1 

Transportation and Marketing

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2021 Description of Funded Projects – HR-133

Number of Grants Awarded: 56 

Number of Sub-award Projects: 590

Amount of Funds Awarded: $97,000,000.00

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 November 18, 2022) 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

1. Highlighting Alabama 

Crops in the Wake of 

COVID-19

Sweet Grown Alabama, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of 

agriculture and Industries and the Alabama Farmers Federation, will 

market the state’s specialty crop industry by highlighting 18 specific crops 

through educational videos, marketing efforts, school outreach and 

restaurant partnerships.

$282,000.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 2. North Alabama Grown

The North Alabama Agriplex will promote specialty crops in North Alabama 

during the COVID Pandemic through community outreach at farmers 

markets, schools, adult programming, farmer education, farm tours, 

outdoor exhibits, local foods dinners, feeding agencies, and social media.

$24,673.54

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

3. Alabama Agricultural 

Museum Medicinal and 

Dye Gardens

Alabama Agricultural Museum and Landmark Park will grow plants 

traditionally used in the production of medicines, fibers, and dyes. The 

outcomes will include education of the general public on the topics of 

historical medicines, as well as how cloth is produced. Workshops held in 

conjunction with this project will teach the public as well as kids on field 

trips how to create and dye fabrics. The public will also have a chance to 

learn how to grow herbs for their own use in cooking.

$25,000.00
2 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

4. Alabama Fruit and 

Vegetable Growers 

Association COVID-19 

Response Training and 

Marketing

The Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association is a member driven, 

501(c)(5) association that works to improve the specialty crop industry 

through research, advocacy, education, and promotion. This project will 

hold multiple grower meetings across the state, in partnership with the 

Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Commercial Horticulture Team, 

over the duration of the grant to highlight marketing opportunities that 

arose during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Promote specialty crops through 

multiple farmer market events, television programming and social media 

campaigns. Plan and execute an annual conference that will include topics 

focused on marketing and food safety.

$25,000.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

5. Apiculture Recordings: 

demonstration of 

sustainable beekeeping 

practices.

Auburn University will address the need for accessible learning materials 

for beekeepers in Alabama by producing demonstration video recordings 

of evidence-based Good Agricultural Practices for beekeeping. Videos will 

feature important management techniques throughout the beekeeping 

calendar year, especially concerning Integrated Pest Management. Videos 

will be aligned to existing beekeeper lectures provided in winter by 

Alabama Extension and various regional beekeeper associations in the 

state. Therefore, these videos will allow for the demonstration of 

seasonally important beekeeping management practices at any time of the 

year, and together with traditional lectures, offer a unique experience that 

addresses different learning styles – auditory and visual. These 

demonstration videos are particularly timely given that Alabama’s 

beekeepers have lacked formal learning opportunities over the past year 

due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

$38,470.61

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

6. Reaching Alabama 

Growers and Beginner 

Farmers Virtually Through 

the Pandemic

In order to continue to reach existing and beginning farmers through the 

pandemic, Alabama Extension will create and disseminate digital content 

throughout the state. Short social media geared videos, webinars and 

virtual farm tours and demonstrations will provide a highly available outlet 

for transferring information to growers. Funds will provide Regional 

Extension Agents on the ACES Commercial Horticulture Team each with 

video equipment that will better enable self-produced videos. In addition 

to equipment funds will provide resources to travel to farms within each 

agent’s region to film farm tours and informational videos

$40,000.00
3 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

7. Growing Beyond COVID: 

Alabama Specialty Crops 

for Thriving School Garden 

Programs

Schoolyard Roots brings learning to life for over 4,700 students through 

hands-on lessons in 11 organic teaching gardens. Through our core 

program, Gardens 2 Schools (G2S), we bring project-based learning, 

outdoor exploration, and nutrition education to elementary school 

gardens in the Tuscaloosa City and County School Systems. Funding will 

support the G2S program with a full return to in-person garden lessons 

with our students following Covid-19, as well as an expansion of services to 

a twelfth teaching garden oriented toward community programming.

$25,000.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

8. Pest Management 

Training at Gulf States 

Horticultural Expo

The Alabama Nursery & Landscape Association (ALNLA) will help 

ornamental specialty crop growers increase their knowledge, efficiency, 

and profits by hosting an educational conference presenting best 

management practices (BMPs) for controlling the most common and 

economically damaging nursery and greenhouse pests. Disseminating the 

research and BMPs will allow growers to offset input costs, which have 

risen sharply due to the COVID pandemic, by decreasing the amount of 

time and chemicals needed to control these pests.

$24,944.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

9. Profitability Analysis and 

Economic Education of 

Specialty Crop Production 

in Alabama

Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) will 

partner with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, to 

assess the profitability of specialty crop production in Alabama to 

demonstrate economic opportunities for producers to adopt or expand 

local fruits and vegetables. We will perform a holistic SWOT analysis of 

current fruit and vegetable production and marketing. Five specialty crop 

products will be identified for further analysis, including the development 

of in-depth detailed enterprise budgets, with results disseminated through 

online materials and producer workshops. By assessing and illustrating the 

profitable specialty crop production opportunities, producers will be 

better positioned to successfully increase production of local fruits and 

vegetables in Alabama.

$50,000.00
4 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Alabama 

Department of

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

10. Estimating Willingnessto-Pay for Local Fruit and 

Vegetables at Independent 

Grocers and Restaurants in 

Alabama

Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) will 

partner with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, to 

estimate the willingness-to-pay for local fruit and vegetables sold through 

independent grocers and restaurants. This effort is to demonstrate 

economic opportunities for producers to adopt or expand local 

production. We will perform field experiments and online surveys to 

estimate consumers’ willingness-to-pay for a broad range of local fruit and 

vegetable products. Studies will determine the main factors affecting the 

demand for local fruit and vegetables, allowing producers to focus on 

important production and marketing decisions. The information will also 

provide specialty crop growers with state specific marketing information 

that can be used to increase bargaining power and make production 

decisions to potentially increase farmer income of local fruits and 

vegetables in Alabama.

$40,000.00

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

11. Enhancing H-2A 

Knowledge for Alabama 

Specialty Crop Producers

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Alabama 

Department of Labor, and Alabama Cooperative Extension System will 

provide grower education on the H-2A guest worker program to fruit and 

vegetable producers in Alabama. This education will provide guidance on 

the rules and regulations of the program, process for completing 

applications, insights into the economics of working with H-2A labor and 

enhance knowledge of the historical importance of the program. Digital 

publications will be developed and disseminated online. By enhancing 

knowledge of the H-2A program, specialty crop producers will be better 

positioned to evaluate their ability to secure labor necessary to increase 

production of local fruits and vegetables in Alabama. This is essential as 

COVID-19 has amplified an already difficult labor situation for specialty 

crop producers.

$23,314.00
5 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 

12. Alabama Specialty 

Crop Cooking 

Demonstrations

The Wallace State Future Foundation, Alabama Department of Agriculture 

and Industries and Sweet Grown Alabama will partner together to perform 

cooking demonstrations and promotion of Alabama Specialty Crops at 

eleven events in Alabama. Wallace State Future Foundation will be the 

project partner that will be responsible for reporting and grant 

management. This project will seek to increase at home consumption of 

Alabama Specialty Crops by performing cooking demonstrations utilizing 

locally sourced specialty crops and ingredients commonly found in a 

household pantry. Along with the demonstrations, take home 

informational brochures regarding where to source the specialty crops, 

seasons available and recipes regarding how to create the dishes at home 

will be available at the demonstrations.

$47,207.50

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$698,928.22 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.

$51,648.89

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $336,787.85 1. Modernization of Alaska Grown Data Repository

The State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, will conduct development of a 

data repository for Specialty Crop Producers with interactive capabilities of 

an online marketplace that will link producers, agricultural interest groups 

and buyers. This project will further develop and enhance the State of 

Alaska Division of Agriculture’s promotion, support, and development of 

Alaska’s Specialty Crop Industries. 

$284,701.76

Alaska Division 

of Agriculture $336,787.85 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.

$52,086.06
6 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

American 

Samoa 

Department of 

Agriculture

$357,277.56 

1. American Samoa 

Essential Food Security 

Program Specialty Crops. 

Phase I: Land Preparation 

Techniques - Increasing 

Specialty Crop Production 

by Improved Land 

Cultivation Practices

The American Samoa Government Department of Agriculture (ASG DOA) 

will strengthen the territory’s food security position and minimize impacts 

from COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, by promoting the growth of 

specialty crops by supporting the improved cultivation of available land 

across the territory. Beginning farmers have unique educational training 

and needs. Providing technical assistance will support increased 

production and growth of specialty crops. Technical assistance will include, 

but not be limited to, the following services: site assessments, soil testing, 

farm design, crop selection, farm management best practices,

conservation strategies, and more. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), 

Best Practices, and other outreach and educational tools & materials will 

be documented and made available to the public through the Department 

of Agriculture office.

$357,277.56

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 1. COVID Cost-Share 

Reimbursement Program

The Arizona Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Consultation and 

Training (ACT) will offer and provide a cost-share reimbursement program 

for eligible expenses related to COVID-19 that benefit the production and 

distribution of Arizona specialty crops. Eligible expenses will include 

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), facility adjustments for worker and 

product safety and vaccination events to provide vaccinations to 

individuals directly involved in the production and distribution of specialty 

crops.

$500,000.00
7 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

2. “Adopt-a-SonoranDesert-Crop” Marketing 

and Outreach Campaign

Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a Native American-governed 501c3 

nonprofit, will partner with Arizona Department of Education, Pancho 

Farm, San Xavier Co-op Farm, and others to design and implement a 

marketing and outreach campaign to increase awareness of, access to and 

knowledge of production and consumption of the draught-tolerant, 

alkaline-soil-friendly, culturally-significant and highly nutritious Sonoran 

Desert crops by (1) by leveraging efforts to market, promote and educate 

about heirloom Sonoran Desert crops on and off the Tohono O’odham 

Nation; (2) by expanding availability and access to these particular 

specialty crops for individuals, families, restaurants, school cafeterias, food 

banks and others, and creating new markets of producers of these crops 

(institutional markets, e-commerce and mobile market); and (3) by 

offering technical and business assistance to the heirloom crop producers, 

including a new seed and business center on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

$218,750.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

3. Increasing Demand and 

Willingness-to-Pay for 

Arizona-Grown Pecans

Arizona State University will facilitate increased demand for Arizona’s 

pecan nuts by developing a demand model and determining key drivers of 

willingness-to-pay for pecans. This will enable Arizona pecan growers to 

better understand consumers and to create target-oriented marketing 

strategies to communicate benefits of Arizona-grown pecans more 

effectively. Through an online consumer study comprising about 3,000 U.S. 

Americans, and employing choice experiments, estimates of consumer 

demand for Arizona-grown pecans will be determined. The data collected 

will be analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods to 

provide insight into factors that affect preferences for this crop.

$101,126.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

4. Supervisor Food Safety 

Training for Leafy Greens 

Production

The Yuma Safe Produce Council (YSPC) will develop a training program 

with content and materials that enhance Good Agricultural Practices 

including Seasonality, Adjacent Land, Health/Hygiene, and Supervisor 

Responsibility/Documentation through a series of interactive seminars. 

Training topics will focus on areas identified by the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan and findings from recent 

outbreak investigations. Food safety principles to be shared are based on 

existing scientifically based research and guidelines.

$99,573.00
8 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

5. Correlations Between 

Height, Width, Caliper and 

Roots of Desert Tree

Enumeral Research and Consulting, LLC will measure height, width, and 

caliper (HWC) of nursery growing grounds, established commercial and 

residential landscape, and naturally growing native desert tree species. 

Data will be used to determine if statistical correlations exist between 

these commonly used tree measures and overall tree health, vigor, 

appearance, and durability. Additionally, with selected nursery grown 

species, entire root balls of trees growing in varying sized containers will 

be harvested and assessed to determine if correlations exist between HWC 

and root maturity, mass, or volume. Data of this kind are critical for 

making reasoned assessments of HWC measurements for trees grown for 

sale in specific sized containers.

$38,839.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 6. Determining Water Use 

of Date Palms - 2021

The University of Arizona will continue to 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.

$70,015.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

7. Development of FSMA 

Validation and Verification 

System for Leafy Greens

The University of Arizona in collaboration with several Arizona leafy green 

producers will develop an Arizona-specific microbial index for on-site 

validation and verification of antimicrobial wash water systems for the 

leafy greens industry in Arizona.

$242,960.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

8. Diagnostic Resources for 

Pests and Beneficial 

Insects on Specialty Crops

The University of Arizona Insect Collection (UAIC) maintains the largest 

collection in the world of Arizona insects, including pest and beneficial 

species associated with specialty crops. In a collaborative effort with the 

UA’s Insect Diagnostics Clinic, Extension faculty statewide, Arizona 

growers, and Schlinger Ancient DNA Lab, we will analyze pest and 

beneficial species from specialty crops, update pest species data for 

Arizona, provide DNA Barcodes to support species-level identifications of 

pest and beneficial insects, digitize and georeference data of UAIC’s 

extensive holdings of these species, and produce high-resolution images of 

pest and beneficial species for identification and outreach purposes.

$40,537.00
9 

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

9. Die-off Rates of 

Escherichia Coli O157:H7 

in Agricultural Soils

The University of Arizona in collaboration with leafy greens producers will 

evaluate the die-off rates of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in soils from 

Arizona leafy greens fields. This project will provide Arizona leafy green 

growers with critical information needed to understand the window of 

time E. coli O157:H7 could survive in fields after a contamination event like 

animal intrusion, which allows them to better understand these produce 

safety risks and improve food safety.

$240,222.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

10. Enhancing 

Pomegranate Production 

Across Arizona

The University of Arizona will grow pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) 

cultivars in seven locations to determine which cultivars are best suited for 

elevations ranging from 2,350 feet to 4,415 feet in Arizona and 

disseminate results to stakeholders through field days, publications, and 

internet. Growers collaborating with the University of Arizona Cooperative 

Extension agents in Yavapai and Cochise counties will establish five trial 

sites for research and demonstration on their land and two sites will be 

established at University of Arizona Agricultural Centers in Pima and 

Graham counties.

$124,149.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

11. Guidelines for Safe 

Application of Composts in 

Leafy Greens Production

The University of Arizona researchers will conduct plant growth chamber 

studies to assess the survival of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli 

O157:H7 over 65 days in three different composts amended in two 

different soils across two seasons, as well as determine any potential 

cross-contamination to plant tissue. The findings will provide data on how 

long pathogens can survive in various types of composts and soils, across 

seasons, quantitating their possible transfer to leafy greens, and filling in 

much needed compost safety research. The project goal is to provide 

guidelines for safe application of composts in leafy green fields based on 

scientific findings.

$181,547.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 12. Increasing Date Palm 

Fruit Size

The University of Arizona will attempt to increase ‘Medjool’ date fruit size 

by application of urea, two potassium (K) sources and boron (B) directly to 

date palm fruit bunches, then disseminate the results to stakeholders 

through grower meetings, field days and email.

$60,891.00
10

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

13. Irrigation Water 

Diversion/Splitter Boxes as 

Reservoirs of Pathogenic 

Bacteria

The University of Arizona will determine if irrigation canal diversion boxes 

(splitter boxes) serve as reservoirs of Escherichia coli. The goal of this 

study is to determine if diversion boxes can serve as reservoirs of E. coli 

which can overtime, or following changes in operation, cause spikes in E. 

coli in the downstream water. Factors studied will include nutrients in 

sediment/water, sediment composition, biofilms within diversion boxes, 

debris accumulation, and temperature. The results will be compared to 

upstream and downstream irrigation water and sediments. If the results 

suggest that these splitter boxes are reservoirs and cause spikes of E. coli, 

potential solutions will be recommended.

$73,367.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 

14. Real-time Biosensor to 

Detect Foodborne 

Pathogens in Leafy Green 

Production

Dr. Ravishankar at the University of Arizona will work with Dr. Witten of 

Phoenix Biometrics Inc. (PBI), to refine, test, and validate a biosensor to 

detect foodborne pathogens in produce processing plants. This project 

aims to modify the prototype with better light filters and use artificial 

intelligence (AI) for better resolution and detection of various foodborne 

bacteria. Extensive testing with numerous trials for each pathogen will be 

conducted in the laboratory to obtain an accurate AI detection system that 

will also be validated using cultural methods for accuracy of quantitation.

$202,178.00

Arizona 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,341,863.88 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.

$147,709.88

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 1. Arkansas Grown 

Advertising Campaign

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture proposes launching a paid 

advertising campaign that will promote Arkansas specialty crops by 

generating increased exposure for specialty crops, encouraging consumers 

to purchase Arkansas Grown food, and educating consumers on where to 

find local food.

$75,819.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 

2. Kitchen Equipment 

Assistance Grants for 

Processing Specialty Crops 

in Schools

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School and Early 

Childhood Education Program will support the goal of increasing the 

consumption of specialty crops in school by providing kitchen equipment 

assistance grants to school nutrition professionals, especially in response 

to rising needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

$66,819.00
11

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 

3. Expanding Arkansas 

Grown Hops: 

Collaborations with 

Breweries and Increasing 

Production

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will collaborate 

with local breweries to test Arkansas grown hops in local brewing and will 

evaluate practices to maximize hop cone yield to support the expanding 

Arkansas-grown hop industry.

$76,762.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 

4. Arkansas Grown: 

Expanding Specialty Crop 

Marketing & Production 

for Arkansas 

Producers/Processors

The National Agricultural Law Center will collaborate with and lead 

statewide project partners (UA System Division of Agriculture Cooperative 

Extension Service, Arkansas Department of Health, and University of 

Arkansas at Pine Bluff) in providing comprehensive outreach and 

education in each region of the state on the Arkansas Food Freedom Act 

and related business and legal specialty crop issues.

$63,819.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 5. From the Farm to the 

Supermarket Shelf

The Food Conservancy (TFC) Food Hub aims to take bulk specialty crops 

grown by our local farmers/growers into supermarkets in retail packages 

with PLU and UPC labeling and branding to increase sales and growers’ 

profit margins. Three tools are essential to increase the number of growers 

and the acreage of specialty produce; a) fruits and vegetables that are 

retail ready with UPC, b) a strong brand and c) a robust marketing 

campaign.

$100,000.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 6. Arkansas Grown 

Conference

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture proposes hosting a conference for 

specialty crop farmers to offer presentations addressing issues due to the 

COVID pandemic, educational workshops, and networking opportunities 

with wholesalers/distributors to increase capacity.

$75,819.00

Arkansas 

Agriculture 

Department

$477,369.34 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.

$18,331.34
12

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 1. Grown to be Great

Grown to be Great is a program designed to deepen the relationship 

between California specialty crop producers and consumers, as well as 

keep selection of California produce top-of-mind for those consumers who 

are already inclined to select California grown crops. The Buy California 

Marketing Agreement (BCMA) will implement a multi-platform digital

campaign as well as agritourism, retail and food service promotions to 

create strong support from the retail and food service trade and increase 

consumer demand for California specialty crops and specialty crop 

products.

$6,109,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

2. Developing Post COVID19 Export Markets for 

California’s Specialty Crop 

Industry

This project will be executed by the Center for International Trade 

Development State Center Community College District and will address the 

priority of creating economic opportunities for specialty crop producers, 

including organic producers, through specialty crop market development 

activities that focus on local, regional, institutional, national, and 

international markets by leveraging the unique qualities of specialty crops 

grown in California.

$449,111.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 3. Zinfandel Live

The Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) and the Culinary Institute of 

America will fuse their enthusiasm for California agriculture to reach a 

broad consumer audience - increasing Direct to Consumer sales by three 

percent as measured by Wines Vines Analytics. This project also creates 

new pathways for customers to discover regional Zinfandel producers and 

helps wineries leverage technology to adapt to a dramatically shifting 

marketplace. 

$272,818.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

4. Growing Sonoma 

Winegrape Sales by 

Cultivating New Vintner 

Grape Buyers and HighVolume Wine Sales

The Sonoma County Local District 3 Winegrape Commission will execute 

this project to increase sales of Sonoma grapes to U.S. vintners and boost 

Sonoma wine sales to U.S. on-premise buyers. Activities include out of 

state vintner outreach and ads (direct visits/events with these grape 

buyers); on-premise marketing programs; and trade events.

$450,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

5. Growing Sales of 

California Extra Virgin 

Olive Oil Among United 

States Home Cooks

The California Olive Oil Council proposes to create opportunities for 

specialty crop producers through activities that focus on local, regional, 

and national markets by leveraging the unique qualities of California olive 

oil. The project addresses this priority by building sales of California EVOO 

among United States home cooking enthusiasts.

$446,120.00
13

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

6. Subscription Service 

Agri-Tourism App “El 

Dorado Wine Movement,” 

Solutions for COVID-19 

and Wine Market Stresses

This project, in partnership with the El Dorado Winery Association, will 

directly increase sales of El Dorado wines by expanding consumer access 

through "The El Dorado Wine Movement" (EDWM). Consumers will 

become wine club members of an entire agricultural region through a 

monthly subscription service accessed through a regionally branded geotourism, e-commerce application (app.).

$448,698.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 7. Culinary Justice Middle 

School Garden Program

Presented by the Los Angeles Unified School District- Social Justice 

Leadership Training Organization, the Culinary Justice program at Armada 

School District will teach urban farming and culinary arts with an emphasis 

on cultivating healthy students and healthy communities.

$170,564.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

8. Developing a Workforce 

Development Program for 

Underrepresented 

Farmers: Training, 

Internship, and Building a 

Collective 

Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs' Activities League (DSAL) proposes an 

innovative workforce development program for socially disadvantaged 

farmers. Through the development of a culturally appropriate 

Regenerative Agriculture training (in-person or remote) and internship 

program and a Regenerative Agriculture Collective of producers, 

distributors, and retailers, DSAL is creating a collective of farmers who are 

well-trained for specialty crop career opportunities.

$449,980.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

9. Outreach and Training 

for Urban Farmers in 

Northern California

The University of California Davis in partnership with Western Institute of 

Food Safety and Security and the University of California Cooperative 

Extension, Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Program will work with 

urban farmers in the Sacramento Valley region and the San Francisco Bay 

area to conduct education and training with urban farmers.

$384,699.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

10. Sterile Insect 

Technique Enhancement – 

Drone Delivery

The California Department of Food and Agriculture will analyze the efficacy 

of a small scale (40-500 acres) Navel Orangewood (NOW) area-wide sterile 

insect technique (SIT) release via drone during the 2021-22 growing 

season. Drone release is an innovative new method for SIT release that is 

less stressful to the insect and can be targeted in more specific areas at 

lower altitude than fixed-wing airplanes that are typically used for SIT 

area-wide release.

$257,545.00
14

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

11. Collaborative 

Outreach, Education and 

Training to Improve 

Nitrogen Use and 

Irrigation Efficiency in 

Specialty Crops

The California Department of Food and Agriculture aims to assist specialty 

crop farmers in implementing efficient nitrogen application and irrigation 

practices to comply with water quality regulations in the Central Valley 

and Central Coast regions of California using a collaborative approach to 

outreach, education, and training.

$751,864.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

12. California Food 

Security Insights (FSI) Pilot 

Program

This Fresno Metro Ministry Food to Share Program seeks to apply cuttingedge data science and software technology to increase access to and 

consumption of healthy specialty crops among vulnerable food insecure 

California households.

$1,000,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

13. Development of NextGen Ag Workers 

Curriculum and Scale 

Strategy

The Western Growers Associations proposed the following project to 

address the need for agricultural worker education by developing a 

curriculum that can be leveraged across the University of California, 

California State University, and junior college or community college to 

provide the training needed for AgTech expertise for the next-generation 

agricultural workforce.

$746,291.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

14. Improving Diagnosis of 

Grapevine and Diseases of 

Phytosanitary Significance 

Using High Throughput 

Sequencing

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will select plant

samples submitted to the Plant Pest Diagnostics Center (PPDC) for testing 

for export or trees tested for virus as part of CDFA’s fruit tree certification 

program.

$250,070.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

15. Supporting Economic 

Resiliency and Recovery 

for California’s Historically 

Underserved Specialty 

Crop Growers: Expanding 

Efforts to Prioritize Needs 

of Small-Scale and Socially 

Disadvantaged Producers 

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will create a 

better understanding of how the pandemic, coupled with other natural 

disasters related to climate change, are affecting small-scale, socially 

disadvantaged, and beginning specialty crop growers. This project will also 

identify specific needs and solutions necessary to foster long-term 

economic resiliency for California’s most underserved specialty crop 

producers.

$98,592.00
15

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 16. San Joaquin County 

AgVenture

The San Juaquin County AgVenture will provide nutrition education that 

will teach students the importance of San Joaquin County’s (SJC) $3 billion 

agriculture industry and the health benefits related to increased 

consumption of specialty crops.

$294,250.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

17. Improving the 

Economics, Productivity, 

and Sustainability of the 

California Citrus Industry 

by Accelerating the Citrus 

Engineering Process

The Regents of the University of California, San Diego aims to meet the

long-term goal of this project to significantly improve the economics, 

productivity, and sustainability of California’s specialty crops by 

accelerating the plant-engineering process.

$992,791.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

18. Promoting California 

Processing Tomatoes to 

Food Insecure Consumers 

to Support Economic 

Recovery from COVID-19

Representing 240 California processing tomato growers and processors, 

the Tomato Product Wellness Council (TPWC) seeks to build new sales by 

sharing the benefits of California processing tomatoes with food insecure 

consumers (new target audience) including those participating in the 

Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and similar 

programs. 

$450,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

19. Replacing Plastic Mulch 

with Cover Crops in 

Organic Vegetable 

Production Systems for 

Economic Benefit, Soil 

Health, and Environmental 

Stewardship 

Rodale Institute’s California Organic Center research team will study the 

agronomic, economic, and soil health benefits of replacing plastic mulch 

with living mulch and cover crops in strawberry and artichoke production. 

The goal of this project is to provide an economically viable and 

environmentally friendly alternative to plastic mulch for effective weed 

control in organic vegetable systems. The proposed cover crop and living 

mulch systems combined with reduced tillage will improve the viability 

and sustainability of organic vegetable production systems by improving 

farmers’ income and reducing plastic waste from farms.

$326,805.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

20. Promoting Economic 

Recovery to the California 

Prune Industry by 

Restoring COVID-19 

Related Sales Losses

Sunsweet Growers, Inc. (Sunsweet) seeks to promote economic recovery 

from COVID-19 and rebuild growers’ returns through a multifaceted 

advertising campaign to increase California prune sales among women in 

the United States aged 55 and older (the target demographic).

$499,995.00
16

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

21. Assessing the Potential 

of Regenerative 

Agriculture to Support Soil 

Health and Carbon 

Sequestration 

The Regents of the University of California, Davis will determine the 

efficacy of regenerative agriculture (RA) to build soil carbon (C), soil health, 

and improve the long-term environmental and economic resiliency of the 

wine grape industry.

$1,004,522.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

22. Helping Growers Adapt 

to COVID-19 Impacts by 

Strengthening Coordinated 

Business Planning and 

Environmental Technical 

Assistance

Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA) and the California Association of Resource 

Conservation Districts (RCDs) have the tools to help growers maintain 

competitiveness in a new post-COVID market. By leveraging 

complementary skills, the RCDs and KTA can provide comprehensive 

support to growers through business advising (KTA) and conservation 

planning (RCDs), resulting in increased conservation and marketability, as 

well as improved dollar returns and reduced costs per acre.

$349,154.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

23. Data Knowledge 

Platform for California 

Specialty Crops

The California Cherry Board plans to create a Data and Knowledge 

Platform for California specialty crops. This software will offer specialty 

crop organizations and producers the ability to track the most important 

indicators of their respective industries.

$387,505.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

24. Moving Beyond Covid19: Increasing Sales and 

Access to SLO Coast Wines 

in Arizona and Colorado

The San Luis Obispo (SLO) Coast Wine Collective and wine growers will 

expand access and sales channels in two direct flight markets, Colorado, 

and Arizona. Expanding and creating new distribution channels for growers 

will lead to an increase in sales to Arizona and Colorado.

$309,959.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

25. Identifying New 

Preservation Techniques 

for Increased Volume of 

Processed Blueberries in 

California Resulting from 

COVID-19

The California Blueberry Commission purposes a project to offset some of 

the increased costs and losses experienced due to COVID-19 by evaluating 

a cryo-preservation tool for the California blueberry industry.

$458,009.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

26. Novel Soil Nitrate 

Sensors for Scalable and 

Affordable Fertilizer 

Management in Nut and 

Vegetable Crops

The Regents of the University of California, Berkeley plan to develop novel 

soil sensors in order to develop, characterize, and test soil in real use 

conditions, new inexpensive wireless sensors to accurately measure soil 

nitrate content as well as its fate and transport in nut orchards and 

vegetable fields.

$996,651.00
17

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

27.Increasing Nutrition 

and Access in Low-Income 

and Low-Access 

Communities through 

Mobile Farmers’ Markets

Fresh Approach proposes a three-pronged strategy with the goals of 

strengthening specialty crop producers’ economic viability, meeting the 

demand for healthy food, and creating a replicable model for integrating 

access programs into healthcare systems.

$420,129.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

28. Tomorrow’s Vineyards: 

Advancing Climate Action 

and Social Equity in the 

Winegrape Industry

Napa Green proposes the following project to improve the long-term 

health and resiliency of the wine grape industry by increasing growers’ 

adoption of climate-friendly and equity-focused vineyard practices.

$456,160.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

29. Deployment of a 

Commercial Early-Warning 

System for Airborne 

Pathogens

Root Applied Sciences plans to project to provide reliable airborne 

pathogen capture and analysis technology for lettuce and spinach growers 

in the Salinas Valley of California.

$652,759.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

30. Exploring Baby Leaf 

Germplasm for Disease 

Resistance, Drought 

Tolerance, and Nitrogen 

Use Efficiency

Shamrock Seed Company Inc. will test cultivated arugula (Eruca sativa) and 

wild arugula (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) plant materials for downy mildew 

(Hyaloperonospora parasitica) resistance, yield, nitrogen use efficiency, 

and water use efficiency.

$288,731.00

California 

Department of

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

31. Linking Soil Carbon 

Building Practices to 

Almond Nutritional Quality

The USDA Agricultural Research Service will assess two cover crop 

treatments, a mixture of beneficial plants (non-forage) and alfalfa, a deeprooting, nitrogen-fixing forage crop that provides an economic incentive 

for growers.

$453,845.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

32. Oakland Public Schools 

as Hubs for Specialty Crop 

Distribution and 

Promotion

Project Partner Growing Together plans to build on an existing food 

distribution system that has been making weekly home deliveries to over 

5,000 low-income Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) families; the 

proposed project will create a financially viable model for operating fresh 

food distribution centers as part of school communities.

$790,716.00
18

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

33. Supply Chain 

Disruptions and Retail 

Market Concentration: 

Lessons from COVID-19

Cal Poly Corporation will partner on this project as a team of researchers

hypothesize that consolidation in the retail sector has reduced the number 

of potential buyers for produce growers in California, and that this issue 

exacerbated supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 

proposed research, which is supported by the Western Growers 

Association and the Produce Marketing Association, uses a combination of 

qualitative data from surveys and interviews with growers and 

quantitative data drawn from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and publicly 

available sources, to investigate this possibility.

$470,170.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

34. Figs + Flour: A 

California Grown Fig 

Education Campaign 

Targeting Artisan Bakers

California figs are an ideal ingredient in the baking sector providing color, 

texture, flavor, and moisture without added sugar. To ensure artisan 

bakers are seeking out California grown fig ingredients, the California Fig 

Industry is requesting grant funds for a "Figs + Flour" education campaign 

leveraging media and influencers to target artisan bakers. 

$492,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

35. Growing Sonoma 

Winegrape Sales by 

Cultivating New Vintner 

Grape Buyers and HighVolume Wine Sales

Sonoma County Local District 3 Winegrape Commission (Sonoma 

Winegrowers), representing all 1,800 Sonoma winegrape growers, will 

execute marketing efforts to boost awareness and drive Sonoma 

winegrapes and wine purchases. The goal is a three percent winegrape 

sales boost, directly benefiting growers, and will be evaluated and 

measured by crop and crush reports.

$450,184.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

36. A Digital Campaign to 

Increase Awareness and 

Drive Consumer Purchase 

Intent of California Grown 

Pomegranates

The Pomegranate Council plans to increase demand for and sales of 

California pomegranates through promotions, awareness, and education. 

Leveraging the California Grown identity is a critical component to 

differentiate California pomegranates from imports.

$468,000.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

37. Promoting California 

Processing Tomatoes to 

Food Insecure Consumers 

to Support Economic 

Recovery from COVID-19

Tomato Product Wellness Council (TPWC), representing 240 California 

tomato growers and processors (96 percent of the tomato industry in the 

United States), will launch a multifaceted educational consumer campaign 

sharing the affordability, versatility, and healthy attributes of California 

processing tomatoes, a variety exclusively used in tomato products like 

sauces, paste, and ketchup. Efforts will reach a target demographic of food 

insecure consumers, namely those receiving SNAP, Electronic Benefit 

Transfer (EBT), and similar benefits.

$500,000.00
19

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

38. Creating Demand for 

California Dried Fruit in 

New Foodservice Channels

The California Dried Fruit Coalition plans to address the priorities of 

expanding opportunities for specialty crop producers, marketing orders, 

and other specialty crop stakeholders through innovative marketing and 

promotional activities that incorporate multiple specialty crop products. 

This project will increase demand and sales for California dried fruit, 

specifically dates, dried figs, prunes, and raisins. Success will be measured 

by survey data and increased farm gate values.

$475,500.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

39. Enhancing 

International Collaboration 

on Climate Smart 

Agricultural Practices, 

Innovations and ScienceBased Tools.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will lead 

Climate Smart Agricultural Policy Missions to Denmark/Netherlands, and 

Spain/Portugal to engage with farmers, academia, and government 

representatives on farm adaptation to climate change within the specialty 

crop sector. These missions will serve as an educational program to help 

secure the long-term competitiveness of California specialty crops and 

enhance the competitiveness of the industry through more sustainable, 

diverse, and resilient specialty crop systems.

$162,891.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

40. Specialty Crop 

Agricultural Workforce 

Development Program

Through the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Specialty 

Crop Agricultural Workforce Development Program will deliver workforce 

development programs and services within the agricultural sector to 

advance career pathway training, regional food system development, and 

onboarding of climate smart agricultural technology. The goal of the 

project is to better integrate and align the workforce needs of specialty 

crop growers and local and regional food systems with the educational 

pathways provided by California’s Community Colleges.

$3,643,742.00

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 

41. Supporting California 

Specialty Crop Producers, 

Packers, and Employees 

through Coordinated 

Distribution of COVID-19 

Relief Supplies

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will partner 

with a contractor to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and/or 

hand washing stations, or other safety supplies related to COVID-19 relief 

efforts and distribute them to the specialty crop industry members. The 

goal in distributing PPE and other safety supplies is to directly keep farm 

workers and or processing facility workers safe and indirectly keeping the 

public community safe by stopping the spread of COVID-19.

$972,918.00
20

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

California 

Department of 

Food and 

Agriculture

$31,593,969.03 Grant Admin

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.

$2,541,231.03

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

1. Drone-Based Plant & 

Soil Health Monitoring for 

the Benefit of Colorado 

Specialty Crop Farmers

AeroScout will use drone technology to provide weekly plant and soil 

health maps to specialty crop farmers free of charge on Colorado’s 

western slope and will educate those growers on how this technology can 

save them time and money each season.

$25,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

2. Exploring Possibilities of 

Cold-Hardy Cultivars for 

Colorado Wineries

The purpose of this project is to provide knowledge about an increasingly 

important type of winegrape suitable for producing wine in Colorado. The 

Colorado Wine Board, with the assistance of the Colorado Association for 

Viticulture and Enology, will organize a series of seminars which will allow 

Colorado wine producers to gain critical knowledge by learning about and 

tasting examples of commercially successful wine produced by other U.S. 

wineries from cold-hardy interspecific hybrid cultivars.

$6,966.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

3. Website Promotion & 

Development to Support 

Specialty Crop Producers 

in Southern Colorado’s 

Food System Networks

Valley Roots Food Hub (VRFH), a program of the San Luis Valley Local 

Foods Coalition (SLVLFC), will enhance the competitiveness of specialty 

crops through increased sales due to enhanced website promotion and 

development. Through this project, VRFH will enhance the platform with 

system improvements and development to improve current users’ 

experience while also building the system’s capacity to bring on new users 

and extend the Local Orbit service to new users working in Colorado’s food 

system.

$22,000.00
21

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

4. Assessing Canopy Sprays 

for Efficacy Against 

Cytospora Canker and 

Other Fungal Diseases

This project, lead and executed by Colorado State University, aims to 

develop, test, and validate canopy spray methods and their effectiveness 

for Cytospora canker control. Canopy sprays are typically used in Colorado 

to limit foliar and fruit pathogens, like Coryneum blight and powdery 

mildew, however, their efficacy in canker pathogens has not been well 

explored in fruit crops. Cytospora canker, caused by the fungal pathogen 

Cytospora plurivora, is the most damaging disease to peaches in Colorado. 

We have also detected Cytospora canker in cherry and apple, although the 

impact is typically less severe. We build on previous research that 

examined targeted sprays of pruning wounds to reduce Cytospora canker 

incidence. Canopy sprays, rather than targeted sprays, are more cost and 

time effective, which is vitally important to growers especially as the cost 

of labor has increased. The aim of this work is to determine if canopy 

sprays are effective against Cytospora canker and other fungal diseases in 

peach, cherry, and apple. 

$117,336.95

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

5. Creating Viable 

Pathways for BIPOC 

Farmers 

Since 2012, Fort Lewis College has operated a Farmer Training program as 

an alternative entry point for new and beginning farmers. SCBG funds 

were used to develop education, marketing, and food safety programs; 

and support the development of a farmer-in-training (FIT) program to 

support individuals who need more experience before starting their own 

farm businesses. Beginning in 2022, our program will accept 16 FITs and 

provide them with a hybrid model of educational courses and field work 

each year. Once FITs complete their training at the Old Fort, they will 

pursue a second-year placement at regional incubator farms or additional 

training through apprenticeships or mentorships. FITs will be paid 12 

hours/week for 22 weeks and be required to take 6 Summer Short Courses 

at a cost of $350/course. 

$78,915.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

6. Determining the 

Microbial Risk Profiles on 

Onion Production Practices

Colorado State University’s Eduardo Gutierrez-Rodriguez and the fresh 

produce safety research team will determine microbial risk profiles of 

commercial onion production practices on the survival, persistence, and 

transfer of Salmonella to onions along the cropping cycle. The overarching 

goal of this project is to update commodity specific supply chain guidelines 

for dry bulb onions and to establish pre- and post-harvest production 

practice risk profiles of onion production practices in Colorado.

$124,688.00
22

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

7. Enhancing SelfSustainable Hop 

Production

Colorado State University will develop protocols for increased hop flower 

set for Colorado hop producers by developing scientifically based 

phytohormone application techniques that significantly increase how 

flower set and yield. We will disseminate results to stakeholders through 

grower meetings and publications.

$71,843.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

8. Growing the Specialty 

Crop Footprint in Logan 

County, Colorado

Jalin Farms, LLC is a produce farming company that will increase the 

specialty crop footprint in northeast Colorado by conducting an 

agricultural education program for people who are not traditionally 

involved in agriculture. This

hands-on experience will provide the skills and knowledge an aspiring 

produce farmer would need to start their own produce farming 

operations.

$100,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

9. Hydroponic Leafy 

Greens and Herbs to 

Diversity Revenues for 

Small Cold Climate 

Growers

Mountain Roots Food Project will increase and diversify revenue 

opportunities for cold climate Rocky Mountain small scale growers by 

demonstrating the suitability and economic value of producing leafy 

greens and herbs in hydroponic shipping containers for Colorado central 

mountain / western slope markets.

$120,000.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

10. In-Dept Training for 

Farm to Institution 

Partners (Institutions and 

Specialty Crop Farmers)

Nourish Colorado has been supporting local institutional procurement 

since 2018 through two programs: Local Procurement Colorado (LoProCO) 

and the Local Food Program. This project builds on these two programs 

and will allow us to provide critical training and TA, which will inform how 

we expand these programs in the future. These programs have not 

previously been funded by SCBG. These programs provide training and 

technical assistance (interventions) for specialty crop growers to diversify 

to the institutional market and for institutions to sustainably weave local 

procurement into their meal programs. 

$69,200.03
23

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

11. Ninos: Verduras! OnFarm Hands-On Vegetable 

Education for Immigrant 

Children 

Immigrant women in Buena Vida Farm’s Hispanic Women’s Farming 

Proyecto will work with Larimer County 4-H to develop and implement a 

ten week per year program for immigrant children to gain enthusiasm for 

fresh vegetables by growing their own on the farm. Close communication 

with the children’s parents will encourage immigrant families to consider 

fresh vegetables over fast or prepackaged food when making choices for 

their family meals. 

$30,340.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

12. "Regionally Adapted 

Seed" Vegetable Variety 

Trials: Connecting Seed 

Producers, Farmers, and 

Underrepresented 

Consumers

The Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center will 

perform replicated vegetable variety trials with a unique focus on utilizing 

vegetable seed from local seed companies. Through educational field days, 

farmers market tasting events, and produce box distributions to food 

insecure populations, vegetable variety preference data will be gathered 

from underrepresented consumers.

$40,814.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

13. Rooftop Agrivoltaics: 

Leafy Green Yield and 

Environmental Condition 

Characterization

Colorado State University will evaluate leafy green crops under solar 

panels and in adjacent full sun green roof systems (also known as rooftop 

agrivoltaics). Expected outcomes include leafy green crop yields that are 

equal in both rooftop growing areas (full sun and under solar panels) as 

well as lower water requirements for crops grown under solar panels. At 

least two growing seasons of data will be collected on the crops and 

environmental conditions.

$35,890.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

14. Testing Dry Edible 

Pinto Bean Variety 

Performance in Northeast 

Colorado

Colorado State University’s Crops Testing Program will test pinto bean 

variety performance in field trials in Northeast Colorado to assist 

producers with their variety selection decisions. The project will provide 

unbiased data on plant traits and evaluate them for adaptability to our 

growing conditions and desired production methods.

$37,326.31

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

15. Testing Dryland 

Cowpea Variety 

Performance and Irrigated 

Management Strategies at 

Akron, Co

Colorado State University’s Crops Testing and Water Center Programs will 

test cowpea irrigation management strategies along with dryland variety 

performance to help understand the crop needs and adaptability for 

Colorado farmers. The project will look at optimal water management in a 

reduced water climate, which will provide producers with research-based 

management tools for irrigated cowpea production. The dryland variety 

trial will allow for screening of varieties for their performance and 

adaptation to our climate. 

$19,815.92
24

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 

16. To Test the Efficacy 

and Develop Application 

Methods for Novel Spout 

Inhibiting Compounds to 

Potatoes

This is a collaborative project between Dr. Umesh Bhattarai (UB) at Adams 

State University and Sastry Jayanty (SJ) at San Luis Valley Research Center 

(SLVRC), Colorado State University. Potatoes begin to sprout after natural 

dormancy is complete. Our goal is to test a new class of sprout inhibitors 

and application methods on Colorado potato cultivars to inhibit sprouting. 

We will test potatoes of all market classes (Russets and Yellows Reds and 

pecialties). We will try integrated packaging methods to inhibit sprouting 

at the retail marketing conditions. Early storage studies will be performed 

under laboratory conditions. This will be followed by large-scale trials at 

warehouses and storage of cooperating producers. 

$59,680.00

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,084,218.33 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.

$124,403.12

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$325,378.30 

1. CNMI Specialty Crop 

Producers’ Mini Vegetable 

Wash Station

The CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources will work with 

CNMI specialty crop producers to identify an ideal place on their farm to 

set up a wash station for them to wash their harvest. Each farmer will be 

provided a 2-compartment sink and a sprayer head that can be useful for 

washing harvest easily. 

$44,237.00

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$325,378.30 

2. COVID Personal 

Protective Equipment and 

Supplies for CNMI 

Specialty Crop Industries

The CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources will partner with 

specialty crop industries (producers and retailers) to identify the need of 

PPE and acquired PPEs to be distributed to specialty producers and 

retailers’ employees. The distribution of these PPE will be given to 

employees of those specialty crop industries as a needed equipment in 

light of COVID consequences.

$63,040.00
25

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$325,378.30 

3. Specialty Crops 

Backyard Farming 

Promotion Within the 

CNMI’s Community

The CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources will partner with 

CNMI farmers’ association to identify individuals or beginning farmers who 

are interested in growing specialty crops. These individuals will need to 

register with the program to get basic garden supplies to start off their 

specialty crop farming venture.

$100,000.00

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$325,378.30 

4. Kagman Farm Plot 

Irrigation System 

Improvement

The CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources will partner with 

local farmers of the Kagman Farm plots to assess their irrigation system in 

place and adjust improve their current systems that will improve 

production efficiency and improve quality as well.

$83,697.30

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and 

Natural 

Resources

$325,378.30 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.

$34,404.00
26

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 

1. CT Grown Christmas 

Tree Branding and 

Marketing Project

Connecticut Christmas tree growers are seeking to address a two-fold 

issue with this project – the first is educating consumers on the benefits of 

buying real CT Grown trees in a competitive marketplace while addressing 

concerns voiced by Generation Y and Z as emerging and future consumers 

of real trees in regards to sustainability and conservation. The second 

component is counteracting mainstream media narratives regarding 

supply chain issues. The COVID-19 pandemic saw consumers return to 

Christmas tree farms in droves during the 2020 and 2021 holiday season as 

they sought out new traditions and outdoor, family-friendly activities. 

Unfortunately, those increased numbers combined with reduced plantings 

nearly a decade ago along with climate change impacts has created 

reduced availability of real CT Grown trees on some farms. It is imperative 

that the industry change the narrative to educate the public on the growth 

lifecycle, commitment of our growers, and supply availability in a 

transparent way to maintain the momentum for long-term sustainability of 

Connecticut’s Christmas tree growers.

$34,400.00 

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 

2. Study of Morel, A 

Gourmet Wild Mushroom 

as An Intercrop of

Christmas Trees 

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) will develop a new 

intercrop, morel mushrooms for Christmas tree farms. This will be done 

using an isolate of morel (Morchella sp.) collected by DeWei Li among the 

Christmas trees in the Jones Family farms in CT in 2020 and another one 

(Morchella esculenta) in 2021. The project has dual purposes: 1) to 

develop a new cash crop, the morel mushroom for Christmas tree farms; 

2) to evaluate composted woodchips and other substrates, which are preinoculated with the morel isolates. The project will develop a new crop for 

Christmas tree farmers and improve the health of the trees by breaking 

down organic matter in the soil. The results will be beneficial to The 

Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association and its membership.

$87,941.00
27

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 

3. Functionalizing 

liposomes for controlled 

delivery of siRNAs to 

manage potato virus Y 

infections 

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) scientists will work 

on developing a system to deliver antiviral small interfering RNA (siRNA) 

molecules to potato plants using liposome carriers. Plant diseases caused 

by viruses result in over $30 billion in global crop losses annually. Because 

there are no antiviral treatments, viral diseases are extremely hard to 

control, and farmers must choose resistant plant varieties or spray 

pesticides to control virus-carrying insects. Dr. da Silva has identified 

specific ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, siRNAs, that induce RNA 

interference (RNAi), an evolved plant defense mechanism that we are 

seeking to activate or enhance, in plants and prime plants to successfully 

resist viruses. However, siRNAs are unstable, and the effect only lasts for a 

short period before those biological molecules are degraded. Therefore, to 

fully harness the potential of siRNAs in fighting plant viral infections, we 

need to develop an effective delivery system.

$119,980.46 

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 

4. Greenhouse industry 

marketing and branding 

project 

The Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association will implement a digital 

branding and marketing campaign that will enhance consumer education 

and brand recognition of Connecticut grown greenhouse specialty crops.

The project outcomes will inspire consumer brand recognition, facilitate 

consumer appreciation through marketing and public education efforts, 

and foster enhanced retail sales to help maintain the vitality of the state’s 

largest sector of the agricultural economy. The project will realize the 

intended outcomes of brand recognition, enlightened consumer 

awareness, and enhanced retail sales through the following project 

activities: 1) creation and implementation of a marketing plan that will 

utilize popular digital media platforms containing high quality visual 

content and creative artistry depicting various facets of the industry and 

environmental stewardship efforts, 2) utilization of broadcast media, 3) 

refresh of the CGGA’s logo, and 4) creation of the CGGA’s first working 

website that will encapsulate earlier SCBGP projects, communicate the 

industry’s mission, and contain partner links to Connecticut Department of 

Agriculture, UCONN, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, etc., to 

communicate crop information, emerging plant disease topics, invasive 

species bulletins, and other information appropriate for public and 

industry education and outreach. 

$114,850.00
28

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 

5. Development of 

hydroponic fertilizers for 

urban specialty crop 

production 

Levo International, Inc., with the support of the Connecticut Agricultural 

Experiment Station and community organizations throughout the state of 

Connecticut and with the guidance of Dr. Soledad Benitez Ponce, will 

decrease disease impact in urban hydroponic systems by developing and 

deploying corn-based hydroponic fertilizers and completing 

characterization of microbial population shifts correlated with plant 

morphological changes and disease resist

$85,215

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$528,216.15 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.

$85,829.69 

University of the 

District of 

Columbia

$323,333.33 

1. Fresh Produce Access & 

Education Partnerships in 

DC Childcare Communities

FRESHFARM is launching our new Childcare Share and Food Education 

program, designed to increase access to, knowledge of, and opportunities 

to eat specialty crops within childcare communities, to respond to a range 

of challenges and barriers that early childhood education centers face in 

procuring, preparing, and educating about fresh produce. In this proposed 

SCBGP, FRESHFARM will establish new partnerships with four DC-based 

early childcare education centers in historically underserved communities 

to facilitate innovative access to specialty crops for the center’s meal 

programs and integrate edible gardens and food education through 

professional development and technical assistance. 

$82,972.55

University of the 

District of 

Columbia

$323,333.33 

2. Community Harvest: 

Creating Lasting Urban 

Food Hub Models

Building on the success of its two previous USDA/UDC CAUSES specialty 

crops grants and rising to the urgent challenge of expanding COVID 

recovery and resilience, Washington Parks & People will for the first time 

bring on a year-round full-time Food Hub Manager to ramp up production 

and distribution at our successful Community Food Hubs as models for 

city-wide innovation and expansion of healthy food access, capacity, and 

impacts.

$80,000.00
29

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

University of the 

District of 

Columbia

$323,333.33 3. Saturday Seed & Culture 

School (Intergenerational)

The Saturday Seed & Culture School, created by Byrd’s Nest Box, LLC., is an 

immersive program that entails 6 intense seedling growing workshops per 

year. As part of this course students will learn and practice the process of 

how to plant and grow specialty crop seedlings. Students will have the rare 

opportunity to learn about the cultural and historical aspects of African 

American specialty crops such as okra, lima beans, beets, collards, lettuce, 

tomato, sweet potato, squash, and peppers. The program also includes a 

marketing and distribution course that will give students an opportunity to 

sell seedlings to local farmers. This program is targeted towards all ages 

and families.

$42,310.00

University of the 

District of 

Columbia

$323,333.33 

4. Quantification of 

Environmental, Economic, 

and Societal Impacts of 

Specialty Crops Grown in 

Aquaponics and 

Hydroponics

The faculty members and researchers of the School of Engineering and 

Applied Sciences (SEAS) and College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & 

Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of 

Columbia (UDC) are working together to develop an innovative life cycle

sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework that will measure 

environmental, economic, and societal impacts in quantifiable terms for 

specialty crops grown in aquaponics and hydroponics systems, compared 

to a traditional soil-based system at UDC. The LCSA tool can also be 

utilized to measure impacts of subsequent packaging, transport, and 

distribution. Our aim is to study end to end impacts, from food production 

to marketing and distribution, to understand the hindrances to larger 

adoption of the systems. 

$58,612.00

University of the 

District of 

Columbia

$323,333.33 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.

$59,438.68
30

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 

1. Developing Delaware’s 

Lavender Industry through 

Grower Trainings and 

Propagation

Brittingham Farms, in Millsboro Delaware, is in partnership with Dr. 

Gordon Johnson from the University of Delaware, Department of Plant and 

Soil Sciences. The University of Delaware and Brittingham Farms will 

create a curriculum for the training of new growers hoping to start 

lavender farms as well as trainings for the average homeowner. We will 

also develop a propagation program capable of large-scale field plugs and 

established plants to start additional Delaware lavender farms, to provide 

wholesale pricing and opportunities to existing farmers that would like to 

add lavender plants to their farms, CSAs, farm stores, or farmers markets. 

$90,000.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 2. Gardening in Motion

The Delaware Department of Education in conjunction with the Delaware 

Association of Agriculture Educators will develop edible school gardens at 

middle schools and high schools across Delaware. The school gardens will 

be utilized to teach plant growth and harvesting concepts within the Plant 

Science program of study.

$75,000.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 3. Delaware Farm Fresh 

Initiative 

Delaware Farm Fresh Initiative (DEFF) is a locally grown food facilitation 

cooperative working to improve local food distribution in Delaware and 

combat food insecurity. DEFF will provide Delaware farmers from all over 

the state with a web-based platform and delivery service that will allow 

them to market and sell their locally grown and curated products to the 

retail customer, restaurant industry, commercial businesses, farm market 

stands, and institutions. The cooperative will facilitate the marketing and 

organization of the web-based platform which will allow small- to mediumsized farmers to sell their locally grown and produced food throughout the 

State of Delaware. 

$133,199.08
31

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 

4. Identifying and 

Evaluating the 

Performance of Suitable 

Replacements to Invasive 

Groundcovers Subject to 

Delaware Ban

The University of Delaware Botanic Garden (UDBG) aims to identify and 

promote the use of groundcovers as replacements to four commonly used 

invasive groundcovers listed on Title 3 §2904. With our research findings, 

we hope to stimulate both supply and demand of the alternatives through 

education, and equip landscape professionals, master gardeners and 

homeowners with viable non-invasive alternatives that perform well in 

landscape settings. The performance of selected groundcovers will be 

evaluated in a three-year trial conducted at UDBG using randomized, sideby-side comparisons of selected replacements with their known invasive 

counterparts. 

$85,649.00

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 5. Delaware Grown Road 

Trips

The Delaware Department of Agriculture will increase sales of Delaware 

Grown specialty crops by developing three driving tours to farm stands 

and farmers’ markets and by printing brochures of these tours to be 

disseminated at tourism locations. A billboard advertising campaign will 

support the Delaware Grown Road Trips. The billboards will direct 

motorists to www.DelawareGrown.com to download the driving tours and 

get more information about Delaware farmers markets, farm stands, upick opportunities, and recipes for Delaware Grown specialty crops.

$44,350.89

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$465,433.78 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.

$37,234.70

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

1. Increasing Alico, Inc.’s 

Orange Yield, Production 

Efficiency, and Economic 

Returns through COVID-19 

Mitigation 

Alico, Inc. will improve orange crop yield, production efficiency, and 

shareholder returns by ensuring that employees and stakeholders are 

protected, to the greatest extent possible, from the effects of COVID-19. 

This will be achieved by providing PPE and testing to all employees and 

stakeholders on Alico property and sanitation practices, training, and 

signage. In addition, by ensuring a safe working environment, Alico will 

achieve operational efficiencies at pre-pandemic levels and maximize 

possible production and returns.

$48,424.05
32

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 2. Micropropagation Cocropping Tuber on Pine

Halo Epic Farms will conduct research trials within a two-acre pine field 

testing the ability to co-crop tuber borchii truffles on a pine species 

common to the Florida panhandle. The successful cultivation, annual 

harvesting and commercial sale of tuber borchii has the potential to create 

immediate job opportunities and bring long term value to an area with a 

history of long-term economic disadvantage and further exacerbated by 

the covid-19 pandemic.

$101,201.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

3. Covid Quarantine 

Housing for Employees at 

a Specialty Crop Farm

C&B Farms, Inc. will provide protection from coronavirus by providing 

quarantine housing to protect the jobs, health and wellbeing of farm 

workers while minimizing interruptions to the production, harvest, 

packing, and shipping of Florida specialty crops.

$13,451.25

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

4. Covid Vaccination 

Reimbursement for 2020-

2022 Seasons at a 

Specialty Crop Farm

C&B Farms, Inc. will work to prevent the spread and impacts of covid-19 by 

providing a vaccination program for farmworkers by providing on-site 

vaccinations. 

$12,750.85

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

5. Enhance and Expand 

Opportunities for Specialty 

Crop Organic Growers to 

Market to Consumers and 

Communities Directly 

Jubilee Orchards will support the economic survival of small and local

specialty crop farms through a regional sales and marketing campaign. This 

project aims to increase sales of locally grown, Florida organic specialty 

crops through the development of a regional alliance which will provide 

resources to both local and online outlets for direct-to-consumer sales. 

$302,000.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

6. Pilot Testing Fall 

Blueberry Production in 

Florida 

The University of Florida will help mitigate the impact disruptions (such as

the COVID-19 pandemic) on the Florida blueberry industry, by pilot testing 

blueberry genotypes that can produce in the off-season. Researchers will 

evaluate the plant growth, fruit yield, fruit quality, and farm profitability in 

four blueberry genotypes that can produce fruit in the fall. Having a 

second production window in the year has the potential to increase farm 

resilience against future disruptions. 

$223,154.66
33

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

7. Farm Sanitation and 

Ventilation Improvements 

for Ongoing Worker and 

Visitor Safety

Harpke Family Farm will implement critical infrastructure for the health 

and safety of workers and visitors through enhanced air and water quality

in farm greenhouses. Additionally, this project will expand upon and 

improve safety protocols for food harvest and packaging operations while 

employing new and advanced techniques for water efficiency. 

$55,637.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

8. Establishment of First 

Coast Fresh Food Hub and 

Enhancement of Food 

Safety Certifications

Blue Sky Farms will support Florida specialty crop producers through the

establishment of a local food hub. The hub will provide increased 

community access to fresh, locally grown specialty crops, increase direct to 

consumer sales, and provide local farmers the necessary resources to 

pack, store, and market their specialty crops.

$305,722.12

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

9. Product Protection & 

Integrity for Consumers 

and Employees through 

Personal Protection and 

Product Quality

Hardee Fresh will increase the safety of both consumers of Florida 

specialty crops and the farmers that grow these crops by strengthening 

the resiliency of the specialty crop production chain from shocks 

associated with the current or future pandemics. The implementation of 

new food safety measures and an infrastructure for increased shelf life will 

protect Hardee Fresh’s farmers, consumers from supply chain and 

operational disruptions.

$483,603.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

10. Riverfront Packing 

Company COVID-Response 

Plan 

Riverfront Packing Company will take mitigating steps and provide 

resources to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect employees, thereby 

ensuring a consistent supply of Fresh Florida Grapefruit to both domestic 

and International Markets. With the limited supply of grapefruit being 

shipped to export markets, uninterrupted supply supported by this 

project, will allow the continuity of markets and supply chains that have 

been developed over decades. Steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 

will include daily and nightly sanitation, training for employees and

providing equipment and supplies to reduce employee exposure.

$57,189.09

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

11. Riverfront Packing 

Company’s Export 

Shipping of Florida 

Grapefruit

Riverfront Packing Company will work to ensure the flow of Florida 

Grapefruit to important, well established export markets despite the 

enormous global shipping challenges that exist due to the COVID-19 

Pandemic. This project will help offset some of the significantly increased 

freight costs, directly supporting the continuity of markets and supply 

chains that have been established over decades.

$450,000.00
34

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 

12. Food Safety Imperative 

for Specialty Crop Grower 

in the Time of COVID

This project will support Traders Hill Farm in the expansion of food safety 

certifications, farm employee education and greenhouse grower upgrades 

for systems and technology that detect food-borne pathogens and support 

non-chemical pest management. Increased food safety will meet industry, 

customer and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the

specialty crop and food supply chain – from the farm all the way to the 

restaurant and retail stores.

$123,978.00

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 13. Wild Goose Farms 

COVID-19 Proposal

This project will enable Wild Goose Farms to enhance the competitiveness 

of Blueberries and Citrus through expansion of food safety certifications. 

This project will support the development and adoption of industry best 

practices and protect farm workers and visitors from exposure to covid-19 

through purchase and use of PPE, improving facility sanitation practices 

and employee education.

$55,588.04

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 14. Florida Specialty Crop 

HR133 Assistance Program

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will 

help to address the economic impact of COVID-19 on the Florida’s 

specialty crop industry by assisting with the cost of PPE supplies and 

facility adjustments for worker and product safety to processors, 

distributors, and growers of Florida specialty crops.

$2,735,124.99

Florida 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$5,043,476.95 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.

$75,652.15
35

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,883,068.21 

1. Georgia Agriculture 

Covid Recovery Effort 

(ACRE)

The Georgia Agriculture COVID Recovery Effort (ACRE) is a multi-faceted 

economic development program coordinated by Georgia Grown and the 

Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) to increase the production and 

sales of specialty crops. Specific sectors of Georgia’s agriculture industry 

have been harmed by the COVID pandemic. Traditional sales methods 

have been upended, especially for small farmers and businesses. Retail, 

agritourism, and food-service operations have had to shut down. 

Agriculture commodity sales are disjointed due to extreme supply and 

demand swings. ACRE will be coordinated by the Georgia Grown 

Commodity Commission in partnership with governments, farmer 

associations, universities, and non-profits working collaboratively to 

address the effects of the COVID pandemic on the agricultural industry.

$1,732,423.00

Georgia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,883,068.21 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.

$150,645.21

Guam

Department of

Agriculture

$326,711.78 

Guam Farmer Support and 

New Farmer Initiative 

Program

Department of Agriculture will conduct an assessment of the farming 

industry through an island-wide survey to ascertain the overall impact of 

the Pandemic. Through an outreach campaign, this project will encourage 

and promote new farmer initiatives while providing a wide range of 

technical field assistance. The project will incorporate best farm 

management practices to include production, post-harvest, and marketing. 

$326,711.78

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 

1. Increasing Hawaii’s 

Access to Garlic Planting 

Material and Value-Added 

Products

The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human 

Resources Cooperative Extension Services (CTAHR) will evaluate and 

demonstrate through applied field evaluations, workshops and field days, 

alternative planting material to increase the availability and quality of 

locally produced garlic for the State of Hawaii. The project looks to identify 

strategies that will make garlic seed material available locally and enhance 

the competitiveness of specialty crops through increased access. It also 

looks to create a new industry in support of the developing garlic industry. 

$40,000.00
36

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 

2. Increasing SpecialtyCrop-Seed-Security 

Through Training on 

Sustainable Practices in 

Seed Saving Techniques

In partnership with the University of Hawaii, this project aims to improve 

Hawaii’s seed-security by conducting training workshops and field 

demonstrations on seeds saving techniques of major specialty crops. This 

will improve seeds availability locally and reduce the state reliance on the 

mainland companies for seeds to grow crops in Hawaii. The project also 

will help in increasing hiring opportunities locally to collect and process the 

harvested specialty crop seeds for future use.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 

3. Iholena Initiative: 

Revitalizing Production of 

a Traditional Banana

Big Tree Farm dba Hawaii Banana Source will increase the production of 

Iholena, a specialty banana variety with promising characteristics for local 

culinary use, by establishing a network of commercial farm partners and 

technical experts to conduct a field trial of novel cultural practices and 

propagation techniques to mitigate disease pressure and maximize 

productivity. A production and propagation guide will capture the trial 

results and disseminate promising best practices to organic and other 

growers via field days, allowing for expanded production.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 

4. Hawai‘i Papahana Lāʻau 

Kalikimaka (Christmas Tree 

Project), Locally Grown

Potted Christmas Trees

The Hawaii Forest Institute proposes the following project to support 

increased production of Christmas trees, which are popular with local 

consumers and because they are mainly imported, the supply of trees was 

negatively impacted by the pandemic. The goal of this project is to expand 

a fledgling local Christmas tree industry which will lead to reduced 

imported container stock; reduced alien species introductions; and 

reduced workload of State Agricultural inspectors.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 5. Hawaiian Avocado 

Market Enhancements

Coxcor LLC, DBA Kane Plantation Avocados, with support from the Hawaii 

Avocado Association (HAA) will continue to improve the marketability of 

Hawaiian avocados by providing promotional material, specifically ‘Pointof-Purchase’ (POP) produce display bins, posters, and printed flyers, to 

promote the sale of Hawaiian avocados in retail stores. The project will 

also assist avocados growers to become food safety compliant by 

establishing an affordable USDA GroupGAP program that avocado growers 

may join to enable them to meet the Food Safety Modernization Act 

(FSMA) and customer vendor requirements, thereby enhancing the 

potential for establishing new markets and improving food safety.

$24,994.00
37

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 6. Roots Food Hub Mobile 

Market (FHMM)

Kokua Kalihi Valley’s Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) Roots Food Hub 

will launch a Mobile Market Truck (FHMM) to expand the Hub’s customer 

base, increase marketing, and support local farmers to build sustainable 

businesses. The Mobile Market will conduct direct-to-consumer sales, 

support EBT transactions and SNAP incentives, promote local farmers 

through marketing activities, and educate consumers about specialty crops 

grown in Hawaii. Expected outcomes include increased sales revenue for 

local fruits and vegetables, increased EBT sales indicative of greater access 

to healthy foods for low-income consumers, and the retention of Food 

Hub farm partners.

$40,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 7. Localicious Heroes 

In the Localicious Heroes project, supported by the Hawaii Agricultural 

Foundation, high school students from Waianae High School’s Seariders 

Production program will interview farmers and/or chefs to create and 

produce short videos (30 seconds– 2 minutes) that focus on Hawaii’s 

specialty crops. These Localicious Heroes videos will feature local farmers 

and chefs teaching consumers about specialty crops and how to cook with 

specialty crops. The videos will be shared with more 24,000 subscribers on 

HAF’s listserv and through social media platforms including Instagram and 

Facebook and will be available on HAF’s YouTube channel and HAF 

website. 

$20,000.00

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 

8. Increasing the 

Consumption of Hawaii 

Fruits and Vegetables and 

Promote Nutrition to 

Hawaii Children

Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) will issue a Request for 

Proposals (RFP) for this project and will partner with the entities that are 

eligible and will award the project under the procurement rules governing 

project partner selection. As with previous SCBGP grant cycles, the HDOA 

conducts a separate RFP for an administration project that recognizes a 

specialty crop that was not included in the STATE PLAN because the 

proposals reviewed 1) did not enhance the competitiveness of the 

specialty crop, or 2) provided profit to a single organization, institution or 

individual, or 3) were not in compliance with State Procurement Office 

rules, for example, showing an unresolved issue with state or federal 

taxes.

$340,000.00
38

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Hawaii 

Department of 

Agriculture

$635,521.39 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.

$50,527.39

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

1. Online Ordering 

Platform: Addressing 

Pandemic Aftershocks and 

Supply Chain Disruptions 

by Uniting Producers with 

Retailers 

In response to disrupted supply chains and food access from COVID-19, 

FARE Idaho will implement an online ordering platform to match Idaho 

specialty crop producers with restaurants and retail buyers in the Treasure 

Valley, Wood River, and Magic Valley; offer online sales and transactions; 

and provide training for effective and strategic use of the platform. Our 

goal is to improve food access for specialty crop buyers and increase sales 

for Idaho specialty crop producers.

$66,098.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

2. Bringing Education to 

Idaho Wine Grape 

Growers & Wine 

Producers Post COVID-19

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the Idaho Wine industry's ability to provide 

education opportunities due to the inability to travel for the past two 

years, as well as lack of funding on the Grape and Wine Commission level 

and individual winery and/or vineyard level. With this grant we want to 

offer additional educational travel opportunities and bring educational 

opportunities to the state.

$100,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

3. Re-investing in Digital 

Communication in an 

Increasingly Virtual World

The Idaho Wine Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission is 

committed to helping wine grape growers, winemakers, and cideries in the 

state of Idaho produce the best quality wine and cider in the region. This 

project will focus on creating highly curated digital experiences, implement 

robust social media and email marketing strategies, and through these 

targeted efforts, will strengthen consumer and media knowledge of the 

Idaho wine industry, and expand sales and production within the region.

$250,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

4. Enhancing the Success 

of Specialty Crops at Idaho 

Famers Markets Impacted 

by Covid-19

Idaho Farmers Market Association will increase the resiliency of Idaho’s 

farmers markets and enhance opportunities for increased sales of specialty 

crops by providing one-on-one mentoring and training for market 

managers in recruiting and retaining specialty crop vendors, emergency 

preparedness planning, and risk management. In addition, member 

markets will have access to advertising funds to promote Idaho specialty 

crops and receive assistance and resources to increase access to and 

consumption of locally produced specialty crops at farmers markets 

statewide. 

$50,300.00
39

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

5. Navigating COVID-19 

Impacts Idaho Preferred 

Experience Agriculture 

Idaho Specialty Crop 

Promotion

Idaho Preferred®, an Idaho State Department of Agriculture program, will 

continue to successfully promote Idaho specialty crops with traditional and 

digital marketing strategies. Tactics include business-to-consumer (B2C) 

and business-to-business (B2B) promotions, resource-targeted advertising, 

and public relations.

$225,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

6. Color-Sorter Technology 

to Ensure High Quality 

Spice Mustard and 

Continued Grower Market 

Access

Idaho growers are experiencing market and shipping disruptions due to 

the COVID-19 pandemic; Mountain States Oilseeds LLC can defend our 

Idaho grower’s long-standing mustard spice markets by installing seed 

color-sorting technology thereby protecting Idaho’s reputation for the 

world’s highest quality spice mustard.

$250,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

7. Increase Idaho’s Craft 

Cidery Competitiveness, 

Quality, and Sales

The Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) will be the organization with the 

contractual relationship with the state and will lead and execute the 

project. The NWCA’s engaged membership and robust programing can 

help Idaho cideries improve their cider quality, competitiveness, and grow 

their business.

$107,578.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

8. Increasing Efficiency of 

Packaging and Fulfillment 

of Specialty Crop Seeds 

through Improved 

Inventory Management 

Tools

In response to the growing demand for Snake River Seed Cooperative’s 

(SRSC) specialty crop seeds, we will increase our capacity to process 

wholesale and online/retail orders by way of making efficient upgrades to 

the organizational systems in our office, including improvements to our 

order fulfillment tools, increased storage capacity, and quality and 

efficiency of packaging these specialty crop seeds.

$12,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

9.Crop Protection and 

Integrated Pest 

Management Training for 

Potato Production PostCovid

The University of Idaho will identify gaps in knowledge, coordinate 

trainings and develop professional curricula specifically targeting 

integrated pest management (IPM) in the production of potatoes and seed 

potatoes.

$125,000.00
40

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 10. Gem Fruit Producers – 

Value Added Project

Gem Fruit Producers with general partner Lance Phillips from Gem 

Orchards will oversee the project. The Gem Fruit Producers will process 

fruit normally lost during the harvest season by dehydrating and freezing 

the unpicked fruit to be sold year-round. Equipment and signs will be 

installed and used by the co-op and will increase sustainability of the local 

orchard industry, while improving efficiency and reducing costs for raising 

profitable fruit and help with marketing of the fruit growers in Emmett.

$61,560.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

11. Global Gardens 

Development of New 

Refugee Farm Site at 

Spaulding Ranch, Boise

Global Gardens, a program of Jannus, will develop and maintain a 2-3-acre 

plot of land at Spaulding Ranch Farm Site in Boise. The historic farm is 

Boise’s newest park and a working, teaching farm. In collaboration with 

the City of Boise, Global Gardens’ farmers will cultivate specialty crops to 

bring to market through CSA, farmers markets and wholesale Food Hub. 

Spaulding Ranch will increase land access to at least four refugee farmers. 

The initial focus of the Specialty Grant will be preparing the acreage for 

planting by spring 2023 with soil enhancements and water systems. 

$100,000.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

12. Modernize Sampling 

and Grading of Idaho 

Potatoes through 

processing facilities

The Idaho Potato Commission will hire a consulting firm to study how 

potato processing facilities in Idaho can modernize inspection processes 

through the incorporation of optics, robotics, molecular disease detection

techniques, and machine learning to increase output. Incorporating new 

equipment, software, and other technologies to automate the sampling 

and grading process will result in objective, more consistent results, which

will create more certainty for the processors and the growers. 

Implementation of a more efficient, automated sampling and grading 

process will reduce the number of inspectors at each processing facility, 

which, in turn, will create less labor-related issues and improve efficiency 

and facility throughput.

$544,800.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

13. Rotary-Spiral Sorting 

Technology to Ensure High 

Quality Spice Mustard and 

Continued Grower Market 

Access

Idaho grows mustard for spice, not oil. Idaho growers are experiencing 

market and shipping disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Mountain 

States Oilseeds LLC can defend our Idaho grower’s long-standing mustard

spice markets by installing rotary-spiral sorting technology, and thereby 

protecting Idaho’s reputation for the world’s highest quality spice mustard 

and providing growers with more marketable crop.

$307,829.00
41

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 

14. Peeling Onions for 

Increased Consumption 

and Farm Sustainability

In response to COVID-19, Tamura Farms, Inc., is adding production square 

footage with COVID-19 workforce recommendations and an onion peeling 

machine to meet the growing demand of peeled onions to nationwide 

foodservice end users experiencing labor shortages and supply chain 

limitations, while increasing farm fiscal returns for area onion growers 

with product that normally is culled to meet Marketing Order 958 fresh

pack quality standards.

$156,150.00

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,759,920.59 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.

$403,605.59

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

1. Educational Support, 

Outreach, and Marketing 

for Illinois

Specialty Growers through 

conferences and a video 

library.

The Illinois Specialty Growers Association (ISGA) will offer specialty crop 

farmers educational programs through their annual Illinois Specialty Crop 

Conference while building an industry-exclusive virtual resource library 

available to growers year-round.

$73,946.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

2. Flexible Vegetable 

Processing Line to Expand 

and Strengthen Illinois 

Specialty Crop Industry

Rock Creek Ventures, LLC will build a flexible processing line to provide 

Illinois Specialty Crop producers: An avenue for specialty crop producers to 

add value to their fruit or vegetable operations. Reduced barriers to entry 

for specialty crop producers to access new markets. Cost effective 

processing for specialty crop producers so their new products are 

competitive, and success is sustainable. Inspire specialty crop producers to 

expand their product offering through on-site field days and tours.

$75,000.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

3. Cost-Effective Off-theGrid Water Harvesting 

System to Improve 

Profitability and 

Sustainability of Specialty 

Crops

Three Angels Family Farm will design, and build, a cost-effective off-thegrid water harvesting system to increase lavender crop establishment and 

decrease direct operational costs and provide a more sustainable and 

economical way to water lavender. The detailed designs and information 

and benefits will be disseminated to stakeholders through in- person field 

days and virtual field days.

$29,888.60
42

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

4. Leveraging Food System 

Collaboration to Increase 

Statewide Access to 

Specialty Crops Grown in 

Illinois 

Building on years of shared experience and existing relationships, DeKalb 

County Community Gardens (DCCG) spearheaded the establishment of a 

statewide network in early 2021 for the betterment of specialty crop 

farmers and their associated regional supply chain stakeholders. This 

network, the Illinois Food System Collaborative (Collaborative), seeks to 

create opportunities for farmers and equitable access to specialty crops in 

Illinois by conducting an analysis of the regional supply chain, strategizing 

future regional investments, and serving as an ongoing convener and 

connector.

$74,600.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

5. Growing Community: 

Expanding our Community 

Farm for Enhanced 

Sustainable Fresh Food 

Production, Engagement 

and Consumption

Sola Gratia Farm plans to expand our offerings as a community farm with 

investment in additional crops including perennial fruits and nuts, both 

increasing our revenue stream, diversifying our offerings, and addressing 

food insecurity; as well as Allowing for an expansion of our educational 

programming.

$74,998.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

6. Strategies for Improving 

Biological Control of Insect 

Pests for Vegetable 

Growers Utilizing High 

Tunnels

The University of Illinois will utilize research high tunnels to examine 

strategies for improving the effectiveness of biological control measures 

against insect pests. The goal of this project is to investigate additional 

seasonal plantings that could be added to high tunnels to enhance pest 

control by natural enemies in tomato and pepper production.

$61,739.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

7. Increase Awareness of 

Illinois Grape Varietals, 

Grape Growing and 

Winemaking Careers

Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance (IGGVA) will Promote grape 

growing and winemaking as career choices. Promote both grape growers 

and winemakers by selecting 12 in each field to promote with photos and 

storytelling. Develop an Illinois Wine Month brand standards toolkit for 

dissemination to member wineries and vineyards, creating a uniform 

marketing approach for industry use in general, with specific emphasis 

each September during Illinois Wine Month.

$72,673.00

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 

8. Illinois Department of 

Agriculture Expansion and 

Relaunch of the IL Product 

Program and Promotion of 

IL Specialty Crops

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Products program has been 

in existence for more than 30 years and is ready to be recharged and 

updated to meet current market trends and opportunities. After 

conducting market research, a campaign plan has been put together to 

grow the programs base, increase participants, and promote access, 

consumption, and support of Illinois specialty crops.

$315,000.00
43

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Illinois 

Department of 

Agriculture

$783,442.37 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.

$5,597.78

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$644,108.30 

1. Hoosier Young Farmers 

Coalition Specialty Crop 

Mentorship Program

The Hoosier Chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition will create a 

statewide mentorship program to connect experienced specialty crop 

farmers with beginning and under-represented farmers. Our mentorship 

program pairs Mentors and Mentees to learn, share knowledge, and build 

community with other specialty crop growers. The ten-week program 

starts with an on-farm kick-off event. Farmers will meet their 

Mentor/Mentee and build connections with their fellow mentors and 

mentees. Over the next ten weeks, each Mentor/Mentee pair will visit 

each other’s farms and communicate weekly as they work through a 

Specialty Crop Grower Mentorship Handbook. The ten Mentor/Mentee 

pairs will gather one last time at a Wrap Up Gathering, to share what 

they’ve been learning from each other and what new skills and ideas they 

plan to implement on their farms in the coming year. 

$128,031.98

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$644,108.30 

2. Snacks, Dips, and Salsas: 

Ready-to-Eat Veggies from 

Beginning Farmers

Wild Pansy Farm will create a Southern Indiana brand for ready-to-eat 

foods, derived from local specialty crops. During the project period, Wild 

Pansy Farm will coordinate with area regenerative farmers to create a line 

of locally sourced value-added products (sauces and dips), to be sold in 

Southern Indiana grocery stores. The success of this project will 

demonstrate the viability for future investment in a local vegetable 

processing facility, and the ability of such a business to rely on local farms 

to meet their production needs.

$151,936.10

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$644,108.30 

3. Building Equitable Local 

Food Systems and 

Increasing Access to 

Healthy Food and 

Neighborhood Ownership

Flanner House of Indianapolis will grow specialty crops (Collard Greens, 

Mustard Greens, Salad Greens and 2 types of tomatoes-heritage and 

heirloom) in three greenhouses in the Near NW Neighborhood of 

Indianapolis. We will train opportunity youth (16 to 24 year old’s) who are 

out of school and out of work, as well as community residents, in applying 

aquaponic and hydroponic technologies. 

$193,988.14
44

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$644,108.30 4. Specialty Crop Block 

Grant (COVID supplement)

At Ease Orchard is a non-profit 501C3 that supports equipping, training, 

and marketing assistance for Veterans, Military, First Responders, and 

their family in order for them to produce and market honey. This grant 

will focus on supporting beneficiary beekeepers that were impacted by 

lack of hands-on training due to COVID-19 and will highlight the safe 

production of honey for sale in the market. This grant will provide hands 

on visits, additional training, add beneficiaries, refresh honeybees that 

were lost due to lack of training, and grow better beekeepers. The desired 

outcome is over 40 beneficiaries capable of producing a regular supply of 

honey connected to selling their product thru farmers markets or military 

commissaries. 

$131,625.76

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$644,108.30 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.

$50,071.06

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship 

$470,079.50 

1. Researching and Piloting 

Regular Distribution 

Routes in Iowa’s Food Hub 

Network

Allamakee New Beginning (dba Iowa Food Hub), in partnership with the 

Iowa Food Hub Managers Working Group (FHMWG), will research and 

pilot a route connecting food hubs and farmers across Iowa to

strengthen infrastructure and increase sales of specialty crops. This project 

will identify and/or create a 3rd party distribution program to connect 

food hubs to each other and to additional farmers across the

state. By having a regular, weekly distribution route, food hubs can access 

produce grown outside their region to sell to their local customers. More 

farmers will have access to a distribution network to sell their

products. By increasing consistency and capacity in Iowa’s local food 

distribution systems, this project will grow specialty crop markets.

$74,984.00
45

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship 

$470,079.50 

2. Identifying and Building 

Aggregation Nodes in 

Iowa’s Food Hub 

Distribution Network

Iowa Food Hub Managers Working Group partners collaborate every week 

to cross-dock, deliver or store each other's products to ensure the success 

of each other and build customers for their own vendors across Iowa. At 

least $60,000 in Iowa produce is cross docked annually just at the Iowa 

Food Coop in Des Moines. Yet, while cross-docking is critical to moving 

Iowa farm products to larger markets, the network’s capacity for crossdocking and storage is currently minimal. The Working Group would like to 

strengthen and expand nodes for aggregation and cross docking so that 

more farmers across Iowa can benefit from a robust distribution network. 

$75,000.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship 

$470,079.50 

3. Increasing Fruit and 

Vegetable Sales in Iowa 

Farmers Markets, Farm 

Stands, and CSA's

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative will recruit farmers markets, farm 

stands and/or CSA’s that do not currently accept payment from customers 

utilizing SNAP EBT or DUFB as payment. The selected locations will receive 

technical assistance and financial support from the Iowa Healthiest State 

Initiative to increase each market’s capacity for implementation of SNAP 

and DUFB including help with SNAP and DUFB program authorization and 

implementation, sustainability planning for the farmers market and 

associated programs, and digital marketing support and strategies to 

engage new customers that may be interested in using SNAP EBT and 

nutrition incentives to purchase specialty crops at the farmers market or 

farm stand locations.

$149,040.00

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship 

$470,079.50 

4. 2023 Iowa Commercial 

Horticulture Survey for 

Edible Food Crops to 

Understand Impact of 

COVID-19 Pandemic on 

Specialty Crop Producers

Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State 

University Extension and Outreach will determine how to best support 

specialty crop producers in Iowa by conducting a survey to understand the 

effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on specialty crop farm viability and 

financial health, collecting novel data as well as data comparable to a 

survey conducted in 2015 for longitudinal analysis.

$140,418.70

Iowa 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Land 

Stewardship 

$470,079.50 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.

$30,636.80
46

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 1. Children1st Fresh Food 

Matters

Over twelve months, Children First CEO Kansas (Children1st) and its 

partners will increase knowledge of specialty crops to low-income, mostly 

minority students, their families, and the neighbors through educational 

programs in three low-income neighborhoods located in Sedgwick County. 

Partners in the project include Farm Shop LLC, Wichita State University 

AmeriCorps Program, USD259 School District, and the Catholic School 

District.

$66,280.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

2. Kansas’ First American 

Viticultural Area (AVA) 

Petition Project [KAVAP]

The Kansas Viticulture and Farm Winery Association (KVFWA) aims to 

increase competitiveness and sales of specialty crop businesses that 

support the wine industry in Northeast Kansas by conducting research and 

submitting a petition to US Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and 

Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to create an American Viticultural 

Area (AVA). The expectation is that the perfected petition will delineate an 

AVA generally located in Northeast Kansas.

$31,196.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

3. Helping Kansas Farmers 

Fill Students’ Food Plates 

with Fruits and Vegetables

The Kansas Rural Center will work with partners to create a comprehensive 

and accessible resource hub for all specialty crop stakeholders interested 

in Farm to School across the state. The resource hub will include a 

statewide cohesive Farm to School marketing campaign, as well as the 

tools and skills to help specialty crop producers and schools/early 

childhood education centers build sustaining Farm to School partnerships. 

These tasks will work towards the outcome that all Kansas youth have 

access to healthful foods in school meals, regardless of upsets to the 

supply chain, and that school procurement practices prioritize local 

specialty crops, ultimately strengthening market opportunities for 

specialty crop producers and building a more equitable and resilient 

regional food system. 

$51,172.08

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

4. Building Networking: 

Grower Connectivity 

toward Meeting Evolving 

Market Opportunities

The goal of Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association (KSCGA) in this 

proposal is to develop an online networking platform for Kansas growers 

to augment efforts to address current food access, availability, and supply 

concerns.

$37,755.00
47

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

5. Exploring Cowpea 

Production for Western 

Kansas – Resilience 

through diverse cropping 

options

Kansas State University proposes a pilot project to establish baseline 

recommendations for cowpea production in western Kansas. The 

proposed pilot project will evaluate a wide range of genetics for 

adaptability to western Kansas and explore the basic bounds of production 

practices as it specifically relates to inoculation, seeding rates, and planting 

dates. Extension activities will communicate findings to potential cowpea 

growers.

$33,793.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

6. Enhancing Specialty 

Crop Farmer 

Competitiveness 

Statewide Through Online 

Education and Mentorship

K-State Research and Extension will lead a collaborative group of specialty 

crop growers, educators, and not-for-profit farms through an established 

network surrounding the Growing Growers Kansas City Program. We will 

develop an online course to train beginning and socially disadvantaged 

specialty crop farmers.

$54,194.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

7. Evaluating Electrostatic 

Spraying to Improve Food 

Contact Surface 

Disinfection and Produce 

Safety and Quality 

Kansas State Research and Extension will evaluate the efficacy of 

electrostatic spraying technology for disinfection of food contact surfaces 

and for postharvest treatment of produce. The overall goal is to determine 

the effectiveness of commercially- available electrostatic sprayers using 

the recommended dosage of commonly used food-grade sanitizers 

(chlorine and Peracetic acid).

$66,705.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

8. Controlling the Growth 

of Foodborne Pathogens in 

Soil-Substitute Microgreen 

Production Systems

Kansas State University is proposing a project to use titanium dioxide 

(TiO2) as disinfection step to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens 

contamination during microgreen production; thus, improving safety and 

quality, and making this specialty crop sustainable, more affordable, and 

attractive to consumers. TiO2 has been used to inactivate microorganisms 

through photocatalytic generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

$56,679.00

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 

9. Increasing Prairieland 

Market Off-Season 

Specialty Crop ValueAdded Products

Prairieland Food Coop, Inc., dba Prairieland Market, is a food cooperative 

with a retail store, CSA program, and inhouse prepared foods (soups, 

casseroles, sides, snacks, etc.). Prairieland will expand its programs to offer 

value-added specialty crop products in the off-season. It will teach its 

volunteers and the public how to preserve and prolong the freshness of 

local specialty crops for year-round use and will promote and market these 

programs and products using expanded traditional, social, and digital 

media.

$39,243.00
48

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Kansas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$449,908.70 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.

$12,891.22

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

1. University of KentuckyIntegrating Post-Covid Cut 

Flower Demand into 

Market Education

Through this project the Center for Crop Diversification, the University of 

Kentucky will work with selected partners to evaluate the changing market 

condition for cut flowers in Kentucky during the post-covid period, 

integrate this information into a Cut Flower Marketing School, and support 

a cut flower on-line marketing promotion program to complement the 

growing focus of on-line engagement by cut flower farms.

$75,730.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

2. Kentucky Vegetable 

Growers- Kentucky 

Specialty Crop Producers' 

Learning Academy

The Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association (KVGA) and Kentucky 

Horticulture Council (KHC) will develop and launch a virtual learning 

academy to provide an online learning system for specialty crop growers in 

Kentucky. Courses will be led by educators, farmers, and farming experts 

with in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.

$66,167.46

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

3. American Farmland 

Trust- Enhancing the 

Competitiveness of 

Kentucky Winter Squash 

Production Through

Sustainable Practices

American Farmland trust intends to increase the economic viability of 

growing squash and help Kentucky farmers be more competitive in the 

marketplace by determining which crop production methods produce 

higher yields, improve soil health, and increase net farm income on five 

farms across the state. We will be trialing several novel crop production 

methods throughout this project. As a result, AFT will provide significant 

technical assistance, monitor farmer progress, and assist in mitigation and 

rescue cultivation on the farms. We will seek assistance from the 

University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension and/or Horticulture 

Department when necessary. This grant will help make winter squash 

more economically viable for Kentucky vegetable farmers and increase 

consumer access for locally grown foods in the winter.

$50,110.00
49

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

4. Kentucky State 

University- Addressing 

Diversity, Equity, and

Inclusion in the Kentucky 

Organic Agriculture Sector

Kentucky State University will run a project that will address three primary 

issues: 1) A lack of information on organic agriculture certification and 

production practices as well as information on careers in other aspects of 

organic agriculture, such as inspection, being made available to minority 

stakeholders in Kentucky; 2) A lack of information on barriers inhibiting 

adoption of organic agriculture by minority producers in Kentucky; 3) A 

lack of Black and other minority farmers producing organic specialty crops 

within the state of Kentucky and by extension a lack of access to organic 

specialty crops among Black and other minority consumers; 4) A lack of 

minority inspectors in organic agriculture in Kentucky.

$60,010.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

5. University of KentuckyCharacterizing Nutrient 

Disorders and Developing 

a Multi-access 

Compendium for 

Vegetable Transplants

The University of Kentucky seeks to characterize nutrient disorders of 

popular vegetable genera and cultivars grown in Kentucky; develop a 

multi-access online diagnostics key; and prepare an all-in-one nutrient 

disorder compendium to assist growers in identifying and mitigating 

nutrient disorders of vegetable transplants destined for conventional and 

organic production fields, gardens, high tunnels, and greenhouses.

$65,257.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

6. University of Kentucky 

Research FoundationOrganic Strawberries: 

Production of Plugs & Low 

Tunnel Fruit

The University of Kentucky will run a project that will focus on production 

of organic strawberries in both low and high tunnels. Tunnels are one 

method to produce high quality berries with an earlier fruiting window.

$52,921.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 

7. Community Farmers 

Market- Strengthening 

Specialty Crop Access 

Through Safe and Efficient 

Supply Chains

The Community Farmers Market plans to enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops for farmers in South Central Kentucky through direct-toconsumer sales and wholesale chains such as food pantries, schools, 

restaurants, retail stores and co-ops. This will be done by enhancing the 

consumption of at least 18 specialty crops throughout the four-year grant 

period.

$74,632.00

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$463,571.71 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.

$18,744.25
50

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry 

$542,919.08 

1. Advertising Campaign to 

Increase Louisiana 

Specialty Crops Sales 

Affected by Pandemic 

Related Conditions

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will develop and 

implement a statewide advertising campaign focused on increasing sales 

of specialty crop produce sold in Louisiana to address the decline in sales

experienced since the onset of COVID-19. Sales of fresh specialty crop 

produce have been negatively affected due to consumer purchasing 

patterns brought on by pandemic conditions and the Department plans to 

establish a targeted advertising and marketing campaign to increase 

specialty crop sales that will focus on informing the public of the 

availability of fresh specialty crops, the preparation of such and the 

nutritional benefits of adding these fresh produce options to their diet.

$479,485.56

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry 

$542,919.08 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.

$63,433.52

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

1. Business of Farming: 

Improving Profitability and 

Sustainability of SmallScale Wild Blueberry 

Growers

Over the course of two years, Maine Farmland Trust will work with a 

cohort of 10 small-scale wild blueberry growers who are innovating new 

business models, products, and markets for better profitability and 

sustainability. 

$100,000.00
51

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

2. Enhancing Consumer 

Education and Markets of 

Pure Maine Maple Syrup

The Maine Maple Producers Association (MMPA) will increase sales and 

consumption of Maine maple syrup through the improved branding and 

advertising of Maine Pure Maple Syrup. This project will aggregate existing 

data related to the health benefits, ecologically sound production 

practices, cultural relevance, and the wide diversity of uses of maple 

products, paired with results from past maple consumer survey data, to 

create targeted marketing tools aimed at the more than 35 million tourists 

who travel to Maine each year, in addition to Maine residents. These tools 

will include newly developed videos, social media resources, and other 

maple promotional materials and will be housed and shared through an 

on-line marketing toolkit. These marketing resources will be used by both 

MMPA and individual producers throughout the year for the promotion of 

maple events, which draw both existing maple consumers and untapped 

maple consumers into direct-to-consumer sales. 

$100,000.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

3. Maine Soil Health 

Technical Assistance 

Project

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will improve soil 

health on at least 300 farms in Maine through the “Maine Soil Health 

Project,” by providing multiple soil health resources (including financial), 

increasing knowledge about the importance of soil health to the future 

productivity of Maine’s farms, and by helping farmers adopt critical and 

timely soil health practices. The program will establish a central Soil Health 

Resource Hub, a series of educational workshops and farm tours, technical 

assistance (TA), and administration of a farmer grant that will award 17 

farmers approximately $5,000 each to implement practices on their farms.

$100,000.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

4. New Approaches to 

Identify and Control Fungal 

Diseases of Wild Blueberry

This University of Maine project will develop new methods to identify 

emerging and existing pathogens of wild blueberries and develop and 

implement new methods of control for these diseases. This project will 

enhance the sustainability of the wild blueberry industry by providing 

growers with information to identify pathogens affecting their fields and 

the methods to control these diseases. Growers will be surveyed at 

educational sessions to determine their interest in adoption of the 

recommended disease management strategies developed in this program.

$73,862.00
52

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

5. Diversifying Maine 

Vegetable Farms with 

Enhanced Celery 

Production

University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension at the Highmoor Farm 

research station will expand and diversify the Maine vegetable market by 

evaluating improved celery varieties and cultural practices in a replicated 

trial for their effects on quality, yield, consumer preference, and 

storability. On-farm demonstration plots will also be installed to introduce 

farmers to new varieties and alternative growing practices. Results will be 

shared with Maine farmers at the 2022 Highmoor Farm field day, in Winter 

2022-23 state and regional grower meetings, and through Extension and 

academic publications.

$68,058.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 6. Breeding Cold Hardy 

Peaches for Maine

The University of Maine’s Highmoor Farm will breed new cold hardy peach 

varieties to reduce risk of winter injury and increase the feasibility of 

commercial peach production in Maine. The challenge of low seed 

germination rates common to peach breeding will be overcome by embryo 

rescue, a technique in which seeds are ripened and germinated in sterile 

culture. This approach will increase the likelihood of developing high 

quality, hardy varieties of peaches for Maine.

$12,720.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

7. Wild Blueberry 

Weekend: Building 

Consumer Loyalty for 

Maine Wild Blueberries 

Through Agritourism

The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine is building upon a successful 

2021 Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend, establishing the weekend as an 

annual Maine agritourism event where visitors will Eat. Drink. Experience. 

the Maine wild blueberry brand. In 2021, earned media coverage 

surrounding the event reached millions nationally, driving consumer 

awareness, education, and loyalty and bringing an estimated 5,000 visitors 

to 14 wild blueberry farms across the State. In 2022, the Wild Blueberry 

Commission of Maine proposes implementing lessons learned in 2021 to 

grow and improve event promotions, reaching a wider audience and 

doubling the number of participating farms. 

$100,000.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

8. Market Expansion 

Support for Maine 

Agritourism Operators

Agricultural Resources Development Division of the Maine Department of 

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will help Maine agritourism 

operators and farms to enhance their risk management planning.

$50,900.00 
53

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

9. Healthy Fruit and 

Vegetable Educational and 

Marketing

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Division of 

Agricultural Resource Development will create new educational and 

publicity materials to promote consumption of Maine-grown fruits and 

vegetables. This will include document translation, in-person 

interpretation, seasonality brochures, publicity via various forms of media 

(including radio and newspaper), and cooking classes & videos. Many of 

these materials will be targeted toward increasing consumption of Mainegrown fruits and vegetables amongst Maine senior citizens, but all 

materials will be available and usable for across age span.

$42,000.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 

10. Promoting Maine 

Specialty Crops via Video 

Promotion Project

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 continue to develop a series of educational videos and 

public service announcements for use on television, internet, 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. 

$92,262.00

Maine 

Department

of Agriculture,

Conservation, 

and

Forestry 

$809,567.26 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.

$69,765.38
54

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$642,545.47 

1. Cost Share 

Reimbursement of 

Equipment Purchases 

and/or Improvement for 

Food Safety 

Implementation

The Maryland Department of Agriculture will provide cost share 

reimbursement to specialty crop growers who purchase and/or improve 

equipment, tools, or technologies in order to implement food safety 

practices on their farm that help to mitigate food safety risk and meet the 

requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and Harmonized GAP/GHP 

Standards. The project will address specialty crop grower’s food safety 

needs by providing cost share reimbursement for the purchase or 

improvement of tools, or technologies in order to meet the FSMA Produce 

Safety Rule requirements and Harmonized GAP/GHP Standards. Growers 

that are fully covered by the rule need to have tools that are of adequate 

design, construction, and workmanship to enable them to be adequately 

clean and properly maintain so that it is not a source of potential 

contamination. Instruments or controls must be accurate, precise, and 

adequately maintained. 

$373,915.00

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$642,545.47 

2. Maryland's Best - 

Promoting Maryland 

Specialty Crops to 

Consumers and 

Distributors

Maryland specialty crop producers compete against worldwide suppliers 

of specialty crops. The Maryland Department of Agriculture will build upon 

existing State assets to distinguish local products from the competition to 

consumers and distributors through a new website and a new marketplace 

of promotional products to be used as marketing aides for producers.

$212,205.00

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$642,545.47 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.

$56,404.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

1. Increasing 

Environmental Justice 

Population Communities' 

Knowledge About, Access 

to, and Consumption of 

Locally Grown Specialty 

Crops

Grow Food Northampton and partner Northampton Survival Center, 

through their joint Community Food Distribution Project, will decrease 

pandemic-related food insecurity amongst Environmental Justice 

Population communities in Northampton, MA by increasing the 

communities’ knowledge about, access to, and consumption of nutritious 

locally grown specialty crops. By promoting increased purchase and 

consumption of locally grown produce, this project will raise up the local 

economy with a targeted focus on procurement from socially 

disadvantaged and beginning specialty crop farmers, as well as other local 

farmers, chefs, restaurants, farm stands, and retail mark

$73,914.45
55

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

2. North Central MA Food 

Hub Project - Growing 

Specialty Crop Culture

Growing Places seeks to create a buy-local culture in our region by building 

upon the North Central MA Food Hub project’s momentum, a 

comprehensive food system assessment conducted in the 27 communities 

of North Central MA, and to address the inequities further exposed and 

exacerbated because of COVID-19 in the local food system.

$80,030.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

3. Increasing Institutional 

Purchases of Minimally 

Processed Massachusetts 

Grown Specialty Crops

Health Care Without Harm’s Increasing institutional purchases of 

minimally processed Massachusetts grown specialty crops will promote 

the year-round availability of locally sourced produce to institutions, 

creating new markets for Massachusetts grown specialty crops.

$89,212.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

4. Hilltown Community 

Farm Share distributed via 

the Hilltown Mobile 

Market

Hilltown Community Development seeks to expand sales of – and access 

to – specialty crops grown in the Hilltowns by the marketing, promotion 

and delivery of a farm share aggregating produce from 8-10 local smallscale farms.

$73,756.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

5. Increasing Sales of 

Specialty Crops through 

Promotional Email 

Marketing and Social 

Media Channels

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Division 

of Ag Markets will initiate a year-long specialty crop marketing campaign 

by creating targeted professional quality promotional content for specialty 

crops on a seasonally appropriate basis that will be disseminated through 

monthly emails and weekly sponsored posts on MDAR’s various social 

media channels, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

$50,000.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

6. Re-Fresh and Recover: 

Healthy Kids and Healthy 

Classrooms After COVID19

Massachusetts Farm to School will provide farm to school professional 

development to school nutrition professionals in three communities that 

experienced disproportionate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, 

including significant increases in childhood food insecurity.

$60,989.00

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

7. Growing and Preserving 

Culturally Appropriate 

Produce in Springfield’s 

Tapley Court Community 

Garden

Building on successful existing collaborations, NOFA/Mass (the 

Massachusetts Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association) will 

work with youth leaders and other community members in Springfield on 

a project that combines urban organic farming and gardening with food 

preservation to increase nutrition knowledge, availability of culturally 

appropriate vegetable crops, and food access.

$74,787.63
56

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Massachusetts 

Department of 

Agricultural 

Resources

$607,789.89 

8. Substrate Water 

Content Management in 

Vegetative Cutting 

Propagation

The University of Massachusetts will improve water management and 

rooting success of vegetative cuttings during propagation by using 

substrate water content to control irrigation.

$56,477.62

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

1. Developing Regional 

Specialty Crop Supply 

Chain Connections and 

Innovations to Support 10

Cents a Meal Grantees

The Michigan Department of Education, in collaboration with the Michigan 

Farm to Institution Network (MFIN), submits this proposal to increase 

specialty crop purchases and solve specialty crop supply chain challenges, 

by supporting schools receiving 10 Cents a Meal grants. This project will 

lean on project partners’ deep farm to institution experience, including 

working with specialty crop producers on product promotion and 

education and with school food service directors on local food purchasing 

and relationship building with farmers and food vendors. We expect to 

achieve several measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry: 

development of new farmer and buyer relationships, increasing the 

number of new farm to institution purchases, increasing awareness of 

Michigan specialty crop producers for institutional buyers and increasing 

specialty crop sales to institutions. 

$123,844.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

2. Developing a 

Competitive Brand for 

Michigan Wine to Sustain 

Grape Sales

The Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC), a non-profit organization 

representing Michigan grape growers and wineries, will develop a cohesive 

brand and implement a strategic marketing campaign to elevate wines 

made with Michigan-grown grapes and enhance their competitiveness 

through sustained grape sales and increased access to Michigan wine. 

$125,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

3. Orchard Innovations to 

Sustain Michigan 

Peach/Nectarine Industry 

Profitability 

The Michigan State Horticultural Society (MSHS), in partnership with 

Michigan State University’s (MSU) AgBioResearch horticultural scientists 

and Extension educators, is developing and refining state-of-the-art peach 

and nectarine grower production system techniques that are up to 40% 

more labor efficient for harvest, can facilitate potential mechanization of 

some production tasks such as flower thinning and hedging, and are 

significantly more uniform in sunlight exposure to improve fruit quality, 

consistency, and uniformity of ripening. This will result in increased 

adoption of techniques to enhance profitability and sustainability, 

potentially expand production, and provide more consistent high-quality 

fruit for Michigan consumers.

$90,526.00
57

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

4. Diversifying Market 

Channels to Increase 

Competitiveness for 

Beginning and Historically

Underserved Specialty 

Crop Producers

Michigan Food and Farming Systems will offer diversification, marketing, 

produce safety education and technical assistance to increase the 

competitiveness of beginning and historically underserved specialty crop 

producers. This will be accomplished through the creation of guides, 

webinars, videos, templates, and technical assistance, in English and 

Spanish. Outreach and education will be tailored for specialty crop 

producers and include produce safety, selling wholesale vs retail, 

marketing best practices, as well as hearing directly from food hubs about 

specifications they require. The project will also provide continued support 

for food hubs on options for food safety certification and economic 

benefits that come with certification. 

$123,268.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 5. Specialty Crop Market 

and Festival Tour

The Michigan Ag Council (MAC) will raise awareness of specialty crops as 

healthy meal options by providing demonstrations and media interviews 

on how to prepare dishes featuring specialty crops while also promoting 

the Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT campaign throughout the state of 

Michigan to increase sales of locally grown food among consumers.

$125,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

6. Developing ExportReady Pest Management 

Programs for Michigan 

Blueberries 

The Michigan Blueberry Commission will lead this project to facilitate 

export of blueberries from Michigan by developing and validating inseason and post-harvest pest control techniques to manage Michigan 

blueberries to meet export requirements. The project will combine 

demonstration and evaluation of the current protocols at commercial farm 

scale with development of post-harvest protocols that allow shippers to 

maintain fruit quality during transportation to their destination. Our

project will partner with Michigan State University to test new monitoring 

methods for quarantine pests in commercial blueberry farms, to test 

export-ready pest management programs in commercial fields, and to 

monitor pesticide residues at harvest to determine the residue levels in 

relation to international limits. 

$100,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

7. Sustainable Christmas 

Tree Production: A 

Training Program for New 

and Current Christmas 

Tree Producers.

The Michigan Christmas Tree Association will develop a series of training 

programs for new and current Christmas tree growers in Michigan in 

collaboration with Michigan State University. 

$77,315.00
58

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

8. Raising Michigan Apple 

Brand Awareness through 

Online Engagement with 

Consumers

The Michigan Apple Committee is continuing our efforts to increase 

consumer awareness and market penetration through online engagement 

with our target audience. This grant project is a top priority for the 

Michigan Apple Committee. The project will build engagement with 

consumers to drive a deeper connection to the brand, resulting in 

increased apple movement in the retail marketplace.

$125,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

9. Building Resilience in MI 

Celery: Strategies for 

Weed, Nematode, and 

Fertility Management

Michigan Celery Research, Inc., in cooperation with Michigan State 

University, seeks to develop novel cultural and technological strategies to 

address critical challenges to the resilience of celery production in 

northern production regions. This project will develop integrated researchbased practical recommendations for control of emerging weed and 

nematode pests, effective integration of novel cover crops into production 

systems, use of drone technologies for crop and fertility management, and 

celery variety development/selection for early-season production. 

$100,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

10. Improving Agricultural 

Sustainability by Improving 

Health for Migrant and 

Immigrant Food Workers

Migrant Legal Aid (MLA) is planning a two-year program to educate 

migrant and immigrant food workers as well as clinicians who serve 

migrant and immigrant food workers. The purpose of this program is to 

improve the health and safety of migrant and immigrant workers in 

Michigan’s food supply chain. The education program will cover three core 

topics: 1) COVID-19 safety, vaccine access, and acceptance; 2) Recent 

improvements to the Worker Protection Standard (pesticide safety 

regulations and reporting mandates); and 3) Migrant and immigrant food 

workers’ occupational injury/illness prevention. 

$56,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

11. Inspire Michigan Tart 

Cherry New Food and 

Beverage Innovations

The Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) will partner with Weber Shandwick 

to educate food and beverage product developers on the many benefits 

that Montmorency tart cherries can offer as an ingredient in new product 

innovations, thus driving demand for the Michigan-grown superfruit. 

Knowing many food and beverage product developers turn to trends for 

inspiration when choosing ingredients for new products, CMI will utilize 

new data and trend reports that identify tart cherries as a red-hot 

ingredient for innovations. 

$125,000.00
59

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

12. Potato Nutrition 

Messaging to Address 

Food Insecure Audiences 

in Michigan

In this project the Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) will work 

to deliver valuable potato nutritional messaging and creative inspiration to 

address food insecure audiences in the state food system. By targeting key 

identified audiences through digital media, the messaging and creative will 

focus on the nutritional benefits of Michigan potatoes, and Michigan 

potatoes as an accessible, affordable, and easy way for everyone to 

participate in a modern healthy lifestyle, while also including recipes that 

inspire cooking at home with simple, locally grown ingredients. Our goal of 

this project is to increase awareness of Michigan Potatoes as a nutrientdense, healthy, and accessible food while educating these audiences how 

to prepare healthy, budget friendly potato recipes. 

$120,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

13. Supporting Specialty 

Crop Growers in 

Promoting Leadership and 

Food Safety Certifications 

While Upskilling Their 

Workforce

Area Community Services and Training Council (ACSET) will increase food 

safety and improve workforce retention by coordinating leadership and 

safety training in multiple industry recognized certifications for specialty 

crop growers in our seven-county region and disseminating information 

about the importance of food safety in agribusiness careers to other 

stakeholders.

$123,540.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

14. Support Michigan Tart 

Cherry Industry by 

Increasing Demand for 

Superfruit Among Food 

and Beverage Developers

To grow demand for the Montmorency tart cherries industry, the Cherry 

Marketing Institute (CMI) will leverage pandemic-fueled health and 

wellness trends to inspire food and beverage manufacturers to choose tart

cherries as a key superfruit ingredient in new functional products, 

ultimately supporting the Michigan-grown specialty crop. With the influx 

of less-expensive imported tart cherries & increased demand for functional 

innovations, CMI will show the value Michigan tart cherries provide by 

highlighting scientific research specific to the U.S-grown Montmorency 

varietal to position the category as the ideal superfruit ingredient for new 

products. 

$125,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development

$2,587,724.47 

15. Next Generation 

Eastern Market Wholesale 

Distribution & Processing 

Center 

To grow its wholesale market and expand opportunities for Michigan 

specialty crop growers, Eastern Market Corporation will engage a 

consultant firm and many stakeholders in a research and planning project 

for the development of a new wholesale distribution and processing 

center for Michigan Crops to be located at Eastern Market in Detroit. 

$68,500.00
60

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

16. Sustaining the Diversity 

of Specialty Crops in 

Michigan Through the 

Great Lakes Expo

The Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo (GL Expo) strives 

to provide the best educational and networking opportunities for specialty 

crop growers and specialty crop companies. This project will deliver 

improved educational sessions, updated trade show opportunities and 

improved marketing for better awareness of the help available at the 

Great Lakes Expo. This will be accomplished through the hiring of a 

professional trade show consultant and speaker who will present relevant 

education, evaluate the Expo as a whole, and deliver actionable results to 

the Expo board. 

$83,200.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

17. Great Lakes Hops 

Collaborative Grow Group 

Initiative 

Great Lakes Hops has created a stable framework for sustainable hop 

production in the Great Lakes region. Our program utilizes exciting new 

hop cultivars from our in-house breeding program as the central theme 

around which we are creating, branding, and promoting regional 

cooperative hubs of hop farmers in conjunction with certified hop 

resellers, quality processors and brewery dry goods suppliers. This unique 

proprietary portfolio of hops has been bred and evaluated specifically for 

Midwest growth performance offering grow group members a competitive 

advantage through increased yields, shared farming practices, new sales 

channels, and a uniquely marketable final product. This framework 

enhances working relationships between all sizes of hop farms, increases

product quality standards, allows farms to react to market changes and 

demands more effectively and increases these farms’ ability to be 

competitive. 

$85,800.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

18. #1 Social Media 

Marketing to Raise Brand 

Awareness of Michigan 

Apples

The Michigan Apple Committee is continuing efforts to increase consumer 

brand awareness and apple consumption through online engagement with 

our target audience. This grant project is a top priority for the Michigan 

Apple Committee. MAC proposes to spend $125,000 on a consumer brand 

awareness campaign using social media marketing tactics to educate 

consumers and increase demand for Michigan Apples. The project will 

build engagement with consumers to drive a deeper connection to the 

brand, resulting in increased apple movement in the retail marketplace

$125,000.00
61

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

19. Trade Advertising and 

Retail Outreach for 

Marketing Michigan 

Apples

A key goal in Michigan Apple Committee’s strategic plan is to increase 

market penetration of Michigan Apples. An important component of this is 

marketing outreach and trade advertising to connect with retail partners. 

MAC proposes to spend $75,000 to increase sales of Michigan Apples by 

engaging with retail partners through targeted outreach, resources, and 

ads in trade publications.

$75,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 20. Michigan Asparagus 

for the Digital World

Significant numbers of consumers moved to online grocery shopping 

during the COVID pandemic and data shows this trend continues – more 

than 45% of shoppers -- even as the COVID pandemic has waned. The 

Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB), through a contract with 

FullTilt Marketing (a marketing agency that specializes in fresh produce 

marketing) will grow fresh market demand through a focus on omni 

channel marketing which is a series of digital marketing tools incorporated 

throughout the digital space. It will provide education and purchase 

triggers for Michigan asparagus during the in-season sales window. 

$124,990.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

21. Developing Cider 

Making Expertise for the 

Michigan Apple Industry

The Michigan Cider Association will partner with the Cider Institute of 

North America to enhance the competition, expertise, and economic 

impact of the Michigan cider industry through cider production education. 

This project will focus on developing and delivering professional-level cider 

fruit educational opportunities to enhance the competition of the 

Michigan apple industry through increased knowledge and skills. MCA will 

work with CINA, Michigan State University, and additional partners to 

build and expand upon current training opportunities. The goal of this 

project is to build expertise in the Michigan apple and cider industries 

through education about science-based tools for fermentation and 

advanced techniques for consistent, quality cider products. 

$123,648.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

22. Top Ten MI Nursery 

Weeds: Optimum Controls 

in MI New Crops

The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) will establish 

effective, environmentally responsible control programs for the top ten 

nursery field weeds to reduce menial labor which is scarce due to COVID19, support skilled job creation, produce nontraditional crops normally 

trucked to MI, and foster revenue generation. The objectives of this trial 

are to evaluate seven liquid herbicides using in-season and winter dormant 

applications on non-traditional MI nursery crops. 

$99,411.00
62

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

23. Building Relationships 

and Communicating 

Michigan Potatoes as a 

Key Healthy, Available, and

Affordable Ingredient

In this project the Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) will work 

to deliver valuable nutrition education, and inspiration on how to better 

utilize Michigan potatoes as an affordable and versatile ingredient to food 

insecure audiences across Michigan, with a key focus on Metro-Detroit.

Our goal of this project is to increase awareness of Michigan Potatoes as a 

healthy, nutrient dense, and highly accessible food while also providing 

education on how to prepare healthy, budget friendly, potato recipes. 

$120,000.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 

24. Educating Families 

About Hydroponic Farming 

by Getting Kids Excited to 

Eat More Greens

Revolution Farms and parents across the Midwest want kids to eat more 

salads. It’s among the easiest way for families to serve vegetables to a 

whole family. While Revolution Farms has focused its efforts on educating 

parents, the time has come to engage kiddos. Taking marketing cues from 

other popular food industries, Revolution Farms will produce a series of 

“edu-taining,” anthropomorphized lettuce characters, represented 

through a series of in package stickers to draw children into lettuce and 

salad greens. Every sticker package will include a QR code that links to an 

educational site that provides additional information about lettuce types, 

health benefits, hydroponic growing, agriculture, and kid-friendly recipes. 

$67,894.00

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural 

Development 

$2,587,724.47 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.

$67,599.44

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

1. Produce Safety Rule 

Continuing Education and 

Community Specific 

Engagement

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will help produce growers 

understand the FSMA Produce Safety Rule by offering multi-lingual 

continuing education related to the rule, and evaluation of those services 

for continuous improvement. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture 

Produce Safety Program (PSP) will offer continuing education for produce 

farmers related to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce 

Safety Rule. This continuing education will be offered in coordination with 

the University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Farmers Market 

Association (MFMA), Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), Latino 

Economic Development Center (LEDC), and other community 

organizations as needs are identified.

$100,000.00
63

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

2. Investigating Spread and 

Sustainable Management 

Practices for the Invasive 

Swede Midge in 

Minnesota

University of Minnesota researchers will investigate the extent of swede 

midge spread in Minnesota; find sustainable, non-pesticidal methods to 

prevent swede midge damage to broccoli crops; and prepare commercial 

growers to respond to this emerging pest. Swede midge is a major insect 

pest in brassicas, which include canola, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. 

$146,346.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 3. Wholesale Readiness 

Training for Farmers

Comprehensive wholesale readiness training will prepare produce farmers 

who have been direct marketing to consumers to make the leap to 

wholesale, diversifying their marketing mix and increasing produce 

availability in local food systems. The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable 

Agriculture (MISA) at the University of Minnesota will lead this project. 

Three University of Minnesota Extension specialists will provide training 

and coaching in their areas of expertise: enterprise budgeting, marketing 

mix analysis, on-farm food safety GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices), and 

vegetable production. 

$117,194.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

4. Wholesale and Hunger 

Relief: Expanding a New 

Market Channel for 

Emerging Farmers

The Good Acre (TGA) is working to connect BIPOC growers in MN with 

markets where they have historically been excluded, expanding the 

diversity of producers represented in these markets and increasing 

consumer access to high-quality, locally grown produce.

$146,258.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

5. Developing a Bilingual 

Bicultural Post-Harvest 

Training Program for 

Small-Scale Hmong 

Farmers 

This project focuses on developing a bilingual, bicultural post-harvest 

training program to build the capacity of small-scale, immigrant Hmong 

and BIPOC farmers to implement best practices, extend produce shelf life, 

and expand market opportunities. The Hmong American Farmers 

Association (HAFA) will implement a bilingual, bicultural training and 

research program on best practices for post-harvest handling techniques 

to maximize produce shelf life and increase earning potential for 

immigrant and first-generation Hmong farmers and other BIPOC farmers.

$36,172.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

6. Developing a Seedless 

Acer Ginnala (Amur maple) 

to Replace the Non-Native 

and Invasive Cultivars

Amur maple is very popular with nurseries and consumers, but it is a nonnative invasive plant causing environmental damage, this proposal will 

select and test seedless Amur maple trees for development of alternative 

non-invasive cultivars. This project by the University of Minnesota will 

select, propagate, and evaluate seedless Amur maple trees for 

development of non-invasive varieties of this popular landscape tree.

$76,288.00
64

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

7. Training & 

Demonstration of 

Sustainable Techniques & 

Perennials for Beginning, 

Emerging Farmers

Through its Big River Farms training program and organic incubator farm, 

The Food Group will educate beginning, socially disadvantaged farmers in 

organic vegetable production, with new curriculum and demonstration 

plots focused on perennial crops. The primary outcome of this project will 

be that 184 beginning, emerging farmers will learn techniques to improve 

sustainable production of specialty crops, including adoption of best 

practices such as incorporation of perennials that will make their farm 

businesses more resilient, diverse, and profitable. 184 farmers will learn 

about organic vegetable production and how to incorporate perennials 

into their farms to reduce input costs, improve soil health, and access new 

markets. 

$149,485.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

8. Organic Vegetable 

Production and Farm 

Business Training for 

Emerging Immigrant 

Farmers 

This project focuses on training small-scale, immigrant African farmers on 

farm management and vegetable production skills, which increases 

regional availability of produce and improves farmers’ economic 

livelihood. A Kilimo Minnesota is a non-profit organic incubator farm in 

Cambridge, Minnesota founded in 2020 by organic vegetable farmers 

Moses and Lonah Momanyi of Dawn2Dusk Farm. With this sub-grant, 

Kilimo Minnesota would like to provide two and a half years of one-on-one 

mentorship, farming infrastructure, and formal classroom-based training 

to 15 emerging African immigrant farmers.

$72,213.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

9. Optimizing Soil 

Microbiome Management 

for Potato Soil Health and 

Productivity

This project by the University of Minnesota will be optimizing potato soil 

microbiomes using soil management practices to better understand the 

relationship between microbial diversity, function, and biomass as well as 

soil carbon diversity and potato soil health and productivity. Potato is one 

of Minnesota’s most valuable specialty crop production systems with over 

$180 million dollars generated annually, according to the latest USDA 

summary. This high value specialty crop, however, requires extensive soil 

management practices such as frequent chemical soil fumigation and 

regular deep tillage which have detrimental impacts on the soil microbial 

communities and soil carbon reserves. Soil microbiomes play key roles in 

nutrient cycling, making biologically unavailable nutrients available and 

providing abiotic and biotic stress tolerance to plants.

$149,485.00
65

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

10. Statewide Promotion 

of Minnesota Grown 

Specialty Crops

This project increases sales of MN specialty crops through statewide 

marketing, including search engine advertising, promoted social media 

posts and social media advertising. Minnesota Grown is the flagship 

statewide promotion program to stimulate demand for and sales of local 

food and plants. Since its founding by the state legislature in 1987, this 

public-private partnership has grown to include 1,326 producer members. 

Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) staff manage the program, 

which includes a robust online platform and directory; an extensive array 

of marketing materials for member farms and retailers; a limited amount 

of paid TV advertising across Minnesota; and public relations activities. 

$60,000.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

11. Optimizing Nitrogen 

Delivery to Specialty Crop 

Vegetables through 

Improved Legume 

Nitrogen Fixation

This project will improve specialty crop producers’ capacity to optimize 

cover crop productivity as part of their vegetable rotations in cold climates 

by selecting high nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria for use with the cover crop 

legume hairy vetch. The University of Minnesota will lead and execute this 

project. Cool season cover crops used in rotation with multiple specialty 

crops have the capacity to improve soil health and nutrient contributions if

productivity and biomass can be optimized. Leguminous cover crops, in 

particular, provide nitrogen via biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), and 

rhizobia inoculants comprised of bacteria-infused peats are commonly 

applied to legumes at planting to increase BNF in the field.

$125,764.50

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

12. Reducing Row Spacing 

of Fresh Potatoes to 

Increase Sustainability

The University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University potato 

agronomy program will determine how narrow row spacing can improve 

sustainability of fresh red- and yellow-skinned potato production in 

Minnesota. This project by North Dakota State University will enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops through 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. 

$114,739.00
66

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

13. Development of 

Glazing Wall Thermal 

Curtain to Reduce Energy 

Consumption of Winter 

Greenhouses 

UMN researchers, in partnership with three deep winter greenhouse 

operators, will develop, prototype, and test thermal curtain materials and 

deployment mechanisms intended to reduce nighttime heat loss from 

deep winter greenhouses. This project will be led by Daniel Handeen, 

Research Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Center for Sustainable 

Building Research, in partnership with selected greenhouse operators, 

technical consultants, and professional contractors.

$137,885.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

14. Minnesota Grown 

Elderberry for Minnesota 

Food & Beverage 

Businesses 

This project will increase the production acreage of Midwest Elderberry 

Cooperative MN member (and developing member) growers to provide 

food and beverage companies with a dependable supply of native, MN 

grown, high quality elderberry ingredients. To meet that goal, we need 

more farms growing more acres of native elder, which means educating 

and recruiting more farmers as well as increasing their capacity to grow 

more elderberry and maintain the quality of harvest. Currently, most 

elderberry producers grow for their own or neighbors’ farm-based 

businesses, Market demand far exceeds supply, which is now met by more 

highly processed imported elder berry and flower ingredients. 

$90,000.00

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,779,466.86 

15. Breeding and Artificial 

Intelligence to Improve 

Nitrogen Efficiency in 

Minnesota Potatoes

This project by the University of Minnesota will innovate AI methods for 

predicting potato N status using drones and identify high yielding 

potatoes, with improved quality traits, and reduced nitrogen requirements 

for potential cultivar release from the UMN breeding program. The high 

drainage sandy loam soils in central Minnesota are ideal for potato 

production. However, these soils have limited capacity to hold organic 

matter. Thusly, potatoes which have high nutrient requirements are 

heavily fertilized on sandy soils. 

$122,213.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

1. Marketing and 

Promotion Campaign for 

Mississippi Watermelons

The Gulf Coast Watermelon Association will promote the Mississippi 

watermelon industry by utilizing our Industry Representative to educate 

children and adults about the health benefits and versatility of 

watermelon consumption through school/library visits, retail promotions 

and farmers’ market promotions. Further, the advertising and promotion 

will enhance sales and benefit the Mississippi watermelon industry as a 

whole. 

$10,780.32
67

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

2. Enhance Food Safety in 

Microgreen Production 

through Evaluating Seed 

Sanitizing Practices and 

Pathogen Persistence on 

Growing Substrates

Microgreens are an emerging high-value specialty crop with a rapidly 

growing industry in the US. They are known to be functional foods rich in 

mineral nutrients and health beneficial bioactive compounds. There have 

been an increasing number of microgreen producers, from existing 

vegetable growers or beginner farmers, attracted by their high market 

value and short production cycles. Microgreens also serve as an important 

food source during the pandemic that are nutrient dense and readily 

available to the local community. 

$31,576.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

3. Investigating Tomato 

Grafting Techniques with 

Various Scion and 

Rootstock Combinations

Use of grafted plants in vegetable production including tomatoes have 

become a prevalent strategy in improving plant disease resistance, 

productivity, and produce quality. Availability of high-quality produce at 

local market outlets have become increasingly important during the 

pandemic and is crucial in helping growers market produce through 

challenging times. The cost of purchasing grafted plants from a commercial 

supplier is 5 to 10 times more expensive than using seedling transplants 

due to the labor extensive nature of vegetable plant grafting. 

$32,962.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

4. Plant Biostimulants for 

Sustainable Production of 

Specialty Crops

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the global food insecurity. 

Agriculture is facing unprecedented challenges and in pressing needs for 

innovative strategies to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. 

Plant biostimulants (PBs) have been considered as a novel technology in 

sustainable agriculture. PBs have potential to enhance plant growth and 

health, crop yield and quality, nutrient use efficiency, and plant tolerance 

to environmental stresses such as heat and drought. Examples of PBs 

include humic and fulvic acids, seaweed and plant extracts, and beneficial 

microbes. 

$35,875.00
68

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

5. Papayas as an 

Alternative Crop for 

Mississippi

The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting the food systems worldwide. 

The supply chain and related logistics have been disrupted. Growers are 

facing exacerbated challenges in production and marketing, and 

consumers are experiencing localized food shortages and continued rising 

food prices. To be more competitive and resilient, local growers are 

interested in diversifying crop profile and including high value alternative 

crops in their productions to improve farm income and provide consumers 

with high quality, fresh and healthy locally grown produce. However, there 

is a lack of research information on the selection of potential profitable 

alternative crops and sustainable production practices.

$30,971.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

6. ‘Train the Trainer’ Edible 

Mushroom Workshop for 

Mississippi Extension 

Agents

Mississippi State University with assistance from Alcorn State University 

Mycologist will host numerous hands-on edible (ex. Shiitake, Oyster) 

Mushroom Production Workshops throughout the state for Extension 

Agents. This is a ‘Train the Trainer’ (TTT) concept. Trained Extension 

Agents will provide similar workshops within their communities to 

promote this specialty crop, which can be grown for food sustainability or 

potential income at any home on waste hardwood. 

$31,095.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

7. Testing Sweet Potatoes

for Guava Root-Knot 

Nematode in Mississippi

Mississippi State University will receive all proper training and equipment 

necessary for detection of Guava Root-Knot nematode (Meloidogyne 

enterolobii) – an invasive pest. Free nematode testing will be offered to 

growers across the state for voluntarily submitted sweet potato samples 

for the duration of the project. Understanding the status of guava rootknot nematode presence in Mississippi will help determine if any 

additional steps are necessary to either halt its spread or further limit the 

possibility of it arriving in Mississippi altogether.

$66,372.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

8. Potential of Sunn Hemp 

incorporation into cover 

crop strategies for corn 

production in Mississippi

Research by Mississippi State University utilizing Sunn Hemp as addition to 

cover crop strategies for crop production will help give farmers other 

options for supplying nitrogen to their commodity crops. Results from this 

trial will add to a data base to help justify the use of sunn hemp in the 

state of Mississippi to growers and government agencies.

$22,514.00
69

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

9. Promoting Mississippi’s 

Specialty Crops through 

Education and Marketing

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC), Market 

Development Division is requesting funds to create a statewide initiative 

to help market and educate the community about Mississippi specialty 

crops. It is our intent to educate communities about local specialty crops 

and promote the growers and farms where they can be located. With the 

grant funding, we will highlight the importance of consuming local 

specialty crops and provide education on preparing and serving nutritional 

meals. This will be achieved through a mass advertising campaign that 

includes using billboards that are regionally placed, informational 

pamphlets, specialty crop recipe cards, and educational podcasts.

$166,546.86

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

10. Mississippi GAP/GHP 

Cost-Share Program and 

Educational Training

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is requesting 

funds to assist growers in obtaining the Good Agricultural Practices/Good 

Handling Practices food safety certification. This audit is required for many 

specialty crop growers to sell their fruits and vegetables to grocery stores, 

restaurants, schools, and distributors. In addition, this grant will 

implement grower educational workshops for growers interested in 

securing a GAP/GHP certification to expand their marketing opportunities.

$46,630.70

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 

11. Influence of Nutrient 

Management on Tea Yield 

and Quality

Mississippi State University will collaborate with tea growers in Mississippi 

to investigate the influence of nutrient management practices on tea yield 

and quality. The market demand for tea in the US has been increasing 

rapidly in recent years. With this increase in demand has come an 

increased interest in growing tea in suitable climates like that in 

Mississippi. However, tea growers are facing significant challenges with 

respect to domestic tea production. 

$39,759.00

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$565,454.88 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.

$41,885.55

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

1. Personal Protective 

Equipment (PPE) to 

Enhance Missouri’s 

Specialty Crop Industry

The Missouri Department of Agriculture will partner with multiple entities 

in the Specialty Crop Industry to provide PPE supplies such as portable 

handwashing stations, masks, gloves, hand soap and sanitizer, air filtration 

systems, online ordering systems, and contactless delivery methods.

$89,974.58
70

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

2. Detecting Downy 

Mildew Resistance in 

'Chambourcin' Based 

Progenies via MarkerAssisted Selection

Missouri State University will determine the presence of downy mildew 

resistance alleles in 236 F1 genotypes via marker-assisted selection. 

Grapevine downy mildew caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola is 

one of the most widespread and destructive diseases worldwide, 

particularly in humid viticultural areas where it damages green tissues and 

defoliates vines. The ultimate goal of performing this cross is to create a 

cultivar with the disease resistance and cold hardiness of ‘Chambourcin’ 

combined with the superior wine quality of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon.’

$49,996.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

3. Black Walnut as Proteins 

Source in Response to 

Supply Chain Disruption

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry on behalf of The 

Curators of the University of Missouri will investigate 21 cultivars of black 

walnut protein content as an alternative protein source in response to 

protein supply chain disruption from COVID-19. With the disruption of the 

animal protein supply chain by the COVID-19 pandemic, the food industry 

and consumers are turning to alternative protein sources, such as nut 

proteins with longer shelf-life and locally accessible. The proposed study 

will increase the revenue of the production chain benefiting all the 

participants involved in supply chain of Missouri black walnut industry.

$49,000.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

4. Columbia Farmers 

Market Specialty Crop 

Seasonality Educational 

and Marketing Campaign

Columbia Farmers Market (CFM) will enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops through increased sales of specialty crops at CFM by 

developing a specialty crop-focused educational marketing campaign. As 

more mid-Missouri consumers turn towards purchasing and eating locally 

grown specialty crops due to the pandemic and supply chain shortages, we 

aim to educate mid-Missouri consumers on the seasonal availability of 

specialty crops throughout the year.

$50,000.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

5. Increasing Farm 

Sustainability and Local 

Food Security Through 

Grafted Tomatoes

Nichols-Richardson Foundation Trust’s project will demonstrate the 

practicality of establishing and operating a commercial grafting operation 

on a farm, the practicality of an individual farmer grafting tomatoes for 

his/her use on their own farm, and the benefits and challenges of growing 

and harvesting high tunnel grafted tomatoes in Southwest Missouri. The 

goal is to facilitate access to source locally grafted tomato transplants, and 

to attract and train growers to incorporate grafted tomatoes into their 

operations, resulting in increased production and more sustainable farms.

$49,902.00
71

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

6. Development of Smartfarm Irrigation Toolkit for 

Smallholder Vegetable 

Producers

The Curators of the University of Missouri will develop sustainable 

technology solutions to address major hurdles faced by small-scale 

vegetable producers related to water management and weed and pest 

control. We propose to develop a production system to address the two 

key challenges for a mix of specialty crops and high-value vegetables. Our 

research and demonstration plots will be set up at one of the University 

Agriculture Experimental Station in Columbia, Missouri. The design 

consists of growing culinary herbs and spices (basil, cilantro, parsley, 

oregano, mint, and rosemary), and vegetables (okra, Asian eggplant, kale, 

collard, cauliflower, beets, and bitter Melon) intercropped and managed in 

ways that will extend the income generation time window (spring through 

late fall). 

$49,973.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

7. Promoting and 

Strengthening MO Farmers 

Markets and Specialty 

Crop Organizations

Missouri Farmers Market Association (MFMA) will expand educational 

opportunities for specialty crop (SC) farmers and farmers’ market 

managers through broadening the annual in-person MFMA conferences to 

include speakers with expertise in specialty crop production and direct to 

consumer sales.

$50,000.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

8. CoMo Cooks Shared 

Value-Added Production 

Kitchen 

The Business Loop Community Improvement District (CID) will work with 

regional growers and distributors to build local food system resilience and 

help our region adapt to market changes brought on by the COVID-19 

pandemic through the expansion of our not-for-profit shared commercial 

kitchen, CoMo Cooks. Our goal is to increase economic vitality by providing 

low-risk, accessible, inclusive, and affordable kitchen space for local foodbased businesses which includes business coaching and promotional 

assistance.

$39,963.85

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

9. Increase Access to Hops 

and Expand Hops 

Production and 

Distribution 

Valley Farms will provide an increase of production for fresh hops to 

Missouri breweries. This project will provide six additional farms field 

planning, supplies, hands-on training for planting, trimming, care, and 

harvest to grow hops. Access to harvesting equipment will be a shared 

asset among the local farms to eliminate equipment costs as a barrier to 

entry.

$45,362.00
72

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 

10. Urban Farming 

Training - from Dreaming 

to Implementation

Rustic Roots Sanctuary will train 10 specialty crop producers on the farm. 

Our program will cover many aspects of running a small urban farm 

growing specialty crops. Through outreach efforts we will also educate the 

community on the benefits of eating locally grown food. Through 

collaborations with other local specialty crop producers, we will provide 

support to disadvantaged black farmers. Our program will cover 

beekeeping for honey production, field to farmers market harvesting and 

food safety practices, farmers market operations, market gardening, value 

added products and training sessions at 3 other urban farms on the topics 

of soil health, composting, multi-site farming, and companion planting.

$49,979.00

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$569,728.73 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.

$45,578.30

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

1. State-Wide Network 

Expansion to Support 

Specialty Crop Growers 

and Businesses in 

Montana

The Montana Department of Agriculture (Department) will contract with 

the nine Centers that make up the Food and Agriculture Development 

Center (FADC) Network. This project will expand the Specialty Crop 

industry in Montana by creating or retaining jobs, increasing revenue, and 

developing new specialty crop producers through training and one-on-one 

assistance targeted for specialty crop producers accessing covid relief 

funds or who were directly impacted by the pandemic. FADCs will work to 

enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, and the specialty crop 

economy in Montana, by providing grant writing and food business 

development training and technical assistance, combining network 

resources and information to benefit producers state-wide, and producing 

production quality video marketing materials for FADC and producer 

promotion. 

$1,551,317.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

2. Priority Areas of Focus 

for Montana Specialty 

Crop Block Grant Program

JG Research and Evaluation, LLC (JGRE) will gather insights from specialty 

crop producers in Montana regarding key needs and opportunities in 

product marketing to 1) Assess the current “state of the state” of 

marketing for each type of specialty crop industry as well as the industry 

as whole in Montana, and 2) Identify preliminary priority areas for 

allocating Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds

$18,144.00
73

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

3. Wild Bees of Montana 

Supplement: Accelerating 

Discovery, Expanding 

Capacity, Outreach, and 

Impact

Montana State University- Entomology Collection will accelerate discovery 

of wild bee species and improve documentation of their distribution while 

improving the resources for user communities to identify, these pollinators 

critical to specialty crops. Sampling deficiencies in eastern Montana will be 

addressed. Improved specimen curation and databasing will be 

implemented to handle the needed increase in total specimen data 

required to fully reach the goals of the project -- to understand what bees 

occur in Montana (depth) and where they range (breadth). 

$630,000.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

4. Quantifying the Spectral 

Response of Specialty 

Crops (Pulses) To Soil 

Acidity

The Montana State University College of Agriculture, Precision Agriculture 

Team, proposes a two-year program to quantify the spectral changes pulse 

crops experience in response to low pH soils. Soil acidification is a growing 

issue in Montana, with 24 counties having low pH (<5.5) soils in at least 

one farm. Soil acidification may remain undetected until it causes crop 

failure. Pulse crops are sensitive to low soil pH and can act as an early 

warning of pH change. This program will create another application of the 

pulse specialty crops, increasing their utility in crop rotations. 

$228,222.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

5. Evaluation of Essential 

Oil Seed Treatments in 

Montana Pulse Growing 

Fields and Study Its Role in 

Including Plant Defense 

Responses and Growth 

Promotion

Montana State University proposes greenhouse studies based on previous 

SCBG funding have determined that essential oil (EO) seed treatments are 

effective in reducing root rot disease severity caused by fusarium, 

pythium, and aphanomyces on chickpea, dry pea, and lentil. Efficacy was 

comparable to fungicide. We will study the effect of EO treatments on 

growth promotion of pulses in the greenhouse; determine the effect of EO 

seed treatments on plant defense proteins to induce root rot resistance in 

chickpea; and evaluate the efficacy of EO seed treatments in managing 

root rot pathogens of chickpea in the field.

$197,424.00
74

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

6. Reducing Inputs and 

Increasing Yield of Pulses 

Through Grower Education

This project is a partnership between the Montana Wheat and Barley 

Committee and Montana State University. There is a long history of 

cultivar development for pulse crops designed to be better adapted to 

Montana’s specific climatic conditions and diverse growing regions. While 

these cultivars have been made to improve agronomic outcomes and 

require less input, a lack of education directed toward farmers has led to 

limited adoption of the best-suited varieties. A Montana State University 

Varietal Education Specialist will inform producers on available varieties 

and best practices and technologies resulting in increased yields, reduced 

inputs, increased efficiency, increased economic return, and conservation 

of resources. 

$131,929.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 7. Growing Montana Hops 

Industry

Headwaters RC&D will be the lead organization that helps growers from 

across the state continue to grow and expand their hops industry in 

Montana. Headwaters is requesting specialty crop block grant funds to 

expand the reach of their effort to on-the-ground producers throughout 

the state. This producer-driven project is designated to achieve several 

outcomes: increase production and sales of hops in Montana, increase 

grower knowledge of best practices of growing hops, increase awareness 

statewide of Montana hops and provide an opportunity for market 

expansion and growth.

$125,000.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

8. Control of AntibioticResistant Apple Fire Blight 

Pathogen in Montana

Montana State University researchers will investigate the effective control 

of apple fire blight (FB) disease, with the presence of antibiotic resistant 

pathogen, in Montana. Apple FB, caused by a bacterial pathogen erwinia 

amylovora, is the most devastating apple disease in Montana. Antibiotic 

sprays are used to control the FB. However, a disease survey in 2021 by 

our group revealed that the FB pathogens in Montana are developing 

resistance to streptomycin, one of the most common antibiotics to control 

FB, raised alarm regarding the inappropriate antibiotic applications and 

the ineffective disease managements in the apple orchards. Our goal is to 

develop an effective approach to restrict the spreading of the antibioticresistant pathogen and reduce FB in Montana.

$270,568.00
75

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

9. Heighten the Visibility & 

Success of Montana Cut 

Flower Producers

The Montana Cut Flower Association (MFCA) will provide a Montana 

flower hub to growers. MCFA will begin by providing marketing, 

distribution, a networking conference, and a variety of education. MCFA 

intends to assist its members to firmly establish Montana grown flowers as 

a long term, strong industry for growers and the state’s agriculture.

$56,624.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

10. Increasing Profitability 

of Organic Vegetable 

Farms Through Improved 

Integrated Weed 

Management.

Weed management is one of the most important issues identified by these 

growers. Weeds reduce marketable yields, can harbor insect pests and 

pathogens, and their control represents a significant labor cost. The 

integration of cultural and mechanical weed management tools can 

improve efficacy and efficiency. To identify optimal integrated weed 

management practices in a range of vegetable crops, our team at the 

Montana State University will survey organic vegetable growers to identify 

specific needs for weed management and successful practices. 

$335,330.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 11. Montana Pulse Crop 

Quality Survey

The Montana Department of Agriculture proposes to increase the 

competitiveness of dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas with a Montana pulse 

crop quality survey. 200 pulse crop samples from across the state of 

Montana will be collected and analyzed for quality by a qualified 

laboratory on an annual basis for three years. The analysis will include 100-

seed weight, ash content, color, cooking time, firmness of cooked seeds, 

moisture content, protein content, seed size and distribution, starch 

content, total dietary fiber, water absorption, and water holding capacity. 

$170,000.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 12. Starch Analysis in 

Chickpea for Better Pasta

Dr. Kevin McPhee (pulse crop breeding) and Dr. Mike Giroux (wheat 

quality laboratory) from Montana State University propose to evaluate 

starch content in chickpea flour and functionality of the flour. In addition, 

performance of blends of chickpea and semolina for production of pasta 

would also be evaluated. The ingredient market has seen a strong trend 

for the inclusion of pulse flour in many products. The attraction to 

including pulse crop flour as an ingredient is for the added protein and 

health claims.

$220,000.00
76

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 

13. Highlighting Specialty 

Crop Products at The 

Montana Food and 

Beverage Show

The Montana Department of Agriculture seeks to capitalize on the success 

of its Montana Food and Beverage Shows by highlighting Montana’s 

unique specialty crop food offerings. A contracted chef will develop 

recipes utilizing Montana specialty crops and prepare those recipes at the 

show. Additionally, the department will contract with a video production 

company to film the event and provide future specialty crop-based 

content. 

$74,981.00

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,084,759.60 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.

$75,220.60

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

1. Identify High Performing 

Non-Oil (Confection) 

Sunflower Hybrids for 

Nebraska

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center will 

evaluate commercially available non-oil sunflower hybrids to identify high 

yielding and quality hybrids for Nebraska. Ten different non-oil sunflower 

commercially available hybrids will be field tested for yield and seed size 

under irrigation at two different locations: Sidney (Cheyenne Co) and 

Alliance (Box Butte Co.). Data to be collected are emergence, stand count, 

flowering, plant height, maturity, and seed yield.

$20,304.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

2. Using Laser and Drone 

Technology to Save Your 

Crop, Increase Profitability, 

and Do No Harm to 

Wildlife 

Mac’s Creek Vineyards seeks to discover effective, user friendly, 

affordable, and sustainable (both financially and not being harmful to 

wildlife) approaches to repelling animal threats (to include deer, wild 

turkeys, birds, etc.) to the survivability of specialty crop producers. These 

threats are costly to Nebraska specialty crop growers every year.

$88,400.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

3. Cultivating New 

Farmers: Increasing 

Educational and 

Demonstration Capacity 

for Specialty Crop Farmers 

and Aspiring Farmers 

Nebraska Extension will support aspiring and experienced specialty crop 

producers by developing educational resource videos and curricula for 

developing and marketing a farm business. The material will be translated 

to make it accessible to immigrant and refugee groups in Nebraska. 

Additionally, Nebraska Extension will build capacity for hands-on learning 

with partnering organizations in the Omaha metro area.

$24,704.00
77

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 4. Peer Farmer Virtual 

Food Safety Training

The Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) plans to implement a 

7-week/14-hour long peer-to-peer specialty crop farmer online food safety 

training beginning in January 2022. This project aims to provide access to 

wholesale and institutional buyers for specialty crop growers. A Peer 

Farmer and Trainer will guide specialty crop grower participants through 

the process of writing and implementing their own on-farm food safety 

plans.

$25,000.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

5. Development of Plant 

Protein-Based High-Value 

and Innovative Food 

Products from Nebraska 

Pulses 

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln will establish an agreement with the 

Nebraska Department of Agriculture to lead and execute this project. This 

proposed project aims to develop innovative and value-added food 

products from protein-rich Nebraska pulses (beans and peas) suitable for 

domestic as well as global populations. Successful completion of the 

project will significantly enhance the use of Nebraska pulses for innovative 

food products.

$38,449.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

6. Specialty Crops in the 

City: Best Practices for 

Transitioning Urban Land 

to Specialty Crop 

Production

City Sprouts will research and identify multiple best practices for the 

conversion of vacant urban land to specialty crop production with a focus 

on soil health and small to medium scale production techniques. These 

practices and techniques will be developed through a two-year trial that 

will measure the effects of various methods of tillage, cover crop 

application and incorporation and compost application on both soil health 

and specialty crop yields.

$51,997.20

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

7. Dry Edible Beans as an 

Efficacious Alternative for 

the Development of 

Fortified-Blended Foods 

for Food-Aid Program

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln will establish an agreement with the 

Nebraska Department of Agriculture to lead and execute this project. The 

goal of this project is to develop a highly digestible blended food product 

suitable for human consumption using GNBs. This proposal, which 

addresses the enhancement of food safety and food security priority area, 

has a strong potential to improve the acceptability, nutritional value, and 

health benefits of pulse consumption at various stages of life especially for 

children and pregnant or lactating women. Incorporating GNBs in CSB+ 

products with direct assessment of the protein quality and the 

measurement of potential effect on growth and development is a novel 

and innovative approach to enhance the nutritional quality of blended 

food aid products. 

$55,767.00
78

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

8. Development of Zebra 

Chip Resistant Nebraska 

Potato Varieties by nonGMO Gene Editing

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Department of Plant Pathology, will 

develop an efficient and routine protocol that would make two Nebraska 

grown potato cultivars, Atlantic and Russet Norkotah, amenable to gene 

editing-based genetic modifications. The protocol will offer quick and 

targeted development of next generation of improved commercial potato 

cultivars able to overcome a potentially disastrous bacterial Zebra Chip 

disease thereby stabilizing and improving productivity and availability of 

this important tuber crop. The protocol will also allow addressing other 

disease concerns such as potato late blight and viral diseases as well as 

agronomic and nutritional improvements of potato. 

$50,109.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 9. Extending the Quality of 

High Tunnel Table Grapes

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s Viticulture Program (UNLVP) will 

continue its efforts on extending the quality of table grapes grown in high 

tunnels. This project will enable the UNLVP to continue their focus on this 

project for another two years. It was discovered in the first part of this 

study that harvested table grapes lasted several weeks in the cooler after 

being picked. A new part of the proposed project will include a 

determination of the "cooler life" of the fruit for each of the five cultivars. 

$74,247.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

10. Characterizing 

Rhizoctonia Infections on 

Nebraska's New Pulse 

Crops

The plant pathology program at the University of Nebraska, Panhandle REC 

will conduct a study at the Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff 

that will consist of two phases. The first phase is to acquire a collection of 

Rhizoctonia solani isolates causing root rot disease in new pulse crops 

being cultivated in Nebraska. The second phase will include screening the 

previously collected isolates from all crops against each other in all 

possible combinations. 

$48,912.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

11. Field Pea and Chickpea 

for Sustainable Agricultural 

Production

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension 

Center (UNL-PHREC) will evaluate different management strategies for 

pulse crops (field pea and chickpea) under varying soil water regimes in 

western Nebraska. Three different pulse crop management strategies 

including green manuring, harvesting for biomass, and harvesting for grain 

under varying soil moisture availability during the growing season will be 

evaluated to determine an optimum strategy with an immediate economic 

benefit. 

$75,435.00
79

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

12. Develop a Novel 

Extrusion Process to 

Enhance the Nutritional 

Value and Acceptance of 

Aronia Berry

Aronia berry is a top-ranked specialty fruit rich in polyphenols (natural 

antioxidants) that have been demonstrated offering many health benefits. 

The University of Nebraska Food Processing Center (FPC) will introduce an 

extruded Aronia berry product mainly made with Aronia berry pomace 

into the fast-growing healthy food market and improve the sustainability 

and profitability of Nebraska Aronia berry industry. By collaborating with 

Aronia berry growers of the American Aronia Berry Association (AABA) in 

Nebraska, FPC will develop a novel process combined application of the 

solid-state fermentation technology and the extrusion technology to 

transform Aronia berry pomace (by-product derived from Aronia juice 

production) into a palatable and healthy breakfast cereal product. 

$72,441.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

13. Nebraska 

Thursdays/Harvest of the 

Month: Promoting 

Nebraska Specialty Crops 

in Schools and Early Care 

and Education

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE)will increase consumption of 

specialty crop products through its Child Nutrition Programs by: (1) 

adapting the existing Harvest of the Month repertoire—resources for K-12 

schools to promote, educate on, and offer taste tests of 13 Nebraska 

specialty crop items—to target a pre-k audience; and (2) running a 

promotional campaign in the Nebraska Thursdays program that engages 

new and existing participants in serving a Nebraska-sourced school meal 

on the first Thursday of each month, through a focus on use of plant-based 

proteins.

$57,411.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

14. Evaluation of 

Flumioxazin Application 

Timing

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Weed Science program will evaluate 

dry edible bean crop safety and weed control efficacy, with a particular 

emphasis on control of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth, in relation to 

application timing of flumioxazin applied pre-crop emergence. This project 

will provide dry edible bean growers with clear, science-based, guidelines 

for optimal timing of flumioxazin in dry beans to maximize yield potential 

and minimize weed interference. 

$32,610.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

15. Commercialization of 

Fenugreek Production in 

Nebraska Through Pilot 

Production and 

Networking at National 

Trade Shows

The University of Nebraska-Panhandle Research and Extension Center 

(UNL-PHREC) will evaluate pilot commercial production of fenugreek in 

western Nebraska and identify marketing outlet of the fenugreek. In this 2-

year (2022-2023) project, two fenugreek varieties will be planted on 

farmer’s fields and UNL’s research farm under irrigation following standard 

production practices developed by the University of Nebraska. 

$41,304.00
80

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

16. Improving Nebraska 

Winter Harvest Crop 

Production and 

Profitability 

Working with local specialty crop producers, Nebraska Extension will 

assess the feasibility and economic return of winter harvested crops 

produced using seasonal extension techniques. A diverse group of 

producers, including immigrants and refugees, will work with Extension to 

trial a variety of common and culturally important cool season leafy green 

and root crops. They will assess their production capacity and potential 

economic return. Results will be analyzed for potential viability of crops for 

production and marketing in Nebraska and shared via appropriate 

extension and journal publications and learning opportunities. 

$47,940.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

17. High Yielding Lentil 

Varieties with Superior 

Seed Quality for Nebraska

The University of Nebraska-Panhandle Research and Extension Center 

(UNL-PHREC) will evaluate lentil varieties to identify high-yielding varieties 

for commercial production in western Nebraska. The 2-year (2022-2023) 

trial will be conducted at the UNL-PHREC field research farm. Availability of 

high yielding and locally adapted lentil varieties will potentially initiate 

commercial lentil production in western Nebraska. This will expand 

production area of this pulse as a specialty crop in Nebraska

$39,999.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

18. Optimal Soil and 

Nutrient Management 

Technology to Improve 

Field Pea Yield and Quality 

Under High and Low Soil 

Moisture Production 

Condition

The University of Nebraska-Panhandle Research and Extension Center 

(UNL-PHREC) will evaluate management strategy for nitrogen fertilizer 

(rate and time of application) and Fe (source and rate) for improving pea 

seed protein quantity and quality and iron content in western Nebraska. 

Production feasibility of high value pea in Nebraska will enhance 

marketability, profitability, and competitiveness of Nebraska pea industry

$60,325.00
81

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 

19. High Yielding FoodGrade Quality Winter Pea 

Varieties for Dryland 

Production System in 

Nebraska

The University of Nebraska-Panhandle Research and Extension Center 

(UNL-PHREC) will evaluate winter pea (fall planted) varieties to identify 

high-yielding winter variety for commercial production in western 

Nebraska. The 2-year (2022-2023) trial will be conducted at the UNL field 

research farms at Sidney in Cheyenne County and Grant in Perkins County. 

Fifteen to twenty winter pea varieties will be planted as replicated yield 

trial at two dryland sites (Cheyenne and Perkins counties) following 

standard production practices. Availability of high yielding and locally 

adapted winter pea variety will potentially initiate commercial winter pea 

production in western Nebraska. This will expand specialty crops acreage 

of the state of Nebraska.

$45,108.00

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,088,723.97 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.

$138,261.77

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 

1. Specialty Crops, 

Agriculture Literacy and 

Living Well with Covid 19 

on the Farm

Through partnership with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, the 

Nevada Farm Bureau will expand education efforts with a focus on the 

production process for specialty crops and food safety measures 

education. Through this project, the mobile agricultural education trailer 

(also known as the "Nevada Ag Wagon") will be updated and modernized. 

Updates to the Nevada Ag Wagon will feature enhanced sanitation 

measures for visitors, an educational virtual reality experience and new 

and improved agriculture literacy materials and displays.

$124,200.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 2. Gilcrease Orchard Shade 

Improvement Project

The Gilcrease Orchard Foundation will increase the adaptability of 

agricultural operations in Southern Nevada. Through this project, the 

orchard will add educational features to its website, host additional 

educational events and demonstrate the effectiveness of shade for 

successful cultivation of specialty crops and for increasing crop diversity.

$60,000.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 

3. Curating a Safer Space 

for the Bonsai Blue Garden 

Market

Dayton Valley Turf will adjust the space of the farmers market, Bonsai Blue 

Garden Market to be more considerate of social distancing and personal 

hygiene in a global pandemic. Dayton Valley Turf will do this by creating 

additional socially-distances seating options, adding hand-washing 

stations, and keeping up with disinfecting these public surfaces.

$26,469.00
82

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 4. Mushroom Dehydration 

and Processing Facility

This project will partner with Desert Moon Farms to purchase dehydration, 

freeze drying, and packaging supplies to increase product diversity and to 

establish a shelf stable product through creating dehydrated mushroom 

product. This will allow operations to adapt to market challenges and to 

expand dehydrated specialty crop products and options. Desert Moon 

Mushrooms will make this resource accessible to other local specialty crop 

farms that are interested in dehydrating their products due to sudden 

changes in market demand or excess production.

$29,463.18

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 

5. Installation of UV 

Disinfection Lamps for 

Employee Safety in the 

Workplace

Desert Moon Farms will pilot the use of 222nm UV disinfection lamps in a 

small indoor specialty crop farm. These types of lamps differ from UV 

disinfection lamps in that they can be operated continuously in the 

presence of people without the health risks associated to UV light 

exposure. This disinfection method will support the continuous operation 

of small, indoor specialty crop farms while improving indoor air quality for 

employees and visitors.

$4,959.17

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 6. Specialty Crops Growing 

Education Video Lessons

Blue Lizard Farm will provide a series of educational videos addressing the 

challenges, difficulties, and barriers to specialty crop growers in growing, 

harvesting, transporting, and marketing their crops. This educational video 

series will address specific issues and provide guidance for solutions, 

mitigation, or best practices. The series will be free and open to the public, 

while reaching new and existing Southern Nevada growers. This 

educational project aims to increase the commercial viability of growers 

and enhance the sale and consumption of Nevada specialty crops.

$19,159.61

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 

7. New and Emerging 

Producer Education for 

Southern Nevada Specialty 

Crop Growers

Green Our Planet will teach Nevada communities how to plant, grow and 

harvest specialty fruit and vegetable crops through a series of 5 gardening 

education video lessons, which will increase consumption of specialty 

crops and support community resilience in the face of the current and 

future pandemics.

$80,000.00

Nevada 

Department of 

Agriculture

$364,070.07 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.

$19,819.71
83

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$398,133.07 

1. A Feasibility Study for a 

New England Museum of 

Apples and Cider

New England Apple Association will conduct a feasibility study for a New 

England Museum of Apples and Cider, including two “traveling museum” 

events in New Hampshire. The museum will provide year-round promotion 

of the New England apple industry, drawing upon the region’s rich history 

and contemporary trends, including increased demand for locally grown 

fruit and ciders.

$33,947.00

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$398,133.07 

2. Improve Local 

Marketing of New 

Hampshire Grown Tree 

Fruit 

The New Hampshire Fruit Growers Association will conduct a project 

which will focus on strengthening the association’s overall social media 

outreach, including consistent administration as well as creation of video 

content to bring the local experience to consumers. Creating a connection 

from local producers to local consumers is key to increasing sales of tree 

fruit specialty crops.

$32,000.00

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$398,133.07 

3. Increasing the 

Competitiveness of NH 

Specialty Crops through 

Climate Resilience

The Cheshire County Conservation District in partnership with the nine 

other NH County Conservation Districts will work with partners to provide 

education and technical assistance to specialty crop producers in NH to 

adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This project will 

improve the viability of the operations of specialty crop producers to 

ensure their continued profitability and the competitiveness of their 

products in the market.

$77,000.00

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$398,133.07 

4. Implementing Pest 

Management Strategies in 

Merrimack County, NH

The Merrimack County Conservation District will aim to promote pest 

management planning and practices that will reduce pest loss, decrease 

the use of pesticides, and increase production at specialty crop farms in 

Merrimack County, NH. This program will assess the needs of Merrimack 

County, including technical assistance in trapping and monitoring pest 

species, provide assistance in IPM plan implementation, and educate 

specialty crop farmers on IPM planning, resources, and current 

technologies. 

$57,470.00

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Markets and 

Food

$398,133.07 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.

31,850.65
84

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,003,781.91 

1. HR 133 Project to 

Promote Jersey Fresh 

Specialty Crops and 

Provide Mini-Grants to 

Socially Disadvantaged, 

Beginning and Military 

Veteran Farmers

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture seeks to promote specialty 

crops grown in New Jersey; identify and develop a list of Socially 

Disadvantaged, Beginning and/or Military Veteran farmers across the state 

and offer mini-grants of up to $5,000 per operation to help grow their 

production/sale of specialty crops from the Garden State; and offer minigrants of up to $2,000 per operation for PPE reimbursement during the 

USDA approved window during the pandemic (up to 6 months prior to 

funding).

$923,479.44

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,003,781.91 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.

$80,302.47

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

1. Cultivating Economic 

Sustainability for New 

Mexico Winegrowers 

Through E-commerce

In response to the pandemic, climate change, and growing environmental 

concerns, New Mexico Wine has identified the need to embrace new 

methods to support the sale of grapes and wine to adapt to the post-Covid 

economy. A major shift in consumer behavior towards purchasing wine 

online evolved in 2020, and this trend shows no sign of slowing. This grant 

aims to build the most comprehensive marketplace for New Mexico 

wineries that offers an unparalleled selection of locally produced wines.

$85,000.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

2. La Cosecha’s LowSodium and Diabetes 

Friendly Prepared Foods

In partnership with Agri-Cultura Network, La Cosecha Community 

Supported Agriculture will work with urban and rural small-scale and 

vegetable growers in Albuquerque’s South Valley and across New Mexico 

to build La Cosecha’s line of plant-based, low sodium and diabetic friendly 

value-added shelf-stable foods. This project will increase specialty crop 

sales, reduce specialty crop waste during peak season and improve the 

year-round market for specialty crops. Furthermore, it will increase 

awareness and access to specialty crops among youth, seniors, SNAP and 

New Mexico Double-Up Food Bucks participants and other socially 

disadvantaged communities.

$70,000.00
85

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

3. Southwest New Mexico 

Food Hub: Growth, 

Sustainability and Safety

The National Center for Frontier Communities’ SWNM Food Hub (Food 

Hub) will continue its groundbreaking work revitalizing the remote food 

system in southwest New Mexico by implementing several strategies to 

help increase its ability to provide equitable market access and services for 

remote growers in the region, shift into self-sufficiency and build a culture 

of food safety among its network of growers. 

$112,463.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

4. Los Vecinos Provides 

Comprehensive, On-theGround Support for 

Beginning, Small, and 

Underserved Farmers in 

Taos County.

A project of Alianza Agri-Cultura de Taos, Los Vecinos provides 

comprehensive, on-the-ground one-on-one support for beginning small, 

and underserved farmers in Taos County. Our purpose is to identify their 

farming goals and develop strategies for meeting those goals; we also 

provide education and technical assistance to the broader community 

interested in specialty crop production, encouraging and supporting 

aspiring farmers and producers to get started.

$68,000.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

5. Education and Training 

for Socially Disadvantaged

Young Native American 

Farmers 

Healthy Futures Inc, in collaboration with indigenous agricultural partners, 

will address the long-standing inequities faced by socially disadvantaged 

Native American youth who want to become more skilled and empowered 

as farmers. Healthy Futures will advance the goals of this program by 

providing educational and technical support, recruiting eligible 

participants, mentoring sixty participants from the Northern Navajo 

Reservation. Healthy Futures shall assist participants in overcoming 

agricultural disparities and learn the benefits of growing and harvesting 

specialty crops.

$60,459.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 6. Elevating NM Specialty 

Crops

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) will implement new 

innovative strategies utilizing the latest digital methods and platforms to 

enhance New Mexico specialty crops to retailers, wholesalers, and home 

food-delivery companies. By using digital and online strategies, this 

educational project will allow staff to reach a large diverse audience of 

culinary, dieticians, and foodies worldwide. The project will offer enhanced 

techniques, including a social media component, influencer segments, 

menu development, and high-quality digital content such as recipe videos 

and photography

$104,951.62
86

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

7. Sembrando Salud: 

Sowing Health Through 

Small-Scale Specialty 

Vegetable and 

Culinary/Medicinal Herb 

Production

The Center of Southwest Culture, Inc seeks funding to lead and execute

the Sembrando Salud project will enhance access and awareness of 

specialty crops. The project will also increase production and consumption 

of specialty crops and enhance the economy in socially- disadvantaged 

communities through specialty cropping. Through educational workshops, 

we will teach participants how to grow specialty vegetable and 

culinary/medicinal herb crops and expand their operations to produce 

crops for markets and establish small agribusinesses. 

$60,421.04

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture 

$794,444.58 8. Warrior Farmer Project

Through the Warrior Farmer Project, Gooder Longer, LLC will support the 

Desert Forge Foundation in providing hands-on farmer training to Veterans 

through direct support of labor to small local farms in Central New Mexico. 

$40,000.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

9. Cooking with Kids Farmto-School Project: 

Supporting and Expanding 

New Mexico Grown

The Cooking with Kids, Inc. Farm-to-School Project: Supporting and 

Expanding New Mexico Grown will enhance the competitiveness of New 

Mexico specialty crops by building upon past success in creating integrated 

school-based programs. The project aims to increase school market 

demand for New Mexico grown fresh fruit and vegetables and expand 

student, family, and school staff awareness and consumption of these 

crops.

$69,594.36

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 

10. Promotional Campaign 

to Increase Consumer 

Awareness of New Mexico 

Chile 

The New Mexico Chile Association (NMCA) will concentrate its efforts on 

increasing consumer awareness of New Mexico chile by promoting New 

Mexico grown chile from farmers around the state. The New Mexico 

Certified Chile Program is a non-profit labeling program that farmers, 

processors, manufacturers, distributors, restaurants, and others can use to 

showcase that they only use New Mexico grown chile. This project aims to 

increase the consumer demand for New Mexico grown chile and set a 

benchmark for sales of New Mexico chile to evaluate future opportunities.

$60,000.00

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$794,444.58 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.

$63,555.56
87

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,634,815.07 

1. Enhancing NYS Specialty 

Crop Producers Resilience 

Post-COVID

Cornell University Regional Agriculture Teams will provide research and 

grower education to enhance production of tree fruit, grapes, and 

vegetables to help New York farms recover from COVID-19 challenges. 

Variety evaluation trials will be conducted for asparagus, fresh market 

potatoes, and wine grapes to provide growers with the newest and most 

profitable varieties that are adapted to the NY climate, and results shared 

through newsletters, twilight meetings, and winter conferences. Harvest 

maturity testing will be conducted for western, NY apple varieties to 

inform the optimum harvest period and suitability for storage, and the 

results will be sent directly to growers via. fax or text. Fruit business 

planning will be conducted in consultation with individual farms in 

western, NY to promote good financial and risk management practices. 

$300,000.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,634,815.07 

2. Produce Safety 

Consultant Training and 

Certificate Program

Cornell University, with personnel associated with the Produce Safety 

Alliance and the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University (IFS@CU), 

will develop a produce safety consultant training and certificate program 

to ensure those working with the fresh produce industry have the 

necessary food safety knowledge and background. The project will identify 

courses that would provide necessary microbial produce safety knowledge 

to build content competence in individuals that work with the fresh 

produce industry to reduce microbial risks on farms and in packinghouses. 

$200,000.00

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,634,815.07 

3. Advertising and 

Promoting NYS Specialty 

Crops

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) will 

continue our consumer-facing marketing campaign to increase the 

competitiveness of NY specialty crops by increasing wholesale and retail 

awareness, demand, and distribution avenues which will lead to an 

increase in NY specialty crop sales. Marketing activities will be multichannel, including production of promotional materials for use at point-ofsale locations, and purchasing strategic advertisements in radio, digital, 

billboards, television, and print media. 

$1,004,512.40

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,634,815.07 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.

$130,302.67
88

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 1. Health and Safety for 

Specialty Crops

East Carolina University- North Carolina Agromedicine Institute (‘the 

Institute’) will lead and execute the Health and Safety for Specialty Crops 

(HASSC) project. The Institute will work with specialty crop producers and 

workers to reduce the risk of COVID-19, other communicable diseases 

(e.g., flu, E. coli, etc.) and injuries/fatalities that could interrupt and/or 

adversely affect the production of NC specialty crops. Risks will be reduced 

through the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), mini grants 

for specialty crop producers to make improvements to work site and 

migrant housing, and education/technical assistance on strategies to 

maintain a safe and healthy work environment

$400,000.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 2. NC Horticultural 

Promotion Project

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will 

promote NC grown produce regionally and globally to prospective 

wholesale, retail, and direct buyers. Working with growers to create and 

build strong relationships in the produce industry will enable the growers 

to increase sales and distribution of current and new products. 

Furthermore, a GAP certification and Water Cost Reimbursement program 

will decrease the actual cost of growers to add or maintain Food Safety 

Standards.

$400,000.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 

3. Overcoming COVID-19 

Specialty Crop Access 

Challenges 

The University of Mount Olive Lois G. Britt Agribusiness Center works with 

various partners and audiences to promote agriculture and agricultural 

commodities. Specialty crop production is an important component of 

North Carolina’s agricultural industry and economic impact. This proposal 

seeks to fulfill three primary strategic initiatives: 1) improve access to 

specialty crops to increase consumption; 2) develop information on 

strategies to improve efficiencies in specialty crop production while 

maintaining Good Agricultural Practices and food safety protocols 

including greenhouse fruit and vegetable production; and 3) improved 

education and awareness on the nutrition and other benefits of specialty 

crop consumption. 

$223,775.00
89

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Carolina 

Department of

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 4. N.C. Agritourism 

Networking Association

The N.C. Agritourism Networking Association will promote the Visit NC 

Farms mobile app to the 51 million visitors to North Carolina annually and 

the 10.4 million residents. Season-by-season marketing campaigns will be 

designed to drive potential customers to download the app, search by 

farm or product interests and invest in the diversity of the state’s specialty 

crop growers through the user-friendly digital tool. The app team will 

efficiently maximize the use of these funds by promoting specialty crops 

seasonally. 

$398,682.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 5. Fruit and Flowers for 

FFA 

The North Carolina FFA Association will provide hands-on educational 

opportunities for students across North Carolina to learn more about 

orchard and floriculture crops by revitalizing statewide agricultural 

education curriculum and providing plant materials to agricultural 

education programs in middle and high schools across the state.

$200,000.00

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$1,679,971.39 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.

$44,040.44

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

1. Providing Farmers with 

Resources to Help their 

Customers Increase 

Consumption of Specialty 

Crops

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) will create a series of 

web episodes that show how to cook and preserve specialty crops. The 

NDDA will create materials targeted to consumers to increase the 

consumption of specialty crops. The episodes and corresponding recipes 

will be made available to specialty crop producers. 

$365,380.40

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

2. Using Honey Samples to 

Monitor Pathogens and 

Parasites in North Dakota 

Beekeeping Operations

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center (NAGC) will develop 

molecular diagnostics for two parasitic protozoans and the Tropilaelaps 

mite to incorporate into a surveillance program using honey samples from 

commercial and hobby beekeepers in North Dakota.

$179,861.00
90

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

3. Increase the Value for 

North Dakota Potatoes 

through Education and 

Establishing a New Brand

The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) will create a 

branding plan to showcase North Dakota grown potatoes as best-in-class 

in the market; develop marketing tools directed towards customers, chefs, 

and consumers to communicate the culinary, sustainability and nutritional 

value of North Dakota potatoes; and provide tools for educators to use in 

and out of classrooms to enhance the understanding and challenges of the 

potato from springtime planting to fall time harvest.

$250,000.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

4. Assist Grower/Shippers 

Promote and Sell North 

Dakota Grown Potatoes at 

National/International 

Trade Shows

The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association will provide a venue at 

the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit trade shows in October 

2022 and October 2023 for fresh potato packing sheds and growers to 

market and sell Red River Valley Potatoes to grocery chains and 

foodservice providers nationwide with the end result being to increase the 

awareness and consumption of North Dakota grown potatoes.

$144,680.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 5. Within Field Distribution 

of Potato Virus Y

The University of Minnesota – Northwest Research & Outreach Center will 

use highly accurate GPS, digital mapping, and spatial statistics to identify 

and describe any predictable, within-field distribution of Potato Virus Y in 

seed potato fields of North Dakota. These distributions will be used to 

develop recommendations for targeted application of management tactics 

(e.g., scouting, rogueing and management inputs) designed to improve the 

economic and environmental sustainability of North Dakota seed potato 

production.

$104,807.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

6. Determining Interaction 

of Nematode and Fungal 

Pathogens for Control of 

Root Rot of Field Pea

The Department of Plant Pathology at North Dakota State University will 

determine the molecular types of pin nematode species widely present in 

pea fields in North Dakota, develop a new real-time PCR assay for rapid 

detection and identification of the nematode species, evaluate the effects 

of co-inoculation of pin nematode and fungal species on root rot, growth 

and seed weight of field pea, and further compare the effects of infection 

from both pathogens with the infection of nematode or fungal species 

alone. 

$116,120.00
91

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

7. Pulse Grain 

Bioprocessing for 

Enhanced Nutritional 

Profiles and Functional 

Properties 

North Dakota State University will develop a green and tunable bioprocess 

by combining microbial (Aspergillus oryzae and Lactobacillus plantarum) 

and/or enzymatic conversion to enhance the nutritional and functional 

properties of pulses. The aim of this project is to tackle the nutritional, 

sensory, and physiochemical challenges currently faced by using pulse 

grains (yellow pea, lentil, and chickpea) as functional ingredients in food 

systems.

$193,332.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

8. Utilizing RemoteControlled Irrigation for 

High Tunnel Tomato and 

Pepper Productions in ND

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) will establish a contractual 

relationship with the State Department of Agriculture to lead and execute 

the vegetable irrigation project. This project will enhance the 

competitiveness of tomato and pepper productions through greater 

capacity of sustainable practices resulting in increased yield, reduced 

inputs, increased efficiency, increased economic return, and/or 

conservation of resources.

$122,808.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

9. Digging Deeper in 

Potatoes by Developing an 

Electronic Potato 

Production Book

North Dakota State University Extension Potato Agronomy program will 

develop an electronic potato production book complete with photo 

galleries, videos, research data and other information that will assist 

potato growers in making quick, critical management decisions. The book 

will include information on production practices from planting to growing 

the crop and storage of the potato tubers.

$246,540.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

10. Filling the Pits Caused 

by Potato Common Scab in 

North Dakota

North Dakota State University plant pathologists and extension 

professionals will partner with a potato common scab expert from USDAARS to improve the management of this disease in North Dakota in both 

the near- and far-term. Using pathogenic Streptomyces isolates collected 

from North Dakota, we will evaluate resistance in cultivars commonly 

grown in North Dakota. In addition, we will evaluate 2,4-D for the 

management of common scab.

$223,000.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

11. New Technology to 

Fight an Old Foe: 

Characterizing Resistance 

to Potato Powdery Scab

North Dakota State University potato breeder and plant pathologist, 

alongside the University of Minnesota potato breeder will improve our 

understanding of the genetics of resistance to powdery scab of potatoes, 

with the ultimate goal of developing cultivars resistant to this increasingly 

important and management-evading pathogen.

$201,619.00
92

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

12. Marketing NDSU Select 

Trees and Tree Value 

Education

The North Dakota State University proposes the development of an 

informational website and tree labels to be utilized in community 

plantings. Both of these marketing/educational opportunities would be 

positive for the NDNGLA and NDUCFA associations and help with 

increasing sales and public awareness.

$72,205.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

13. Managing Sclerotinia 

Head Rot in Confection 

Sunflowers with Beevectored Clonostachys 

Rosea and Partially 

Resistant Hybrids

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 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.

$118,483.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

14. Specialty Fruits and 

Vegetables: Increasing 

Knowledge, Skills and 

Consumption Among 

Youth and Adults

North Dakota State University Extension specialists, faculty, and staff from 

at least 25 counties and external partners will enhance knowledge and 

safe food handling of specialty fruit and vegetable crops from field to fork. 

The project will create new educational materials related to specialty fruits 

and vegetables grown in North Dakota targeting both youth and adults.

$81,464.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

15. Predicting Potato 

Growth in the Red River 

Valley 

North Dakota State University will develop potato bulking models and a 

calculator to help potato growers determine the best time to desiccate 

vines in preparation for harvest. With a predictive model, potato growers 

could increase returns by saving time to dig and size potato tubers, 

increase yield by not removing so many tubers from the field and preserve 

other plants by not damaging them to walk into the field.

$122,384.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

16. New Slow Darkening 

Bean Specialty Market 

Classes for Improved Seed 

Quality and Market 

Expansion

The North Dakota State University (NDSU) dry bean breeding program 

successfully developed and released a slow darkening (SD) pinto variety, 

ND Palomino. We propose to extend to introduce the SD trait into 

cranberry, pink, and light red kidney market classes that are also prone to 

darkening issues.

$58,828.00
93

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

17. Managing Silver Scurf 

Blemish for Improved 

Marketability of Table 

Potatoes

Researchers in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Plant Sciences 

Department at North Dakota State University will conduct research to 

manage silver scurf blemish disease of red and yellow table potatoes. This 

will be accomplished by identifying selections from the NDSU potato 

breeding program with genetic resistance to silver scurf and by testing 

efficacy of chemical and biological compounds applied as seed treatments 

and in-furrow treatments at planting.

$152,437.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

18. Detection of 

Viruliferous Stubby Root 

Nematodes in Fields for 

Managing Corky Ringspot 

Disease of Potato

The Department of Plant Pathology at North Dakota State University will 

develop a new real-time PCR assay to detect Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) 

vectored by stubby root nematodes in infested potato fields, improve the 

conventional PCR assay to identify TRV in single viruliferous stubby root 

nematodes, establish a biological system to increase viruliferous nematode 

populations and then eliminate TRV from the viruliferous nematodes, and 

apply the PCR assays to test soil samples collected from various fields in 

North Dakota to validate the assays and determine the viruliferous field 

stubby root nematode populations. 

$169,892.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

19. Green Foxtail 

Screening for Herbicide 

Resistance and Tank Mix 

Antagonism

North Dakota State University will screen green foxtail populations 

collected from across the state for resistance to commonly used herbicides 

in small grains and broadleaf crops. In addition, NDSU will evaluate various 

grass plus broadleaf herbicide tank mixes to determine if one product is 

reducing the effectiveness of another product (antagonism). The project 

will help us understand where herbicide resistance is developing and will 

help determine if tank mix antagonism is another reason green foxtail is 

not being controlled.

$66,611.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

20. Utilizing Low Tech 

Portable Caterpillar 

Tunnels to Increase 

Productivity of WarmSeason Vegetables and 

Small Fruits

North Dakota State University will establish an agreement relationship 

with the State Department of Agriculture to lead and execute the project 

to utilize low-tech portable caterpillar tunnels to increase productivity of 

warm-season vegetables and small fruits. NDSU will evaluate the use of 

caterpillar tunnels for the productivity of two vegetables and two small 

fruits.

$106,469.00
94

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

21. Optimizing Fungicide 

Spray Droplet Size for 

Improved White Mold 

Management in Dry Beans

The NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, in collaboration with the 

NDSU Robert Titus Research Farm in Oakes, will conduct field research to 

optimize the delivery of fungicides for improved management of white 

mold in dry beans and will conduct outreach to North Dakota and 

Minnesota dry bean producers.

$116,932.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

22. Biodegradable Mulches 

for Environmentally 

Responsible Pest 

Management in Fruit and 

Vegetable Crops

North Dakota State University will investigate how cellulose-based 

biodegradable soil-applied mulches, as replacements for widely used 

plastic or polyethylene mulches, can suppress multiple pests (weeds and 

insects) in horticultural specialty crop production systems using the 

transplanted model crops, strawberry, and cabbage. The technologies 

developed by the proposed project are aimed at increasing weed 

suppression and decreasing insect pest pressure by disrupting pest biology 

and increasing beneficial natural enemies.

$99,483.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

23. Field Pea Gene 

Expression Response to 

Salt-Affected Soils

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center 

and Plant Sciences Department will investigate field pea response to 

increasing salt concentrations. The resulting gene expression profile will be 

used in the selection of parents for future crosses to achieve greater salt 

tolerance in field peas.

$184,047.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

24. Evaluating Maple 

Cutting Propagation to 

Eliminate Grafting Issues

The North Dakota State University Woody Plant Improvement Program will 

evaluate cutting propagation methods for Korean maple (Acer 

pseudosieboldianum) and hybrids, Miyabe maple (Acer miyabei), Norway 

maple (Acer platanoides), Purpleblow maple hybrids (Acer platanoides x 

Acer truncatum) and trifoliate maples (Acer griseum, paperbark maple; 

Acer mandshuricum, Manchurian maple; Acer triflorum, threeflower 

maple). This project will focus on best management practices for 

developing propagation methods utilizing vegetative cuttings to eliminate 

the need for grafting.

$68,374.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

25. Automated Irrigation 

for Commercial Production 

of Watermelon, Squash, 

and Muskmelon Cultivars 

in Oakes

The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABEN) and 

Department of Plant Sciences (PS) at North Dakota State University (NDSU) 

will work with the Oakes Irrigation Research Site (Oakes) to use an 

automated irrigation system for commercial production of watermelon, 

squash, and muskmelon near Oakes, ND.

$104,301.00
95

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

26. Evaluating the 

Feasibility of Growing and 

Cultivating Guar and Black 

Gram in North Dakota

The North Dakota State University will conduct research on the feasibility 

of growing and cultivating guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) and black 

gram (Vigna mungo L.) to provide growers new specialty/legume crops 

that promote agricultural sustainability through increased crop 

diversification and farm income.

$97,002.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

27. Integrated 

Improvement Process of 

Cold-Hardy Grapes; from 

Breeding, Production, to 

Sensory Analysis

North Dakota State University will establish an agreement relationship 

with the State Department of Agriculture to lead and execute the project 

to identify grapevines with superior phenolic profiles and examine 

antioxidant, phenolic, and colorimetric characteristics of seedlings within a 

breeding population.

$166,117.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 

28. Evaluating Black 

Currants, Cantaloupes, and 

Haskaps for Fruit 

Composition and Superior 

Health Attributes in ND

North Dakota State University Agriculture Experiment Main Station will 

establish an agreement relationship with the State Department of 

Agriculture to lead and execute the project to evaluate blackcurrant (Ribes 

nigrum), cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) and haskaps (Lonicera caerulea) 

cultivars for fruit yield and quality, fruit composition, and health attributes.

$124,857.00

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$4,333,597.74 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.

$275,504.34

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

1. The Ohio Department of 

Agriculture: Ohio Victory 

Gardens Program

The Ohio Victory Gardens program is a collaboration between the Ohio 

Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Ohio State University (OSU) 

Extension Offices. Victory Gardens originated during World War I, an 

answer to a severe food shortage at the time. The idea was wildly 

successful, growing an army of amateur gardeners and serving to boost 

morale and patriotism. During the hard times that fell on the nation in 

March of 2020, ODA Director Dorothy Pelanda decided reviving the Victory 

Gardens effort could help Ohioans. In collaboration with OSU, the program 

encourages people to plant seeds, realize the fruits of their labor, and 

share with others if inspired.

$ 33034.13
96

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

2. The Ohio State 

University (OSU)- 

Improving Anthracnose 

Management in Ohio 

Pepper and Tomato 

Production Systems

The Ohio State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service will 

improve anthracnose control in peppers and tomatoes by determining 

which fungicides are now ineffective due to fungicide resistance in the 

pathogen Colletotrichum, identifying alternative effective fungicides and 

optimal application timing, reducing inoculum in soil through anaerobic 

soil disinfestation, and disseminating results to stakeholders through 

established online, printed and in-person Extension approaches.

$90,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

3. The Ohio State 

University (OSU)- Next 

Generation Diagnostics 

and Surveillance for Ohio 

Specialty Crops

Plant diseases limit specialty crop production in Ohio. Swift and specific 

detection is critical to mitigate losses caused by pathogens such as 

bacteria. The OSU Emerging Infectious Disease Ecology, Vegetable 

Pathology, Ornamental Pathology and Fruit Pathology programs will 

improve an in-house sequencing-based workflow to identify bacterial plant 

pathogens affecting Ohio specialty crops. 

$140,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

4. The Ohio State 

University (OSU)- 

Supporting Ohio’s Cut 

Flower Industry Through 

Diagnostics, Disease 

Management and 

Outreach

The Ornamentals Pathology laboratory at The Ohio State University will 

work in partnership with the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research 

Unit to support Ohio’s specialty cut flower industry through improved 

plant health by identifying disease threats, developing sustainable disease 

management solutions, and educating growers through outreach 

programs.

$110,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

5. The Refugee ResponseOhio City Farm Wash-Pack 

Station: Improved 

Infrastructure supporting 

CSA, Restaurant and Farm 

Stand Retail

Ohio City Farm will use this grant to install a seasonally heated and 

enclosed wash-pack station for improved efficiency, capacity, food safety, 

and worker comfort while processing produce for our CSA program as well 

as restaurant and farm stand sales. This will not only enable our staff to 

produce a higher-quality product at a higher volume more efficiently and 

safely, but also to utilize the space during cold weather and prevent our 

hydrant water connection from freezing; such an improvement will allow 

us to access water for produce washing and production tunnel irrigation 

throughout the winter. 

$16,400.00
97

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

6. The Ohio State 

University (OSU)- New Life 

for Old Trees: Hard Cider 

Innovations for Ohio 

Legacy Varieties

An experienced team of horticulture and hard cider researchers from Ohio 

State University will seek to apply alternative fruit processing techniques 

to improve the quality and marketability of juice and hard cider derived 

from heritage apple varieties such as Cortland, Macintosh, Jonathan, and 

Melrose. The work will seek to establish a critically needed value-added 

application for the thousands of acres currently planted to these varieties 

in Ohio. 

$110,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

7. The Ohio State 

University (OSU)- 

Improving Ohio Chestnut 

Production by 

Understanding Blossom 

End Rot Disease and 

Improving Grafting Success

The Ohio State University, Department of Plant Pathology, in collaboration 

with Ohio chestnut producers will increase our understanding of the 

chestnut blossom end rot disease cycle through controlled field studies 

and increase grafting success through the use of biocontrol agents. 

Findings from this study will be disseminated to producers through video 

and traditional factsheets, newsletters, and grower meetings.

$100,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 

8.Oberlin Food HubModernizing the Oberlin 

Food Hub Warehouse to 

Increase the 

Competitiveness of 

Specialty Crops to 

Institutional Customers

The Oberlin Food Hub seeks to modernize the warehouse, order, and 

inventory management systems to increase the competitiveness of Ohiogrown specialty crop sales to institutional customers and other food hubs 

in our network. Modernization will increase the efficacy and accuracy of 

specialty crop sales to provide better service and ensure all potential sales 

are leveraged. Project will include incorporating bar code scanners into the 

warehouse inventory management system for receiving and shipping 

practices, replacing the manual, human error ridden practice now. Finally, 

with increased food safety regulation in the not-too-distant future, OFH 

aims to be ahead of the mandated traceability requirements.

$75,000.00

Ohio 

Department of 

Agriculture

$760,304.48 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.

$76,270.35

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 

1. Empowering HomeBased Oklahoma Specialty 

Crop Processors with 

Custom Food Safety 

Training

Oklahoma State University Extension specialists will develop and offer a 

new food safety education and outreach program for home-based 

specialty crop processors of Oklahoma. The project will provide 

customized hands-on food safety training to prepare Oklahoma's homebased entrepreneurial specialty crop processing establishments to meet 

the Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act training requirement (HFFA).

$141,605.00
98

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 

2. Increasing Awareness of 

Native Pecans Through 

Public Education

Oklahoma Pecan Growers’ Association (OPGA) proposes to conduct an 

educational campaign to enhance the awareness of native pecans by local 

and national consumers and to provide landowners with information and 

guidance needed to take advantage of this indigenous agricultural 

resource. 

$150,000.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 

3. Development of An 

Oklahoma Landscape Plant 

App For iOS & Android

Oklahoma State University Extension will develop a landscape plant 

selection app for use on iOS and Android. This app will help consumers 

identify plants that suit their landscape needs and recommend specialty 

crop nursery species that are adapted to Oklahoma’s climate. The 

database that will populate the recommendations will be based on those 

plants recommended by various OSU Extension publications.

$55,120.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 

4. Development of Online 

Master Gardener Training 

Course and Individual 

Topic Horticulture 

Outreach Classes

Oklahoma State University Extension will develop online e-learning 

program for Oklahoma Master Gardener education that can be used as 

“train the trainer” course for county educators as well as a tool they can 

use to train Master Gardeners.

$68,252.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 

5. Specialty Crop 

Producers’ Education 

Support Initiative

Mid-America Technology Center (MATC) will facilitate training for specialty 

crop producers in Oklahoma through four modules of educational training 

over a two-year period. MATC will target 100% specialty crops that can be 

grown in Oklahoma and is confident that 40 producers would meet the 

requirements for applying for this training opportunity.

$113,988.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry

$797,812.77 

6. Specialty Crop 

Professional Development 

for Educators and Bilingual 

resources for students.

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom will create a professional development 

opportunity for teachers through 4 one-day workshops (2 workshops in 

year one and 2 workshops in year two) and printing bilingual specialty crop 

educational resources for students to be used in their classrooms.

$111,550.00

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 7. Oklahoma Specialty 

Crop Educator Tours

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom will create a professional development 

opportunity for teachers through 4 one-day rolling workshops. The 

teachers will visit Oklahoma specialty crop producers throughout the state 

during various times of year in order to see different types of specialty 

crop production. The purpose of this project is to provide meaningful and 

relevant professional development for Oklahoma educators.

$15,122.00
99

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Food, and 

Forestry 

$797,812.77 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.

63,825.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

1. Co-Packing 

Opportunities Using 

Oregon Grown Specialty 

Crops

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Agricultural Development 

and Marketing Program (ADMP), in collaboration with local and regional 

partners, will develop a networking tool to increase the gap between the 

scale of co-packing and small and medium-sized specialty crop growers; 

especially among emerging, black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) 

and women-owned food and beverage businesses. This project contributes 

to the ODA’s Oregon Food and Beverage Roadmap, an online guide to 

connect food and beverage businesses to public agencies and private 

organizations, including ODA, Business Oregon, OSU Food Innovation 

Center, PCC Getting Your Recipe to Market.

$125,000.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

2. Rebuilding Business 

Relationships in Asia for 

Oregon’s Specialty Crop 

Products

Oregon Department of Agriculture will bring Oregon’s food and beverage 

specialty crop products together in a concerted effort to overcome the 

impacts of COVID-19 and create a broader image for Oregon’s food and 

beverage products in strategic and high-potential Asian markets. The 

project aims to develop informational material about Oregon’s specialty 

crops targeted to key Asian markets and potential customers in those 

markets; complete a trade mission to two Asian markets; and host an 

inbound trade mission to continue engagement with buyers form the 

Asian markets visited. 

$194,294.00
100

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

3. Pantry to Table: 

Inspiring Home-Cooks’ 

Usage of Oregon Specialty 

Crops

Representing nearly all shelf-stable specialty-fruits, The Canned Food 

Alliance (CFA) seeks to build new users by sharing benefits of OR shelfstable specialty-crops (pears, cherries, and fruit cocktail) with US homecooks via influencers, capitalizing on covid-related trends of increased 

home-cooking and demand for pantry-ready ingredients. The project aims 

to encourage increased purchase and consumption of Oregon specialty 

crops; to continue to educate consumers, influencers, and other 

stakeholder/decision-makers about the “picked-fresh, packed fresh” 

nature of Oregon shelf-stable fruits, thus dispelling outdated myths about 

canned fruits; and to educate consumers and influencers about how and

why to purchase Oregon/US Grown shelf-stable pears, cherries and fruit 

cocktail—instead of product from China, Greece or Italy.

$198,500.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 4. Grandma’s Hands 

Future for Family Health

The Rockwood Community Development Corporation of Oregon (CDCO)

and its partners will increase the consumption of specialty crops among 

African American communities in the Greater Portland Metro Region, 

building off the success of our first Grandma’s Hands project funded by 

ODA Specialty Block Grant Program. We will expand the scope of 

Grandma’s Hands from Rockwood to the entire Portland Metro area 

(including Vancouver if allowable). We will reinstate a key element of the 

original project to connect grandmothers and their grandchildren through 

food. This element of in-person interaction was abandoned due to Covid19 restrictions and represents pandemic recovery and the full strength of 

this project idea. 

$175,500.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

5. Connecting Oregon 

Specialty Crop Producers 

Affected by COVID-19 to 

Retailers 

For over a decade, the Good Food Foundation (GFF) has connected 

producers of sustainably sourced food with top-flight retailers, actively 

nurturing the Good Food ecosystem and expanding the market reach of 

small and mid-sized food producers across America. This 18-month 

endeavor will connect over 125 Oregon producers, utilizing an array of 

Oregon-grown specialty crops, with buyers to drive market permeation 

and increase sales, with a special focus on rural food and beverage 

producers through access to both in-person and virtual trade shows and an 

innovative grocery store end cap that will promote Oregon specialty crop 

producers across the country.

$125,000.00
101

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

6. Expanding Wholesale 

Market Infrastructure for 

Columbia River Gorge 

Specialty Crops

The Gorge Farmer Cooperative will increase local food sales by promoting 

the existing Online Farmers Market model for direct-to-consumer sales, 

coordinating crop production among members, increasing membership, 

and adding and promoting a wholesale component to the online platform 

where inventory management is decentralized to individual farmers, 

meanwhile, marketing, ordering, invoicing, and delivery is centralized by 

the cooperative.

$151,100.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

7. Oregon Hazelnut 

Spotlight Tour for Regional 

Grocers and Foodservice 

Distributors

The Hazelnut Marketing Board will organize an industry tour that will bring 

approximately 25 representatives from 20-25 Pacific Northwest and west 

coast grocery store and foodservice companies to the Willamette Valley to 

showcase the Oregon hazelnut industry, thereby establishing relationships 

that will lead to more Oregon hazelnuts on grocery store shelves and in 

the foodservice marketplace.

$45,800.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

8. Value Chain 

Coordination in Central 

Oregon

The High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA) on behalf of Central 

Oregon specialty crop farmers and buyers will hire an identified Value 

Chain Coordinator to increase purchasing of Central Oregon specialty 

crops by individual consumers, restaurants, and wholesale buyers from 

small to mid-sized specialty crop farms. Buyers will have access to a larger 

variety and volume of regional specialty crops, and consumers will gain 

knowledge and exposure. 

$158,614.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

9. Outreach to Expand Use 

of Olive Plant Material in 

Beverages 

La Creole Orchards, a pioneering olive grower in Oregon will conduct a 

well-planned outreach effort directed at 250 to 300 beverage industry 

professionals to inspire them to use olive plant material (bark, leaves, and 

twigs from pruning) in their beverages. We will target both alcoholic and 

non-alcoholic beverages producers. We believe producers of beer, cider, 

gin, vermouth, etc., and producers of teas and energy drinks will respond 

well to outreach about the benefits that olive plant material can impart to 

their products.

$60,855.00
102

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

10. Connecting Berry 

Farmers to Virtual 

Networking and Learning 

Opportunities

Northwest Berry Foundation (NBF) proposes to modernize and upgrade 

our communication efforts and kickstart interaction. Much of the cost of 

this will be establishing these services. NBF’s grant funding goals are as 

follows: create an online forum for berry industry stakeholders, tied to our 

website and newsletter; expand NBF’s social media presence as responsive 

information platforms; and hybridize our upcoming events for both in 

person and online participation.

$140,985.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

11. Cider Club! Innovative 

Collective Sales Strategy 

for Oregon Craft Cider

The Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) will lead and execute a domestic 

market access and development project designed to enhance the 

competitiveness of 12+ specialty crops through increased sales of and 

access to Oregon craft cider. Craft alcoholic ciders are value-added 

products that utilize local farmers' supplies of apples, grapes, cane berries, 

stone fruit, berries, hops, and botanical herbs. 

$199,968.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

12. Crops in Class: An 

Educational Exploration of 

Oregon’s Specialty Crops

Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation will work to increase 

student knowledge about specialty crops and provide relevant STEM 

education through the development and distribution of classroom kits and 

augmentation of a statewide agricultural literacy project.

$137,214.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

13. Building Capacity for 

New Direct Markets for 

Oregon's Specialty Crops 

Farmers 

Oregon Agritourism Partnership (OAP) will provide direct marketing, 

technical support, and business assistance workshops for out-of-network 

Oregon Specialty Crop family farmers to be able to begin selling products

and services direct to the public; and provide Oregon Farm Loop (OFL) 

partners new promotional opportunities to showcase and sell products 

directly to the public.

$70,450.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

14. Oregon Hop 

Promotions to Women 

Craft Brewers in the US

The Oregon Hop Commission will promote Oregon grown hops to women 

craft brewers in the US by creating virtual hop harvest visits which will 

include video tours of the Oregon hop growing region and Oregon grown 

hops for sensory and brewing evaluation.

$48,200.00
103

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

15. Market Development 

and Access for Northwest 

Caneberries in South 

Korea 

The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission (ORBC) along with inkind support from the Washington Red Raspberry Commission (WRRC) will 

work to establish necessary access to the South Korean market in order to 

sell processed whole Northwest blackberries and raspberries. Creating a 

trading relationship with South Korea is fundamental to the sustainability 

of the blackberry and raspberry industry, giving local farmers confidence in 

continued industry growth after challenges due to COVID-19.

$110,827.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

16. Consume Something 

Amazing: Learn to Love 

Your CSA Share

The Pacific Northwest Community Supported Agriculture Coalition 

(PNWCSA) Coalition will develop a campaign of tips, tricks, and toolkits to 

help CSA consumers get the maximum enjoyment and value from their 

CSA shares, leading to higher CSA member renewal rates and increased 

CSA sales. The materials developed in this project will be available to 

consumers and farmers in our region and across the country and will be 

disseminated by the PNWCSA and our external project partners.

$199,697.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

17. Expanding Markets 

through Capacity Building 

of Rogue Valley Food 

Network

The Rogue Valley Food System Network (RVFSN) will leverage the 

resources of multiple stakeholders to coordinate and expand five regional 

projects that address the documented needs of specialty crop producers in 

Southern Oregon. These efforts will support the development of new 

market channels for producers, including farm-to-institutions, agritourism, 

cooperatives, food hubs, and direct to consumer. Outcomes of the project 

include enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops through 

increased sales and enhancing their competitiveness through increased 

consumption.

$201,741.00
104

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 

18. Expanding Awareness, 

Access, and Agritourism in 

Rogue Valley Wine 

Country

Rogue Valley Vintners seeks to grow national interest in Rogue Valley Wine 

Country (RVWC) agritourism, wine sales and distribution to accelerate 

COVID recovery. The project plans to 1) increase awareness of RVWC; 

creatively engaging new and younger wine consumers and 

wine/agritourism visitors; 2) grow wine sales, increase awareness and 

competitiveness, and enhance regional wine club offerings to include food, 

confectionary, and artisanal pairings; 3) build and expand partnerships 

that broaden RVWC’s reach and distribution channels regionally and 

nationally; 4) host wine writers/media to educate about the region and 

promote it as a wine/agritourism destination; and 5) offer education 

program for winery and restaurant staff on exceptional service, regional 

wines and promoting RVWC.

$199,587.00

Oregon 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,742,866.66 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.

$199,534.66

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

1. Evaluating the Impacts 

of Spotted Lanternfly 

Feeding Damage to 

Grapevines 

Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University will develop new 

information for optimizing management of spotted lanternfly in vineyards 

by evaluating the effects of spotted lanternfly population density on grape 

yield, vine growth, and wine chemical composition and by disseminating 

results to stakeholders through various extension outlets.

$123,966.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

2. Enhancement of 

Nutrient Carryover and 

Accumulation Levels in 

Beans and Broccoli

Roale Institute will evaluate yield and nutrient levels carried over and 

accumulated in soil, bean and broccoli crops in cropping systems that will 

include cereal crops and will disseminate results to stakeholders at grower 

meetings and field days.

$159,800.00
105

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

3. Effective and Reliable 

BioControl to Support 

Greener Specialty Crop 

Production

Specific Objectives: a) investigate which edaphic factors influence 

biocontrol efficacy against tomato diseases, b) develop tools needed to 

research how chemical-mediated interactions around plant roots affect 

plant health and biocontrol efficacy, and c) widely disseminate the 

resulting resources and insights to facilitate efforts to develop biocontrol 

strategies for diverse specialty crops. Anticipated Outcomes: a) new tools 

and data from the project will enhance our understanding of the 

mechanism of soil ecology processes critical for biocontrol efficacy; b) an 

enhanced understanding of which factors affect biocontrol efficacy will 

help design biocontrol strategies optimized for individual production 

systems; c) similar studies with other specialty crops

will increase.

$216,943.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

4. PA Preferred Culinary 

Connection with Focus on 

Promoting Pennsylvania 

Specialty Corps

Strategic Contracting, Inc. will plan and coordinate the 2023 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.

$71,209.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

5. Developing a Bee 

Identification Expert 

System to Evaluate 

BioDiversity Losses and 

Conservation

Penn State will develop an on-line bee identification expert system to be 

used by agricultural researchers, students, and government agencies to 

quantify the wild bee community pollinating fruit and vegetable crops in 

the Mid-Atlantic. With this tool, the progress of augmentation and 

conservation programs can be quantified as can the impacts of 

conventional and organic pesticide. With a better understanding of the 

hundreds of bee species that pollinate these crops, sustainable pollination 

can be assured at a time when over-reliance on the honeybee is uncertain 

due to various factors known as Colony Collapse Disorder. 

$100,274.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 6. E-Commerce & Specialty 

Crops: Educational Series

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture will connect specialty crop growers with new 

and diverse markets by partnering with farmers as peer-to-peer educators 

to increase knowledge of and access to ecommerce technology, market 

discovery tools, and customer conversion solutions.

$85,575.00
106

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

7. Diversified Vegetable 

Pre-Apprenticeship 

Program

The LEAF Project will implement the newly registered Diversified 

Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship (or DVP) over the course of the 2022 and 

2023 growing seasons and further develop the curricular and training 

materials in the process. The Pre-Apprenticeship is a robust agricultural 

training program that includes 225 hours of hands-on training as well as 25 

hours of related technical instruction. LEAF will hire 40 youth from diverse 

backgrounds into paid positions and will teach core farming competencies 

& knowledge necessary for success in producing specialty crops, business 

planning and financial goal setting skills, and best practices in workforce 

readiness. LEAF seeks to employ youth from diverse backgrounds, 

including socially disadvantaged groups.

$79,130.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

8. Villa Maria Farm 

Specialty Crops Education 

and Training Project

The Villa Maria Farm Center for Regenerative Agriculture is a project 

supported and developed by Community Partnership, Inc. with the Sisters 

of the Humility of Mary, for the purpose of supporting the education and 

development of new and beginning farmers. This project seeks to provide 

specialty crops education (focused on organic growing methods) to ten 

new and beginning farmers per year though onsite learning in 

demonstration gardens and virtual and in-person learning circles. 

$151,106.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 9. Factors Driving Chemical 

Quality of Ramps

Penn State University will investigate factors determining the chemical and 

sensory quality of ramps (Allium tricoccum and A. burdickii). These results 

will support growers in developing a consistent product, identifying ramp 

stocks that maximize ramp quality and value, and better understanding 

consumer preferences for ramps.

$89,366.00

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

10. Spent Mushroom 

Compost Recycled as 

Casing

Penn State University and Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania will 

perform studies to identify new mushroom casings. The impact of COVID19 on many businesses nationally has seen a re-evaluating and 

reconsidering multiple core businesses, lines of revenue and social and 

environmental impacts. Peatland management in the US and Canada are 

pulling back production for a number of environmental and climatechange-impact related reasons. Further, the COVID-created supply chain 

disruptions and shortages have been brought to an urgent head for PA the 

mushroom industry, whose main source of casing--the absorbent layer of 

peat that keeps mushroom compost/soil wet—has been cut off. 

$55,400.00
107

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 

11. Good Agricultural 

Practices (GA)/ Good 

Handling Practices (GHP)/ 

mushroom Specific GAP 

(MGAP) Cost-Share 

Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will provide financial support 

through cost sharing of applicable certification fees to producers and 

processors who successfully complete a USDA Good Agricultural Practices 

(GAP) or USDA Good Handling Practices (GHP) or Mushroom Specific GAP

(MGAP) audit annually. The program will provide a maximum 

reimbursement of up to $500 towards one successfully completed audit 

per year.

$129,438.14

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,398,304.67 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.

$136,097.53

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

1. Enhancing 

Competitiveness of 

Specialty Crops by 

Increasing Consumption, 

Access, and Awareness.

Corporación Juvenil para el Desarrollo de Comunidades Sostenibles 

(CJDCS) Specialty Crops Grant’s goals are to educate, inspire, and empower 

students, teachers, and local community members by providing knowledge 

of the health benefits and advantages of growing and consuming highquality specialty fruits and vegetables while learning how to farm. The 

project includes virtual workshops, visits to the community garden, 

nutritional-based educational workshops so they can learn the health 

benefits of growing and consuming high-quality specialty fruits and 

vegetables and, culinary workshops by local chefs using locally grown 

specialty crops, specifically those grown in the five schools. 

$9,550.92

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

2. Mitigate the Impact that 

the Pandemic Has Had on 

the Agricultural Production 

of Hydrofarm Pagan Inc.

Hydrofarm Pagan Inc. is a Puerto Rican corporation dedicated to the 

production and sale of coriander and lettuce, in hydroponics, which are 

distributed in 16 supermarkets in the north and central areas of Puerto 

Rico. We request funds to implement a project to install laundry facilities 

for the sanitation of employees in front of each hydroponic, as well as 

personal protective equipment.

$9,950.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

3. Farm in The City as a 

Resilient and a Virus-Safe 

Program for Specialty 

Crops to the Community.

Farm in the City LLC has been harvesting in a controlled environment 

technology and marketing specialty crops for restaurants and 

supermarkets for two years. We’ve been marketing our premium products 

with traditional bag packaging, with present Covid times, we need an 

integration of plastic virus-safe clamshells where the product will be safer 

to our community.

$9,986.00
108

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

4. Covid-19 Prevention 

Strategies Focused on the 

Occupational Health and 

Safety of Agricultural 

Employees. 

Bananera Fabre Inc is an agricultural company that, like many farmers, has 

been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The main objective of this 

project is to provide the local banana industry with the efficiency of the 

implementation of adequate materials and tools as prevention of COVID19.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

5. Hidroponicos del Pais, 

Inc. COVID-19 Defense 

Program

Hidropónicos del País, Inc. is a family-owned hydroponic farm that 

produces different varieties of lettuce for local supermarkets in the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. We will mitigate the spread of COVID 19 

within our personnel by increasing cleaning, disinfection, and personal 

protective equipment efforts.

$9,990.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

6. Mitigate the Impact that 

the Pandemic Has Had on 

the Agricultural Production 

of Finca Don Pancho

Finca Don Pancho, with a territorial extension of 23 acres, is dedicated to 

the production and sale of bananas, citrus, and coffee. It requests funds to 

implement a project to install a container storage, as well as personal 

protective equipment.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

7. Prevention and 

Mitigation of Covid-19 

Risks in the Operations of 

Hidrocultivos Carolinenses 

Inc.

Hidrocultivos Carolinenses Inc. will reinforce its plan to prevent and 

mitigate the risk of infection by covid-19 in daily operations; through the 

implementation of new measures to protect personnel, disinfection of 

packing and processing areas, planting areas, equipment and tools used 

daily in the company and harvest transportation fleet.

$9,971.52

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

8. Avoid contagion and 

spread of covid-19 in 

HYDRO M.A.S.

HYDRO M.A.S is dedicated to the hydroponic cultivation of herbs basil, 

baby arugula, mesclun, coriander and parsley with 20 years of experience. 

The harvest is distributed to restaurants and wholesale distributors. 

HYDRO M.A.S will avoid covid-19 outbreak on the farm and clients by 

providing cleaning, disinfection and personal protection items to all 

personnel and developing a health and food handling protocol.

$9,826.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

9. Agrotica Inc. Protects 

the Employees and 

Workplace from the 

Spread of COVID-19

Agrotica, Inc.’s purpose is to help employees identify if they have been 

exposed to COVID-19 and to take the proper measurements to prevent 

infection and outbreak by giving them the guidance, instructions, and 

Personal Protective Equipment advised by the Puerto Rico Health 

Department to produce specialty crops. 

$9,954.00
109

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

10. PB Farm, Corp. is 

Preventing the COVID-19 

Transmission

PB Farm Corp. is proposed to give the employees the proper education to 

help identify the exposure to COVID-19 and wants to give them all 

necessary resources for a better and safe place to work.

$9,943.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

11. Preventing the Spread 

of COVID-19 in Agro 

Tropical, Inc.

Agro Tropical, Inc. is intended to help workers identify COVID-19 exposure 

and to take appropriate steps to prevent infection regardless of 

vaccination status, giving them guidance, support and PPE suggested by 

the CDC and the Puerto Rico Department of Health.

$9,955.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

12. Agropek COVID-19 

Spread Prevention 

Improvement - HR133

Agropek will implement specifics measure to protect the employees of the 

farm from the Covid-19 virus. Also, these measures will protect the safety 

of consumers and visitors from Governmental Agencies in the farm. The 

control of the entrance, cleaning and disinfecting stations, PPE and 

sanitizing station will be implemented in different areas of the farm to 

evade the spread of contamination.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 13. Integral Safety 

Procedures

CAPI, Inc.’s proposal emphasizes the protection and prevention practices 

against COVID-19. This project will mitigate the spread of the virus and 

keep our produce safety for the consumers. The funds will be used to buy 

materials that strengthen the preventive measures established to maintain 

health worldwide.

$7,819.21

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

14. Protecting Food 

Production During 

Pandemic Times in Finca 

Atabey

Finca Atabey will partner with the Department of Agriculture 

implementing different practices to protect our employees and our clients 

of the dispersion of the COVID-19 disease and to protect our production of 

specialty crops. The specialty crops that this project will be promoting are: 

avocado, cilantro, passion fruit, okra, and peppers. We want to implement 

a better protocol to maintain the areas that are going to be in contact with 

our products in a safer disinfected environment.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 15. Exposure Control Plan 

to Covid-19

Tropical Fruit LLC is a company dedicated to the growth, packing and 

worldwide mango export. This plan was developed to help us in promoting 

health and safety among our employees and create a safe work 

environment, with the necessary methods for the prevention of the spread 

of COVID-19, through the acquisition of hygiene materials.

$9,998.39
110

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

16. Increase the Safety of 

our Employees and 

Prevent the Spread of the 

Covid 19 Virus

E&D Herbs Medicine Natural Products LLC’s project will implement 

security materials for the prevention of Covid 19 so employees feel more 

reliable in their work area. Our farm has specialized since 2017 in 

promoting the planting of medicinal crops.

$6,684.84

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

17. Strengthening COVID19 Safety Procedures to 

Better Serve the Plenitud 

PR Staff and Community in 

Las Marías PR

The purpose of this protocol is to maintain the welfare of employees, 

members, and the safety of the organization and to comply with the 

established regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA y PROSHA). Plenitud PR will strengthen COVID-19 

safety procedures for staff, trainees, volunteers, and visitors of the farm.

$9,965.75

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 18. Hacienda La Mia INC. 

Covid 19 Free

Due to Covid 19, our products were affected by lack of labor since they did 

not show up to work for fear of being infected. Hacienda LA Mia INC. will 

fight covid by keeping distance between employees. We will provide tools 

to promote social distancing.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 19. Safety Team

Semilla LLC is committed to helping prevent the spread of Covid among 

employees, customers, collaborators and volunteers through disinfection 

and infection prevention protocols. The requested equipment and 

materials will help run this process more efficiently and alleviate 

operational costs that have increased as a result of Covid.

$9,999.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

20. Mitigate the Impact 

that the Pandemic has had 

on the Agricultural 

Production of La Granja de 

Jofry LLC

La Granja de Jofry LLC. is a Puerto Rican corporation dedicated to the seed 

germination, for the propagation of fruit trees, production

and sale of bananas, and coffee, guava, lemon, and papaya, which are 

distributed in supermarkets and other farmers in central areas of

Puerto Rico. We request funds to adjust our facilities that allow us to 

protect employees from the contagion of Covid-19.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

21. Mitigate the Impact 

that the Pandemic has had 

on the Agricultural 

Production of Empresa 

Agricola Miranda Torres 

Inc.

Empresa Agricola Miranda Torres Inc. is a Puerto Rican corporation 

dedicated to the production of bananas, name, sweet peppers, celery, 

pumpkin, taro, yautia, taro, yautia, and coffee. We request funds to adjust

our facilities that allow us to protect employees from the contagion of 

Covid-19.

$10,000.00
111

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

22. Maintenance and 

Enhancement of Specialty 

Coffee and Citrus Crops

Offeecay, Inc. is a farm focused on specialty coffee and specialty citrus. 

Amid the COVID pandemic the availability has been reduced significantly 

to the point of risking the existence of the farm endeavor. The solution is 

to provide workers with COVID protective materials.

$9,078.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 23. Finca Rosado, Inc.

Finca Rosado, Inc is a small family farm business. It is dedicated to 

hydroponic planting and harvesting, it produces lettuce and coriander. 

With these funds, the project will be promoting our products so that it 

reaches the consumer in a safe, clean, and healthy way.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

24. Rico Banana, Inc. 

Health, Safety and 

Sanitation Proposal

Rico Banana, Inc’s main goal is to prevent the spread of Covid-19 within 

our facility by increasing the availability of personal protective equipment 

(PPE) and increasing sanitation. This way, the company will mitigate the 

impact of the pandemic in regard to employee safety and sanitation of its 

facility. 

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

25. Plantas de Puerto Rico 

is Dedicated to Offer a 

Plants Propagation Service 

to Farmers, Growers and 

Government

Planta de Puerto Rico offers the plants propagation service for farmers, 

ornamentals growers, homeowners, and Universities. This project will 

implement practices to protect ourselves from the spread of COVID-19 

among our employees and their families.

$9,980.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 26. Purchase Security 

Articles for Farm H Market

The purpose of Finca H Mercado’s project is to maintain the safety of the 

employees against Covid-19. During the pandemic, we were closed by 

government order and our farm had a loss of fruit since they could not be 

collected. In addition, we did not have personnel to work since they were 

afraid that they could catch the virus.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

27. Improved Facilities in 

Compliance with Covid-19 

Protocols

The purpose of Jeanmarie Chocolat’s project is to improve the existing 

facilities to ensure social distancing between visitors and employees, 

acquire additional sanitations equipment, and enhance safety protocols. 

This project will also allow us to offer agritourism activities and cacao 

seminars.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

28. Mitigate the Impact 

that the Pandemic has had 

on the Agricultural 

Production of Finca Raices

Finca Raices’ project will protect employees from the contagion of Covid19. This project will also make possible to comply with all Federal and 

State regulations that have been presented due to the pandemic.

$10,000.00
112

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

29. Good Practices to 

Reduce the Effects of 

Covid-19

The effects of the pandemic within our farm caused us to lose entire 

batches of products due to lack of labor. We continue to work to prevent 

and counteract the effects of COVID-19 and its new variants within our 

agricultural company. MS Produce LLC’s goal is to increase workforce 

through training and protective equipment, as well as places for personal 

hygiene.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

30. Mitigation Measures 

Against Covid 19 in Coffee 

Roasting Facility

Empresas de Cafe LLC is a company dedicated to the coffee roasting 

agricultural operation. This project requests funds to transform the 

roasting coffee production into a safer environment for employees and 

visitors.

$9,838.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

31. LR Farm Development 

LLC Protection Plan 

Against COVID-19

LR Farm Development LLC is a company dedicated to the production of 

coffee, bananas, and citrus. COVID 19 has increased operating costs by 

requiring sanitation and protection equipment for employees. With this 

project, it is expected to keep employees and their family’s health and 

have a successful operation.

$9,990.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

32. Gonzalez Martinez 

Farm is Committed to 

Contribute to the Food 

Supply of Puerto Rico

Gonzalez Martinez Farm Inc. is a Puerto Rican company whose purpose is 

to produce and market high quality agricultural products in the categories 

of farineceous and vegetables. This project will address the void of fresh 

locally produced food products that affects Puerto Rico's food supply chain 

including but not limited to plantains, bananas, squash, and yams.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 33. Juan González Vargas

Juan González Varga’s farm will address the void of fresh locally produced 

food products that affects Puerto Rico’s food supply chain. The project is 

newly created, it will cover the need for the central area, especially the 

towns adjacent to the municipality of Comerío.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

34. Prevent the Spread of 

COVID 19 Among 

Employees, Visitors from 

Government Agencies, 

Clients, and Service 

Providers who Visit us at 

the CH Agro Farm

CH Agro Inc.’s project will provide employees and visitors with disinfection 

and quality control places to mitigate and / or avoid the spread of Covid19. This will be achieved via the disinfection and protective equipment 

material. 

$10,000.00
113

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

35. Amasar LLC - ValueAdded Processing of 

Breadfruit (Panapen), a 

Highly Nutritional and Sub 

Utilized Specialized Crop in 

Puerto Rico.

Amasar LLC is a woman-led agribusiness dedicated to the value-added 

processing of Breadfruit (Panapen), a superfood. With this project, we will 

purchase supplies needed for facility cleaning, employee’s protection, and 

workstation settings.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 36. Avoiding Covid in Finca 

Dos Hermanas

Finca Dos Hermanas is an agricultural company, with 100% renewable 

energy, is focused on satisfying the Puerto Rican market and taste using 

breadfruit with a particular focus on the population that suffers from food 

intolerances and allergies. This project will use tools and strict cleaning 

management to keep employees and visitors protected at all times from 

any possible spread COVID-19.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

37. Produce Healthy Food 

that We Can Sell and 

Contribute to Food 

Security

The purpose of De mi Tierra a Mi Pueblo Corp’s project is to acquire 

protection material for our agricultural company to be able to participate 

in agricultural markets safely in the presence of covid-19. Also prepare our 

facilities to receive the public.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

38. Covid 19 Protection 

and Materials Disinfection 

to Control Pathogens: 

Fresas y Uvas Rose, Las 

Piedras, PR

Fresas y Uvas Rose farm’s project aims to reach the greatest number of 

people to motivate them to grow specialized crops such as strawberries, 

grapes, asparagus, broccoli, among others. This project will help increase 

the amount of food available for their families. We want to reach children 

especially in schools by providing them with the necessary education to 

start their garden. In addition, this project will aim to avoid contagion of 

COVID 19 and its variants between workshop’s participants, visitors, 

volunteers, and employees that visit the Fresas y Uvas Rose farm at Las 

Piedras, PR.

$10,000.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

39. Prevent and Improve 

Good Agricultural Practices 

Covid 19 HR133

Agro Industria y Cosntructora Moroveños Inc.’s project will aim to avoid 

contagions within the work area that may affect the continuity of crops 

and promote job security. With the proposal will seek to promote 

efficiencies, mechanization, and automation of systems.

$10,000.00
114

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 

40. Essential Items to 

Prevent the Spread of 

Covid 19 in Agricultural 

Projects in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture and the Puerto Rico Agricultural 

Development Innovation Fund’s project will maintain the welfare of the 

employees and the safety of the agricultural project in order to comply 

with the regulations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC). Puerto Rico is among the countries that have been greatly affected 

by the Covid 19 pandemic and with this project, we hope to provide the 

necessary tools so that agribusinesses and specialty crop farmers can clean 

and disinfect the work and packaging areas.

$249,670.00

Departamento 

de Agricultura 

de Puerto Rico

$641,131.53 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.

$8,981.90

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$363,910.51 

1. COVID-19 Impacts 

Assistance Program for 

Rhode Island Specialty 

Crop Producers

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Division of 

Agriculture (RIDEM) will offer and provide a mini grant program for eligible 

expenses related to COVID-19 that benefit the production and distribution 

of Rhode Island specialty crops. Throughout the pandemic three areas 

have impacted Rhode Island Specialty crop production and marketing – 

Food Safety, Digital Marketing, and direct COVID-19 expenses. These are 

the three areas this project will focus on.

$310,766.53

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$363,910.51 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.

$53,143.98

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 

1. SCDA Marketing: “Come 

and Get Your Love” at 

Certified Roadside 

Markets/ Community 

Farmers Markets

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) Marketing 

Department will develop a robust consumer education and marketing 

campaign to drive consumption and purchases of South Carolina (SC) 

specialty crops at retail establishments, farmers’ markets, and roadside 

markets throughout the year. This marketing project will educate 

consumers on SC crop availability, the impact and importance of buying 

locally and regionally, and mechanisms for sourcing local products. 

$300,021.72

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 

2. SC State 1890 Chickpea 

Research for New Markets 

in SC

South Carolina State University (SCSU) 1890 Research and Extension 

Program will evaluate the growth and yields potential of chickpeas 

production and its economic viability as a specialty crop in the sandy soils 

of South Carolina’s Midlands. 

$100,000.00
115

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 3. GAP Consultation and 

Cost Share Program

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture Agency Operations Division 

(SCDA) will develop and implement a new, robust Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) Consultation and Cost Share Program to assist specialty 

crop growers with expanding markets for greater growth and profitability. 

Partnering with The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) for the 

technical assistance and educational components of this program will 

create the capacity to support all specialty crop growers in the state who 

are seeking increased marketability through GAP certification.

$294,829.69

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 

4. SC Black Farmers 

Coalition Grower 

Conference

Hosted by the SC Black Farmers Coalition, the annual SC Black Farmers 

Conference is designed to bring important information, technical 

assistance, farm skills workshops, on-site tours, and other networking 

resources to new and established Black farmers across the state in order 

to build the capacity of these farms to be more profitable and sustainable 

across generations.

$19,183.28

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 

5. SC Specialty Crop 

Growers Association 

Packaging Program

The South Carolina Specialty Crop Growers Association is seeking funding 

to continue to administer the program for small and medium-sized 

specialty crop growers. This project will be a continuation of the 2021 

project, “Enhancing the South Carolina Specialty Crop Industry through 

Value-added packaging” allowing specialty crop growers to offset the 

burdensome cost of packaging expenses for growers through the costshare reimbursement. This project will enable more growers to increase 

their share of South Carolina’s specialty crop industry while complying 

with market outlet packaging requirements.

$25,200.00

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$798,373.47 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.

$76,821.27
116

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,545.43 

1. Measure the Impact of 

Climate Smart Product, 

PlantCatalyst®, on 

Reduction of Fertilizer and 

Soil Health

A public-private partnership between CAW Industries, Inc., and South 

Dakota State University (SDSU) will build on previous research projects to 

expand knowledge of how PlantCatalyst® can be used to improve soil 

health and reduce greenhouse emissions from synthetic fertilizers. SDSU 

will develop a multi-year series of field trials at their West River Research 

Farm to expand upon results observed in previous laboratory experiments 

indicating that use of PlantCatalyst® has a demonstrably positive affect on 

soil activities including fungi and bacterial development as well as field 

trials showing how using PlantCatalyst® allows farmers to reduce 

dependence on nitrogen fertilizer while improving soil health. 

$59,830

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,545.43 

2. Increasing the 

Awareness and Use of 

Local Food Retailers who 

Aggregate Specialty Crops 

for Public Purchase

South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) will increase the 

sales of specialty crops by promoting shopping at local food retailers which 

are selling specialty crops from multiple producers. As a result of our 

project, there will be an increase in specialty crop sales, and more 

customers will become accustomed to purchasing their produce at 

alternative retail sites. 

$94,354.00

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,545.43 

3. Increasing Capacity for 

High Tunnel Research and 

Education in South Dakota 

to Continue Improving 

Specialty Crop Production

South Dakota State University Extension Specialists will assist beginning 

and experienced specialty crop producers in their understanding of high 

tunnel assembly and management through hands-on workshops at the 

Specialty Crop Research Field in Brookings, SD. Agricultural service 

providers from non-profit, private, and government entities will gain skills 

to support specialty crop producers in the site planning, assembly, and 

management of high tunnels. Students, educators, and consumers will 

learn about season extension and how it can influence access to local 

produce, strengthening opportunities for farm to school initiatives.

$140,830.00
117

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,545.43 

4. The Future of Specialty 

Crop Food Aggregation 

and Distribution in 

Western and Central South 

Dakota: Infrastructure and 

Logistics Capacity Building

The Value-Added Agriculture Development Center (VAADC) will develop a 

pilot program with at least 6 individual specialty crop growers to create a 

combined regional distribution route along Interstate 90 in western and 

central South Dakota that will operate from June 15 to October 1 during 

the three-year project. The producers will aggregate specialty produce and 

amalgamate delivery logistics to generate a collaborative and optimized 

seasonal delivery system to increase specialty crop sales to institutions, 

farm to school, restaurants, and direct-to-consumer markets. The 

information and data gathered from this project will be used to form an 

aggregation/distribution cooperative that can potentially serve statewide 

specialty crop producers. 

$205,798.00

South Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$534,545.43 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.

$33,733.43

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

1. The Field School: A 

Beginning Farmer Training 

Program for Northeast 

Tennessee

The Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council (ARDC)

will train Specialty Crop Beginning Farmers on business, marketing, and 

financial planning, and sustainable production practices to increase 

production efficiencies, farm income, and environmental sustainability. 

Through the Field School Beginning Farmer Training Program, ARCD will 

reach 35 specialty crop farmers with training and education and support at 

least 17 of them to implement new practices and technologies resulting in 

increased yields, reduced inputs, increased efficiency, increased economic 

return, and conservation of resources.

$49,983.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

2. Open Market 

Consortium: Using Smart 

Contracts to Connect 

Regional Specialty Crop 

Producers with 

Institutional Purchasers

AgLaunch formed the Open Market Consortium (“OMC”) to enable 

producers to capture value from special-attributes (e.g., / heirloom, 

MWBE-grown, non-GM, no-till [sustainable], PickTN) by connecting them 

via a decentralized smart contract system to purchasers. OMC will 

leverage this funding to onboard Tennessee specialty crop farmers to the 

Open Market Tennessee marketplace and to host listening sessions to 

better build the OMC tool to meet the needs of Tennessee specialty crop 

producers.

$24,904.80
118

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture 

$735,830.09 3. Specialty Crop Training 

and Demonstration Farm

Cul2vate grows and delivers nutritional food into local food deserts 

providing access to nutritious food in those areas. This project will enable 

Cultivate to work in collaboration with other organizations to provide end 

user education as to nutritional information, Food Safety, and Good 

Agricultural Practices (GAP).

$49,650.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

4. Promoting and 

Expanding Market-To-Go 

Year-Round, and the 

Winter Farmers’ Market in 

Oak Ridge

Grow Oak Ridge, a 501(c)(3) organization in Oak Ridge, TN, runs the Winter 

Farmers’ Market. It established Market-To-Go (MTG), an online ordering 

system with curbside pickup at the market in Dec. 2020 as a response to 

the COVID-19 pandemic. This project seeks to expand and promote MTG 

through digital and print advertisements to attract new customers to 

locally grown foods, and to support specialty crop growers with higher 

income both at the Winter Farmers’ Market and with Market-To-Go yearround.

$25,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

5. Enhancing the 

Competitiveness of 

Specialty Crops by 

Increasing Sales for 

Farmers in Northeast 

Tennessee

Jonesborough Locally Grown will increase sales of specialty crops in 

Northeast Tennessee through our markets by 1) implementing multimedia campaigns that follow selected specialty crops from the farm to the 

table (how it is grown, who grows it, where to buy it, what to do with it), 

using a variety of marketing and educational methods, including blogs, 

videos, farm excursions, social media activities, classes and others; 2) 

conduct food drives where customers can buy products to be donated to a 

local food bank; and 3) share results, lessons learned and resources with 

other organizations responsible for promoting and selling specialty crops.

$20,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

6. Driven Growth: 

Increasing Demand for 

Specialty Crops Through 

Tennessee Wine Trails

To keep grapes as a significant part of Tennessee agriculture, Mountain 

Valley Vineyards (MVV) believes it is vital to continually promote the grape 

and wine industry within our state. A feasible and effective way of 

accomplishing this goal is by utilizing cross promotion through Wine Trails. 

The process of selling grapes to wineries creates a value-added system 

where Tennessee grape farmers receive the best possible price for their 

fruit; thus, creating an environment for sustainable growth in this viable 

agricultural sector.

$25,000.00
119

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

7. Using Local Foods to 

Promote Farm to School 

Educational and 

Procurement Initiatives in 

Tennessee

The Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network (LFN) is working with 6 

school districts in Weakley and Gibson Counties to support the 

development of Farm to School (F2S) programming with a key focus on 

increasing local food procurement, educational opportunities, and growing 

food initiatives.

$20,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

8. Pick TN Conference 

Speaker Fees and 

Conference Costs

The Pick TN Conference is an annual conference provided to expand 

revenue for TN agriculture by providing educational workshops for farmers 

across the state. It is made up of 8 statewide members associations: TN 

Fruit and Vegetable Association, TN Association of Farmers Markets, TN 

Beekeepers Association, TN Professional Plant Producers Association, TN 

Agritourism Association, TN Farm Winegrowers Alliance, TN Organic 

Growers Association and TN Christmas Tree Growers Association.

$54,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

9. Addressing Covid-19 

Supply Chain Disruption 

and Meeting Local Market 

Demand for Specialty 

Crops

Seven Springs Farm will purchase and install a standalone drive-in cooler 

to address supply chain disruption issues caused by Covid-19 and aid in 

meeting demand and expanding new markets for specialty crop growers.

$24,687.56

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

10. Tennessee Organic 

Growers Conference 

Speaker Fees and 

Equipment

The Tennessee Organic Growers Association holds an annual meeting as 

part of the Pick Tennessee Conference. There are seven other statewide 

organizations coming together to present this conference. With the 

cooperation of all these organizations, we can provide an atmosphere of 

learning that will encourage individuals to share information with each 

other, building a relationship among growers which extends beyond the 

conference date. The project will allow us to hold not only an in-person 

sessions, but a virtual option as well for those not comfortable attending in 

person.

$20,000.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

11. Memphis Grows – A 

Landmark Farm Specialty 

Crops and U of M Clinical 

Nutrition Collaboration to 

Increase Knowledge of the 

Nutritional Benefits of 

Specialty Crops

Develop an educational program utilizing specialty crops produced on 

ground at Landmark Farms for Double Bucks SNAP participants to increase 

their awareness of the benefits of these crops in promotion of health and 

wellness and disease prevention as well as encourage increased 

consumption of these crops.

$24,948.00
120

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

12. Creating a Cycle of 

Sustainability on the 

Homestead 

The University of Tennessee (UT) Extension-Greene County, Northeast 

Tennessee Research and Education Center, and the UT Extension Big 

Spring Master Gardener Association-Greene County will foster the 

innovation of backyard homesteading practices to enhance year-long 

production at minimal cost for consumer horticulture residents in 

Northeast Tennessee through scientific investigation of on-site projects, 

and thereby disseminating results via grower meetings (virtual and non), 

field days, and workshops.

$24,771.00

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$735,830.09 

13. Development of an 

Educational Campaign for 

Consumers to Increase 

Awareness and Access to 

Tennessee Specialty Crops

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will increase the awareness and 

access of specialty crops through a yearlong educational campaign that 

will feature Tennessee specialty crops during their appropriate growing 

season.

$372,885.73

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 1. Water-Efficient 

Turfgrass for Texas

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service seeks to advance the 

competitiveness of the Texas turfgrass industry through applied research 

and Extension activities that promote more sustainable and resilient 

turfgrass systems across seven major ecoregions. This project will both 

enhance consumer awareness and advance stakeholder knowledge around 

the performance and management of several new turfgrass cultivar 

releases 

$170,115.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

2. Improving the Potential 

Profitability of Spinach 

Production in Texas via a 

Disease Nursery and 

Fungicide Trials

The Texas Wintergarden Spinach Producers Board will work with TDA in 

cooperation with Cargile Consulting, MV Consulting, Washington State 

University, Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Service and Tiro Tres Farms (Ed 

Ritchie) to establish a spinach disease screening nursery on a 4-acre plot at 

Tiro Tres Farms in Crystal City, TX. Diverse spinach varieties will be 

screened to identify those with resistance to each of four foliar diseases 

that affect spinach production in Texas, so that Texas growers can 

potentially reduce inputs and increase profits. 

$100,000.00
121

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 3. Harvest for the Hungry 

Farm to Fork Initiative

Harvest for the Hungry (H4H) is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization will 

execute this project to increase the availability and consumption of 

healthy farm to table foods (specialty crops of broccoli, brussels sprouts, 

cabbage, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, melon, okra, radish, squash, 

tomato as defined on the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service website) to 

rural Brazoria County, Texas. 

$150,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

4. Cyber-Physical System 

for Automatic Disease 

Detection of Greenhouse 

Crops

Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and project partner Texas A&M AgriLife 

Extension Service, will develop a cyber-physical system (CPS) for the early 

detection of disease symptoms to assist growers in timely decision-making 

for spraying or other crop management operations. While the project will 

primarily benefit tomato and spinach growers, the methodology can be 

expanded to other specialty crops as well.

$119,952.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

5. New Cultivars and 

Production Technologies 

to Strengthen the Texas 

Cantaloupe Industry

This research project is being proposed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research 

(TAR) in collaboration with the produce industry to promote sustainable 

production of high-quality cantaloupes in the Pecos, Lower Rio Grande 

Valley, and Winter Garden regions of Texas. We anticipate identifying at 

least 3 to 4 superior new hybrids and will generate substantial quantities 

of hybrid seed for Texas cantaloupe growers. Additional new hybrids will 

also be generated in the first 6 months of the project among some elite 

parents with very high sugars (TSS>14) and good powdery mildew 

resistance. 

$113,814.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 6. Increasing the 

Awareness of Texas Wines

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) aims to increase awareness, as 

well as inform and educate, Texans on the growth Texas has seen in the 

wine industry over the last decade. TDA would like to sub grant these 

outreach and education activities to each of the 8 major Texas Wine 

Associations across the state (listed above as our partners). We believe 

these associations will be able to tailor their efforts to meet the needs of 

the grape growers and wineries in their respective areas.

$200,000.00
122

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

7. Uvalde County 

Underground Water 

Conservation District

Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District (UCUWCD), its 

partners, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension, and collaborators 4-

H Bexar County, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Harmony School of 

Innovation, Leal Middle School, and Martin Elementary School will 

collaborate to improve the health and nutrition of community members 

and the economic well-being of small- to large-scale Texas farmers 

through education and adoption of efficient "-ponics" systems and 

cultivation practices. 

$150,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

8. Revitalizing Figs as a 

High-Value Fruit Crop for 

Small Farmers in Texas

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension aims to partner with Stephen F. Austin State 

University, Stonehouse Figs, and Gundermann Acres to reinvigorate the 

fresh fig industry in Texas through two strategic field studies: 1) conduct a 

multi-site trial to identify fig varieties with the greatest yield potential in 

response to severe freeze; 2) establish a multi-site trial to evaluate the 

over 100 fig varieties available for the Texas fresh fruit industry and 

nursery industry. 

$39,471.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

9. Beyond Fresh Online: 

Educating Farmers in 

Value-Added Processing of 

Specialty Crops

The Texas Center for Local Food (TCLF) will create a series of online classes 

to increase Texas specialty crop farmers’ economic opportunity. The 

project will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through 

enhancing or improving the economy as a result of specialty crop 

development. The project will provide easily accessible, self-paced training 

that farmers can access remotely on their own schedules on any device 

using the existing and well-established online peer-to-peer learning 

platform TXFED.org that has over 500 enrollments with an overall positive 

rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

$250,000.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 10. The Awareness Project

The Awareness Project (TAP) seeks to develop and install a commercial 

scale (1200 sq ft. floor plan) indoor Hydroponic Urban Farm to educate 

new farmers, provide veterans jobs/training, educate about specialty crop 

nutrition, and increase access of specialty crops to underserved 

communities. 

$94,613.00
123

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

11. Feasibility of Novel 

Selections of Cider Apples 

in Texas for Value Added 

Commercial Cider 

Production

This project will use research-based information on the feasibility of 

growing apple cider type cultivars in order to supply this demand, helping 

increase their own profit margins. Thus, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 

Service aims to enter into a joint partnership with Washington State 

University (WSU) in collaborating with the North Texas Winery Association, 

Koelbl Farms, and the South Plains Food Bank Orchard in identifying 10 

select numbered WSU apple cider selections best suited for commercial 

across two distinct growing regions of Texas, the High Plains and North 

Texas. 

$17,802.60

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

12. Educating Texas 

Produce Farms on the 

Produce Safety Rule and 

Maintaining Produce 

Safety Standards While 

Working During the OnGoing COVID 19 Pandemic

The Texas Department of Agriculture, Office of Produce Safety will work

with growers to understand produce safety expectations and how worker 

health, worker hygiene, and food contact surfaces work in conjunction to 

assist producers in functioning effectively while maintaining a high 

situational awareness of the repository virus and its impact on operations, 

as COVID -19 continues to be a health risk factor to farms and their 

workers.

$104,962.26

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

13. Texas Pecan Industry 

Development and 

Sustainability Survey

The Texas Pecan Growers Association (TPGA) requests funding to conduct 

a thorough, post-Covid survey of the Texas pecan industry that will serve 

as an assessment of industry development, sustainability, and research 

needs. TPGA will attempt to characterize the current state of the industry 

and identify regional and statewide sociological, economic, natural 

resource, and biological production factors that further threaten or 

provide opportunities for Texas as a national leader in pecan production. 

$58,739.32

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

14. Improving and 

Expanding Ornamental 

Sunflower Management 

for the Texas Cut Flower 

Market

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will conduct research in two phases. Year 

1a: evaluate the budding profile of up to 20 commercial ornamental 

sunflowers for those suitable for research (cooperator fields, Erath & 

Lubbock Cos.). Year 1b: test a series of up to eight PGR chemicals for 

effective suppression of secondary budding (Texas A&M AgriLife Center, 

Lubbock). Year 2: field test the effectiveness of selected PGRs for chemical 

rate, timing, and effectiveness on select ornamental sunflower cultivars 

(Erath, Lubbock Cos.). 

$27,474.00
124

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

15. Analysis of Muscadine 

Markets in Texas: 

Identifying Consumer 

Preferences and Name 

Recognition

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will carry out an analysis of the 

potential market for muscadine grapes in Texas. Muscadines are native to 

East Texas and represent the only native American grape that has been 

improved through breeding and selection. 

$10,200.00

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 

16. Strengthening Urban 

Agriculture Through a 

Certificate Program for 

Hydroponic Specialty Crop 

Production

The Urban Agriculture team at Dallas Center propose to develop a 

comprehensive 3-day course on hydroponic crop production with handson activities, tours, and a certificate of completion. The course will consist 

of 8 lectures on topics such as introduction to hydroponics, insect and 

disease management, water and nutrient management, and food safety. 

$131,348.04

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 17. Texas 1015 Sweet 

Onions - A Texas Original

Texas International Produce Association seeks to expand support and 

brand awareness for the Texas 1015 sweet onion creating expanded brand 

tools, consumer engagement and desire for retail and foodservice support 

that will make the Texas 1015 onion the leading sweet onion during the 

March – June marketing sales window of seasonality ahead of any other 

sweet onion growing region – especially in Texas and neighboring states. 

$169,054.43

Texas 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,104,945.54 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.

$197,399.89

US VI 

Department of 

Agriculture

$325,454.45 

1. Establishment of a 

Provisional Outdoor 

Farmers Market to Help 

Reduce Incidence of 

Contracting COVID-19 and 

Future Virus or Disease 

Outbreaks

Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDA) is seeking to establish a 

Provisional Outdoor Farmers Market with a Corona Outreach Center to 

reduce incidences of contracting and spreading Corona Virus or future 

disease or out-breaks that occur in the USVI. This innovative response to 

the loss of the farmers market on St. Croix will increase the community 

access to specialty crops, while enhancing competitiveness of locally 

grown crops in the USVI. 

$253,792.00

US VI 

Department of 

Agriculture

$325,454.45 

2. Multiple Vegetable 

Production Systems for 

Food Security During 

COVID-19 in the U.S. Virgin 

Islands

University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) will improve the capacity for food 

security during emergency pandemics such as covid-19 in the U.S. Virgin 

Islands (USVI), by studying and promoting short-cycle, year-round 

production of highly nutritious vegetables in small backyard gardens. The 

scalability of the production systems will also be determined for regular 

field environments.

$45,709.82
125

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

US VI 

Department of 

Agriculture

$325,454.45 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.

$325,545.46

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 

1. Enhancing Cut Flower 

Production through 

Targeted Pest and 

Irrigation Management 

Improvements

Utah State University will conduct research to improve quality and yield of 

popular cut flowers and herbaceous flowering ornamentals. Flowers are an 

emerging and rapidly growing industry in Utah, but specialty crop growers 

lack regionally specific production information, thus often follow 

erroneous guidelines on social media.

$113,451.13

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 

2. Training and Educating 

Small Nurseries and 

Garden Centers on 

Installation and 

Maintenance of Smart 

Irrigation Controllers to 

Lower Irrigation Water

Utah State University (USU) Extension will directly partner with 120 

emerging small nurseries and garden centers, with less than two acres of 

production area, to educate employers and employees about the benefits 

of evapotranspiration-based smart irrigation controller (SC). We will also 

train them to install and maintain SC on their own and provide each 

partner enterprise with one of four different brands of SC. We will 

document the efficiency, water savings, ease of use and durability of each 

brand of SC over two growing seasons.

$86,729.00

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 

3. Learn, Grow, Eat and 

Go! Teaching Youth about 

Specialty Crop Care and 

Use Through 

Intergenerational Learning

Utah State University Extension will provide a new generation with 

education on specialty crop propagation, care, and nutritional use through 

curriculum development and youth education classes in gardens and 

classrooms in Salt Lake and Davis counties. Educational programs will 

include youth camps and clubs as well as intergenerational experiences. 

The project will include the entire life cycle of selected specialty crops, 

including propagation, growth, harvest, preservation, and culinary crop 

use.

$46,629.45

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 

4. Optimizing Pollination of 

Blueberries, Strawberries, 

Raspberries, and Other 

Specialty Fruit Crops in 

Utah

USDA ARS researchers in collaboration with NativeBees will document wild 

bee visitations to blueberries, strawberries, currants, and raspberries 

grown in Utah and test stocking densities of three Utah native solitary 

bees, Osmia ribifloris, Osmia lignaria, and Osmia bruneri, to optimize 

pollination of these crops.

$87,298.00
126

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 

5. Educate Consumers on 

How to Identify Utah Tart 

Cherry Products in the 

Marketplace

The Utah Red Tart Cherry Marketing Board (URTCMB) in partnership with 

the Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) will educate consumers on how to 

identify U.S. grown Utah cherry products apart from imported cherries in 

the marketplace.

$100,154.45

Utah 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Food

$489,662.58 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.

$55,400.55

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

1. Establishing a Tree Nut 

Processing Facility in 

Vermont, to Yield ColdPressed Culinary Nut Oils

Vermont Tree Nut Processors, LLC will support tree nut producers by 

initiating a value-added product to the tree nut value chain. We will buy 

nuts from growers and gatherers, then transform them into tree nut oils 

for culinary use. We will aggregate nuts from multiple sites, acquire 

equipment to prepare and press them, bottle the oil, and sell it. We will 

inform the public about nut oils through on-line material and in-person 

tastings, while tracking sales at different venues to determine 

effectiveness of the educational efforts. We anticipate a multiplier effect 

in tree nut nursery businesses as we provide a viable cash market for tree 

nuts. Partners include Vital Communities, Vermont Center for an 

Agricultural Economy, and Vermont Fresh Network.

$23,130.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

2. Distinguishing Vermont 

Apples Through History, 

Varieties, and Ciders

New England Apple Association, a nonprofit that has been promoting New 

England-grown apples since 1935, will increase the marketing power of 

Vermont apples by promoting its varieties, ciders, and history.

The project will contribute to a feasibility study for a proposed New 

England Museum of Apples and Cider that would provide year-round 

promotion and attract additional marketing funds. The project comprises 

two "traveling museum" festivals celebrating Vermont apples and ciders; a 

statewide inventory of historic artifacts; and a database of "preservation 

orchards" to enhance the viability of rare heirlooms. Vermont’s growers 

need immediate help and long-term planning. This project provides both.

$24,008.00
127

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

3. New HampshireVermont Christmas Tree 

Association Marketing and 

Promotion

This grant will leverage our ongoing efforts to promote increased 

production and sales of quality Christmas trees and related greenery. 

There is a particular need now to increase the number of Christmas trees 

grown in Vermont as there is a regional and national shortage of real 

Christmas trees that is projected to continue for years. The last two selling 

seasons (2020 and 2021) have seen unprecedented demand for Christmas 

trees in Vermont and elsewhere, at a time where Christmas tree growers 

(like many segments of agriculture) are aging. 

$24,400.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

4. Marketing and 

Promotion Campaign for 

Vermont Honey

The VT Beekeepers Association (VBA) will coordinate an educational 

campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of VT Honey; with the 

help of a media agency, we will create a logo, a tagline, and educational 

materials that VBA members will use to educate retailers and consumers 

on what makes VT Honey special and different. We will create a website 

that links producers, retailers, and customers, increasing and easing access 

to Vermont Honey.

$72,500.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

5. Increasing the 

Competitiveness of 

Vermont Specialty Crops 

by Advancing 

Organizational Services 

and Cultivating InterAssociation Partnerships

Vermont Fresh Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit member association of 

Vermont culinary and agricultural partners will increase its sustainability 

and its program of member services by investing in strategic development 

to include a program to assist producer associations and specialty crop 

growers in marketing and communications, and developing more 

opportunities as part of our broader effort in consumer education to 

communicate the value of locally produced specialty crop products in 

restaurants, farmers markets and on-farm experiences.

$40,600.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 6. Passport for Year-Round 

Maple Agritourism

The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association (VMSMA) will create a 

"maple passport" to encourage agritourism among maple producers 

around the state. This passport will be both on paper and part of a new 

Vermont maple app. Stamps will equate to Vermont maple gifts and the 

app will also encourage consumers to find new ways to use maple (e.g., 

easily accessible recipes) and purchase Vermont Maple branded items. 

This project will benefit both the VMSMA as a producers' association and 

local sugar makers through increased visitors, enhanced consumer 

relationships, additional consumer education and increased sales and 

revenue. 

$20,000.00
128

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

7. Vermont Blooms 

Passport Program 2022–

2023

The Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association (VNLA) will help increase 

sales in the ornamental horticulture industry by offering and promoting 

the Vermont Blooms Passport Program to the public for the benefit of 

VNLA member businesses that grow and sell specialty crops.

$19,000.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

8. Assisting Organic & BirdFriendly Maple Producers 

to Improve Biodiversity 

Practices in Vermont’s 

Sugarbushes

This collaborative project of Vermont Organic Farmers LLC (VOF) and 

Audubon Vermont will assist Vermont’s 244 certified organic and 68 birdfriendly maple producers to improve biodiversity practices in their 

sugarbushes by providing technical assistance, workshops, and best 

practice resources.

$40,206.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

9. Expanding the Capacity 

of the Vermont Vegetable 

and Berry Growers 

Association

The Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association will contract with 

Tamarack Media to design and launch an on-line marketing platform for its 

members, and it will hire a part-time staff to develop, test, and implement 

standard administrative operating procedures that will allow more 

specialty crop producers to expand and improve their market 

opportunities by participating in the Community Accreditation for Produce 

Safety (CAPS) program.

$48,560.00

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 10. Vermont Farm2Food 

Accelerator Pilot

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets will help women 

specialty crop farmers become more economically resilient by adapting 

the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) 

Foundation Farm2Food Accelerator training program curriculum to the 

needs of Vermont women farmers and piloting the program with two 

cohorts of famers and food entrepreneurs. The Farm2Food Accelerator 

training program helps women refine their food and beverage products, 

target their marketing, and explore expanding into new markets.

$14,387.69

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 

11. Technical Assistance 

for Specialty Crop 

Producer Association 

Grant Recipients

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets will help specialty crop 

producer associations build organizational strength and marketing 

expertise by hiring service providers to provide training and technical 

assistance to producer associations in these specific areas. The Vermont 

Agency of Agriculture will collaborate with the technical assistance service 

provider(s) to schedule and facilitate workshops for up to eight producer 

association participants and meet frequently with the consultant(s) to 

ensure the project is on track.

$40,000.00
129

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Vermont 

Agency of 

Agriculture

$433,030.13 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.

$66,238.41 

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

1. Building a Regional 

Aggregation and 

Distribution Network in 

Support of VA Specialty 

Crop Producers

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) will enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops by improving efficiency and reducing 

costs of distribution systems through the development of aggregation sites 

and distribution routes that connect farmers to buyers while also ensuring 

product is flowing to and from aggregation sites (reducing or eliminating 

deadheading), and that buyers along distribution routes are able to 

purchase more local and regional produce.

$70,480.87

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

2. Improving Pest 

Management for Virginia 

Cole Crops

Diamondback moth (DBM) and cabbage maggot (CM) are the two most 

important pests attacking cole crops in Virginia. Managing these two 

destructive pests represents a significant cost for growers every season. 

With limited alternatives to control them, the reliance on specific 

insecticides has already and will continue to result in resistance 

development in the pest populations. This project proposes the 

monitoring of different DBM populations for the presence of individuals 

with tolerance or resistant to current applied insecticides.

$72,224.91

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

3. Irrigation Method 

Selection and Nitrogen 

Fertilization for Potato 

Production on the Eastern 

Shore of Virginia

The Virginia Tech Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Education 

Center (AREC) will evaluate drip irrigation and soil moisture water sensors 

as alternative irrigation methods for potato production. Furthermore, we 

will identify potential interactions between nitrogen rates, irrigation 

system (overhead versus drip), and irrigation determination method 

(single crop coefficient versus soil moisture water sensors). 

$71,428.53

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

4. Exploring the use of 

Chitosan for Control of 

Grapevine Fungal Diseases 

in Virginia Vineyards

The Winemakers Research Exchange, in collaboration with commercial 

wine grape growers, will test the use of chitosan for the mitigation of 

fungal diseases in Virginia vineyards. The study will determine if this nontoxic biopolymer application has impacts on vine health, incidence of 

fungal disease, grape quality, and yield. Studies will be carried out at 

multiple sites over two vintages. Findings will be shared with grape 

growers at regional meetings and through newsletter distribution.

$62,003.98
130

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

5. Utilizing Beneficial 

Endophytes to Promote 

Hydroponic Vegetable 

Growth and Increase 

Profitability 

This project will seek to combine the unique skillsets of SPES and IALR to 

improve yield in hydroponic vegetable production by utilizing IALR’s 

collection of beneficial bacterial endophytes. Generally, endophytes 

promote plant growth, increase stress tolerance as well as fight against 

diseases, all of which will increase the profitability of hydroponics by 

increasing yield.

$63,708.53

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

6. Making Food Safety 

Certification and

Compliance Attainable for 

Virginia Farmers Facing 

Market and Regulatory 

Changes

This project ensures low-income new farmers in Virginia can access 

lucrative wholesale and retail markets by assisting them in obtaining 

appropriate food safety certification(s) and by interpreting, explaining, and 

assisting with the implementation of applicable Produce Safety Rules (PSA) 

that are a part of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FDA 

continues to change the proposed Final Rule of 2016, making the training 

and curriculum an ongoing moving target for farmers that are not exempt 

under FSMA.

$72,029.24

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

7. Enhancing Public 

Awareness of Virginia 

Floriculture and

the Competitiveness of 

Virginia Grown Flowers

The River City Flower Exchange will increase public awareness of Virginia 

floriculture and enhance the competitiveness of Virginia-grown flowers by 

developing and hosting educational workshops and events, as well as by 

developing and disseminating marketing that promotes Virginia-grown 

flowers.

$46,883.90

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

8. Year of the Apple: 

Growing Virginia’s Hard 

Cider Market by 

Showcasing VirginiaGrown Apples

The American Cider Association (ACA) will establish a contractual 

relationship with VDACS to execute and lead this marketing and 

promotions project strategically designed to grow sales of Virginia hard 

cider (hereinafter referred to as cider) made with Virginia apples through 

strategic marketing and cider education targeting consumers and culinary 

professionals. 

$70,012.40

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

9. Groundwork for 

Development and 

Management of a Virginia 

Focused Wine Grapevine 

Breeding Initiative

The Virginia Wineries Association will contract with the Winevine Breeding 

Initiative which will research the steps needed to build an initiative to 

utilize next generation genome tools to breed new varieties adapted to 

Virginia’s growing conditions and commercial needs. The scope of the 

proposed work in this grant is to research and set up the infrastructure 

and partners needed to execute the initiative’s goal of breeding new 

varieties for Virginia and the mid-Atlantic, establish the path forward and 

pursue outside funding opportunities.

$54,940.00
131

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

10.Evaluation of Cellulose 

Nanocrystals (CNCs) for 

Frost Protection of Apple 

and Stone Fruits

In this proposed project, Virginia Tech will comprehensively evaluate 

multiple aspects of using CNCs on tree fruits and pave the way for its 

commercial use in the coming years. CNCs are expected to increase the 

cold hardiness of tree buds and flowers by 2-6 °C, depending on the 

concentration and developmental stage. Such improvements will provide 

significant cold protection against spring frosts and widely benefit 

Virginia's fruit growers and stakeholders.

$60,727.94

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 

11. Biofilm Control 

Strategies for Commonly 

Used Surfaces in Specialty 

Crop Operations

Virginia Tech will develop surface specific sanitation protocols to reduce 

biofilms in specialty crop operations. These findings will directly support 

the Virginia specialty crop industries by fostering better understanding of 

biofilm formation and how to prevent biofilms on different surfaces used 

during operations. Results will be communicated to stakeholders through 

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings (which are held throughout 

Virginia; currently the only FDA-approved course for training 

requirements) and extension forums including Virginia’s Annual Tree Fruit 

School, grower association meetings (see support-letters), and Virginia 

Cooperative Extension fact-sheets/presentations 

$71,106.54

Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer 

Services 

$731,138.69 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.

$28,473.20

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

1. Responding to Change: 

Resources to Support 

Organic Farms through the 

Pandemic and Beyond

In an unprecedented pandemic year, small diversified organic specialty 

crop businesses faced marketing challenges as their traditional channels 

evaporated or were markedly constrained. Businesses scrambled to find 

new ways to market their perishable produce quickly and safely. To 

support these businesses, WSDA Organic Program, in collaboration with 

WSDA Produce Safety and Regional Markets, will develop resources to 

assist organic growers and handlers in navigating regulations more 

efficiently. 

$110,127.00
132

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

2. PPE Provision to 

Washington Hop Growers 

for 2021 Harvest

The Washington Hop Commission will purchase personal protective 

equipment (PPE) related to COVID-19 relief efforts and distribute them to 

Washington hop industry members. The goal in distributing PPE and other 

safety supplies is to directly keep farm workers and/or harvesting facility 

workers safe and indirectly keep the public community safe by stopping 

the spread of COVID-19. 

$50,000.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

3. Provide a Program that 

Reimburses Potato 

Growers for the Cost of 

COVID Safety Supplies

The Washington State Potato Commission will reimburse the purchase of 

personal protective equipment (PPE) and/or hand washing stations or 

other safety supplies related to COVID-19 relief efforts by the potato 

growers in Washington. The goal of providing PPE and other safety 

supplies is to directly keep farm workers and/or processing facility workers 

safe and indirectly keeping the public community safe by stopping the 

spread of COVID-19.

$50,000.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

4. Supporting Washington 

Specialty Crop Producers, 

Packers, and Employees 

through Coordinated 

Distribution of COVID-19 

Relief Supplies

Washington State University will purchase personal protective equipment 

(PPE) and/or hand washing stations or other safety supplies related to 

COVID-19 relief efforts and distribute them to the specialty crop (SC) 

industry members. The goal in distributing PPE and other safety supplies is 

to directly keep farm workers and/or processing facility workers safe and 

indirectly keep the public community safe by stopping the spread of 

COVID-19.

$890,749.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

5. Promoting Education of 

Washington Specialty 

Crops with the 

Washington Grown Video 

Project and In-Store 

Promotions

The Washington Grown Video Project will grow our audience to create 

more connections between consumers and growers, increase consumer 

knowledge of agricultural practices and local specialty crops, and introduce 

consumers to farmers and food businesses in Washington by producing 

new episodes of our Emmy-winning TV Show and expanding specialty crop 

awareness. The Washington State Potato Commission serves as the dayto-day point of contact with multiple partnering agriculture groups 

overseeing the project. 

$3,800,000.00
133

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

6. Implementation of a 

Program to Eradicate the 

Japanese Beetle and to 

Ensure No More 

Destruction of our 

Specialty Crops

The Washington State Department of Agriculture will begin a Japanese 

beetle eradication program in the Grandview area of Yakima County, 

Washington. The eradication work included in this proposal would cover 

development of a quarantine area, preparation of education and outreach 

materials (both in English and Spanish), work with residential and 

agricultural property owners in the area to obtain their consent and 

understanding of the treatment, and development of a plan for treatment 

of green waste in the quarantine area. 

$200,000.00

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 

7. Slowing the Spread of 

Little Cherry Disease in 

Washington Cherries 

through Increased Testing

Washington State Tree Fruit Association will work with industry to conduct 

more testing for Little cherry disease. Washington State University’s (WSU) 

Plant Pest Diagnostic Clinic (Clinic) can offer tests to growers on a cost-only 

basis when capacity in excess of research program needs is available, 

which is not currently the case. To help expand the Clinic’s capacity, this 

project will pay for additional testing equipment and supplies.

$530,589.59

Washington 

State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$6,121,157.59 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.

$489,692.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

1. Hops: Spotted HorseGrowing the Demand 

Through Cooperative 

Engagement

Spotted Horse Farm will bolster the growth of hops in WV by developing a 

cooperative of hops growers to aggregate product to meet the need of the 

local market. As a cooperative we will aid in establishing nascent growers, 

mitigate risk through education, employ quality control measure to ensure 

a competitive product, and provide shared use equipment to reduce 

overhead.

$250,000.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

2. Wonder Valley Farm 

LLC- High-Density Orchard 

Systems: Enhancing 

Education and Production 

Networks in Central and 

Southern West Virginia

Wonder Valley Farm LLC, along with three other small-scale producers 

representing Roane, Clay, Putnam, and McDowell counties, will test the 

economic viability of high-yield, rapid-production orchard systems and the 

specific environmental suitability of selected dwarf rootstock and apple 

cultivars. With technical assistance, train-the-trainer resources, and data 

collection assistance from the West Virginia State University (WVSU) 

Extension Service, Agriculture and Natural Resources Division (ANR), this 

project aims to strengthen the fruit industry in central and southern West 

Virginia. 

$71,396.65
134

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

3. Frostmore Farm Inc.- 

“Post-COVID Expansion of 

Availability and Access to 

U-Pick Specialty Crops at 

Frostmore Farm”

Frostmore Farm will expand the availability, access, and awareness of UPick specialty crops in a post-COVID environment. This will be 

accomplished by improved biosecurity to comply with Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) and provide consumer safety through construction of a 

fence and other infrastructure improvements. These improvements will 

allow for purchasing of updated supplies for employee and consumer 

harvest safety. 

$48,413.70

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

4. Country Road BerriesStrawberry Farm Ramp 

Back Up to Pre-Covid 

Production

Country Road Berries will be able to plant additional 10,000 strawberry 

plants to return to pre-covid production and be able to return to providing 

school field trips and strawberries for area school children through the 

farm to school program. By adding the additional 10,000 plants that would 

add an additional 5000 pounds of strawberries to current production. 

Currently the 8000 plants that we have growing sustains pick your own 

with little left over for these other opportunities. Income generated from 

this return to volume would allow for the business to replant and continue 

going forward in the future with the larger volume of plants. 

$6,000.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

5. Blue Mountain FarmBlue Mountain Farm Wash 

Station and Refrigerated 

Storage Proposal

Blue Mountain Farm will increase consumer knowledge of produce 

cooking/nutrition, and secure food safety certifications through improved 

on-farm washing and refrigeration systems. We will distribute recipes and 

nutrition information at the farmers’ markets to encourage customers to 

purchase a wider variety of locally available produce. We will partner with 

a nutritionist to develop crop-specific recipes and nutrition education 

tools. 

$21,245.00

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

6. Shepherd UniversityEnhancing Production in 

an Aquaponics System 

with Spectrum Controlled 

LED Lights

The Shepherd University Aquaponics Facility will utilize spectrumcontrolled LED lights along with different types of plant growth media and 

nutrient conditions to establish optimum growth conditions for different 

varieties of aquaponics crops and disseminate results to stakeholders in 

workshops and seminars. 

$51,902.00
135

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 

7. West Virginia University 

Research Corporation- 

‘Whole-Farm’ Education 

for Direct Marketers and 

Agritourism Operators to 

Better Manage Market 

Disrupt

The West Virginia University Extension Service will increase the 

understanding of marketing risk management strategies by specialty crop 

grower participants on how to plan and prepare for market shocks, as 

experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This training targets direct 

marketers (including those engaged in agritourism) with highly perishable 

specialty crops that rely on stability of sales channels to move product 

efficiently to reduce income loss and spoilage. 

$27,236.09 

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$411,638.74 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.

$38,397.10

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 1. Mobile Maple Syrup 

Project

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin will establish a small-scale 

mobile maple sugar operation to 1) demonstrate to the community that 

we can sustainably extract maple sap from its source without harming the 

trees and land, and 2) provide professional development opportunities to 

“workers” and the community on how to successfully run a maple sugar 

operation within the context of the Menominee language, history, culture, 

and land.

$100,000.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

2. Addressing Supply Chain 

Barriers for Specialty Crop 

Producers to Access Farm 

to School Markets

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 

(DATCP) will promote Wisconsin specialty crop producers and products; 

disseminate DATCP Farm to School (F2S) Program resources; offer food 

safety trainings and GAP Certification support for specialty crop growers; 

coordinate F2S education and F2S procurement; and foster stronger 

regional F2S supply chain connections to increase farm sales of Wisconsin 

specialty crops to schools. 

$100,000.00
136

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

3. Infrastructure and 

Capacity Building for 

Hmong Specialty Crops

Rooted, a Madison-based nonprofit will use their season-extension farm 

infrastructure to develop a seed starting operation that will grow culturally 

relevant transplants for area Hmong specialty crop growers who currently 

have to source these transplants from out of state vendors. In addition to 

increasing access to culturally relevant specialty crop transplants, the 

repaired season-extension farm infrastructure will be used as a workshop 

site to provide training to beginning and underserved farmers on (1) 

growing in greenhouses and high tunnels and (2) applying for EQIP funding 

in partnership with DATCP, Extension and other farm support 

organizations. 

$99,992.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

4. Expanding and 

Improving the Wisconsin 

Emerging Craft Cider 

Industry Through Grower 

Partnerships, Training and 

Technology

University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural 

Systems (CIAS) will work closely with the UW-Madison Fermentation 

Sciences Program and with WI Apple Growers and WI Craft Hard Cider 

Producers to produce a local “brand” of quality craft hard cider that uses 

locally grown cider variety of apples that outcompetes both National and 

Regional Brands within WI markets. 

$99,450.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

5. For Independent Hmong 

Farmers Corp. Specialty 

Crop Programs for Hmong 

Farmers Of La Crosse 

Farmers Markets 2022

For Independent Hmong Farmers Corp. will help Hmong farmers of La 

Crosse County farmers markets rebuild and gain business skills that can 

prevent them from losing their farm businesses. This innovative approach 

will infuse money to help Hmong farmers re-establish their specialty crop 

farms by buying seeds and paying for farm property. A business and 

upskilling program for Hmong famers can teach them how to better 

manage their farm business through better sales skills and management. 

We need to better educate the consumers on how to cook specialty crops 

and the value of these unique crops with engaging and informative 

marketing content as well as cooking videos.

$99,300.00
137

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

6. Selecting Potato 

Varieties for Wisconsin’s 

Organic Direct Market 

Growers

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, with partners through the Seed to 

Kitchen Collaborative, will provide direct-market organic growers with 

recommendations for potato varieties and improved breeding lines best 

suited to organic production and direct markets in Wisconsin based on 

outcomes from research station trials and participatory on-farm trials, and 

will engage culinary professionals and specialty crop entrepreneurs to 

raise awareness and access to Wisconsin-grown direct market organic 

potatoes.

$98,872.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

7. Bee Nurseries on The 

Marsh: Providing Local 

Nesting Sites to Increase 

Pollination by Wild Bees in 

Wisconsin Cranberries

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will partner with cranberry growers, 

the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and WI DATCP to design, 

build, and test on-farm bee nesting blocks (native bee nurseries) in 

Wisconsin cranberries. Pollination services are vital for cranberries, and 

this project will facilitate the establishment of resident bee populations on 

cranberry marshes. Such bee nurseries will provide a key ‘missing link’ for 

the many wild pollinator species that exist in Wisconsin’s cranberry 

marshlands. 

$97,791.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

8. Building Capacity of 

Underserved Specialty 

Crop Growers in Western 

Wisconsin 

Chippewa Valley Produce will partner with organizations such as the Black 

and Brown Coalition in Eau Claire, Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual 

Assistance Association, DATCP Underserved Farmer Outreach program, 

University of Wisconsin Madison – Division of Extension Area 6, Compeer 

Financial, and the Wisconsin Farmers Union to develop educational 

opportunities for minority and underserved growers to help them gain the 

knowledge necessary to support their small farm businesses, enter 

wholesale markets and increase sales of specialty crops in Western 

Wisconsin. 

$96,500.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

9. Supplying A New Taiwan 

Export Market with High 

Quality, Blemish-Free 

Fresh Ginseng Using New 

Approaches

The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, contracting with Michigan State 

University, seeks to establish their newly opened fresh ginseng export 

market to Taiwan with blemish-free roots produced using increased 

knowledge of the rusty root pathogen complex, development of targeted 

and integrated disease management strategies, and grower involvement 

through workshops, field days, and communications opportunities. 

$95,370.00
138

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

10. Increasing Specialty 

Crop Sales Through a 

Something Special from 

Wisconsin (SSfW) Curated 

Box of Specialty Crop 

Products

In-person markets for Something Special from Wisconsin (SSfW) members, 

which include many vendors of Wisconsin specialty crop products, had to 

be cancelled due to Covid and despite starting to reopen these markets, 

attendance numbers have been greatly reduced. To make up for the loss 

of sales associated with COVID impacts on these in-person markets, the 

DATCP Something Special from Wisconsin program has partnered with a 

SSfW member to package, promote, sell and ship aggregated boxes that 

highlight Wisconsin specialty crop products called Boxes of Fun. 

$93,617.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

11. The Morel Initiative: 

Applying Chinese Morel 

Mushroom Cultivation 

Techniques in Wisconsin

Mushroom Mike LLC will use this grant to create an educational research 

platform to implement Chinese morel mushroom cultivation techniques in 

a Wisconsin setting to increase the supply and availability of morel 

mushrooms as a specialty crop through targeted stakeholder seminars and 

field training. 

$90,590.08

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

12. Adaptation of A SARSCov-2 Detection Method 

to Identify and Survey PVY 

Strains in Wisconsin 

Potatoes

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, in collaboration with the Wisconsin 

Seed Potato Certification Program, will survey Wisconsin seed potatoes for 

PVY strain distribution using conventional methods and will develop a new 

method of virus strain differentiation with technology used for SARS-CoV-2 

detection. 

$87,364.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

13. Precision Pest 

Management: 

Spatiotemporal Modeling 

of Insecticide Resistance in 

Colorado Potato Beetle

The University of Wisconsin – Madison will work to improve predictive 

modeling of how insecticide resistance evolves and spreads within and 

among populations of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa 

decemlineata) in Wisconsin, leveraging measurements of genomic 

diversity of populations across space and time, with the goal of improving 

sustainable pest management strategies in potato growing regions.

$85,503.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

14. Add Innovative 

Growing Methods 

(Hydroponic Towers) To 

Specialty Crop Production 

That Will Increase and 

Extend the Access Season

U-Pick Strawberry Farms (UPSF) Distribution LLC will add hydroponic 

growing systems to current farm infrastructure to extend the picking 

season and increase access to sustainably grown produce and educational 

opportunities for the local and extended community.

$83,429.13
139

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

15. Evaluating Effects of 

Nitrogen “Spoon Feeding” 

On Common Seed Potato 

Varieties Grown in The 

Antigo Flats

The University of Wisconsin - Madison will perform a two-year study at the 

UW Langlade Agricultural Research Station as well as on two commercial 

farms to 1) investigate the logistics of spoon-feeding nitrogen to potato 

plants in silt loam soils in the Antigo Flats region; 2) identify the optimal 

nitrogen fertigation time and amount (dose) for growing common seed 

potato varieties with good yield in Wisconsin; 3) and create and deliver 

extension materials about results from the study to the Wisconsin seed 

potato industry.

$73,757.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

16. Mass Trapping Social 

Wasps in Wisconsin 

Vineyards - Revisiting 

Covid-Affected Objective 1 

Of DACTP 20-07

The University of Wisconsin will assess the use and optimization of mass 

trapping as an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for the 

management of social wasps in Wisconsin vineyards and provide new 

recommendations to Wisconsin grape growers. This project aims to 

Identify the optimal distribution pattern for social wasp traps in Wisconsin 

vineyards to obtain data for the peak activity of social wasps in vineyards 

prior to harvest.

$52,631.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

17. Development Nutrient 

Supplemented Substrate 

Sterilization and Grain 

Hydration Process Utilizing 

Ozone

Fun Guy Farm will develop bulk nutrient supplemented substrate 

sterilization and grain hydration processes utilizing ozone. This will be 

achieved by consulting with Oxidation Technologies LLC, ozone generator 

manufacturer to utilize their expertise in the process development. The 

expected outcomes are a reduction in power consumption required to 

sterilize substrate from the current 250 watts per pound to less than 1 

watt per pound; a contamination rate of less than 10% as seen by current 

methods; and process time reduction from 20 hours to 1 hour. 

$43,500.00

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 

18. Study of the 

Development of

Honeybees and Solar 

Farms as Complements 

That Produce Honey as a 

Specialty Crop

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will partner with Hemken Honey 

investigate the placement of Honeybees and the production of honey as a 

specialty crop in Wisconsin by conducting a market and feasibility study 

and creating a business and operating plan.

$23,000.00
140

Organization Amount Funded to 

Organization Project Title Description Project Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, 

Trade and 

Consumer 

Protection

$1,677,656.30 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.

$114,329.18

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$452,157.06 1. Producer Research 

Grants

Wyoming Department of Agriculture will award six small grants to conduct 

on farm research by specialty crop producers in consultation with technical 

advisors 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.

$52,873.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$452,157.06 

2. Eat Wyoming: Specialty 

Crop Marketing and 

Transportation Program

Fresh Foods Wyoming, L3C will expand Wyoming specialty crop local food 

sales by marketing products through producer-focused professional 

content development and strategic online advertising campaigns and 

providing necessary statewide cold-chain transportation of items to directto-consumer and wholesale markets.

$85,300.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$452,157.06 

3. Specialty Crop Local 

Food Production and 

Education Grants

Wyoming Department of Agriculture will provide competitive small grants 

to nonprofits, cities, county agencies, conservation districts, the University 

of Wyoming Extension, community colleges and other organizations and 

individuals to promote and increase in local food production and 

education.

$247,000.00

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$452,157.06 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.

$66,984.06