes to be wasted each year because they do not meet quality standards. 

In this project, North Dakota State University will provide testing to help 

develop improved management practices for fresh yellow-skinned potato 

production in North Dakota. Our objectives are to 1) develop information on 

the agronomic and storability of various yellow potato cultivars and 2) 

improve understanding of nutrient needs of yellow potato cultivars in North 

Dakota growing conditions by studying fertility rates and their effect on yield 

and quality. The project’s focus is to overcome challenges in yellow-skinned 

potato production to maximize the sustainable production and value for 

potato growers in North Dakota. Information will be disseminated through 

grower meetings, publications in the Valley Potato Grower Magazine, 

Extension activities and through the NDSU Potato Extension website 

(www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension).

$71,796.00
239

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

19. Fall-Based Weed 

Control Strategies in 

Pulse Crops

North Dakota State University will investigate fall-based strategies to enhance 

weed control in pulse crops. Dry pea, lentil, and chickpea are important crops 

to western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Several important weeds for 

pulse crops are winter annuals or early-germinating spring annual weeds that 

can be difficult to control. The project goal is to find herbicides that will be 

safe to pulse crops, but will control important weeds such as horseweed, 

narrowleaf hawksbeard, mustard spp., kochia, and others. It is essential that 

these strategies allow maximum crop rotation flexibility. This project will 

evaluate fall-applied herbicides applied individually or as tank mixes for weed 

control and crop safety. The project will also monitor for possible synergistic 

or antagonistic herbicide combinations. This research will provide data to 

support future weed control recommendations or possible herbicide label 

changes. This research will provide guidance to farmers to minimize weed 

competition and maximize crop safety and yield.

$79,361.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80 20. Microvinification of 

Cold-Hardy Grapes

The NDSU North Central Research Extension Center near Minot, ND will 

continue to evaluate the 5,000 winter-hardy grape accessions. This project 

will focus on the microvinification (small batch wine) process and tasting 

evaluations of the harvested grapes. The North Central Research Extension 

Center near Minot, ND currently has over 4,000 grape plants, established in 

2013, in a fenced area of approximately 5 acres. We continue selecting for 

winter hardiness and have begun collecting a more comprehensive data set, 

which can aid in the selection of additional favorable traits, including bud 

break, flowering dates, growth rates, and dormancy dates. Evaluation of early 

generation breeding stock can reduce the time required to release new 

varieties and limit ineffective and expensive cross-breeding efforts. Success of 

this project will be demonstrated with additional data for breeding programs, 

increased awareness of the program from ND citizens, and increased 

participation in grape and wine events.

$28,507.00
240

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

21. DNA Test to Reduce 

False Positive Reporting 

of Soybean Cyst 

Nematodes in Edible 

Bean Fields

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center will validate and deploy a novel 

DNA-based test that will help resolve current diagnostic issues of detecting 

soybean cyst nematode at low levels in North Dakota soils following harvest 

of edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The National Agricultural Genotyping 

Center (NAGC), a not-for-profit laboratory, specializes in transforming basic, 

research-use DNA tests into high-throughput diagnostic tests for use by the 

fundamental group in agriculture, the growers. Here, we propose to: 1) 

improve and validate a DNA-based test for SCN that will increase specificity 

(i.e., confirm SCN) and quantify egg loads, 2) blindly assess the newly 

developed DNA-based test for SCN, and 3) provide testing to edible bean 

growers that may receive SCN soil results that are interpreted as false 

positives. The data generated from the project will provide empirical 

evidence on a more advanced testing option for SCN in post-harvested bean 

fields, reduce confusion of growers on the false positives reported from their 

fields, and inform growers and crop advisors on the presence of ultra-low 

levels of SCN to help with pro-active control options.

$188,819.00
241

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

22. Establishing World 

Markets for Upper 

Midwest Specialty Crops

The North Dakota Trade Office will partner with Upper Midwest specialty 

crop companies, producers and producer associations to establish world 

markets for Upper Midwest specialty crops by: 1) Conducting market 

research to evaluate existing markets and to identify up and coming markets 

for pulse crops. This research will be shared with stakeholders in this project. 

2) An Egypt Trade Mission and a North Dakota pavilion at the Gulfood show 

in Dubai in February 2020. Gulfood is the largest annual food event serving as 

a gateway to new and emerging markets and increasing global exposure and 

sales potential of Upper Midwest specialty crops. NDTO will assist 4 

companies in gaining an international buying audience through meetings with 

potential buyers during an in-country trade mission to Egypt, immediately 

followed by attendance at the Gulfood show. In conjunction these events will 

increase awareness of Upper Midwest companies as reliable suppliers of safe 

specialty crops to the Middle East and North Africa Region. 3) A trade mission 

to Chile and the Dominican Republic to increase knowledge and market share 

of the Upper Midwest’s specialty crop sector in these key markets. NDTO will 

assist up to 6 companies with introductions to pre-qualified buyers, 

distributors and importers of specialty crops, resulting in an increase in 

export sales of specialty crops to these target markets. 4) A reverse trade 

mission that includes an educational component and farm tours promoting 

regional pulse crops. Success will be measured by an increase in sales and/or 

volume of specialty crops.

$252,249.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80

23. Vine Kill Strategies 

for Certified Seed Potato 

Production

North Dakota State University will conduct replicated potato field trials (2020 

and 2021) to assess vine kill treatments following application of crop mineral 

oils used for aphid deterrence in certified seed potato production. Following 

harvest and grading in 2020, samples of each treatment will be submitted for 

grow-out in the North Dakota State Seed Department (NDSSD) Winter Test 

Plot in Florida to ascertain PVY spread. A demonstration trial will also be 

grown each year for grower viewing and interaction during the annual 

Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) Field Day in late August

near Crystal, ND.

$50,310.00
242

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,948,463.80 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$232,752.04

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

1. Characterization and 

Management of 

Chestnut Blossom End 

Rot

The Ohio State University, Department of Plant Pathology, will identify 

management practices to prevent and control chestnut blossom end rot 

(BER) and develop an integrated disease management program that will be 

disseminated to growers through grower meetings and university supported 

field days. In order to develop an effective and integrated disease 

management program for BER it is critical that we gain a better 

understanding of the fungi causing BER, disease resistance potential, and at 

what stages of nut growth infections occur. By understanding the stage(s) at 

which infection occurs targeted cultural practices and fungicide spray 

programs can be developed.

$67,872.00
243

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

2. Empowering New 

Apple Growers to 

Succeed in Ohio

Ohio State University will lead a network of experienced and beginning apple 

growers to develop a beginners orcharding handbook and a field prototype 

orchard training unit. Mentoring and empowering will enable beginning 

growers to enter the Ohio apple industry at an entry level scale with the best 

chance of success. This will help new growers achieve financial backing from 

investors. New apple varieties developed by the Midwest Apple Improvement 

Association will offer seasonal uniqueness, with the model of local apples for 

local markets. These high fruit quality, disease-resistant and climate adapted 

MAIA selections allow new growers to enter the industry by growing delicious 

apples that customers actively seek to purchase. A U-Pick marketing strategy 

will create community connection with apple consumers. Year one will be 

information gathering and integration resulting in the beginner’s 

informational and orchard design template (beginners handbook). In year 

two, beginning orchardists will be trained using both the handbook and a 

field prototype beginners orchard established at OARDC, Wooster. In 

addition, Ohio extension educators will receive information and in-field 

training based on the beginner’s template and prototype, designed to 

increase awareness of this effort to diverse clientele. This model will evolve 

the current Ohio apple growing system to enable/encourage generational 

transition, to allow successful entry of new and beginning growers, and to 

allow current farmers to add apples as a specialty crop. In the longer term, 

this effort will evolve Ohio apple growing toward sustainability of small 

production units to be associated with local communities.

$84,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

3. Next Generation 

Diagnostics for Ohio 

Specialty Crops

The OSU Emerging Infectious Diseases Ecology, Vegetable Pathology and Fruit 

Pathology programs and C. Wayne Ellet Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic will 

improve Ohio specialty crop disease diagnosis using a novel sequencingbased approach to swiftly identify plant pathogens limiting specialty crop 

production statewide. We will provide specialty crop growers across the state 

with a novel diagnostic tool (OHIO PATH ID) that allows for quick (1-2 days) 

and specific identification of long-standing plant and newly emerging plant 

diseases and rapid detection of emerging problems such as fungicide and 

antibiotic resistance in pathogen populations.

$149,028.00
244

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

4. Improved Pawpaw 

Cultural and Postharvest Practices 

Enhancing Orchard 

Establishment, 

Productivity, Fruit 

Quality and 

Marketability

An interdisciplinary team at The Ohio State University will explore and 

disseminate information on "Best Cultural Practices" to advance growth in 

the Ohio pawpaw industry by promoting successful orchard establishment, 

enhancing productivity in bearing orchards, and ensuring improved fruit 

quality and marketability. We will examine BCPs that optimize orchard 

establishment procedures, production efficiency in established orchards, fruit 

quality and marketability. We also plan a robust outreach program designed 

to inform established growers and nursery operators about up-to-date 

research findings and to educate new growers, marketers and processors 

about pawpaw's potential, culture and use in food products.

$149,951.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

5. Ohio Grown 

Strawberries under 

Controlled EnvironmentTowards Year-Round 

Local Production

The Ohio State University proposes to establish capabilities for supplying 

Ohio grown strawberries year-round through combining various seasonextending and controlled environment agriculture technologies in addition to 

conventional on-season production. We will promote revenue generation for 

Ohio strawberry growers outside of the traditional growing season by 

establishing the capability to provide locally grown fresh, flavorful fruit to 

consumers during all months of the year. This will create a product, where 

there currently is none, for growers to compete against outsourced fruit from 

distant sources such as California and Mexico. Science-based comparative 

evaluations of new and existing technologies and methodologies will result in 

information and recommendations, disseminated through workshops, 

publications, and grower forums that will establish strawberry as a locally 

grown Ohio product continuously available to and highly demanded by 

consumers.

$84,000.00
245

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40

6. Scaling the 

Production, Aggregation, 

Distribution and 

Processing for Farm to 

Institution Procedures

Rural Action will lead a collaborative team along with project partner 

Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) to identify interest and 

sales opportunities for minimally processed fresh and frozen specialty crops 

to Appalachian Ohio institutions. During the first project year these 

institutions (K-12 school districts, hospitals, colleges) representing a 

collectively large purchasing power will be surveyed to quantify their interest 

and ability to purchase locally processed Ohio specialty crops. This research 

will then be paired with regional wholesale specialty crop sales data from 

food hubs to develop an equitable pricing model that is both competitively 

structured and accessible for institutions with lower purchasing power, as 

well as financially sustainable through market rate pricing for institutions 

with greater purchasing flexibility. In the second project year, Rural Action 

and ACEnet will lead the research and prototyping of minimally processed 

specialty crops to meet this institutional market research - priced according 

to year one research and individual institution budgets. Finally, in both year 

one and year two of the project, educational materials and technical 

assistance will be provided for institutional partners to build long-term 

understanding of and demand for Ohio specialty crops. As a result of this 

project, Rural Action and partners will increase specialty crop sales and 

consumption by reducing barriers to institutional purchasing of locally grown 

fruits and vegetables. Direct outcomes of this project include annual sales 

increases for 27 current and beginning specialty crop producers, creation of 

seven processed specialty crop products, and purchasing plans for eight 

schools and three institutions.

$140,830.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$742,223.40 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$66,435.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Assessing Heat Tolerant 

Lettuces For Production 

In Oklahoma

Scientists at Oklahoma State University’s Horticulture and Landscape

Architecture. Department will combine their expertise and resources in 

greenhouse hydroponic plant production, field vegetable plant production 

and harvesting, handling and objective measurement of quality to devise 

systems for producing high quality lettuce into Oklahoma’s summer season.

$97,308.00
246

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Compost as a CostEffective Heat Source for 

Seed Germination & 

Season Extension

CommonWealth Urban Farms will host a series of two interactive workshops 

for both agriculture students and beginning/socially disadvantaged farmers 

across the state of Oklahoma on how to use compost as a heat source for 

seed germination (in a greenhouse) and season extension (under low 

tunnels). The overarching goal of this educational project is to share an 

effective, low cost technology that will reduce start-up costs to 

beginning/socially disadvantaged farmers, and to provide a cost-effective, 

widely accessible and environmentally-friendly alternative to propane, a 

commonly used heat source for starting seeds in greenhouses.

$18,750.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Controlling Algae in 

Hydroponics to Increase 

Production

Light, nutrients, and water are needed for plant growth and are rigorously 

controlled in hydroponic production, but is also optimum for algae growth, 

which is known to reduce yields, harbor insects, clog emitters, and increase 

labor costs. As interest in soilless production continues to increase to meet 

locally-grown produce markets, control of algae is a major concern. All 

growers are impacted by algae no matter the size of the operation or what 

crops are grown. Research at Oklahoma State University will evaluate 

different hydrogen peroxide products, which can serve as algaecides and 

provides extra oxygen that promotes root growth. Algaecides are known to 

reduce or eliminate algae; however, limited research has looked at rates and 

timing of applications. This research will consist of two separate experiments.

$61,823.45

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Detection of Detrimental 

Viruses and Viroids in 

High Value 

Chrysanthemums in 

Oklahoma

Researchers at Oklahoma State University propose to determine the 

prevalence of detrimental viruses and viroids infecting chrysanthemums 

varieties (Chrysanthemum L., family Asteraceae) in relevant germplasm 

foundational stock in Oklahoma and to select virus and viroid free plants. A 

catalog of these phytopathogens is missing and is needed for selecting 

healthy individual plants. The output of this project will set the basis for in 

vitro propagation of virus-free germplasm in the future and will allow 

developing customized broad-spectrum detection assays for 

chrysanthemums in OK and the U.S.

$68,244.00
247

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Development of Native 

& Pollinator Plants as 

Turfgrasses

Oklahoma State University researchers in the Dept of Horticulture and LA will 

evaluate the potential for native plant ground covers for use as low input turf 

of shaded landscapes. Plant materials will be tested under a variety of 

locations and environments to determine their general appearance and 

adaption. The project will also identify best methods for propagation of 

prospective plants for greenhouse nursery production, field nursery 

production, or sod production. The research will create new products for 

Oklahoma growers in order to diversify offerings to a broad range of 

consumers. Results will be disseminated through field days, professional 

association meetings, and Extension factsheets.

$69,496.53

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Flowering Management: 

Minimizing the Harms 

Caused by Spring Freeze 

in Pecans

Scientists at Oklahoma State University will investigate mechanisms by which 

pecans can tolerate and maintain productivity when subjected to spring 

freezes. Spring freeze is one of the most severe problems threatening pecan 

bloom and production in Oklahoma.

$91,784.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Harvest of the Month 

Educational Activity 

Sheets

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom and Oklahoma Farm to School will create ten 

“Harvest of the Month Educational Activity Sheets” to disseminate to 

students through classrooms, cafeterias, student events, and farmers 

markets. These activity sheets will promote the consumption of specialty 

crops grown in Oklahoma and will educate students and families about the 

nutritional benefits of consuming the products.

$24,408.87

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Identification of Viruses 

Infecting Peppers in 

Oklahoma and Screening 

for Resistant Pepper

This project at The University of Tulsa focuses on pepper viruses to determine 

the type of viruses infecting peppers in Oklahoma and to find possible control 

measures to minimize their effects on pepper yield. In Oklahoma, pepper 

(Capsicum annuum, L) crops (including bell and chili peppers) grow on more 

than 600 acres and contribute approximately 2 million dollars per year to the 

state economy. For the last several years, virus diseases have severely 

affected the production of pepper crops (both quality and quantity), causing 

the reduction of cultivated acreage.

$87,991.00
248

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77

Improvement of 

Vegetable Production 

and Soil Health Using 

Cover Crops

Researchers from Oklahoma State University will address vegetable 

production issues using cover crops to improve soil health and enhance yield 

and quality with additions of organic matter, and to evaluate soil parameters 

to further understand the relationship between soil health and crop 

production. Spinach (aboveground production) and sweet potato 

(belowground production) yield and quality will be evaluated to assess the 

effectiveness of soil management using various cover crops during the offseason. Findings of the study will be disseminated to vegetable growers using 

extension publications, presentations at producer meetings, and on-site field 

tours.

$51,559.93

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$621,172.77 Grant Administration

To ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and 

State requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$49,683.00
249

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

1. Enhancing Specialty 

Crop Competitiveness 

with Hydroponic 

Growing Systems

The Central Oregon Veterans Ranch (COVR) will design and build a 

hydroponic lettuce production system and integrate it with existing veterancentered agriculture therapy and existing veteran transition education 

programs. This new production system will validate the use of hydroponics 

for increasing specialty crop production and enhancing small farm methods 

while increasing Oregon’s farm workforce and benefiting veterans that are 

transitioning from service or suffering from combat trauma. The proposed 

project will convert an existing greenhouse into a hydroponic system for 

growing lettuce. COVR is a non-profit, 19-acre working farm/ranch that 

provides a unique environment focused on helping veterans heal from 

combat trauma and transition from military service to civilian life. Part of the 

healing experience is the opportunity to do meaningful and purposeful 

agricultural work growing crops and rearing animals. The veterans learn new 

skills preparing them for civilian jobs in both agriculture and other related 

fields. Produce and animals from the ranch are sold to local markets and 

profits go to support farming operations and other Ranch therapeutic 

programs. This project will significantly increase lettuce production and 

provide a classroom for training veterans preparing them for careers and jobs 

in farming. In addition, the hydroponic infrastructure will be offered to local 

universities, colleges and schools for research and studies. COVR currently 

has a working relationship with Oregon State University for similar programs. 

Data and experiences with the lettuce production will be shared statewide 

with farming organization and other interested entities.

$120,049.00
250

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

2. Farm-to-Food 

Accelerator: Energizing 

growth for Oregon's 

Female Specialty Crop 

Producers

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) 

Foundation is partnering with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon 

State University Food Innovation Center, Washington State Department of 

Agriculture and Union Kitchen to develop a multi-state project to equip 

female specialty crop producers to grow their value-added businesses. 

NASDA Foundation and its partners will develop the Women’s Farm to Food 

Accelerator. The goal of the accelerator is to empower Oregon and 

Washington female specialty crop producers with food and beverage 

products to enter into new state and regional markets. The 90-day 

accelerator will provide training in product development, food safety, 

marketing and business development. The accelerator will include online 

modules, peer-to-peer learning, a women’s mentor network, and one-on-one 

consultations with experts. We will target female producers whose products 

contain at least 50 percent Oregon-grown and Washington-grown specialty 

crops. We will also target female producers with small operations (i.e., less 

than $500,000 annual gross sales, less than 20 employees). Through this 

project, NASDA Foundation and its partners will train a total of 75 female 

specialty crop producers (30 from Oregon, 45 from Washington). After 

completing the accelerator, we anticipate the following outcomes: 100 

percent of participating producers will increase their awareness of new 

markets for specialty crop products, 95 percent of participating producers will 

increase efficiency within their businesses as measured by the number of 

products reaching new markets or reduced costs, and 80 percent of 

participating producers will increase their sales of Oregon specialty crop 

value-added products.

$174,942.00
251

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

3. Strategically Growing 

the Market for Oregon 

Craft Cider in California

Northwest Cider Association (NWCA), representing a $300 million economic 

impact to the state of Oregon, proposes a project to grow the market for 

Oregon craft cider by hosting targeted consumer and industry focused 

tastings in California. NWCA, based in Portland, supports cidermakers in 

growing consumer demand for local, premium hard cider. Oregon is leading 

the nation in cider consumption, with Oregon cider synonymous with quality. 

However, Oregon’s market is not big enough to sustain the category growth. 

Despite being neighbors, California does not currently sell much Oregonmade cider, nor is California producing much cider. California’s population of 

40 million people is ten times higher than Oregon and represents a huge 

market potential for growth for a higher quality cider coming from Oregon’s 

apples.

$173,158.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67 4. Adopt a Farmer 

Statewide Expansion

Oregon Aglink will expand the Adopt a Farmer program on specialty crop 

farms into seven new counties in southern, central, and eastern Oregon 

which will double the specialty crop county engagement to a total of 14 of 

the state’s 36 counties. During each academic year, all farm-classroom 

matches across the 14 total counties in this project will have one field trip to 

a specialty crop farm and at least two hands-on classroom visits from their 

farmer who will share their production practices, careers that help their farm 

succeed (agronomists, beekeepers, researchers, etc.), and how their crops 

get to market so students, teachers and parents know where to buy Oregon 

specialty crops. Two career expos will also be held for middle school students 

in the new regions to increase student understanding of career opportunities 

in Oregon’s specialty crop industry. New county classrooms will be linked 

with current Willamette Valley county schools by means of digital resources 

to broaden their understanding of specialty crop production across the state. 

This project’s engagement with middle school students across the state will 

enhance the competitiveness of Oregon specialty crops through increased 

knowledge and consumption of a variety of specialty crops including but not 

limited to blueberries, cherries, peaches, garlic, onions, potatoes, and 

peppermint.

$78,453.00
252

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

5. Exploring Oregon's 

Specialty Crops in the 

Classroom

Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom will facilitate learning about Oregon’s 

specialty crops through the development and enhancement of classroomready resources including curriculum, educational and promotional videos, 

educator workshops, virtual farm field trips and subscription-style boxes 

distributed to Oregon classrooms featuring Oregon’s specialty crops. This 

proposed project will contribute to a greater understanding of specialty crops 

using three primary methods: curriculum and resources, events and 

promotion. This diversity of methods and dissemination will result in a 

project that build upon well-established successes and develop new 

innovative long-lasting resources for Oregon educators.

$56,416.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

6. Enhancing and Scaling 

the Oregon Hazelnut 

Sustainability and 

Stewardship Program

The Oregon Hazelnut Commission (OHC) seeks to enhance the 

competitiveness of the Oregon hazelnut industry through targeted outreach, 

education, and improved farm-level reporting capabilities for hazelnut 

growers designed to increase productivity through adoption of best 

management practices (BMPs) and identification of areas for improvement in 

production and pest management practices. The OHC will use funding to 

scale and enhance its preexisting Sustainability and Stewardship Program by 

upgrading and expanding its current Pilot Project implementation. Specific 

proposed activities include: updating grower-oriented educational materials 

and Workbook; updating the existing online grower education and data 

collection platform to include new data collection and reporting tools; 

conducting grower workshops to increase participation in the Sustainability 

and Stewardship Program; analyzing data on the implementation of BMPs; 

using data analyzed from the online platform to inform educational programs 

and incentives to increase implementation of BMPs; and, leveraging the 

results from the fully implemented Oregon Hazelnut Sustainability and 

Stewardship Program to tell the story of Oregon Hazelnuts industry practices 

to potential buyers.

$166,600.00
253

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

7. Consumer Research & 

Domestic Market 

Development for 

Processed Oregon 

Berries

The Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission (ORBC) and Oregon 

Strawberry Commission (OSC) will obtain market knowledge via an in-depth 

research study and leverage this information to improve market 

development and access for processed Northwest berries and value-added 

berry products in key domestic US markets. A quantitative research study 

(national, 750+ respondents). This information will be used to develop datadriven educational priorities and in-market communication campaign to 

provide exposure to Oregon berries, better connect our farmers to 

consumers, and ultimately to drive sales of IQF, canned and freeze-dried 

berries as well as value added products outside of the traditional summer 

berry season. This program will serve as a best practice model to benefit 

future domestic market development opportunities. Program elements will 

include: Communication toolkit for packers and industry: presentation slides, 

infographic images, brochure, recipes booklet (6 – 5 ORBC, 1 OSC). In-Store 

educational program in the regions with the biggest market potential (4 cities 

selected): sampling, recipes, special displays working with a local retail 

partner Top food experts/local media event to engage local consumers and 

influencers (4 events). Supporting an in-depth social media campaign.

$153,481.00
254

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

8. Integrated Weed 

Management in 

Turfgrass Seed 

Production: Reducing 

Weed-Seed 

Contamination

The goal of this project is to develop a more solid understanding of the 

management of turfgrass seed crop residue as an integrated weed 

management tool to reduce weed-seed/volunteer crop seed contamination 

in commercial turfgrass seed lots. Gaining this knowledge and completing the 

associated Extension and teaching efforts related to this research will lead to 

more effective, economical and sustainable weed management practices and 

increase the competitiveness and acceptance of Oregon turfgrass seed in 

domestic and international markets. To achieve these research and Extension 

goals, Oregon State University will evaluate the effects of crop residue on 

weed suppression under controlled environments and in growers’ fields, 

perform field and laboratory experiments to understand the dynamics of 

weed-seed germination and how the weed seedbank changes over time with 

the presence or absence of crop residue, and conduct adsorption-desorption 

experiments in the laboratory and in the field to understand the fate of 

herbicides applied to the crop residue. To disseminate the knowledge 

obtained from this research to stakeholders and the broad scientific 

community, field days, e-newsletters, scientific presentations and peerreviewed publications will be produced by the lead PI’s and associated OSU 

faculty.

$174,608.00
255

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

9. Promoting SensorBased Irrigation 

Management

The Oregon State University (OSU) and OSU Extension service, in partnership 

with the University of Idaho (UI) and Oregon’s Nursery, Wine grapes, and 

Hazelnut growers, will enhance irrigation efficiency by 1) developing sensorbased irrigation management protocols for Oregon perennial crop 

production, 2) promote these protocols to the public and 3) highlight 

economic and environmental benefits associated with increased irrigation 

efficiencies. As labor shortages continue to limit production, we will enhance 

the competitiveness of perennial specialty crop production in Oregon by 

helping growers incorporate technologies that support automation and semiautomation. Our program will also improve the competitiveness of perennial 

crops production by creating monitoring and management systems that are 

more resilient to drought and heat stress. Our program will adapt viable 

sensor technologies developed for other production systems and modify 

them for Oregon’s climate to increase crop production., We expect to share 

the knowledge about the science-based tools we will develop with hundreds 

of Oregon growers each year at our Extension programs, and through our 

collaborator's networks. The success of this project is high because it builds 

on significant infrastructure and research investment by OSU and UI. Over 

the past few years, the researchers and partnered growers, have pioneered 

investigations into new technologies to monitor crop water demand. On this 

solid foundation, we will build a program that will provide watermanagement solutions for some of the most valuable crops in Oregon.

$153,098.00
256

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

10. Investigation of 

Microbiome Shift by 

Plant Probiotic in 

Strawberry Plants

Oregon is a heart of strawberries with bright red color, sweetness, juicy and 

exceptional taste in the United States. Many environmental factors are 

crucial for determining the qualities of strawberries and Oregon has optimal

climate conditions for strawberry cultivation including long mild seasons 

(spring and summer) and rain (average 40 in) which are directly related to the 

taste. Although most cultivated strawberries in Oregon are processed to 

make jam, puree, and other processed foods, fresh strawberries are easily 

accessible at roadside stands or farmers’ markets. In general, the strawberry 

has been considered a safe fruit due to high acid contents, but several 

foodborne illnesses were reported because strawberries are typically grown 

outside and can be easily contaminated by irrigation water, soil, compost, 

animals and humans. Recent studies have provided positive evidence in 

usage of plant probiotic, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a 

bio stimulant that increases safety and efficiency of variety of crop 

production. Dr. Park’s group in the Department of Food Science and 

Technology at Oregon State University will grow strawberries supplemented 

with a commercial PGPR in a local strawberry farm to monitor the effects on 

the strawberry.

$174,578.00
257

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

11. Expanding ValueAdded Oregon Cherry 

Sales Among Domestic 

Restaurants and Bars

Pacific Coast Producers, a farmer-owned cooperative, serves 50 Oregon 

cherry growers and about 20 percent of Oregon's sweet cherry crop 

(specialty crop) through Oregon Cherry Growers, a wholly-owned subsidiary 

of the cooperative. On behalf of the cherry growers it serves, Pacific Coast 

Producers/Oregon Cherry Growers processes Oregon sweet cherries through 

three cherry manufacturing facilities (one in Salem, two in The Dalles) and 

markets value-added Oregon cherry products through various channels, 

including foodservice, retail, and export markets. Through this project, Pacific 

Coast Producers seeks to build sales for value-added products made solely 

from Oregon sweet cherries in the foodservice channel, targeting restaurants 

and bars purchasing cherries as ingredients for cocktails and specialty 

beverages. Expected Measurable Outcome is to increase sales by 10 percent. 

Great opportunity exists to build demand in this growing market segment, 

especially if decision makers can be reached with information sharing the 

high value and versatile use of value-added Oregon cherries. Grant funding 

will support the following general tasks: development of marketing collateral 

communicating value and use of value-added Oregon sweet cherry products; 

attendance at trade shows reaching decision makers for restaurant and bar 

ingredient purchases; partnering with social media influencers to promote 

content and recipes using value-added Oregon sweet cherry products; and 

public relations efforts to generate stories in publications popular with 

decision makers for ingredient purchases at restaurants and bars.

$174,943.00
258

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

12. Fresh USA Pears 

Industry Video for 

Worldwide Distribution

Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) will seek to increase consumption of USA 

Pears / NW Pears through a global introductory and educational video telling 

the story of Oregon pear industry. The video will be released to the trade in 

30 or more countries worldwide during trade discussions and trade shows. 

Additionally, the video will be shared with consumers through social media 

outreach in domestic markets and worldwide, as appropriate. PBNW attends 

four to five major international produce events, including Produce Marketing 

Associations Fresh Summit in the US, Canadian Produce Marketing 

Association, Fruit Logistica Asia and Berlin, and ANTAD in Latin America. The 

video will be used to tell the USA Pears story to interested buyers, potentially 

reaching up to 20,000 or more. Additionally, the video will be distributed to 

buyers world-wide in 11 languages reaching another 2,000 during the project. 

Finally, portions of the story will be isolated and shared via worldwide social 

media platforms, potentially creating another 500,000 impressions.

$43,670.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

13. Communities of 

Color Embrace Oregon's 

Specialty Crops

The Rockwood CDC and its partners will increase the consumption of 

specialty crops among Oregon’s communities of color. Rockwood is Oregon’s 

most diverse community, with over 100 languages spoken at home in just a 

two square mile area. It is also among Oregon’s lowest income populations 

and has the worst health outcomes. In response, we: work with our 

neighbors to run the Sunrise Center; act as the hub for a food systems 

collaborative; build on the policy work in our community, Gresham’s and 

Centennial School District’s Healthy Eating, Active Living policy 

implementation and Federally Qualified Health Center board work, all based 

on the social determinants of health This program nests under the broader 

umbrella of our expanding Rockwood Food Systems Network: supported by 

community gardens, Outgrowing Hunger; black farmer’s development 

programs; local food pantries; nutrition education from Oregon State 

University Extension’s Food Hero and SNAP education working with limited 

income Oregonians; and local health clinics, Wallace Medical Concern and 

food as medicine Rockwood Kaiser Permanente.

$168,165.00
259

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67

14. Growing Oregon 

Hazelnut Sales In 

Northeast Foodservice 

Markets

Wilco Farmers, a farmer cooperative, cooperatively owned by ~3,000 

producer-owners, including 216 hazelnut growers, seeks to grow domestic 

sales of Oregon hazelnuts (specialty crop) by approximately 567 percent by 

December 2020 (see Expected Measurable Outcomes). This goal would be 

fulfilled by increasing awareness of and demand for Oregon hazelnuts among 

Northeast domestic foodservice buyers, who purchase whole, sliced, and/or 

diced hazelnuts to use as an ingredient in products and dishes. General tasks 

to accomplish this goal include: creating product exposure and promoting 

Oregon hazelnuts at six significant domestic food tradeshows targeting 

foodservice buyers; developing brochures and collateral for the tradeshows; 

building website resources specific to foodservice customers; a PR campaign 

focused on foodservice buyers; developing a digital and social media 

marketing campaign targeting domestic foodservice buyers; as well as placing 

advertisements promoting Oregon hazelnuts in foodservice publications 

targeting foodservice customers. Marketing messages would focus on the 

unique attributes of Oregon hazelnuts, including the health properties of 

Oregon hazelnuts as well as the uses and versatility of the specialty crop. 

Results would be shared with growers and project partners throughout the 

project period.

$174,904.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,155,610.67 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$169,052.28

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

1. PA Preferred Culinary 

Connection with Focus 

on Promoting 

Pennsylvania Specialty 

Crops

Strategic Contracting, Inc. will plan and coordinate the 2020 PA Preferred 

Culinary Connection, which delivers immediate benefits to the specialty crops 

organizations and the local economy in the form of increased sales and 

marketability of PA commercially-grown specialty crops by allowing local 

farmers and food suppliers to showcase their specialty crops to local 

consumers.

$54,000.00
260

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

2. Identifying 

Alternative Varieties for 

PA Potato Growers to 

Replace Round White 

Potatoes 

Pennsylvania Co-Operative Potato Growers, Inc. will work with Penn State 

University, Sterman Masser, Inc. and Pennsylvania potato growers, packers, 

and processors to identify russet potato varieties that will be productive 

under Pennsylvania growing conditions. Most russet potatoes in 

Pennsylvania’s markets are being shipped here from western states. 

Recently, new russet varieties were released from several potato breeding 

programs that are reported to have some drought and heat tolerance. Many 

of these new russet varieties have not been tested in Pennsylvania. By 

evaluating these varieties in Pennsylvania, we expect to identify 2 to 3 russet 

potato varieties with good qualities for Pennsylvania growers. Results will be 

shared with stakeholders and potato growers at grower meetings and potato 

field days. All Pennsylvania potato growers and industry will benefit from this 

project.

$112,699.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

3. A Harvest-Assist 

System for Tree Fruit 

Growers: Performance 

Analysis, Workforce 

Development, and 

Product Enhancement 

The Pennsylvania State University will analyze the performance, economic 

impact, and technology training needs associated with the operation of a 

harvest-assist system for Pennsylvania tree fruit growers. The project will 

analyze platform performance within active Pennsylvanian orchards, evaluate 

the quality of the fruit compared to that harvested with manual labor, and 

estimate profitability for growers who adopt this technology. This work will 

produce training and safety materials in both English and Spanish, to ensure 

that the owner, operator, and harvesting crews follow best practices for 

maximum safety and efficiency. Young growers seeking to modernize 

production methods will be provided recommendations for tree training 

systems optimized for harvest-assist systems. And any potential engineering 

and ergonomic improvements discovered in this trial will be recommended to 

the manufacturer for continued platform development. A survey will be 

conducted to develop optimal harvest recommendations, suggest platform 

design improvements, and establish safety guidelines.

$95,867.00
261

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

4. Field Supply 

Assistance for Produce 

Growers Covered by the 

FSMA Produce Safety 

Rule

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Food Safety and 

Laboratory Services, Fruit and Vegetables Division will continue to provide 

support to Pennsylvania Fruit and Vegetable growers who are working 

toward compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce 

Safety Rule. The project objectives will be accomplished by supplying 

resources to help mitigate water supply and animal contamination of crops 

and by providing a resource to meet basic good produce handling practices.

$49,000.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

5. Emerging Organisms 

and Tree Decline: 

Battling New Threats 

Facing the Pennsylvania 

Apple Industry

The Pennsylvania State University will research the relationship of plant 

viruses and wood-boring beetles with rapid apple decline, a mystery 

syndrome causing significant financial loss in grower apple orchards. The 

overall goals of this research are to understand the prevalence of a newly 

described apple virus in Pennsylvania fruit tree nurseries stock; to determine 

if this virus causes rapid apple decline symptoms in young, dwarf apple trees; 

and to evaluate the prevalence and possible role of the Ambrosia beetle, and 

fungi associated, in declining young apple orchards. Contribution of other 

pests/pathogens and/or their combination to rapid apple decline will be 

considered. Ultimately, mitigation strategies to avoid tree loss will include 

additional diagnostic tools for insect monitoring in orchards, as well as for 

virus certification programs for Pennsylvania fruit tree nurseries for 

prevention of financial loss by nursery owners, fruit producers, and 

consumers due to viruses. Results will be disseminated to stakeholders 

through grower meetings and Extension publications.

$169,522.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

6. The Farm Hydroponic 

and Aquaponic Program 

for Veterans

The Farm at Greater Washington Co. Food Bank (GWCFB), with the support of 

Aquaculture professor Dr. Roy Weitzell at Chatham University and the 

veterans’ training organization, Mission Homestead, will provide hydroponics 

and aquaponics workshops for veterans, teaching them how to raise lettuce 

and other specialty crops through this modern, sustainable growing method. 

GWCFB will offer workshops at our training center, using our own aquaponics 

and hydroponics systems to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Upon 

completion of the training program, veterans will be empowered to build and 

manage their own hydroponics or aquaponics systems for personal use or 

commercial production and will be connected with the appropriate resources 

$24,500.00
262

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

to pursue further training in growing specialty crops and/or starting their own 

farm business.

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03 7. The Neighborhood 

Food Project

Through the Neighborhood Food Project, Leadership, Education, and Farming 

(LEAF) will harness the energy and talents of the youth growers within our 

program to educate and equip their community members to grow, cook, and 

buy specialty crops through a youth-supported community backyard garden 

program. Through this program, LEAF will train youth interns in the skills 

necessary to site, design, and build raised bed garden plots for individuals, 

families, and organizations in a low-income area of Carlisle where LEAF’s 

administrative offices are located. Our youth crew will then provide seedlings 

and seeds to partnering members based on their growing goals. Throughout 

the growing season, LEAF will provide garden support, facilitate walking 

garden tours, and host a community event to preserve the harvest together 

at a community kitchen.

$29,211.00
263

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

8. PA Wine Land Post: 

Pennsylvania Wine 

School

The Pennsylvania (PA) Winery Association (PWA) will enhance marketing 

collaborations and partnerships with industry influencers, such as grape 

growers, winemakers, chefs, food and wine press, and agri-tourism 

personalities to continue increasing awareness and sales of locally grown 

wine grapes and PA-produced wines. Using in-depth spokespeople model, 

the PWA will educate consumers on the breadth and depth of the PA Wines 

industry to spur readership of related web content, increase winery 

visitation, and increase wine sales at a retail level. The PWA will use a 

combination of articles, videos, and photography in multiple regions and over 

multiple months to cultivate the PA Wines story, culminating in a new webbased “Pennsylvania Wine School.” Parallel to the development of the PA 

Wine School, the PWA will assemble a live "PA Wine School Tasting Panel" of 

real wine drinkers from different backgrounds and awareness levels at the 

outset and conclusion of the series to measure responses to the "School" 

content and influence on their buying habits for the future.

$50,000.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

9. Food Safety 

Modernization Act 

(FSMA) Training and 

Compliance Education 

for Small and Mid-Sized 

Growers in PA

Penn State University will provide mandatory training and compliance 

assistance for growers who need to comply with food safety regulations and 

to meet buyer demand. This will be done through mandatory FSMA trainings, 

mock inspection meetings, and on- farm readiness reviews. Meetings will also 

be provided for the growing “plain” community farmers as well as Hispanic 

farmers and workers.

$81,103.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03 10. PA Vegetable 

Promotion Planning

The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program will develop a 

five-year marketing plan for the promotion of Pennsylvania-grown vegetables 

focusing on enhancing its on-going August is Pennsylvania Produce Month 

promotion and will begin implementing that five-year plan in 2020.

$25,000.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

11. Impact of 

Management Practices 

on Winter Squash Yield 

and Post-Harvest 

Nutrient Density

Rodale Institute will evaluate the impact of management practices in 

conventional and organic production systems on soil health and develop 

correlations between soil health and post-harvest yield and nutrient quality 

in winter squash.

$134,871.00
264

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

12. Advanced Training 

Topics for Vegetable 

Farm Managers

This project will develop advanced technical instruction for Pennsylvania 

Alternate System of Assessment's (PASA) Diversified Vegetable 

Apprenticeship (DVA) and help prepare a new generation for successful 

careers as specialty crop producers. The DVA is a formal, registered 

apprenticeship program that offers a structured education for beginning 

farmers, while providing experienced master growers with access to a pool of 

motivated employees and qualified managers. Through this grant, PASA will 

improve the DVA curriculum by developing short courses on advanced 

technical topics that are not easy to learn on-the-job, including integrated 

pest management, employee management, farm and tractor safety, pack 

house management, and small engine repair.

$92,159.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

13. Growing Health Care 

Demand for Local 

Produce in Pennsylvania

Health Care Without Harm will increase sales of Pennsylvania grown produce 

to health care facilities in southwestern Pennsylvania and increase access to 

Pennsylvania grown produce to community members through farmers 

markets and community supported agriculture programs. Through this work 

we anticipate that three facilities will begin purchasing local produce through 

their food service operations and four will increase access to local produce 

through employee wellness and community health endeavors. As a result of 

this work we expect at least 20 fruit and vegetable farmers will have new 

sales; 30,000 employees, patients, visitors, and community members will 

receive education about the benefits of local produce; and 2,000 staff 

members and community members will purchase local produce.

$128,000.00
265

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03

14. Specialty Crop 

Market Opportunities 

Selling to Wholesale 

Buyers' Individual Store 

Location

Through the Specialty Crop Market Opportunities Selling to Wholesale 

Buyers' Individual Store Locations project PA Farm Link will develop tools to 

assist specialty crop producers in taking advantage of wholesale market 

opportunities. 30 wholesale buyers will be interviewed who intend to access 

specialty crops from individual specialty crop farmers. Wholesale buying 

requirements will be assembled into a spreadsheet. A tool box of resources 

that assist farmers in meeting the criteria to market their specialty crops to 

the buyers will also be developed. 200 specialty crop producers will receive 

the wholesale buyer spreadsheet at trade shows, events, and meetings. The 

spreadsheet will be posted online, available 24/7 to Pennsylvania Specialty 

Crop producers. 150 specialty crop producers will receive the Tool Box of 

resources. 20 specialty crop producers will select at least one company from 

the spreadsheet that is a market opportunity for their farm.

$20,000.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,141,923.03 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$75,649.31

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Capacity building in 

coffee roasting and cup 

quality

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) will lead this project to 

develop the CQI's Q Coffee System, a program recognized for evaluating the 

quality of the coffee cup using a standard system developed by the Specialty 

Coffee Association of America (SCAA), aiming to improve the quality of the 

coffee grown on the island appealing specialize resources in this industry as 

Q-Graders and as experts in coffee roasting. The objectives of this project are 

to 1) increase the technical knowledge of professionals in the coffee industry; 

2) enhance growers’ technology for determining the quality of coffee; and 3) 

develop a common verbal and sensory vocabulary to expand grower’s coffee 

knowledge and be able to communicate with international terms for coffee 

descriptions.

$35,440.00
266

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Development of Exotic 

Fruit Crops in The 

Central Mountainous 

Region of Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) will lead this project to 

develop exotic fruit plantings in the agricultural region of Utuado, as a 

continuous effort on diversifying central mountainous region crops. PRDA 

plans to establish the exotic fruit production to a commercial scale and to 

help the development of new agro-business. PRDA will train interested 

farmers to develop commercial plantings, specifically in the cultivation of 

strawberries, guava, mangosteen and breadfruit. PRDA will also Diversify the 

offer of exotic fruit crops and increase sales of fruits for the benefit of 

farmers.

$79,400.00

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Enhancing 

Competitiveness of 

Specialty Crops by 

Increasing Consumption, 

Access, and Awareness

Corporación Juvenil para el Desarrollo de Comunidades Sostenibles (CJDCS) 

will lead this project to educate, inspire, and empower students, teachers, 

and local community members by providing knowledge of the health benefits 

and advantages of growing and consuming high-quality specialty fruits and 

vegetables while learning how to farm, especially for young people from 

socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The desired outcomes will be 

accomplished through the following three steps: 1) develop model gardens in 

five schools; 2) conduct nutritional-based educational workshops that will 

include nutritional fact sheets of the vegetables they will be farming and 

learning how to prepare them; 3) perform culinary workshops by local chefs 

using locally grown specialty crops.

$26,998.86

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Increase Market 

Competitiveness for 

Specialty Crop Products 

Cultivated in Puerto Rico 

by Aggressive Marketing 

and Promotion 

Strategies Within Puerto 

Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) and the Innovation Fund 

for Agricultural Development (FIDA) will lead this project to sponsor and 

organize various efforts to expose the farmers to the end users of their 

products and the consumers through interact and communicate directly with 

wholesalers and retailers without the need of an intermediary. The PRDA and 

FIDA will 1) provide additional opportunities to specialty crop producers for 

participation in collective promotion activities in Puerto Rico such as trade 

fairs, events, and conventions; 2) increase awareness in local buyers’ agents 

within the food distribution channel, to incentivize local production; and 3) 

assist growers with access to direct negotiations and business agreements 

directly with wholesalers and retailers, and owners/chefs of restaurants.

$137,000.00
267

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Increasing the 

competitiveness of 

locally produced 

Medicinal Herbs through 

education and 

processing activities.

E & D Herbs Medicine Natural Products will lead this project to promote 

competitiveness in the market and the increase of local agricultural 

companies of production and marketing of herbal tinctures. The current 

processing operation of herbal tinctures in Puerto Rico is artisanal and needs 

to be more technologically efficient. To be more competitive, companies 

must add value to their crops while also influencing other people to establish 

agricultural companies aimed at specialty crops. This project will improve the 

competitiveness by providing new technology to enhance the nutritional 

value and consumer acceptance of Medicinal Herbs. E & D Herbs Medicine 

Natural Products will also educate beginning farmers with limited resources 

about the economic importance of production and marketing of herbal 

tinctures.

$27,000.00

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

International Events for 

Capacity Building and to 

Gain Marketing Access 

for Specialty Crop 

Producers

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) will lead this project to 

provide additional opportunities to specialty crop producers for participation 

in promotion activities within the Unites States and other Countries. The 

promotion policy for agricultural products aims at increasing the level of 

awareness among consumers about the merits of local specialty crop 

products, in the international market, and to develop and open new markets. 

The effort will be are directed to new beginning farmers, and farmers with 

potential to expand, gaining market share for specialty crop local products 

within Puerto Rico’s own market as well as the international market, in an 

environment that encourages sustainable growth and development in the 

agricultural sector and help producers and exporters of agricultural products 

overcome the obstacles.

$97,390.20

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Re-establishing Venilla 

Farming in Puerto rico, 

With an Agrotourism 

Focus

Vainilla Castañer, LLC (VC) will lead this project to provide plants and 

incentives to help increase the number of affiliated farms that grow vanilla 

while also promote agrotourism. The outcomes will be accomplished by the 

following three perspectives: 1) incentivize farmers to grow vanilla with VC by 

offering technical and agrotourism support; 2) produce and distribute a 

practical technical manual on vanilla cultivation, pollination and pests and 

diseases, adapted to the needs of growers in Puerto Rico; and 3) Document 

project achievements through photos, videos, social media and metrics. An 

$27,000.00
268

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

instruction manual will be developed on how to grow and harvest vanilla in 

Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54

Research to improve 

banana crops through 

the integration of new 

varieties

Jose V. Fabre Laboy will lead this project to conduct a research for the 

development and implementation of the new varieties of banana (Musa 

sapientum) This research seeks to find a feasible alternative for producers 

and help some of the few self-sufficient agro business in the island obtain 

convenient varieties of bananas according to their climatic condition and 

production needs. The objective of this project is to evaluate the profitability 

of these banana varieties, the resistance of them to the sigatoka fungus and 

nematodes in different climatic conditions. The tasks that will be carried out 

in this investigation are: monthly tests to determine the behavior of the 

crops.

$26,909.75

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54 Specialty Crops for 

Everyone

Al Sol de Hoy, Inc. will lead this project to increase the production of fruits 

and specialty crops to improve the retention and creation of farm jobs that 

contribute to local economic and social development by reinforcing the 

existing delivery systems of technological process and applications; increasing 

the total number of consumers that reported an intention to 

access/produce/prepare and/or preserve specialty crops; and increasing the 

total number of habitat acres established and dedicated for mutual benefit of 

pollinators and specialty crops. The project aims to offer 650 seeds, plants 

and trees (100 guava, 100 passion fruit, 100 papaya, 100 lemon, 100 orange, 

50 grapefruit, 50 melons, and 50 breadfruit) to fifteen (15) beginning and 

socially disadvantaged farmers; and enforce the promotion and marketing of 

products to ensure equally access, food safety and sustainability.

$27,000.00
269

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Puerto Rico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$521,850.54 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$37,577.29

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$275,556.73

1. Developing a Locally 

Adapted System for 

Organic Hop and 

Rhizomatic Crop 

Production and Farmer 

Training

Southside Community Land Trust will lead an effort to develop two research 

and training farm yards for rhizomatic crops, one at University of Rhode 

Island (URI) and one at Urban Edge Farm (UEF). Over the course of the 

project, we will implement trials and training for organic production of two 

specialty crops beginning with hops in 2020. URI will set aside a half acre 

farmyard to implement variety trials to determine what hop varieties grow 

best here, and how to optimize production. At UEF, we will develop a training 

space where farmers can learn how to grow rhizomatous food crops. We 

propose to work directly with the brewery industry and developing farmers 

to build a system which streamlines the production of these crops and links 

farmers directly to buyers. At the end of the project, the UEF hop yard will be 

leased to one of the beginning farmers to continue production and sales 

independently. In year two, a second crop will be selected based on input 

from participating farmers but will also be a high value, rhizomatic crop with 

significant demand in Rhode Island’s diverse ethnic communities who reside 

in South Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket. It is likely to be either 

Ginger or Turmeric. This crop will also undergo trials at URI and production 

demonstrations at UEF. We will work directly with up to four beginning 

farmers throughout the development of the project and will offer four 

training sessions for up to 50 additional beginning or aspiring farmers.

$37,474.00
270

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$275,556.73

2. Promotion of Saffron 

as an Extremely High 

Value Crop for Rhode 

Island Agriculture

The University of Rhode Island (URI) Saffron Program, housed in the 

Department of Plant Sciences and Entomology, has been studying the 

feasibility of commercial production of saffron in Rhode Island. Saffron, the 

dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, is the world’s most expensive spice, selling 

for more than $5000 per pound wholesale. Initial tests have shown that 

saffron crocus grow well in Rhode Island. We proposal to expand our 

program and introduce RI farmers to saffron production by 1) Hosting a 

Saffron Conference in RI to introduce farmers in southern New England to 

saffron production. 2) Conducting replicated, controlled field trials at URI to 

determine the best way to manage saffron during the summer dormant 

season. Trials will compare bare ground, mulching, co-cultivation with leafy 

greens and annual cropping. 3) Providing technical support and training to RI 

farmers interested in adopting saffron production. We believe farmers can 

increase their revenues by planting saffron. Saffron is a perennial fallblooming crop, and the flowers are the harvested portion. The plants grow 

from November through June and are dormant July through September. 

Saffron production would increase resilience to unpredictable Spring weather 

and could serve as a long term “sod crop” in rotation with vegetables, 

building soil health while still producing revenues comparable to those from 

intensive vegetable production.

$49,942.00
271

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$275,556.73

3. Training and Support 

of Organic Methods on 

Specialty Crop Farms

Specialty crops that are certified organic or grown with organic methods are 

in demand and command a higher price in the marketplace. Northeast 

Organic Farming Association of Rhode Island (NOFA/RI) seeks to enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops by providing training and outreach to 

farmers in the use of organic methods and assisting farmers in certifying their 

crops as organic or transitioning to organic practices. In addition, this project 

seeks to provide outreach to raise consumer awareness on the benefits of 

buying and consuming a diet rich in specialty crops free from chemicals, thus 

supporting both the demand for and the production of organic specialty 

crops. This project builds on existing successful efforts and project activities 

will include: a farmer advisor program, a range of education events with an 

Advanced Growers Seminar (AGS), a series of on-farm workshops (OFW) to 

demonstrate organic techniques, and an Organic Farming Educational 

Conference (OFEC). This project will continue outreach elements including 

but not limited to online resources, direct consumer engagement at 

agricultural venues, and providing information for both farmers and 

consumers on the benefits of organic specialty crops.

$32,975.00

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$275,556.73

4. Farmers in the 

Garden, Chefs in the 

Classroom: Bringing 

Farm to School 

Stakeholders to the 

Table for Increased 

Specialty Crop 

Awareness and 

Consumption

Farm Fresh Rhode Island will build awareness and consumption of locally 

grown specialty crops through cafeteria, classroom and kitchen training 

sessions for students, teachers and staff. The sessions, conducted by Farm 

Fresh staff with farmers and chefs, will provide hands-on, experiential 

education opportunities for Rhode Island student, teachers and school staff; 

tied to school programming, reinforcing agricultural and food literacy. 

Through this grant, Rhode Island Farm to School will be able to strengthen 

the relationship between school communities and local by providing handson, experiential educational opportunities and training, as well as technical 

assistance and training to school nutrition professionals to their knowledge 

and use of locally grown specialty crops.

$50,000.00
272

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$275,556.73

5. Get Fresh Buy Local 

Marketing Improvement 

Program

The Rhode Island Division of Agriculture will also use Specialty Crop Grant 

Funds to enhance its marketing program by making point of purchase 

advertising material available to farmers such as price cards and logo material 

stating Get Fresh Buy Local Tomatoes. Is to increase sales for Specialty Crops 

by expanding our marketing efforts throughout the State of Rhode Island for 

RI Grown Tomatoes. This will allow potentially thousands of dollars from 

customers to be spent on RI Grown Tomatoes. We will monitor our sales 

through the data collected by the New England Agricultural Statistic Service. 

The problem we are addressing is the loss of farmland to development. With 

the high cost of property in Rhode Island the development pressure is 

increasing. We are attempting to keep Specialty Crop Farmers farming buy 

helping in marketing efforts to increase sales on a yearly basis. By doing this 

we make farming viable in Rhode Island.

$105,127.72

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Are the Gummy Stem 

Blight Fungi in South 

Carolina Becoming 

Resistant to 

Tebuconazole?

Clemson University will improve disease control for watermelon growers by 

determining the frequency and level of resistance to DMI fungicides in the 

gummy stem blight fungi and educating stakeholders at grower meetings.

$44,309.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Assessing the Impact of 

the Certified South 

Carolina Grown Program 

for Specialty Crops in 

South Carolina

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the 

University of South Carolina, will conduct an analysis of the Certified South 

Carolina Grown program to determine the economic impact and return on 

investment for specialty crops branded under this program. The project’s 

objectives are to develop a study that analyzes the current specialty crop 

industry under the Certified South Carolina Grown program and determine 

how to improve the program’s impact in the future to grow the specialty crop 

industry in South Carolina. These results will then be disseminated to 

specialty crop farmers and associated organizations to share data about the 

program’s impact. This project is expected to enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops through enhancing the economy.

$55,000.00
273

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Detecting and Managing 

the Hypervirulent 

Nematode Meloidogyne 

Enterolobii on Sweet

Potato and Pepper in 

South Carolina

Clemson University and the USDA, ARS, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in 

Charleston, SC will determine the extent of the distribution of Meloidogyne 

enterolobii in South Carolina, especially in sweet potato and pepper fields. 

Impacts on crop yield and quality will be measured in infested fields. 

Greenhouse studies will identify the relative susceptibility and resistance of 

selected sweetpotato and pepper plant introductions. Proposed control 

measures will include a program to monitor transplants of both crops to 

insure the pathogen will not spread or damage new crops.

$44,974.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Developing strategies to 

improve management of 

bacterial diseases in 

South Carolina peach 

orchards

Bacterial spot and bacterial canker are two major diseases that cause 

significant annual losses in South Carolina peach production. Management of 

these two diseases is very challenging, due to the susceptibility in most of the 

peach cultivars and limited options for cultural or chemical control practices. 

To improve management of these two diseases, Clemson University will 

develop new cultural, chemical, and/or biological control strategies that 

could provide immediate solutions for growers. The new control strategies 

will target disease prevention, by eliminating the inoculum sources for 

bacterial spot and blocking the pathogen entry for bacterial canker on peach 

trees, before the growing season begins. These new strategies will be 

evaluated on inoculum quantity, disease incidence and severity, overall tree 

health, and fruit yield in the following growing season. Results will be 

communicated to peach growers in South Carolina through Extension 

meetings, publications, and field days.

$30,500.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Expanding Market 

Opportunities for Small 

Growers through a Cold 

Storage Cost Share 

Program

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) and SC Specialty Crop 

Growers Association is seeking funds to administer a program for small and 

medium sized specialty crop growers. This project will provide funding for a 

cost share reimbursement program for cold storage modification units. 

Specialty crop growers who build a CoolBot cold storage unit may request up 

to $750 to reimburse the cost of this on farm enhancement. This project will 

not only enable smaller growers to obtain a larger share of the marketplace, 

but also create a safer fresh produce supply maintaining the cold chain.

$10,000.00
274

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

GrowFood Carolina: 

Increasing specialty 

crops in South Carolina 

by staying ahead of 

grower demand

GrowFood Carolina, a program of the nonprofit organization Coastal 

Conservation League, will increase specialty crop production with small 

farmers across the state by 1) providing essential services including crop 

planning, facilitating food safety/post-harvest handling, training, and market 

diversification; 2) ensuring no specialty crop growers’ sales are limited due to 

lack of warehouse capacity by expanding short-term cold storage; and 3) 

finding solutions to looming structural capacity issues to meet specialty crop 

growers’ needs into the future.

$46,320.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Improving Access to 

Specialty Crops in 

Spartanburg County 

through Mobile Markets

The Hub City Farmers’ Market (HCFM) utilizes a variety of programs in order 

to increase the access, supply and demand of healthy local food in 

Spartanburg County. HCFM’s Mobile Market does this especially well by 

acting as a traveling grocery store, purchasing specialty crops from local 

farmers and then reselling them at 400+ stops/year at businesses, community 

centers, schools, neighborhoods, and events across Spartanburg County. This 

project continues to address several key issues that are prominent in 

Spartanburg County: creating better access to healthy, local food, particularly 

in areas considered food deserts, and increasing sales of specialty crops to 

the local SNAP population; improving health outcomes in Spartanburg; and 

providing economic stability for local farmers and encouraging greater 

production of specialty crops, especially for emerging farmers. While the 

problem is still the same, over the years HCFM has developed direct-targeted 

strategies to solve these issues in different ways.

$36,224.33

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Increasing the Capacity 

of Specialty Crop 

Producers to Access 

Local Markets

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association will provide training to 180 

farmers (9 workshops with 20 attendees) and one-on-one outreach to 21 

farmers. We will provide some form of training to 201 specialty crop 

producers total. Of the specialty crop producers receiving training, 100 will 

adopt recommended practices, 40 will increase high tunnel production, 10 

will report an increase in revenue expressed in dollars, and 500 acres (100 

specialty crop producers making recommended production changes on an 

average of five acres per farm) will be under best management practices.

$43,234.22
275

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Managing Cercospora 

leaf spot on beet greens 

with tolerant cultivars 

and conventional and 

organic fungicides

Clemson University will improve control of Cercospora leaf spot on beet 

greens by determining which cultivar and fungicide combinations increase 

yield of healthy leaves and will educate stakeholders on the findings at 

grower meetings.

$21,599.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

Social Media Campaign 

to Promote South 

Carolina Grown Specialty 

Crops and Increase 

Consumption

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture will conduct a social media 

marketing campaign focused on promoting specialty crops grown in South 

Carolina, which will increase awareness and sales of specialty crops. The 

social media campaign will consist of targeted posts and marketing across 

SCDA associated social media pages highlighting specialty crops as they come 

into season, recipes and tips on how to prepare the crops, and where 

consumers can purchase them. Engagement with the campaign as well as 

selected NASS survey data will be monitored to track the expected increase in 

sales and consumer awareness from the project.

$66,820.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

South Carolina Peach 

Promotion and 

Consumer Education 

through Website 

Improvement

Working alongside the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), the 

South Carolina Peach Council (SCPC) requests funds for developing a new 

website to educate consumers regarding access, health benefits, and 

handling of peaches. SCPC is an association of growers, packers, researchers, 

allied industry, and produce buyers who seek to protect and advance the 

production and marketing of peaches in South Carolina. This new website will 

educate families across the nation about why South Carolina is the “Tastier 

Peach State” as well as encourage greater consumption of SC grown peaches.

$37,250.00
276

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38

South Carolina 

Watermelon Promotion 

and Consumer Education 

through Website 

Development

Working alongside the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), the 

South Carolina Watermelon Association (SCWA) requests funds for 

promotion and consumer education as it relates to South Carolina grown 

watermelons through the development of a new website. By utilizing 

scientifically proven data that supports such messages as the “Watermelon 

Fuels Athletes” slogan trademarked by the SCWA, educating consumers on 

the health benefits of consuming South Carolina grown watermelons will 

provide increased sales and financial support and stability to rural South 

Carolina communities. By effectively relaying this message to consumers, the 

association’s goal is to promote healthy, sustainable eating habits while 

helping to continue the growth of agribusiness in rural South Carolina. The 

newly created website will also provide a central location to direct consumers 

for purchasing locations, safe handling techniques and recipes for consuming 

more watermelon.

$37,250.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$543,751.38 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$70,156.62

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90 2020 South Dakota State 

Fair Wine Pavilion

The South Dakota State Fair, a division of the South Dakota Department of 

Agriculture, is seeking grant funds to ensure the continued success and 

operation of the South Dakota State Fair Wine Pavilion. The South Dakota 

State Fair Wine Pavilion brings tremendous added value to the State Fair 

experience as well as allows for South Dakota wineries, breweries and 

distilleries to showcase their products and where consumers can taste and 

sample South Dakota wines, beers, and spirits. South Dakota’s wine industry 

is growing, but it still only accounts for 7 percent of the market of all wine 

sold in South Dakota. In a survey done at the 2012 South Dakota State Fair 

Wine Pavilion, consumers stated that taste, price, and source of the 

fruit/grape were important factors when choosing a bottle of wine. This 

project would meet all three of those needs by allowing consumers to taste 

the wine before they buy, offer a variety of price points, and showcase wines 

made from South Dakota grapes and fruit.

$21,592.35
277

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90

EAT, SD (Education and 

Training in Sustainability 

and Development)

Western Dakota Tech recently took first place in the National Science 

Foundation’s 2018 Community College Innovation Challenge. In this project, 

aquaponics, a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture, was integrated 

into the technical training in Electrical Trades with the overarching goal of 

solving world hunger. The natural symbiotic and cyclical processes within 

aquaponics allow for cutting-edge electrical process control. Our system 

integrates advanced electrical automation technology giving students handson training using a real-world application. As a continuation of this success, 

we propose expanding our current project, EAT, SD. For this expansion, a 

controlled environment agriculture facility will be implemented by Western 

Dakota Tech to increase both specialty crop production yields and awareness 

of locally-sourced commodities. 

$50,000.00

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90

Food as a Relative: 

Welcoming Fresh 

Produce into the Home

The REDCO Food Sovereignty Initiative will increase the amount of specialty 

crops purchased and consumed on the Rosebud Indian Reservation by 

launching a marketing and educational campaign for specialty crops that will 

help overcome community barriers to accessibility. As a result of this project, 

we anticipate that adults and children on Rosebud will have increased 

knowledge of and familiarity with a variety of specialty crops. In order to 

achieve the proposed outcomes, we will undertake a variety of activities, 

including developing and distributing educational materials on preparing, 

cooking, storing, and preserving specialty crops; conducting community 

cooking demonstrations at farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and other 

venues; and hosting hands-on workshops open to community members such 

as harvesting events, garden workdays, canning and other food preservation 

workshops, all designed to increase familiarity and comfort with specialty 

crops.

$37,772.71
278

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90

Growing Healthier 

Lakota Youth by 

Increasing Natural Foods 

Knowledge & 

Consumption

With the Winyan Toka Win Garden as our foundation and bounty, the 

Cheyenne River Youth Project will increase Lakota teen’s knowledge and 

consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by engaging them in Food 

Sovereignty and Social Enterprise Internships that provide intensive and 

hands on opportunities to learn about healthy eating through gardening, 

cooking and learning to make smart nutrition choices. We will also launch the 

new Keya Food Truck to offer our community an additional healthy breakfast 

and lunch option, and it will provide a second location for our Leading Lady 

Farm Stand, increasing access to our youth and home-grown vegetables.

$29,924.00

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90 Project Fresh

The Heart of the Whetstone Valley Horizons will expand the production and 

increase the sales of fresh produce in an effort to improve healthy eating 

habits and improve the economy of the producers of specialty crops. It will 

also convey the knowledge that fresh produce is available for local menus 

whether it be in school, care centers, restaurants, or grocery stores. There is 

a need for schools, grocery stores, care centers, restaurants, and others to 

purchase fresh fruits and vegetables to serve their clients, but they do not 

have the knowledge of the availability of this produce to meet this need. 

Therefore, this grant money will be used to bridge that gap and educate the 

consumer on the importance of eating healthy homegrown produce so we 

can oversee such health issues like obesity, diabetes, and heart concerns.

$16,205.00

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90

SDSPA Develops 

Marketing Plan to 

Increase Sales & 

Consumption of 

Specialty Crops in South 

Dakota

South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) will develop and 

implement an organizational marketing plan to assist producers increase 

sales and increase the consumption of specialty crops and local food through 

marketing strategies, and training opportunities. A marketing plan will be 

developed to address needs of producers, and to educate stakeholders, 

consumers, chefs, partners, and physicians about the benefits of local food. 

Outreach will also target students and potential growers. SDSPA members 

will participate in statewide events that promote specialty crop and local 

food production such as the SD Tourism Conference, Ag Fest, SD Ag Summit, 

and the State Fair Value-Added Ag Day, and similar events.

$111,211.00
279

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$342,909.90 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$20,300.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Characterizing 

Phytophthora blight of 

Cucurbits and Peppers in 

Tennessee for Improved 

Disease Management

The University of Tennessee will lead this project to improve management of 

Phytophthora blight of vegetable crops by evaluating disease distribution 

within the state, increasing understanding of pathogen biology, and assessing 

pathogen fungicide sensitivity. The study aims to expand the collection of P. 

capsici from vegetable fields across Tennessee, as well as produce markets, 

during two consecutive growing seasons; perform mating-type assays on 

each isolate to determine the prevalence of sexually-reproducing 

overwintering populations; test all isolates for sensitivity to the selected 

fungicides, and Survey and shared results with growers to quantify adoption 

rate of best management practices.

$49,946.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Combatting Honey Bee 

Devastation by 

Controlling Insects & 

Diseases in Tennessee 

through Technological 

Innovations.

The Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Tennessee 

Knoxville will establish an agreement or contractual relationship with the 

State Department of Agriculture to lead and execute a project for new efforts 

to combat honey bee devastation in Tennessee and beyond. We will test, 

study, and implement technological innovations to reduce, or eliminate, 

small hive beetles outside the hive, in an effort to reduce colony stress and 

the burden of disease inside the hive. We will also use observations, 

innovations, and scientifically-based practical measures to understand how 

parasitic mite abundance and over-wintering of honey bee colonies is 

influenced by modern beekeeping practices in comparison to resilient natural 

hive constructions.

$24,910.00
280

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Commission a feasibility 

study for a specialty 

crops cooperative 

warehousing and 

distribution center for 

Robertson County farms

The Robertson County Chamber of Commerce is leading this project to 

explore the feasibility of establishing a cooperative warehouse/distribution 

facility in Robertson County for local farmers to market, process and 

distribute their specialty crops to local retailers and restaurants in the middle 

Tennessee area. The County will use the fund to support a feasibility study to 

assess the best fit and launch the study with the direct engagement of our 

collaborative partners listed above. The goals are to determine if such an 

undertaking is economically feasible for Robertson County alone or in 

partnership with neighboring counties, outline the expected costs and 

potential funding sources of such a project and, if determined to be a viable 

project, assemble a task force to begin next steps. We will ask for proposals 

for this feasibility study from university ag-business departments across the 

state, assess the best fit and launch the study with the direct engagement of 

our collaborative partners listed above.

$14,200.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Considerations for 

Growing and Marketing 

Specialty Crops in 

Tennessee

The Center for Profitable Agriculture at University of Tennessee will lead this 

project to develop an Extension outreach curriculum for an educational 

workshop to be conducted with specialty crop growers and potential growers 

of specialty crops. The workshop will primarily address basic production 

considerations and basic marketing considerations for specialty crops. The 

workshop will be aimed primarily at new and beginning growers of specialty 

crops. This project will develop tools for County Agriculture Extension agents, 

other agriculture leaders and specialty crop growers to use in the evaluation, 

development and marketing of specialty crops, providing a strong learning 

foundation for specialty crop growers who are considering the production of 

alternative specialty crops and alternative production systems for specialty 

crops. The program also expands opportunities for marketing success of 

specialty crops in Tennessee.

$50,000.00
281

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Early Detection of 

Foodborne Pathogens 

via Crossflow 

Nano/Microfiltration 

from Leafy Greens, Soil 

and Irrigation Water

The Middle Tennessee State University will lead this project to develop a 

novel microbial separation and identification protocol that employs an 

accelerated sample preparation technique that will allow for the 

concentration and recovery of low levels of food pathogens (e.g. 1 CFU of 

Salmonella per g of sample) in commercially processed foods, fresh leafy 

greens, soil and irrigation water samples. The proposed procedure enables a 

rapid detection of food-borne pathogenic bacteria using nano/microfiltration 

to accelerate Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria detection before it is shipped 

from a production area or processing facility, which will prevent massive and 

expensive food recalls before food-borne disease or death occurs and 

improve consumer confidence in agricultural production.

$35,960.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Improving Sustainable 

Boxwood Disease 

Management in 

Tennessee Nursery 

Production

The Tennessee State University (TSU) will lead this project to determine the 

impact of boxwood quarantine implementation and identify barriers to 

adaptation of boxwood blight best management practices in the Tennessee 

nursery industry. TSU also will also to develop and validate effective 

alternative Phytophthora root rot disease management strategies. This study 

have four outcomes: 1) determination of changes on Tennessee nursey 

businesses after boxwood blight quarantine implementation; 2) adaptation of 

boxwood blight best management practices; 3) development of multiple 

systems approach to improve Phytophthora root rot disease management,; 

and 4) organization of training and development of extension/research-based 

publications, factsheets and video clips to provide practical advice to 

growers.

$43,964.00
282

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Increasing Market 

opportunities for 

Specialty Crop Growers 

through Food Hub 

Farmer Cooperative 

Incubation– Pilot Project

Memphis Tilth’s Bring It Food Hub program is requesting $40,000 through the 

Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program to increase sales distribution 

channels, facilities available, peer resources support, and decrease storage 

and transportation barriers within the Memphis area for small-scale specialty 

crop growers in the Mid-South. Over the course of this project we would like 

to incubate the development of a collective cooperative of small-scale 

specialty crop growers that will organize crop planning, sales, USDA GAP 

certification and food safety training, as well as transition the Bring It Food 

Hub wholesale clients and subscription clients into the farmer cooperatives 

CSA or direct farmer distribution.

$40,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Pick TN Conference 

Speaker Fees, 

Conference Scholarships, 

Conference Farm Tours 

and Executive Director

The Board of Directors for the Pick TN Conference is leading this project to 

coordinate the Pick TN Conference to provide educational and training 

resources and improve networking for growers, educators, markets, industry 

suppliers and agencies to increase competitiveness and success of specialty 

crops in TN. The conference will utilize the vast network of statewide 

associations and agencies to retain industry leaders and experts to provide 

educational workshops, training (food safety, GAP certification, etc.) and 

marketing expertise to conference attendees. As a result of this project the 

Pick TN Conference will be able to bring in experts from across the United 

States in order to improve the learning program and improve and support 

statewide collaboration within our industry.

$50,160.10

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Promoting specialty crop 

sales at farmers markets 

through crop-specific 

events

The Tennessee Association of Farmers Markets will lead this project to create 

and distribute a toolkit for developing and promoting specialty crop-focused 

events at farmers markets statewide following the seasonality of specialty 

crops (strawberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, and honey). Examples of 

resources produced for the kit would include an event brand guide, e.g. a 

Tennessee grown TomatoFest logo with artwork and photography that could 

be used for print and online promotion; a press kit, including sample press 

releases; a guide for planning events with day-of activities, etc. The purpose 

of the project is to strengthen the viability and visibility of specialty crop 

producers throughout the state of Tennessee and to increase sales of 

specialty crops at farmers markets.

$35,050.00
283

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15 Specialty Crop Education 

and Growth

CUL2VATE will lead this project to provide end user education as to 

nutritional information and best use of produce provided, with the goal to 

leverage increased efficiencies in high tunnels, barn/training facilities, 

distribution van. CUL2VATE will 1) provide practical application and academic 

training on Cul2vate’s training farm and leverage resource base and relational 

network ; 2) provide Access to Food Safety training and education that meets 

requirements set forth by updated industry policies and guidelines.; 3) create 

more awareness and demand for nutritional crops through collaborative 

training; and 4) Create replicable “best practices” training manual for further 

engagement and promotion of specialty crop expansion.

$49,900.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Tennessee Grape and 

Wine Industry: 

Development and 

Implementation of 

Marketing/Revenue 

Growth Opportunities

The Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance (TFWA) will use the fund to utilize 

requires professional and, dedicated leadership to coordinate and manage 

potential explosive growth in the Tennessee grape and wine industry. The 

purpose of this project is to provide funding for a third and final year 

supporting maturation and progression of TFWA from an ad hoc member 

volunteer supported organization to a robust, viable and committed leader of 

Tennessee’s vineyards and wineries. The purpose of this project is to provide 

funding for a third and final year supporting maturation and progression of 

TFWA from an ad hoc member volunteer supported organization to a robust, 

viable and committed leader of Tennessee’s vineyards and wineries, which 

the fund will mostly be used to provide partial salary offset in 2019 and 2020 

for TFWA Executive Director. TFWA is a vital industry asset that is central to 

the state’s positioning as a leader in regional wine production and dedicated 

and sustainable leadership is critical to expanding marketing opportunities 

and continued industry growth, particularly benefiting rural areas in 

Tennessee. TFWA’s current board/leadership is 100 percent volunteer and is 

made up from dedicated members of the industry – both farmers and valueadded producers.

$50,000.00
284

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15 Tennessee State Parks 

Honey Project

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will lead this 

project to continue its existing Tennessee State Parks Honey Pilot Project to 

promote and sell honey produced from apiaries located in strategically 

selected State Parks to advance and enhance benefits for pollinator 

education, the parks system, and the agricultural community at large. The 

project will result in a sustainable honey/pollinator education and production 

program in Tennessee State Parks. The selection of the parks is based on their 

proximity to distressed areas, as well as their ability to reach greater numbers 

of guests. Because the majority of rural communities where these parks 

located are considered “food insecure”, the project seeks to provide 

education and inspiration for visitors to address their access to food through 

setting up it is possible to create a sustained grassroots initiative to maximize 

agricultural opportunities and eliminate our rural food deserts.

$13,800.69

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15

Value of Pollinators in 

Vegetable Crop 

Production

Agricenter International will lead this project to increase the knowledge and 

understanding of agriculture through experimentation the value of utilizing a 

pollinator source for fruit set improvement in various commercial vegetable 

production practices. This project will conduct an experiment to determine 

yield difference with and without pollinators, specifically with different way 

to manage honey bees. The research team aims to 1) evaluate impact a 

honey bee colony has on several crops to determine the efficacy a nearby 

pollinator has on fruit set and yield; and 2) determine synergy between 

honey harvest with different crops as an additional source of revenue for 

Tennessee growers and yield. The results generated from the experiments 

will be disseminated through field days and data slides on our website.

$34,202.95

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,973.15 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$42,790.76
285

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

A Multidisciplinary 

Approach to Combat the 

Threat Of Viruses In 

Texas Vineyards

Texas A&M University will lead this project to study two selected diseases 

(Grapevine Leafroll Disease (GLD) and Red Blotch (GRBV)) and their 

associated viruses (grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs) and 

grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV)). The objectives of this project are to: 1) 

conduct complete genome characterization of TX isolates of selected viruses 

and use the information to optimize diagnostic primers for accurate

detection of these viruses; 2) identify potential vectors of GRBV and GLRaVs 

that are present in Texas vineyards; 3) determine the overall impact of GRBV 

or GLRaV-3 on grapevine health, productivity, and fruit quality attributes; and 

4) deliver project outcomes through grower outreach and education. The 

results will provide the scientific basis for the implementation of vector 

management programs in Texas vineyards.

$67,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Bridging the Leadership 

Gap In Texas: Youth 

Leadership and The 

Promotion Of Specialty 

Crop Products In The 

National School Lunch 

Program

The Texas Department of Agriculture will lead this project to support the 

following four projects: 1) HART Ambassador Recognition: promote the 

consumption of specialty crops in schools through 20 taste testing events 

statewide; 2) Farm Fresh Network Member Retention: Identification and 

development of resources needed to move Farm Fresh Network members 

along the readiness continuum; 3) Farm Fresh Network Promotion: highlight 

successful efforts by specialty crop members in the Farm Fresh Network; and 

4) Nutrition Assembly Tours to Support Specialty Crops. The proposed 

projects help current producers of specialty crops gain access to a new 

marketplace, positions them as experts in their field and exposes youth 

leaders to the importance of promoting local agriculture. Crop products, 

promotion of specialty crop products in the annual Farm Fresh Challenge and 

development of marketing recommendations based on experiential learning 

opportunities for specialty crop producers interested in selling directly to 

schools.

$150,000.00
286

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Consumer Education and 

Awareness Of Texas 

Produce Through 

Regional Events

The Texas Department of Agriculture – Marketing and International Trade 

Division (TDA-Marketing) program will create a marketing campaign that will 

build awareness for Texas produce through specialty food events throughout 

the state. Utilizing demonstrations and exhibits at regional food festivals 

along with in-store displays and demos, this project will raise the awareness 

of local Texas produce. Retail demonstrations will also add the ability to 

incorporate other regional, seasonal specialty crops through creative displays 

and marketing techniques. TDA Marketing will also be acting as a liaison to 

commodity groups to promote Texas specialty crops branding and promotion 

in print and social media.

$230,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Creating the Ability To 

Mechanically Harvest 

Texas Sweet Onions For 

Fresh Markets

The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) will lead this project to 

develop a fully mechanized harvesting system for short-day, sweet onions 

grown in order to make the state onion production more competitive. The 

project will be conducting the research in collaboration with an onion 

harvester manufacturer. The project will evaluate and optimize the 

mechanical harvester for fresh market onions in TX with an expectation that 

the harvester will be available for the market. This project aims to remove 

the need for massive labor crews to manually harvest the onions in the field. 

The general objectives of this projects are to 1) reduce harvest costs through 

mechanization of the harvest operations; 2) develop disease and pest 

tolerant sweet onion cultivars for mechanical harvesting.

$200,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Developing A Grape & 

Wine Production Video 

Series

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service aims to develop 20 educational 

videos on grape and wine production that target prospective and current 

members of the Texas grape and wine industry. Texas is the fifth leading wine 

producing state in the nation with 520 wineries (G winery permits) and 

approximately 6,000 acres of grapes. The number of wineries has increased 

by more than ten-fold since the year 2000 and grapes acreage has more than 

doubled resulting in a wide range in production practices, challenges, and 

levels of experience. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Viticulture and Enology 

Specialists, and project partner Est Texas Grape and Wine Producers Inc., will 

design and develop videos to address common questions and challenges, and 

an AgriLife videographer will edit and publish them.

$18,712.00
287

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Developing A 

Nondestructive High 

Throughput Indicator for 

Watermelon Maturity 

Using Near Infra-Red 

Spectrometer

The Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center and Texas A&M AgriLife 

Research will lead this project to develop a non-destructive predication of 

internal and external quality attributes of watermelon using near infrared 

spectrometer. Commonly grown watermelon varieties in Texas will be tested 

for potential external maturity indicators and key health-promoting 

phytochemicals. Destructive analysis will also be applied as a reference 

method to determine the physico-chemical properties and nutritional 

composition at different ripening stage of watermelons to correlate the data. 

The prediction model will be optimized to determine watermelon quality to 

distinguish right picking date from the plant. This data will provide improved 

methods for better harvesting time and will provide the proof-of-concept to 

commercial watermelon producers.

$176,500.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Developing Strategies for 

Mitigating The Impacts 

Of Freezing And CottonRoot-Rot On Olive 

Production In Texas

The Texas Association of Olive Oil (TXAOO) will lead this project to develop 

strategies to minimize losses due to freezing and cotton root rot disease in 

olive orchards. The research team will use Texas adapted olive varieties and 

non-regionally adapted germplasm to identify potential genetic and 

biochemical markers for evaluating the freeze tolerance using established 

techniques. The principal focus of the project is to: 1) identify techniques to 

minimize freezing damage; 2) screen selected olive varieties for tolerance to 

Cotton Root Rot and create an online CRR risk assessment tool; and 3) devise 

a long-term strategy for developing freezing and cotton root rot tolerant 

cultivars for regional production.

$82,300.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Exploration of 

Alternative Fruit Crops 

With High Potential And 

Low Input For The Texas 

Fresh Fruit Market

The Texas A&M AgriLife and Stephen F. Austin State University will lead this 

project to evaluate the effects of improved cultivars for two low-input fruit 

crops, Asian persimmons and pineapple guava. The project aims to establish 

replicated variety trial plantings for these two selected crops and assess plant 

health and performance during establishment, including the initial fruit 

quality of pineapple guava and persimmon cultivars results will be presented 

to fruit industry members and other interested parties. A full fact sheet on 

pineapple guava production and performance of persimmon cultivars will be 

developed to promote the production of the commodity.

$52,000.00
288

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Food Safety Education 

Toolkit (FOSET) For 

Texas Specialty Crop 

Hydroponic Growers

The University of Houston (UH) will lead this project to create a Food Safety 

Education Toolkit (FoSET) for Texas hydroponic growers which will include 

PSA-based curriculum specific for hydroponic growers, online course 

modules, and information-sheets/pamphlets for owners/managers to train 

employees. The major tasks of this project are: ) conduct a microbial study to 

determine baseline food safety risks associated with in-soil versus 

hydroponically grown specialty crops; 2) survey hydroponic growers to 

identify baseline food safety practices, current resource guides, and specific 

pain points that can be addressed; 3) create hydroponic-specific FoSET 

garnered through PSA’s training program; 4) conduct outreach and 

dissemination of the study result; and 5) survey hydroponic growers after 

dissemination of FoSET to determine efficacy of the educational materials.

$62,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Improving the 

Perception Of Texas 

Wines

The Texas Department of Agriculture will lead this project to conduct an 

integrated marketing communications campaign targeted at local consumers, 

along with national wine media. Elements identified as beneficial to 

continuing to assist the industry’s growth include: 1) visual and interactive 

components of digital content through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s 

wine website, uncorktexaswines.com; 2) increasing media and key purchaser 

relationships via press visits and tours; and 3) visual promotions and 

enhanced marketing automation. Through these targeted efforts, the TDA 

hopes to increase exposure of high-quality Texas grapes and wine and expand 

sales and production within the state. The general objectives of this project 

are to 1) expand National Media Coverage, thus national awareness of Texas 

Wine industry; 2) increase prevalence of Texas Wines in Texas restaurants; 

and 3) increase Texas Wine Sales.

$105,000.00
289

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Increase Market Share 

and Consumption 

Through Branding of 

Texas Onions

The Texas International Produce Association, working alongside the South 

Texas Onion Committee (STOC), seeks to increase market share and 

consumption of Texas onions by making American consumers and national 

purchasing entities more aware of flavor and availability of the crop through 

a focused multi-year marketing plan. The project will seek to rebrand the 

Texas 1015 Sweet Onions into a recognized logo, along with materials 

available for all entities in the industry, so that the product will flow through 

the supply chain and be recognized by all parties – including the final 

consumer – as a premium good, and therefore command a premium price at 

market, thereby returning higher profits to the growers.

$100,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Interactions Between 

Zebra Chip of Potato and 

Crop Irrigation

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and USDA-ARS will lead this project to research 

how deficit irrigation or various degrees of plant stress impact tomato-potato 

psyllid (TPP) or development of Zebra chip (ZC). This study aims to accomplish 

the following: 1)determine the impact of deficit irrigation and different levels 

of water stress on potato yields; 2) determine the impact of deficit irrigation 

on TPP, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum transmission, and subsequent 

development of ZC; 3) evaluate the effects of ZC on performance and 

efficiency of an sensing instrumentation system; and 4) Provide hands-on 

technical training in specialty crop production and research students.

$104,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Investigating the 

Potential For Golden 

Kiwifruit As A New 

Specialty Crop In Texas

The Nacogdoches-Nacogdoches County Economic Development Corporation 

(NEDCO) will partner with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Stephen F. 

Austin State University (SFASU), Nacogdoches, to conduct a project 

evaluating the feasibility of golden kiwifruit in Texas. This project builds on 

crops (2014-2018) at a Kiwifruit research plot at SFASU established in 2011, 

which can best be described as the first kiwifruit production in Texas history. 

This project holds the promise of introducing a new specialty crop to the 

Texas market. Results from this project will be made available via educational 

resources, field day events, comprehensive production guide and other 

media to producers as well as the general public.

$87,018.00
290

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Market Matchmaking for 

Specialty Crop Producers 

in Texas

Sustainable Food Center’s (SFC), Foodshed Investors (FI), Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension, and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will 

lead this project to develop a pipeline between specialty crop producers and 

institutional buyers to: 1) build capacity for local food procurement among a 

cohort of at least four institutional buyers to expand or improve purchasing 

of Texas-grown and sustainably-grown specialty crops, 2) increase wholesale 

readiness among a cohort of ten Texas specialty crop growers, 3) increase 

revenue of the specialty crop growers cohort by 25 percent, and 4) ensure 

coordination/planning between growers and buyers. Results of the project 

will be shared at conferences and field days hosted by industry stakeholders.

$140,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Possibility, Duration, And 

Molecular Predictors of 

Sanitizer Tolerance in 

Listeria Monocytogenes

The Texas International Produce Association, the Center for Produce Safety 

(CPS), and University of Georgia will lead this project to fill critical knowledge 

gaps regarding the tolerance of Listeria monocytogenes to chlorine and 

quaternary ammonium sanitizers. The major tasks are: 1) measure residual 

sanitizer levels in leafy green and tomato processing facilities; 2) conduct 

laboratory assays to investigate tolerance development and persistence; 3) 

explore machine-learning-aided tolerance prediction; and 4) use whole 

genome sequencing data to identify evolutionary signals (or lack thereof) of 

tolerance development. The results of this project will provide the industry 

and regulators with scientific evidence for supporting, better implementing, 

or justifiably shelving sanitizer rotation programs. Fill critical knowledge gaps 

regarding the tolerance of Listeria monocytogenes to chlorine and quaternary 

ammonium sanitizers. Due to concerns over bacterial tolerance to sanitizers, 

the rotation of sanitizers is recommended in fresh produce processing 

facilities to better control foodborne pathogens, especially Listeria 

monocytogenes (Lm). However, there is still no scientific consensus on 

whether Lm develops sanitizer tolerance. Even if Lm develops tolerance 

through sub-lethal exposure to sanitizers, how long and how strong the 

tolerance can last should be considered in determining whether sanitizer 

rotation is needed and how often it should be applied.

$170,595.00
291

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Quantifying Texas Honey 

Bee Health Risks 

Associated with 

Dominant Beekeeper 

Business Models To 

Improve Colony Survival, 

Honey Production And 

Crop Poll

Texas A&M University and the Bee Informed Partnership’s Texas Technical 

Transfer Team will lead this project to quantify the operational risks 

experienced by monitoring colony health and management data across the 

major beekeeping operational classes. This project will increase Texas colony 

survival rates through four objectives: 1) survey beekeepers from the major 

commercial beekeeping operation classes to determine colony loss rates and 

management practices; 2) monitor colony health and disease loads from 

beekeeper survey participants; 3) determine pollen diversity and pesticide 

content; 4) evaluate health and management data to generate commercial 

beekeeper class-specific risk assessment reports. This study aims to promote 

a competitive pollination industry, keeping costs low for producers and 

consumers alike.

$150,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36

Wholesale Pecan 

Promotion from The 

Viewpoint of Production 

to Consumption

The Texas Pecan Growers Association and project partner, Texas Pecan 

Board, will conduct a Texas Pecan agricultural experience for wholesale 

buyers from regions of the United States that do not typically purchase or 

consume many pecans. This domestic trade mission will allow buyers to 

directly interact with Texas pecan growers and processors in their orchards 

and facilities, as well as inform buyers of the many nutritional and cultural 

application benefits of using Texas pecans. The general tasks for this project 

will be to organize and conduct a tour around the El Paso Valley region of 

pecan production in the fall of 2020 for buyers as well as host a chef 

demonstration showing the many varied uses of pecans in food preparation. 

The project will also develop and assemble information and materials to 

share with growers and buyers.

$33,098.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,107,926.36 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$179,147.91
292

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64

Address Local and 

Regional Plant Pest 

Concerns through 

Research, Collaboration, 

and Outreach - Best Pest 

Management Tool 

Validation and 

Demonstration

The University of the Virgin Islands—Cooperative Extension Service (UVI-CES) 

Pest Management Program proposal intends to help minimize the damage 

and spread of common crop and backyard pests by developing scientificallybased, practical, available, economical, and local remedies to implement onfarm, in backyard gardens, and within greenhouses. They plan to disseminate 

results to stakeholders through farmer and urban backyard meetings, 

demonstration workshops, Extension bulletins and handouts, and illustrative 

card sets.

$28,713.00

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64

Development and 

Comparison of a Tunnel 

Hoop Garden versus 

Outside Garden

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture is seeking to establish a 

pilot program to compare specialty crops grown in a tunnel hoop garden 

versus specialty crops grown in an outside garden. This project will be 

implemented utilizing Elementary School Students, who will assist in the 

development of this project.

$46,694.00

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64

Establishment of a 

Weekly Radio Broadcast 

Promoting Specialty 

Crops Competitiveness, 

Awareness, Access, and 

Consumption in US 

Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDOA) is seeking funding 

for an hourly weekly talk show to promote Specialty Crops grown locally, 

while providing pertinent agriculture information.

$20,000.00

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64

Establishment of 

Education and Outreach 

Seminars to Increase 

Awareness/Consumption 

of Specialty Crops Grown 

in USVI

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDOA) is seeking funding 

to provide outreach activities, seminars, trainings, and workshops related to 

promoting, educating, and increasing the awareness, access, and benefits of 

growing specialty crops in the US Virgin Islands. Most of the fruits and 

vegetables consumed in the US Virgin Islands are not fresh or locally grown, 

and the cost to import such crops are rising at an alarming rate. Locally grown 

crops have higher nutritional value and has a longer shelf life. Thus, 

promoting and educating the VI Community on the benefits of growing and 

consuming locally grown crops will increase the competitiveness of specialty 

crops grown in the US Virgin Islands.

$58,180.00
293

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64

Evaluation of the African 

High Protein Tropical 

Winged Bean

The Winged bean, scientifically known as Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) 

DC. is a promising legume crop of the world's tropical regions. It is also known 

as the Goa bean, Four-Angled bean, Four-Cornered bean, Manila bean and 

Dragon bean. Every part of the winged bean is edible, earning it the 

distinction of "supermarket on a stalk". The winged bean may be planted as a 

multipurpose legume food crop, permitting it to be utilized as a green 

vegetable, as a source of edible fresh green pods, as well as achieving soil 

coverage. As a plant which exhibits vigorous nodulation, the Winged Bean is 

very desirable both as a cover crop and for soil improvement.

$53,550.00

U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

Department of 

Agriculture

$242,765.64 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$35,541.64

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48

Early Detection of Allium 

Leaf Miner (Phytomyza 

gymnostoma) in Utah

Utah State University scientists will identify leaf miner species in Utah onion, 

garlic and leek crops and neighboring weeds and crops in an effort to 

determine if a new and invasive onion leaf miner species is already present in 

Utah, and if not to detect it as soon as it arrives. Additionally, the efficacy of 

yellow sticky cards will be assessed for detection of leaf miner adults. Yellow 

sticky cards are a grower-friendly monitoring method that may provide early 

detection of leaf miners. The invasive Allium leaf miner causes 100 percent 

yield loss in affected fields due to the larvae burrowing into the onion bulb. 

The early detection of the leaf miner in Utah would allow onion and garlic 

growers to initiate scouting and control measures before the insect 

devastates the crops thus maintaining high quality and yield. Results will be 

shared with growers of affected fields as soon as it becomes available and 

presented at numerous grower and extension training meetings in Utah 

(Utah Onion Association Winter Meeting, Urban and Small Farms Conference, 

USU Extension Annual Conference, etc.)

$24,214.50
294

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48

Improving Predictability 

of Utah Raspberry 

Production Using 

Tunnels and Heating

The High Tunnel Research Team in the Department of Plants, Soils and 

Climate at Utah State University will develop high tunnel production practices 

that influence early fruiting of fall-bearing raspberries. The research will focus 

on how high and low tunnels influence root zone temperature, and the 

temperature requirements for raspberry primocane emergence.

$76,068.04

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48

Monitoring 

Groundwater Quality 

and Developing Best 

Water Management 

Practices for

Sustainable Green 

Industry Production

Utah State University will establish an agreement or contractual relationship 

with the State Department of Agriculture and Food to lead and execute the 

project to monitor the quality of groundwater, develop best water 

management practices, and select salt tolerant plants for nursery and 

greenhouse production. The results from this project will be disseminated to 

nursery and greenhouse growers through field days, workshops and 

educational materials. Adoption of best water management practices by local 

growers in their specialty crop production could enhance the competitiveness 

of Utah green industry through increased crop quality, reduced culinary 

water consumption, reduced inputs, and/or increased economic return.

$64,610.00

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48

Searching for the 

Samurai Wasp and 

Promoting Native 

Parasitoid Wasps for 

Biological Control of the 

Invasive Brown 

Marmorated Stink Bug

The invasive insect pest, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) began causing 

economic loss to Utah’s specialty crops (fruits and vegetables) in 2017. This 

project led by Utah State University will address implementation of a knowneffective management practice for BMSB, promotion of native and 

introduced parasitoid wasps for biological control. Surveys for the samurai 

wasp and native Utah parasitoid wasps will be conducted with BMSB sentinel 

egg masses and yellow sticky cards. Parasitoids will be evaluated for their 

efficiency in killing BMSB. If the samurai wasp is detected, the Utah 

Department of Agriculture and Food will be engaged to support redistribution 

efforts in BMSB-infested areas of the State. Outreach education to Utah’s 

specialty crop producers at annual conferences and meetings will relay study 

results and impacts on reducing BMSB populations and crop loss in Utah. 

These efforts will help protect Utah’s fruit and vegetable industries from 

economic harm.

$45,358.00
295

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48 Split Butternut 

Utilization

La Montanita Co-op, dba Four Corners Group Gap, will examine the possibility 

of creating additional revenue for growers of butternut squash to more fully 

utilize the produce they grow and reduce waste. We will have the grower’s 

sort all the butternut that has split and that the only defect is the split into 

separate bins - at present growers can only sell butternut that is rated #1. We 

will then take the butternut squash that have splits to a location to peel and 

cut the butternut. After peeling the butternut squash and cubing it. It will be 

packaged in a wrapped package and then will be marketed to local grocery 

stores, and institutional users. By undertaking this effort, we hope to create 

and expand, if it already exists in another market, for local growers to move 

produce that is grown here.

$24,565.02

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48

The Fight Against Fire 

Blight to Protect Utah’s 

Pome Fruit Industry

This project, conducted by members of the Utah State University Extension 

IPM Program, will test novel conventional and organic treatment options for 

the management of a bacterial disease called fire blight. Fire blight is the 

leading cause of both yield and tree loss in Utah apple and pear orchards. 

Using field and grower meetings, the annual fruit conference, and a blog-style 

newsletter, growers will learn which materials are the most effective, both in 

managing the disease, and in improving profitability. This project will 

evaluate and determine the most effective fire blight spray options available 

on the market for both conventional and organic pome fruit growers (apple 

and pear) in Utah.

$30,097.00

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$334,775.48 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$19,410.47
296

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11 #GrowQuince

#GrowQuince will support commercial and backyard quince (Cydonia 

oblonga) growers in the region and substantially improve the performance 

and profitability of this specialty crop by compiling and disseminating quince 

growing resources and expertise. For the first phase of #GrowQuince, 

partners include long-time quince growers Scott Farm and Akaogi Farm, 

organic grower Harlow Farm, and specialty quince producer Vermont Quince. 

All are located in the Connecticut River watershed of southern Vermont and 

New Hampshire. Vermont Quince is the applicant and will lead the 

coordination and evaluation of #GrowQuince.

$10,000.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

A survey of heirloom and 

feral hops for resistance 

to fungal and insect 

pests

Researchers at the University of Vermont (UVM) Department of Plant and 

Soil Science, UVM Department of Plant Biology, and UVM Extension will 

characterize the genetic basis of insect and pathogen resistance in heirloom 

and feral hops from the Northeast as well as commercial varieties using field 

trials and a new high-throughput DNA sequencing approach targeted at 

characterizing variation in disease and insect resistance genes called 

resistance gene enrichment and sequencing (REN-SEQ).

$20,000.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

Best practices that 

control the spread of 

Asian earthworm pests 

in and through the 

horticultural trade

The University of Vermont will test botanical and microbial agents as best 

management practices in nursery and landscaping businesses towards 

controlling the spread of Asian earthworm pests (Amynthas species) and 

disseminating results to the horticultural industry.

$23,805.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

Food Connects Food Hub 

Expansion to the Upper 

Valley

By 2021, Food Connects will increase sales by 89 percent for over 20 Vermont 

specialty crop producers by developing new wholesale customers, new 

supply chain relationships, and marketing materials with a focus on the 

Upper Valley of Vermont & New Hampshire.

$45,000.00
297

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

Improving Nutrient 

Management in High 

Tunnels on Vegetable 

Farms in Vermont

University of Vermont Extension will develop comprehensive fertilizer 

recommendations for high tunnel vegetable crops, with a focus on tomatoes. 

These recommendations will be utilized by 100 vegetable farms with a total 

of 200 high tunnels that produce $5.5 million worth of vegetable crops 

annually. As a result, 75 of these growers will report improved crop yield, 

quality, and/or profitability.

$32,785.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

Local Food Markets as a 

Placemaking Tool: 

Increasing Specialty Crop 

Consumption, Access 

and Awareness

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) will continue 

to strengthen collaboration with community planning efforts across Vermont 

to facilitate placemaking discussions around how best to incorporate 

specialty crop market opportunities into community development and 

revitalization projects and ensure the long-term viability of these market 

opportunities for specialty crop producers.

$74,755.74

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

The UVM Bee Diagnostic 

Lab: Protecting 

Vermont's honey crop 

and fruit and vegetable 

pollination services 

through pest and disease 

monitoring

The University of Vermont will improve available resources for pest and 

disease monitoring, diagnosis, and education for Vermont beekeepers and 

the Vermont Apiary Inspection Program by beginning a bee pest and disease 

diagnostic service laboratory.

$52,000.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11

Understanding the Risk 

Benefit of Brassica Cover 

Crops on Vegetable 

Farms in the Northeast

The University of Vermont will evaluate the benefits and challenges of 

implementing brassica cover crops in vegetable production systems by 

developing practical research and disseminating results to stakeholders 

through field days and web-based media.

$47,584.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$330,427.11 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$24,474.38
298

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

1. Optimization of 

Virginia Pumpkin 

Production Through 

Improved Disease 

Management and 

Identification

Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension 

Center (TAREC) and the Eastern Shore AREC (ESAREC) will conduct research 

objectives to determine the most effective fungicide programs at reducing 

losses to these diseases while improving net returns as well as produce a 

helpful disease identification guide to help producers to identify disease 

problems in pumpkin fields. To accomplish these goals, we will conduct 

fungicide program field trials on grower fields and our respective ARECs. 

Once marketable yield is determined we will conduct a cost-benefit analysis 

for each fungicide program. We will also survey fields across the state to 

determine the frequency and distribution of Plectosporium blight and assess 

individual isolate sensitivity to fungicides. We will take note of production 

practices and varieties in each field to determine if they have a specific 

impact on Plectosporium blight severity. Photographs will be collected in 

pumpkin fields across the state to help develop a disease identification guide. 

Results from this work will be used to implement cost-effective disease 

strategies for pumpkins as well as increase grower awareness concerning 

pumpkin diseases.

$58,724.25

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

2. Sulfur Fertility Rates 

for Virginia Vegetables 

to Enhance Yields and 

Increase Fertilizer Use 

Efficiency

The Virginia Tech Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center 

will increase fresh market tomato, broccoli, potato, and sweet corn 

production by 14 percent by updating sulfur fertilizer recommendations using 

field research, through updating vegetable production guides, via field days, 

and grower meetings.

$58,692.60
299

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

3. Establishing TimeIntervals for Application 

of Raw Biological Soil 

Amendments of Animal 

Origin during Produce 

Production

Virginia Tech will reduce foodborne pathogen contamination in specialty 

crops by determining the risk of applying raw biological soil amendments of 

animal origin (BSAAO) to soils during produce production. These findings will 

directly support growers of Virginia specialty crop commodities, specifically 

tomato, cucumber, and apple, in establishment of best practices for the 

application of raw BSAAO to fields and compliance with the Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Results will be 

communicated to stakeholders through a cadre of extension, education, and 

outreach efforts. BSAAO may contain pathogens. Data is needed on pathogen 

survival in BSAAO (e.g., poultry litter, bovine manure) amended soils to 

provide standards for their safe application in produce production 

environments. “Safe application” is defined as the time-interval(s) between 

application of raw BSAAO to fields and harvest of produce that significantly 

minimizes the risk to public health. No prior studies exist establishing safe 

time-interval(s) between application of raw BSAAO and harvest of produce 

from Virginia.

$58,294.08

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

4. Agronomic, Postharvest, and Economic 

Evaluation of Strawberry 

Cultivars in High Tunnel 

and Open Field 

Production

Virginia Tech. in cooperation with Virginia State University will establish an 

agreement with the State department of agriculture to evaluate agronomic, 

post-harvest, and economic aspects of various strawberry cultivars in high 

tunnel and open field production to inform specialty crop growers of the 

findings, through information dissemination of the data that will be collected 

and analyzed.

$58,550.09
300

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

5. Maximizing Efficiency 

of PGR Spray Programs 

for Apples in Virginia

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are small synthetic molecules that mimic the 

structure and/or the function of plant hormones. PGRs are used extensively 

in modern apple production systems to induce branching of young trees, 

manage crop loads, control pre-harvest drops, extend the harvest season, 

control physiological disorders, decrease disease incidence and enhance fruit 

coloration. Application timing is a major determining factor of PGR efficiency. 

However, because of the overlapping nature of various orchard management 

practices, PGR compounds are often tank-mixed with or sprayed within a 

narrow time window of other chemicals that may interfere negatively with 

their efficacy. Through the proposed project, Virginia Tech will determine and 

recommend PGR spray programs that result in higher spray efficiency, less 

chemical incompatibility, and higher fruit yield and quality. The project will 

mainly focus on PGRs that are currently used and labeled for apple fruit 

thinning, improving return bloom, enhancing fruit coloration and delaying 

fruit ripening. The research findings will be communicated to apple growers 

and stakeholders in Virginia through the established extension program of 

the AHS Jr. AREC in Winchester, VA, that involves fruit schools, in-orchard 

meetings, extension pubs, and social media.

$51,581.05

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

6. Developing Endophyte 

Community Based 

Approach to Protect 

Boxwood from Boxwood 

Blight

Virginia Tech will protect existing boxwood plants from boxwood blight by 

developing an entophytic microbial community-based technique that triggers 

resistance in susceptible plants. Results will be disseminated to stakeholders 

through grower and professional meetings, journals, and on-line extension 

programs.

$57,935.20

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

7. Cider Production from 

Virginia-Grown Apples: 

Sensory and Chemical 

Drivers of Consumer 

Preference

The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Department of Food 

Science and Technology’s Sensory Science and Evaluation group) will develop 

a descriptive lexicon for Virginia hard cider that will help to explain the 

connections among cider chemistry, the flavors and aromas of ciders, and 

consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for these value-added 

specialty-crop products. The research group will disseminate these findings to 

stakeholders through extension publications and regional extension 

workshops, as well as through industry-organized workshops and field days.

$58,804.05
301

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

8. Making Food Safety 

Certification and 

Compliance Attainable 

for the Virginia Specialty 

Crop Industry in Light of 

Market and Regulatory 

Changes

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) will enhance the 

competitiveness of fresh fruits and vegetables by providing training and oneon-one technical assistance to specialty crop farmers across Virginia and by 

determining the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandated Current 

Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) requirements for produce packing 

facilities. Seventy produce farmers will be prepared to obtain USDA Good 

Agricultural Practices (GAP), Harmonized GAP, or Harmonized GAP Plus+, 

with 30 farmers achieving GAP certification. Additionally, 22 producers will be 

prepared to meet the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule 

requirements with the addition of Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings.

$56,307.40

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

9. Tracking the 

Establishment of 

Trissolcus japonicus in 

Virginia

Trissolcus japonicus (T. japonicus) is a recently-arrived, Asian parasitoid wasp 

that attacks and kills brown marmorated stink bug eggs. Surveillance has 

shown that it is well established in Frederick County, VA but not elsewhere in 

Virginia. In summer 2018, with approval the Virginia Department of 

Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), T. japonicus was released at 10 

locations from northern to southwest Virginia, near sites where specialty 

crops were grown. At these sites, Virginia Tech will use traps to track the 

establishment and population development of T. japonicus and changes in 

brown marmorated stink bug populations. Experiments toward enhancing 

the effectiveness and efficiency of sampling protocols for this important 

biocontrol agent will also be performed in Frederick County. Outcomes 

expected are documentation of the establishment of T. japonicus across the 

release sites in Virginia, documentation of changes in brown marmorated 

stink bug populations at these sites, and assessments of improved 

surveillance protocols for T. japonicus.

$15,625.90

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53

10. Out of the Woods: 

Creating a Sustainable 

Medicinal Herb Supply 

Chain in Appalachia

Appalachian Sustainable Development will increase the profitability and longterm survival of the forest botanical supply chain in Virginia and beyond, by 

building up planting stock availability to incentivize forest farming, securing 

profitable markets that value conservation through cultivation, and 

increasing training, processing, and aggregation services to successfully 

connect forest farmers to growing demand.

$58,530.00
302

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services

$541,467.53 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$8,334.50

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94 1. Automation for 

Stringing Hops

2nd Sight BioScience, Inc. (“2nd Sight”) engineers will design and build a 

machine that will automatically tie biodegradable twine to trellis cables in a 

hop yard and automatically anchor that cord to the ground at the hop plant’s 

base so that the plant can grow up the cord. This automation will replace the 

manual labor required to perform the same task. During Phase 1 of the 

project, 2nd Sight has gathered specifications from twelve growers 

representing over half of the hops acreage in WA State. Field and crop 

variables have been defined and the growers have agreed that a final 

machine cost in the $200,000 range will be acceptable. During Phase 2, 2nd 

Sight will produce engineering drawings of the machine and work with 

several growers to confirm that the machine meets defined requirements 

and fits within financial constraints. During Phase 3, 2nd Sight will build and 

field test a prototype unit. During the final phase, Phase 4, 2nd Sight 

BioScience will incorporate any needed design changes discovered during 

field testing and prepare for production unit build. At 2nd Sight, our scientists 

and engineers have decades of experience designing and testing innovative 

new technologies and automation. 2nd Sight also has equivalent experience 

bringing those innovations that meet many customers’ needs to market.

$250,000.00
303

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94 2. Reducing cold damage 

in tree fruit

Every year, tree fruit growers lose money from low temperatures damaging 

flowers or reproductive buds. The U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization 

reported that cold damage has caused more economic losses to crops in the 

U.S. than any other weather hazard. The potential losses from cold damage 

are devastating and predicted to become more commonplace with 

increasingly variable spring weather. Despite the significant perennial threat 

of cold damage, growers have no new reliable means for protecting 

developing buds, depending largely on wind machines that are ineffective 

against advective freeze events. This proposal by Washington State University 

faculty will build short- and long-term solutions for reducing cold damage to 

in sweet cherry. Our objectives are to 1) characterize the variability among 

cultivars and material in the cherry breeding program for its sensitivity to 

cold damage, 2) Identify candidate molecular markers related to cold 

tolerance (long-term strategy), and 3) evaluate the potential for plant-based 

dispersions for reducing cold damage (short-term strategy).

$188,165.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

3. Seeking Resolution of 

Non-Tariff Barriers 

against Hops in Korea

The Washington Hop Commission – For the past three years, the US hop 

industry has worked to establish pesticide MRLs in Korea, a key and growing 

export market, prior to their January 1, 2019 regulatory transition. We 

succeeded with 20 new MRLs in place. However, 38 additional hop MRLs are 

needed. On August 20, Korea announced it would provide a three-year 

temporary extension on most of these MRLs, through 2021. This has started a 

three-year clock to get as many of these hop MRLs established as possible by 

this deadline. If not established, the MRLs will fall to 0.01 ppm, rendering 

most products in this category as not usable for export to Korea. The 

Washington Hop Commission proposes to work over the next three years to 

establish all needed hop MRLs and keep the Korean market open for 

Washington hop growers and shippers. This will be difficult. The easy 

submissions are completed. Major registrants have made submissions on our 

behalf. We now need to convince smaller registrants to make submissions, 

and when that is not possible, to make the submissions ourselves. We will 

assess the needs, determine if data is missing, generate data if necessary, 

retain experts on the Korean transition and technical submission experts, 

draft applications, pay for reviews in Korea, and travel to Korea to meet with 

$248,490.00
304

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

appropriate officials in support of this effort. We have a three-year window 

to complete this task, and we need resources to be successful. Should we fail, 

the hop market will suffer.

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

4. Regaining Market 

Share in Japan for 

Washington Hybrid 

Storage Onions

The Washington State Department of Agriculture International Marketing 

Program will conduct two inbound buying missions, bringing buyers from 

Japan to Washington onion packing facilities and farms to conduct businessto-business meetings and to educate them on the latest technologies, Good 

Agricultural Practices, food safety, quality control, and environmental 

compliance issues. Japanese buyers will not only gain awareness of the 

competitive attributes of Washington hybrid onions but will make purchases 

as a result of this project.

$51,450.00
305

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

5. Washington Blueberry 

Promotions in the 

Philippines

This project is designed to take advantage of the pending opening of the 

Philippines market to fresh Washington blueberries. A market access 

agreement is expected to be finalized by mid-2019 that will permit the entry 

of fresh blueberries from Washington for the first time. The Washington 

Blueberry Commission intends to use this advancement to make a strong 

push for Washington fresh, frozen and dried blueberries at a time when the 

products should already receive some interest from the Philippine trade. 

Specifically, the Washington Blueberry Commission will implement a robust 

promotional campaign to inform distributors, retailers, consumers and food 

manufacturers of the quality of Washington blueberries, their availability, and 

suppliers from the state. The promotional strategy will include retail 

promotions with point of sale materials, advertising, and retail demos that 

promote the Washington origin of fresh, frozen and dried blueberries among 

trade partners that carry these products. Promotions will also be extended to 

cover processed products in the market that incorporate Washington 

blueberry ingredients.

$80,000.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

6. Washington Hard 

Cider Market 

Development and 

Symposium

The Northwest Cider Association’s (NWCA) members have a $690 million 

economic impact on our region and a $300 million impact on the state of 

Washington specifically. Hard cider sales have increased rapidly across the 

nation and Washington apple growers have benefitted from processors 

selling apple juice to cidermakers. Hard cider sales in Washington have 

slowed this year, so NWCA proposes developing an all-encompassing Cider 

Symposium to address this need. The symposium will be part conference, 

part buyer event and will encourage industry coordination to maintain strong 

growth and be as relevant as the beer and wine sectors.

Kicking off year one in Tacoma, the symposium will enhance the Washington 

economy as a result of the growth in the hard cider market. This symposium 

will offer information and marketing tracks for orchard-based cider 

production, as well as modern cider styles made with the six main varieties of 

apples most commonly grown in Washington. It will provide a tailored 

marketing track to support sharing resources around distribution as well as a 

track for growers.

$100,290.00
306

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

7. The Farm to Food 

Accelerator for 

Washington Specialty 

Crop Women Producers

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) 

Foundation is partnering with the Washington State Department of 

Agriculture (WSDA), Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Oregon State 

University Food Innovation Center (FIC) and Union Kitchen to develop a 

multi-state project to equip female specialty crop producers to grow their 

value-added businesses. NASDA Foundation and its partners will develop the 

Women’s Farm to Food Accelerator. The goal of the accelerator is to 

empower Washington and Oregon female specialty crop producers with food 

and beverage products to enter into new state and regional markets. The 90-

day accelerator will provide training in product development, food safety, 

marketing and business development. The accelerator will include online 

modules, peer-to- peer learning, a women’s mentor network, and one-onone consultation with experts. We will target female producers whose 

products contain at least 50 percent Washington-grown and Oregon-grown 

specialty crops. We will also target female producers with small operations 

(i.e., less than $500,000 annual gross sales, less than 20 employees). Through 

this project, NASDA Foundation and its partners will train a total of 75 female 

specialty crop producers (45 from Washington, 30 from Oregon). After 

completing the accelerator, we anticipate the following outcomes: 100 

percent of participating producers will increase their awareness of new 

markets for specialty crop products, 95 percent of participating producers will 

increase efficiency within their businesses as measured by the number of 

products reaching new markets or reduced costs, and 80 percent of 

participating producers will increase their sales of Washington specialty crop 

value-added products.

$249,921.00
307

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

8. Comparing and 

teaching small and micro 

farming scales for 

beginning farmers

Aspiring farmers face numerous challenges in starting a new business 

including finding access to farmland and capital for investments. Farming is 

an expensive business to enter with the cost of land, infrastructure and 

equipment all very high. With the average age of farmers at 59 driving our 

need to recruit and train a new generation of farmers, these barriers must be 

addressed quickly. Recently, several high-profile small market farms have 

promoted intensive farming methods of specialty crops using only hand labor 

and two-wheeled tractors and claiming to be profitable and sustainable on 

under 2 acres of production. Often called micro-farming, this model is very 

appealing to new farmers who see it as an opportunity to enter farming with 

significantly reduced land and equipment investments. However, these farms 

are not fully transparent with their finances or labor needs, making it difficult 

to assess the viability or replicability of these methods. Throughout this 

project, the Organic Farm School (OFS) seeks to 1) research these farming 

methods, 2) teach the students at the OFS these methods as one alternative, 

3) implement a trial of these methods with specialty crops at both the OFS 

student farm and Oxbow farm, 4) collect data on the cost and profitability of 

these methods, 5) conduct an evaluation of these methods in comparison to 

more traditional small-scale tractor-based farming practices with specialty 

crops and 6) present the results of this project through workshops, 

conferences and a publication. The project results will offer important 

information regarding the viability of two differing small-acreage, specialty 

crop farming methods, helping aspiring market farmers better plan their farm 

business and enhancing their competitiveness in the domestic specialty crop 

market.

$174,991.00
308

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

9. Supporting Small 

Farms: Optimizing a 

Regional Value-based 

Short Food Chain

The goal of this project is to increase specialty crop sales to LINC Foods’ three 

largest customer segments (restaurants, institutional dining services, and 

regional grocery retail). We will work with professionals from each segment 

to address barriers and seize opportunities characteristic of their portion of 

industry. We will introduce an Artificial Intelligence application built to 

enhance customer ordering experience while freeing up staff time for 

customer relationship development. We will implement a promotional 

campaign that responds to the requests of our mission-driven institutional 

and grocery retail partners and presents regional specialty crops to large 

numbers of end-consumers. The Artificial Intelligence website/web-based 

application and mobile app will be undertaken in partnership with a 

developer and include design input from industry partners and customers. 

The application will provide streamlined SMS text and email communication 

with customers, improving the customer experience and leading to increased 

specialty crop purchases. The promotional campaign will work in partnership 

with institutional and retail partners to engage end consumers with 

information around the availability and qualities of regionally-grown specialty 

crops, resulting in an increase in purchasing and growth in business with 

these accounts. This proposal will allow the hiring of a Specialty Crop 

Promotion Officer, who will design a promotional model and lead its 

execution in partnership with mission-driven partners. Overall, this proposal 

will support the growth of sales by specialty crop producers through LINC 

Foods and help generate a total of $1.1 million dollars in sales by the 

completion of the grant period.

$101,186.00
309

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

10. A Pesticide 

Application Risk 

Management Tool: The 

PestiSeguro/PestiSafe 

App

The University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and 

Health Center (PNASH) will lead and execute the specialty crop project, A 

Pesticide Application Risk Management Tool, The PestiSeguro/PestiSafe App 

(App), Kit Galvin, Project Manager. The purpose of this three-year training 

and education project is to minimize the human health, environmental, and 

financial risks to specialty crop producers/growers and employees from 

improper handling of agricultural pesticides used in production. The project 

goal is to provide a technological solution that addresses a long-standing 

problem: pesticide labels are in English, but most farmworkers employed in 

specialty crop production are Latino and Spanish is their primary language. 

Adoption of the App that contains the label safety information in English and 

Spanish will “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through greater 

capacity of sustainable practices...” This will be demonstrated by the number 

of growers/producers adopting this technology. The project objectives are to 

1) scale-up the current App for the Washington State tree fruit industry to 

include at least six state specialty crops, 2) engage stakeholders through the 

Technical Advisor Panel (TAP) and Early Adopter Program (EAP), 3) 

disseminate the PestiSeguro/PestiSafe to the Washington specialty crop 

industry, 4) evaluate distribution; and 5) plan for the App’s financial and 

technical sustainability. Tasks include: scaling-up the technology, translating 

labels, establishing the TAP and EAP to engage producers/growers, 

promoting and disseminating the App annual crop meetings/conventions, 

collecting and analyzing data to assess App use and uptake, and reporting 

results and outcomes to funders and stakeholders.

$250,000.00
310

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

11. Enhancing the 

recruitment process in 

the WA tree fruit 

industry

Attracting skilled workers is a necessity to maintain the competitiveness of 

Washington’s agriculture. Labor shortages are a big issue and have been 

hurting Washington’s tree fruit industry for several years, forcing farmers to 

leave their crops on the trees or harvest late with a resulting loss of storage 

life. Adding to this problem, recruiting in the agricultural sector in today’s job 

market is challenging and costly to producers. The Washington State Tree 

Fruit Association (WSTFA) will develop visual tools to increase the efficiency 

of the skilled workforce recruitment process in the Washington tree fruit 

industry. WSTFA will produce 2 bilingual pre-hire videos (English and 

Spanish), that will help attract and retain local and seasonal workers. 

Providing candidates with a general overview of the working environment, 

job demands, and physical expectations in farms or packinghouses will help 

reduce no-shows after interviews. These informative videos will also decrease 

recruitment costs and time spent by Human Resources in the hiring process. 

Additional onboarding videos for over 80 packinghouses will provide a more 

detailed description of the main job positions in a warehouse and explain 

what is expected from workers. Finally, WSTFA will produce a bilingual “Role 

Model” video, with interviews of hardworking people that have grown 

professionally with their companies. These last videos will help the industry 

retain skilled workers. A total of eight videos will be available on WSTFA’s 

website and distributed to over 1,500 tree fruit producers at no cost. USB 

drives with the videos will be offered as well.

$84,104.00
311

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

12. Assessment of smoke 

taint risk in vineyards 

exposed to smoke from 

wildfires

Washington State University will address the grape and wine industry's need 

for methods for assessing the risk to grape and wine quality associated with 

vineyard exposure to smoke from wildfires. During a vineyard smoke 

exposure, smoke aroma compounds are adsorbed into skin cells of the grape 

berries and later extracted from the skins into the wine during the 

fermentation process, resulting in wines with characteristic smoke related 

aromas and flavors. Smoke exposure events in several recent vintages have 

exposed the inadequacy of existing methods for analysis of grapes and wines 

for the presence of smoke related marker compounds in grapes and wines 

and for the evaluation of the risk to quality these markers signify. This 

interdisciplinary project will apply a top-down, systems-level metabolic 

network model using analytical tools and machine learning techniques 

developed in Dr. Ficklin’s research program that will account for wine variety, 

smoke composition, and fermentation time to existing and new datasets 

created in Dr. Collins’ ongoing project in risk assessment for smoke taint 

funded by the Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program. The 

purpose is to identify appropriate chemical markers and sensory techniques 

for the assessment of smoke taint risk associated with smoke exposed 

grapes.

$243,279.00
312

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

13. Optimizing vineyard 

irrigation management 

by grape variety

This project will be executed at Washington State University. Dozens of wine 

grape varieties are grown in Washington, making available a wide spectrum 

of wine flavors and styles. However, vineyard irrigation management 

strategies have not evolved in parallel with varietal diversification. The main 

strategy is a regulated deficit irrigation program customized to fit either red 

or white varieties. Yet growers have reported that many varieties show 

peculiar responses making irrigation management ambiguous and resulting in 

over irrigation of some varieties and under irrigation of others. This project 

will provide a detailed evaluation of the responses to imposed water deficit 

of 30 wine grape varieties grown in the same vineyard. This approach will 

allow us to develop a variety-specific decision support tool with respect to 

thresholds of soil- or plant-based measures of water status at which water is 

to be applied. It will also allow us to determine how environmental variation, 

such as a heat wave, impacts irrigation decisions, and to develop 

recommendations for possible mitigation practices. Results from this 

research will allow growers to optimize water use efficiency and water stress 

monitoring by variety. Moreover, the results will help identify the most 

suitable varieties to be planted as new vineyards continue to be developed in 

Washington. Finally, this project will give the industry valuable insight on 

compromises between plant stress, productivity, and longevity when multiple 

varieties are planted, especially in the context of climate change and the 

scenarios of drought and heat that it entails.

$245,324.00
313

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

14. Novel strawberry 

production and disease 

management systems

This project, led by Washington State University, will generate needed 

information to support the expansion of the fresh-market strawberry 

industry by investigating new systems of production that utilize 

biodegradable and non-degradable plastic mulches and double-cropping with 

lettuce, a compatible high- value crop. Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, 

is one of the most significant foliar and fruit diseases of strawberry in 

Washington. Mulching and double-cropping can influence disease 

development, epidemiology, population structure, and management. Of 

particular importance is mulch impact on rain and irrigation droplet dispersal 

and subsequent risk of B. cinerea spore dispersal, especially into the soil 

where it may cause subsequent infection. Plastic mulches alone or in 

combination with fungicides or biological control organisms may help to 

prevent or delay germination of sclerotia or mycelia in the soil, thereby 

reducing the need for foliar fungicide applications. The objective of this 

project is to characterize the impacts mulch and double-cropping have on: 1) 

Crop growth, production, quality, and profitability; 2) The epidemiology of B. 

cinerea; 3) The population structure of B. cinerea to determine if there is 

overlap in the genetic structure of isolates colonizing strawberry and lettuce; 

and 4) Splash dispersal and B. cinerea infection risks based on mulch type. 

Management options for the soilborne phase of this disease will also be 

investigated. Completion of this project will support growers’ successful 

transition to and management of day-neutral strawberry production, while 

also supporting production of lettuce, a second high-value crop that can be 

integrated into the same production system.

$249,963.00
314

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

15. Managing Potato 

Purple Top Disease: 

Leafhopper and BLTVA 

Landscape Ecology

Purple top disease has been a persistent problem in Columbia Basin potato 

production for over 15 years. It is caused by a phytoplasma pathogen known 

as beet leafhopper transmitted virescence agent (BLTVA), and causes leaf 

purpling, aerial tuber formation, and plant decline. These foliar symptoms 

correlate with reduced tuber yield and quality and reduced economic returns. 

The beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus, is the vector of BLTVA. Current 

purple top management strategies target the vector with insecticides that are 

costly and often lead to outbreaks of other pests. Gaps in our understanding 

of the pathogen and vector, and their interactions, inhibit alternative disease 

management strategies. A primary objective of this project is to identify noncrop reproductive host plants of leafhoppers and to determine which of the 

leafhopper’s host plants are susceptible to BLTVA. In a second objective, we 

will use molecular gut content analyses of leafhoppers to identify the plant 

sources of leafhoppers arriving in potato. In a final objective, we will develop 

new molecular tools to address three incompletely understood processes, 

including vectoring capabilities of leafhoppers, how to get consistent 

detection of the pathogen in infected plants, and BLTVA movement through 

the potato plant and its relationship with symptomology. Results will lead to 

the development of predictive models to forecast leafhopper and BLTVA risk 

based upon populations occurring in weeds prior to their arrival in potato. 

This multi-disciplinary project will be led by researchers at the USDA-ARS in 

collaboration with researchers at Washington State University.

$244,979.00
315

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

16. Novel diagnostic 

tools for Columbia root 

knot nematode isolates 

on potato

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are devastating root pathogens 

with a broad host range. The Gleason Lab at Washington State University 

studies the Columbia root-knot nematode Meloidogyne chitwoodi, which can 

infect many high value crop plants, including potatoes. M. chitwoodi is 

particularly problematic on potatoes because it infects both roots and tubers, 

causing tuber defects that can significantly diminish the value of the crop. 

The four major isolates of M. chitwoodi in Washington differ in their host 

range and distribution throughout the state. It is impossible to distinguish 

these isolates by sight, but the isolates differ genetically. In this proposal, our 

objective is to compare gene expression profiles of M. chitwoodi isolates and 

identify specific genetic differences between isolates. We will use these 

polymorphisms to develop PCR-based diagnostic tools that can distinguish 

the specific nematode isolates. With this information, growers can make 

informed management decisions depending on the isolate(s) present in a 

given field. In addition, data about the genetic variability underpinning 

virulence amongst isolates will help with resistance breeding screens, 

ultimately assisting in breeding more durable potato resistance. Overall, 

establishing tools to differentiate M. chitwoodi isolates will have important 

consequences on nematode management and resistance breeding programs. 

The results from this research will help reduce the reliance on chemical 

controls for nematodes by allowing for better crop rotation planning, and it 

will ensure that nematode resistant potatoes (when released) are used 

appropriately on fields where they will be effective.

$245,746.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

17. Effect of 

Trichoderma on disease 

control and growth 

improvement in nursery

Washington State University will address the 2019 "control pests and 

diseases" WSDA SCBG funding priority by evaluating Trichoderma products 

for efficacy in controlling soilborne Phytophthora diseases on a variety of 

specialty crops. Individual objectives are 1) in-vitro studies of the interactions 

between Trichoderma spp. and Phytophthora spp. and their survival over a 

range of temperatures; 2) efficacy of Trichoderma as a potting mix 

amendment to prevent infection by Phytophthora and stimulate growth and 

improve outplanting performance on several plant hosts; 3) use of 

Trichoderma as a post-steaming treatment for disease prevention. As a result 

of this research, we will provide growers with management 

$118,402.00
316

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

recommendations that will reduce the impact of Phytophthora root disease 

on several specialty crops. These crops include ornamental, native plant, and 

conifer nursery stock

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

18. Increasing Soil 

Nutrient Retention in 

Vineyards via Subsurface 

Irrigation

Washington State University will determine whether DRZ (Direct Root Zone) 

subsurface irrigation can reduce the amount of nitrogen required to meet 

desired fruit quality and yield goals. The hypothesis is: application of reduced 

volumes of water directly into the lower root zone will retain nutrients within 

the primary root zone within the top two feet of the soil profile; thus, 

reducing both (1) amount of nitrogen needed, and (2) reducing leaching of 

nitrates into groundwater. Glass collection tubes will permit soil water 

samples to be withdrawn periodically from a series of depths to six feet. Soil 

cores will also be taken to the same depths by a hydraulic coring machine. 

This study will document differential effects of surface drip and deep 

subsurface drip irrigation on nitrogen requirements and nitrate movement 

within the soil profile. Grapes from replicated treatments will be analyzed by 

commercial testing laboratories for components related to high quality 

premium wines, including BRIX, tannins, anthocyanin and acidity. Vine health 

will be determined through standard methods used to quantify plant water 

stress, growth, and fruit production in the vineyards during each growing 

season. Results will be presented at grower and professional meetings and 

assessment of potential adoption of improved practices will be determined 

from survey methods guided by an extension logic model developed for this 

project. Findings should be applicable to management of all irrigated 

perennial specialty crops, including small fruit, tree fruit, and hops.

$247,484.00
317

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

19. Developing Dry 

beans in irrigated fields 

of Columbia Basin

Oregon State University-Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension 

Center (OSU-HAREC) will evaluate the production of dry beans by developing 

scientifically based practical measures in Columbia Basin and disseminating 

results to stakeholders through grower meetings and field days. In the region, 

growers can suffer from low profitability during the production of wheat and 

corn, which are planted for 2 to 3 years as the main rotational crops to 

potatoes or onions, the high-value crops. The limited rotational crops may 

also result in accumulated pest pressure with time. Therefore, there is a need 

to introduce additional crop species into the current cropping system to 

increase crop diversities and potentially increase growers’ profits. Dry adzuki 

beans are believed to be a possible rotational crop because of rising demand 

in domestic and export markets. The inclusion of the dry beans will also 

benefit the current cropping system by fixing biological nitrogen, conserving 

water (reduced irrigation requirement), improving soil health, and 

suppressing pests and diseases. However, agronomic management practices 

need to be studied and developed for the crop. Through greenhouse studies 

and field trials, we aim to evaluate the adapted varieties and develop the 

optimum nutrient, water, and pest management practices. The research 

findings on the best agronomic practices for the new crops will be introduced 

to growers and field consultants through various extension activities. The 

execution of this project will benefit growers of the Columbia Basin by 

increased crop sustainability and new market development

$195,844.00
318

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

20. Factors Affecting 

Persistence of Listeria 

monocytogenes Need to 

be Identified for 

Evaluation and 

Prioritization of 

Interventions

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Cornell University to identify 

strategies that more effectively control Listeria persistence in produce 

packing and fresh-cut facilities. The foodborne pathogen Listeria 

monocytogenes can survive over time in food processing environments. 

These “resident” Listeria strains increase the likelihood for finished product 

contamination, recalls, and outbreaks. Advances in sequencing allow for 

enhanced discrimination between Listeria strains, such as those that may be 

unique to a specific facility. This results in improved traceback from listeriosis 

patients to the facility where the implicated food was prepared. However, 

sequencing advances have also enabled us to better understand how a 

unique Listeria strain may survive and spread in a facility over time. To date, 

there is little peer-reviewed research on how to prevent, eliminate, or 

manage a resident Listeria strain in a facility, particularly for the produce 

industry. This project will review published and unpublished data to identify 

factors that may contribute to a Listeria strain persisting in a facility, and to 

validate potential interventions suitable for produce facilities using 

experiments in commercial facilities as well as computer modeling. This 

project will provide industry with tools to (i) help identify what characteristics 

of their facilities may allow a Listeria strain to persist, and (ii) select and 

justify interventions that are used to prevent, eliminate, or manage Listeria 

persistence.

$186,953.00
319

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94

21. Assessing the soil 

health of Eastern 

Washington specialty 

crops: hops, onions, 

potatoes, pulses, sweet 

corn, tree fruit, and wine 

grapes

Soil health is gaining prevalence as a lens through which to examine 

sustainable agricultural production. Interest and debate around management 

practices, impacts, and assessment of soil health are often specific to region 

or cropping system. A baseline assessment of soil health across specialty 

cropping systems has yet to be completed in Washington. This project is 

designed to assess the soil health of specialty crops in Eastern Washington. 

Target cropping systems include hops, onions, potatoes, pulses, sweet corn, 

tree fruit, and wine grapes. The Natural Resources Assessment Section 

(NRAS) of the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) in 

collaboration with faculty at Washington State University (WSU) will assess 

baseline soil health on commercial specialty crop farms. Project partners will 

select participants with commercial production sites. Grower-determined 

“best” and “worst” soils will be sampled in early and late seasons and soil 

health indicators will be measured. Penetration resistance will be assessed in 

the field. Soil samples will be collected and analyzed for bulk density, pH, 

texture, extractable nutrients, total carbon, Permanganate Oxidizable Carbon 

(POXC), Mineralizable Carbon respiration- 4-day incubation (MinC), 

Autoclaved Citrate Extracted (ACE) protein, and Potentially Mineralizable 

Nitrogen (PMN). Results will be summarized and interpreted in individual soil 

health reports shared with participants. WSDA and WSU will analyze and 

summarize the information in reports and publications. This project will 

provide an initial assessment of soil health in Washington to build a 

collaborative state-wide effort that improves soil health management 

through development of a regional index.

$500,000.00
320

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94 22. Kittitas County

Kittitas County has a new and currently rapidly expanding specialty crop 

production area. The north facing slopes on the southern hills of the Kittitas 

Valley is an ideal location for growing apples like Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp 

and other large growing multi-colored apples in the Honeycrisp family. The 

climate in this new production area that is rapidly expanding has 

summertime temperatures that are seven to ten degrees cooler than other 

production areas and it grows a high-quality apple with reduced size and 

increased quality and storability. This project will help to promote and 

encourage the introduction of these new varieties into an area that is 

naturally suited for growing them. The area has the perfect climate for 

growing these types of apples but is a high-risk area for the due to the risk 

posed by nearby apple maggot populations. There are documented apple 

maggot populations to the north and west of the location where the 

expansion is occurring. This program will help the county have control 

methods in place that will help keep the area in the vicinity of these orchards 

an apple maggot pest free area. This specialty crop block grant will provide a 

pathway forward for the county to manage the pest in such a way that the 

pest risk is significantly reduced for the specialty crop producers and 

processors in our county. The program will help manage the risk of apple 

maggot as the area continues to develop.

$150,000.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,792,479.94 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$383,241.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Establishment of a 

Model Agricultural 

Education Processing 

Program for Specialty 

Crops

Mineral County Technical Center Agricultural Education Department will 

partner with West Virginia University Extension Service and West Virginia 

Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition to train students and local 

farmers to process specialty crops utilizing a simulated workplace within a 

laboratory environment at the Technical Center that will include a flash 

freezer, vacuum packing machine, and steamer.

$25,000.00
321

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Feasibility Study for the 

West Virginia Economic 

Development Initiative 

in Cider Apple and Cider 

Production

West Virginia University, Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 

and Cooperative Extension Service, will conduct a feasibility study to assess 

the market for and economic viability of hard cider production, which will 

assist in development of the cider apple and cider production industry in 

West Virginia (WV). We will provide targeted production costs, marketing and 

legal analysis, and broad-based educational programs, to displaced coal 

miners, veterans, and small farmers in order to explore new ways to add 

additional value to WV’s specialty crops and uncover new income 

opportunities for growers. This effort compliments existing rural economic 

development strategies in the state that focus on agricultural production and 

agritourism, utilizing WVU’s unique resources.

$24,583.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Increased Market 

Opportunities for 

Specialty Crops

Heart and Hand House, Inc., will promote increased production and 

consumption of specialty crop products and increase opportunities for the 

sale and utilization of specialty crop products by aggregating, processing, 

packaging and delivering product through its Community Garden Market.

$25,000.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Increasing the 

Understanding of 

Microbial Threats to 

Food Safety by the 

Examination of 

Agricultural Water

Food Safety, particularly with the advent of the new Food Safety 

Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) provisions, has brought 

about the need for a deeper understanding of the ecology of microbial 

contaminant indicators in specialty crops. The West Virginia Department of 

Agriculture will analyze agricultural water for farms with specialty crops for 

the quantitation of E. coli for use in compliance with the FSMA PSR. Meta 

data will be collected along with the samples to provide educational 

resources to West Virginia farmers to make informed decisions on growing 

areas and water sources.

$25,137.58

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Mobile Maple Outreach 

and Education: Learning 

about Maple Syrup 

Production and 

Consumption at Fairs

Experience Learning will develop hands-on demonstrations and educational 

materials to use with their mobile maple syrup trailer. Two staff members will 

attend five maple syrup festivals to provide demonstrations to increase 

consumer awareness about the value and uses of maple syrup. Experience 

Learning will also work with producers to develop, print, and sale a maple 

syrup cookbook. This will increase consumer awareness of how to use maple 

$17,934.00
322

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

syrup "beyond the pancake". It will also serve as a tool to promote and 

market producers that provide recipes for the cookbook.

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11 Mountain Crops to Cash 

Crops

The Vagabond Chef and Folklore PR will shine a media and culinary spotlight 

on specialty crops from twelve different West Virginia farms by creating video 

content for social media and bringing ingredients back to The Vagabond 

Kitchen Restaurant in West Virginia. Available crops in the region include 

vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens) and value-added 

specialty crops (jams, jellies, salsas, maple syrup, honey). Ingredients will be 

created into a special dish that will be featured for the month following each 

video release to leverage audience sharing to grow the reach and interest in 

locally grown specialty crops. The project will educate farmers on ways to 

maximize the exposure by continuing to tell their story using social media and 

other public relations techniques.

$22,200.00
323

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

Table Grapes for 

Small/Beginning Farmers 

and West Virginia School 

Children

The West Virginia University (WVU) Berkeley County Agriculture and Natural 

Resource Extension Service will conduct a field trial to research and evaluate 

the performance of several varieties of seedless table grapes under openfield growing conditions with pest management as a key factor at the 

beginning of the project. WVU Extension Service will use this project to 

develop educational programs for beginning farmers to encourage them to 

grow table grapes for the local market and the Farm to School or Institution 

program. WVU Extension Service will provide videos and hand-on learning 

activities to teach the proper planting and management of table grapes. The 

Berkeley-Jefferson County area is the tree fruit growing area of the state but 

new and beginning farmers would like a crop that is easier to handle and 

ready for harvest in a shorter time frame. Unlike tree fruit that takes three to 

five years to produce a salable crop, table grapes can offer income the year 

after planting and last for 20 to 30 years. Children and adults will taste test 

the varieties grown to encourage producers to grow them for marketing 

locally. Output from the project will include education materials including 

reports, power points, videos, publications, website postings, and farm tours 

to showcase varieties, growing systems and management practices. The goals 

of this project are to provide learning opportunities for growers and 

consumers alike throughout the state and increase the number of small 

farmers growing table grapes for local consumption.

$17,471.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

The Potomac State 

College Mobile Farm-toPizza Oven Project

The Potomac State College (PSC) Sustainable Agriculture Program will address 

several meaningful goals in relation to the growing, distribution, marketing, 

education, and value-added production of specialty crops in our region. 

Specifically, the program will attain a mobile, innovative, 'turn-key' pizza oven 

designed and built to meet the demand of evolving food and farm business 

models to increase the overall production of specialty crops. PSC instructors 

and students will use the mobile oven to prepare high quality, wood-fired 

pizza with local ingredients, support local growers and educate youth in our 

region about value-added, farm grown products.

$24,996.00
324

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11 West Virginia Soil Tunnel 

Trailer II

The West Virginia Conservation Agency Soil Tunnel Trailer II is a multi-use, 

mobile soil, water, and agriculture specialty crops education unit made 

available to serve West Virginia. The mobile unit will travel throughout the 

state to bring agriculture and conservation education to the communities of 

the state. The larger than life interior is an exciting learning experience for 

children and adults alike. The program is flexible in lesson planning and can 

be used as a classroom in as school setting or a walk-through unit at public 

events.

$25,000.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11

West Virginia Specialty 

Crop Producer Education 

Opportunities

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) provides funding 

through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to conduct several 

educational and cost share opportunities available statewide to enhance and 

increase specialty crop production. These projects are designed to build 

specialty knowledge and capacity as well as encourage growers to increase 

their volume of specialty crops and extend their market reach. The Good 

Agricultural Practices (GAP) Audit cost share program is funded for this 

purpose and partners with growers, agriculture service providers and the 

growing number of school gardens and high tunnels throughout West 

Virginia. Fresh growers as well as value-added specialty crop producers are 

the beneficiaries of the Better Process Control School and Junior Master 

Gardener facilitator course trainings.

$35,000.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$295,934.11 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$53,597.67

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Aerial Imaging for 

Nitrogen Management 

of Potatoes

The University of Wisconsin will promote environmentally and economically 

sustainable potato production by developing methods to assess crop nitrogen 

status and yield potential using aerial imaging and will disseminate results to 

stakeholders through an industry-focused workshop, grower meetings, field 

days, articles in trade journals, and newsletters.

$71,771.00
325

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Assessing the Economic 

Value of Clean Seed 

Potatoes and Reduced 

Risk Fungicides for 

Disease Control in 

Wisconsin Potato 

Systems

This project, led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Plant 

Pathology and Division of Extension in conjunction with Wisconsin potato 

growers, aims to compare the cost, and disease and quality outcomes of: 1) 

use of early versus late generation seed potatoes in avoidance of tuber 

diseases associated with seed (silver scurf and black dot); and 2) use of 

reduced risk fungicides in management of foliar diseases (early blight and late 

blight) by assessing the economic return on investment of such practices 

through proposed field trials and analyses of archived yield and quality data.

$89,306.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Assessing the Influence 

of Cranberry Pollination 

on Honey Bee Hive 

Health

The Gratton Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will develop a better 

understanding of how honey bee hive management and use of the bees for 

cranberry pollination influences hive health in order to develop evidencebased recommendations for beekeepers to keep their bees healthy while 

pollinating cranberry and will disseminate results to stakeholders through 

grower meetings and online and printed materials.

$98,503.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Attracting Wild 

Pollinators with Native 

Wildflower Plantings to 

Improve Pollination 

Services in Cranberry

The University of Wisconsin–Madison will assess the impact of wildflower 

plantings on the species richness and abundance of wild pollinators in 

cranberry beds, determine the impact on fruit yield, and provide 

recommendations to growers on how to establish wildflower plantings for 

improving pollination services in cranberry.

$98,569.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Comprehensive 

Education of Farmers 

and Consumers on 

Wisconsin Elderberry

The Savanna Institute will stimulate farmer adoption and consumer 

awareness of elderberries in Wisconsin by developing and deploying a 

comprehensive array of on-farm, print, video, online, and in-person 

educational programming.

$55,775.00
326

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Cost-Share Program to 

Improve the Safety of 

Wisconsin Fresh Produce

The Wisconsin Apple Growers Association (WAGA) will increase the 

marketability of Wisconsin fresh fruits and vegetables and decrease the risk 

of food-borne illness by providing cost sharing for Wisconsin fresh produce 

growers to procure the necessary supplies, training, and record-keeping 

systems to be compliant with the new federal Food Safety and Modernization 

Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.

$99,500.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Enhancing Food Safety in 

Wisconsin Fruit and Nut 

Orchards with Livestock 

Integration

The Savanna Institute will improve the viability and food safety compliance of 

Wisconsin fruit and nut orchards that use livestock as a management tool by 

educating producers and food safety professionals via a comprehensive array 

of print resources, webinars, videos, in-person trainings, and field days.

$56,805.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Evaluation of the Cordon 

Trellis System for 

Growing Currants and 

Gooseberries

Two Onion Farm in Belmont, Wisconsin will evaluate the cordon trellis system 

of growing currants and gooseberries as a method to reduce labor needs and 

improve fruit quality. Results will be disseminated to stakeholders through 

conferences, a field day, and publications.

$57,185.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Field Strategies to 

Increase Productivity 

and Decrease Costs for 

Ginseng Growers

More than 180 new and experienced growers, including 30 percent from the 

Hmong community, are served by the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW) and 

seek to offset the marketing uncertainty resulting from increased tariffs by 

decreasing production costs through: 1) investigating growth regulators for 

debudding; 2) comparing low, medium, and high cost disease management 

programs to increase crop yield and root quality; and 3) testing new plant 

protection products.

$99,494.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

$1,377,394.25

Implementing 

Environmental Best 

Management Practices 

for Socially 

Disadvantaged Farmers

Fondy Food Center will work with farmers, especially Hmong American 

market growers to implement environmental best management practices 

focusing on nutrient management plans, erosion management plans and 

water irrigation systems to maximize yield, while minimizing negative 

environmental impacts.

$32,938.00
327

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Consumer 

Protection

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Improving the 

Effectiveness of 

Participatory Vegetable 

Trials for Wisconsin 

Organic Growers

The Seed to Kitchen Collaborative (SKC) will increase the effectiveness of onfarm participatory vegetable variety trials by evaluating factors that impact 

farmer response rates and predictive power of replicated on-station trials 

and will identify high performing carrot and cucumber varieties for Wisconsin 

growers through replicated variety trials at research stations in combination 

with a novel participatory evaluation approach.

$99,954.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Researching a ValueAdded Supply Chain for 

Wisconsin Strawberries 

and the Institutional 

Health Care Market

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 

(DATCP), Division of Agricultural Development (DAD) staff will test out a new 

market for Wisconsin strawberry growers by researching supply chain 

viability for the documented demand for local strawberry products in 

Wisconsin health care facilities.

$25,000.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Selecting Improved 

Potato Varieties for 

Wisconsin Organic 

Growers and Markets

The Seed to Kitchen Collaborative will evaluate advanced red and yellow 

potato breeding lines through research station field trials and participatory 

trials on organic farms to identify lines with excellent performance under 

organic management, including good yield, resistance to pests and diseases, 

and good flavor, and will disseminate research findings through growers 

meetings, field days and web-based information resources.

$99,903.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Specialty Crop 

Promotion and 

Education

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 

(DATCP), Division of Agricultural Development (DAD) staff will work through 

DAD’s Something Special from WisconsinTM (SSfW) and Alice in Dairyland 

programs to promote Wisconsin specialty crops. DAD staff will have a SSfW 

specialty crop exhibit space at the National Restaurant show in Chicago to 

promote products from specialty crops. SSfW and Alice in Dairyland will 

highlight specialty crops throughout the grant period using social media 

channels and promotional videos.

$45,000.00
328

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Strengthening 

Wisconsin’s Specialty 

Crop Growers Through 

Food Safety Liability 

Research and Education

Farm Commons will reduce the legal vulnerability of specialty crop growers in 

Wisconsin to liability for a food safety outbreak by providing education and 

resources on food safety liability avenues and insurance policies through a 

food safety liability online course, guide, and facilitating a cohort of 

Wisconsin specialty crop producers as they resolve legal risk with insurance.

$79,650.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25 The Wisconsin Apiary 

Outreach Initiative

The Wisconsin Apiary Outreach Initiative seeks to improve honeybee health 

and reduce hive mortality by providing outreach and educational training on 

honeybee best management practices for Wisconsin beekeepers.

$60,000.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25

Understanding the 

Population Dynamics of 

Spotted-Wing Drosophila 

(Drosophila suzukii) in 

the Landscape

The University of Wisconsin–Madison will work to improve its understanding 

of spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) population dynamics in 

Wisconsin by measuring the genetic diversity of populations at various 

locations, landscapes, and times of year to increase our knowledge of 

population movement and improve management strategies for this pest.

$97,421.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,377,394.25 Grant Administration

Ensure that the State Agency and sub-awardees abide by Federal and State 

requirements and regulations by performing pre-award and post-award 

activities to administer Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding.

$110,154.49
329

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

1. Development of 

Chickpeas Irrigation and 

Nutrient Management 

Program in the Semi-Arid 

Region Of Intermountain 

West

In this project, the University of Wyoming will assess the variety 

performance, best irrigation, and nutrient control programs suited for 

chickpeas in the semi-arid region of inter-mountainous west. Local producers 

need new cropping options that can be grown along with historically 

traditional crops such as barley and sugar beet. Field experiments will be 

conducted at the University of Wyoming Powell Research and Extension 

Center. The information and data gained from this study will be disseminated 

through a University of Wyoming Extension, growers/educator workshops, 

extension and Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) Bulletins, AES field days 

and peer-reviewed journal articles.

$32,461.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69 2. Producer Specialty 

Crop Research Grants

Wyoming Department of Agriculture will award six small grants to conduct on 

farm research by specialty crop producers in cooperation with a technical 

advisor that can improve specialty crop problems associated with specialty 

crop production and be shared with others through producer/processor 

publications, meetings and/or field days. Producer research grants will be 

awarded to producers to research specialty crop production on season 

extension, pest and weed management, alternative crops, conservation, seed 

production or other specialty crop related topics. Projects must be 

developed, coordinated and conducted in cooperation with an advisor from 

University of Wyoming (WYO), one of the Wyoming Community Colleges or 

other Ag organizations considered experts in the area of research.

$49,026.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

3. Eastern Wyoming 

Fruit Demonstration and 

Research Orchard

A fruit orchard will be planted and managed by the University of Wyoming 

researchers at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center 

(SAREC) to provide educational opportunities for agriculture stakeholders 

concerning the variety selection, attrition rates and care of specialty fruit 

crops in Eastern Wyoming. The project will provide a hands-on learning 

opportunity for stakeholders and serve as a resource for collecting sciencebased data that can be shared throughout the state. The project will provide 

education to stakeholders related to fruit variety selection and care and 

management of fruit plants (i.e. planting, watering, pruning, nutrient 

management, etc.), insect, and disease management, soil fertility and quality 

$20,788.00
330

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

management, rodent and large mammal management, invasive plant 

management, start up and economic viability, and irrigation management.

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

4. WDE Edible 

Landscapes & Cafeteria 

Gardens

Wyoming Department of Education Edible Landscapes and Cafeteria Gardens 

will increase the number of specialty crops grown and consumed at Wyoming 

Schools or Child Care Centers through issuance of sub-grants to construct 

Edible Landscapes or Cafeteria Gardens and provision of training for the 

school/center and community on GAP/Food Safety for School/Center 

Gardens. This project will increase the volume and type of specialty crops 

grown specifically for consumption in school or child care centers 

participating in the USDA Child Nutrition Programs. Access to fresh specialty 

crops in Wyoming is seasonal and limited to area production. In this manner, 

the school or child care will choose what specialty crops best fit their meal 

program and either landscape the area or plant a garden to specifically grow 

crops to be used in their meal programs.

$22,482.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

5. Effects of SeedingRates And Row-Spacing 

on Dry Bean Yield And 

Water Dynamics

In this project, the University of Wyoming will evaluate the effect of different 

dry bean plant densities on different row spacing for different dry bean 

genotypes under three different irrigation rates on yield, dry bean 

productivity and crop water and light use efficiency. The study will be 

conducted at the University of Wyoming Powell Research and Extension 

Center. The information and data gained from this study will be disseminated 

through a University of Wyoming Extension, growers/educator workshops, 

extension and Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) Bulletins, AES field days 

and peer-reviewed journal articles.

$23,998.00
331

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

6. Identifying Fertilizer 

and Water Requirements 

for Hops Varieties Grown 

in Wyoming

In order to optimize the yield and quality of hop yards grown in Wyoming, the 

College of Agriculture, Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, University 

of Wyoming Extension, and Northwest College have assembled a team to test 

the effects of different fertilizers, irrigation regimes, and hop varieties at two 

sites (Powell and Lingle). The Powell site is already established, and minimal 

infrastructure upgrades will be required. The Powell site hosts ten varieties 

that are positioned in a replicated trial with five plants per experimental unit 

(20 plants total for each variety). Although the Powell varieties are already 

fixed, new rhizomes will be used as replacement if stand failures are 

observed in the spring of 2019. At SAREC, we are proposing to establish a 

0.12-acre hop yard with four varieties as a manageable research plot that can 

be extrapolated to represent larger acreages. Varieties at SAREC will be 

selected based on their successfulness at within trials at the Univ. Nebraska 

Panhandle Research station at Scottsbluff Nebraska, 30 miles from SAREC. 

Expected outcomes are reports that contain cone yield and quality data 

(alpha- and beta-acid concentrations) as well as outreach events and 

bulletins. The main activities will plot maintenance, treatment applications, 

and data collection. Data collection will include measurement of mid-season 

plant traits such as leaf chlorophyll and estimations of evapotranspiration.

$32,234.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

7. Rotational Field Pea 

Soil and Crop 

Enhancement Program

Rabou Farms, Inc. will work cooperatively with the Wyoming Department of 

Agriculture in communicating the discoveries of the following objectives 

through the “Rotational Field Pea Soil and Crop Enhancement Program: Three 

varieties of field peas will be planted in different field locations in Laramie 

County, Wyoming. Soil tests will be taken in each field at various stages to 

determine changing levels of macro and micro nutrients and organic matter. 

A subsequent crop, to be determined at planting time, will be planted the 

following spring and following a fallow year to determine enhanced 

production or quality resulting from the implementation of peas in the crop 

rotation when compared with standard rotations. Fields will be monitored 

during the growing cycle for the presence of pests, diseases and weeds and 

will be recorded. End use and economic added value of the crop will also be 

noted. The results of this project will serve as valuable education for 

rotational crop possibilities and benefits to Wyoming organic farmers.

$28,255.33
332

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

8. Practical Specialty 

Crop Information for 

Beginning Wyoming 

Producers

The University of Wyoming Extension and Small Acreage Issue Team partner 

organizations will write, edit, publish and disseminate specialty crop articles 

to potential and existing specialty crop growers in Wyoming through the 

popular and well-known medium of Barnyards & Backyards magazine. These 

articles will increase the knowledge of potential issues faced by those 

interested or currently growing specialty crops in Wyoming and the strategies 

by which they can successfully address these issues. (Such as dealing with 

challenging soil conditions, extremely variable weather conditions, irrigation 

challenges, increasing pollinator habitat, and a variety of other crop-relevant 

subjects) We expect that 100 potential producers will report a gain in 

knowledge about successfully growing specialty crops in Wyoming’s 

challenging environment.

$25,312.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

9. Specialty Crop Season 

Extension Education 

through Geodesic Dome 

and Hoop House 

Building Workshops

Wyoming Food for Thought staff with the help of contractors will educate 

individuals through hands on workshops on the construction and use of lowcost season extension greenhouses for weather sensitive specialty crops. We 

will focus on nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the Wind 

River Indian Reservation. Workshop participants will be surveyed to gauge 

knowledge gained on construction and use of hoop houses or domes to 

produce or expand production of specialty crops. This proposal is to support 

7 seasons extending (High tunnel or Geodesic Dome) workshops in Wyoming. 

Construction time (50 hours per project) will also be used to educate 

participants on the benefits of specialty crop production. It is the intention of 

this project to continue to increase interest in the use of low-cost cold frame 

greenhouses and encourage the adoption of their use for the production of 

fresh vegetable in Wyoming. The workshop participants will be surveyed for 

increase in knowledge of geodesic dome greenhouse construction and use.

$35,833.00
333

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$362,907.69

10. Wyoming State Fair 

Horticultural Program To 

Increase Awareness of 

Specialty Crops

The Wyoming State Fair will increase the awareness of consumers on how to 

produce and preserve specialty crops by expanding and maintaining specialty 

crop horticultural activates on the State Fair grounds. The purpose of this 

project is to increase the awareness of individuals visiting the State Fair 

grounds. Approximately 38,000 individuals attend the Wyoming State fair 

each year. There are on average an additional 500 events hosted on the 

fairgrounds throughout the year. The management of existing edible 

landscaping displays, season extension high tunnels, fruit orchard, pollinator 

habitat displays, and the horticultural pavilion require the care of a 

horticultural expert. Proper management of these displays will provide 

continuing educational experiences for consumers and producers. This will be 

accomplished by contracting with a part time horticulturalist. The project 

continues to be timely as there is no funding available within the State fair 

budget to provide the needed management to maintain and expand specialty 

crop activities on the fairgrounds.

$41,667.00