1

Transportation and Marketing

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2021 Description of Funded Projects – Farm Bill

Number of Grants Awarded: 56

Number of Sub-award Project: 666

Amount of Funds Awarded: $72,900,345.04

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 December 7, 2021)

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

1. Low Tunnel Plasticulture 

Use in Strawberry 

Production

Researchers at Auburn University Department of Horticulture and 

the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service will build a more resilient 

strawberry production system by incorporating the use of low tunnel 

olericulture and CO2-generating composting plant material for improved 

crop protection, early harvest, yield, and berry quality.

$38,796.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

2. Research and Extension 

Initiative Supporting 

Alabama Grown Garlic

Alabama A&M University with the assistance of Auburn University 

Extension will work towards the increased production of garlic in Alabama 

encouraging consumers to eat more vegetables by cooking with garlic. We 

propose to conduct a garlic variety trial (33 entries) across three Alabama 

locations to identify top performing garlic cultivars.

$21,893.12 
2

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

3. Varroa Mite Management 

in Honey Bee Colonies 

During Spring

The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is the most economically important 

pest of honey bees. To promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of 

Varroa during the spring in Alabama, Auburn University will investigate 

the effects of natural Varroa treatments (i.e. miticides based on naturally 

occurring compounds), combined with a cultural control method, on Varroa 

mites (Objective 1) and on honey bee colonies (Objective 2). Results of this 

work will be practical and broadly applicable to beekeepers in Alabama 

and the greater Southeast United States as they look to integrate cultural 

controls and natural treatments into an effective and sustainable IPM 

strategy against Varroa. Improved Varroa management is necessary to meet 

the long-term goal of reducing colony losses, increasing honey production, 

and promoting a sustainable supply of pollinating colonies for Alabama 

growers of specialty crops.

$41,523.98 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

4. Support Local: 

Developing an Alabama Hop 

Industry with Small Growers

Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems (ACES) 

will partner with the Alabama Brewers Guild and Sweet Grown Alabama 

to promote an Alabama Hop Industry. This project will create guidelines 

and provide support for small and beginner growers to adopt hop as an 

alternative crop in Alabama. We will use demonstration trials, workshops, 

and guidelines to certify the success of this industry. Furthermore, technical 

assistance with crop management, harvesting, and connections between 

growers and brewers will ensure a high-quality Alabama product.

$40,000.00 
3

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

5. Improving Chemigation 

Efficacy in Tomato and 

Strawberry Production in 

Alabama.

Researchers at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System will improve 

the efficacy of commercially available pesticides with the addition of 

soil surfactants to reduce the impact of soil borne pathogens in tomato 

and strawberry plasticulture systems. Soil borne pathogens cause severe 

reductions in crop yield and create significant economic losses for growers. 

Fungicides and nematicides applied via drip irrigation provide some 

control against soil borne pathogens, however, control is often poor due 

to insufficient coverage of the chemical around the plant root system. 

Improving the efficacy of these products will reduce the need for soil 

fumigation, which carries significant risks to workers and the environment. 

Soil surfactants can improve chemical distribution by breaking the surface 

tension and thoroughly distributing the product throughout the plant root 

zone. Field studies will be conducted and results distributed at conferences, 

workshops, webinars, and publications using a hybrid education model with 

proper health safety protocols. Results will culminate in the development 

of new or modified integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations 

for soil borne pathogens in tomato and strawberry plasticulture systems 

utilizing drip irrigation systems for chemical application.

$38,490.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26 6. Reducing Costs for Pecan 

Growers in Alabama

Auburn University will partner with pecan growers to evaluate and 

demonstrate effective strategies to reduce costs for pecan growers in 

Alabama. By reducing cost of fertilizer and utilizing the most cost effective 

herbicides, this will increase the profitability for pecan producers. Pecan 

producers face many challenges with hurricanes and alternative bearing 

that is common with pecans

$40,000.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

7. Enhancing the 

Profitability of Alabama 

Christmas Tree Farms

Auburn University will partner with the Alabama Department of Agriculture 

to update production practices in order to reduce production times and 

decrease labor needs on Alabama Christmas tree farms. In doing so there 

is a potential to increase gross profits by $8,800 per acre, per year on some 

farms. Updated recommendations for fertility and weed management will 

improve the profitability for both new and existing growers.

$40,000.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

8. Blueberry Cultivars 

with Enhanced Quality for 

Alabama Family Farms

Auburn University will partner with the ADAI to enhance the 

competitiveness of blueberry production in Alabama through investigating 

the performance of improved large-fruited varieties and varieties with 

unique traits. Results will be disseminated to stakeholders through grower 

meetings, field days, printed materials and webinars offered through the 

ACES-developed Farming Basics Mobile app: https://www.aces.edu/blog/

topics/ipm‐farming/farming‐basics‐mobile‐a

$40,000.00 
4

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

9. Expanding Blueberry 

Production with High 

Tunnels

Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems will 

partner with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to 

evaluate the productivity and economic benefits of growing new blueberry 

cultivars under high tunnels (protected cultivation). High tunnels can 

potentially be used to have early production of the higher value southern 

highbush cultivars, perhaps in conjunction with field production of 

currently recommended rabbit eye cultivars. This project will involve 

growing southern highbush cultivars, predominantly grown in Florida and 

southern Georgia for early season production, inside high tunnels and 

in conjunction with field production in central Alabama. The outcome of 

this project will allow Alabama blueberry producers to better understand 

the effects of using this planting system to mitigate risk of cold damage, 

choose appropriate cultivars, and make management decisions to increase 

profitability.

$40,000.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26 10. Specialty Crops Outreach 

and Training Program (SCOT)

The Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA), a 501 c 3 charitable 

non-profit, will teach Specialty Crops Certification Program and other 

classes to high school agriculture (ag) teachers and potential and current 

green industry members; grow Specialty Crops using them in educational 

activities and planting on public lands and specified communities; and 

outreach to the public in tradeshows and other venues. The AUFA, through 

the Specialty Crop Outreach and Training Program (SCOT), proposes to 

increase consumer/participant consumption through: 1. Promoting the use 

of Specialty Crops through tradeshows, in-person classes, and recorded 

webinars for future independent use by ag teachers and industry members. 

2. Growing many hundreds of ornamental trees with an educational 

component and requiring tree planting in designated areas. The trees will 

be used in training and educational classes and planted during and after the 

event.

$24,910.00 
5

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

11. From Small to 

Large Farms: Irrigation 

Management for Vegetable 

Crops

Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems (ACES) will 

partner to improve irrigation water management for vegetable production 

in small, medium, and large farms of Alabama by introducing scientificallybased tools for growers. This project will increase water savings, improve 

yield, and enhance profitability of vegetable crops through evaluation 

and demonstrations of using soil moisture sensors to schedule irrigation 

events. This project will involve research and on-farm demonstration trials 

with collaborator growers across the state. Results will be shared with the 

growers through demonstration field days, fact sheets, webinars, and onfarm activities. The ultimate goal is to promote sustainable intensification of 

vegetable production in Alabama.

$40,000.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

12. Supporting Beginning 

Growers with a Free

Microbial Water Testing 

Program

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) will partner with the 

Auburn School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences to expand 

access to microbial water testing to ensure that Alabama growers have 

the information they need to produce the safest possible product for 

Alabama consumers. This project will offer free microbial water testing 

and educational assistance to empower beginning and small fresh produce 

farmers in Alabama to make the best decisions related to agricultural water 

sources and farm food safety. Outcomes from this project will be used to 

guide in the development of educational materials to train farmers, regional 

extension agents, and agricultural professionals on how to adopt and 

develop good agricultural practices related to microbial water quality on the 

farm.

$40,000.00 

Alabama 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Industries

$526,114.26

13. Microwave Imaging 

Device for Non-invasive 

Inline Inspection of 

Watermelon

The University of Alabama will develop a non-invasive in-line inspection 

system and software (image processing computer program) based on 

microwave imaging technology for inspecting the ripeness and quality of 

watermelon, an important specialty crop of Alabama.

$40,000.00 

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

1. Investigation of HighPressure Processing (HPP) as 

a Viable Processing Method 

for Improved

Microbial Food Safety and 

Product Quality in Readyto-E

Alaska Seagrant will investigate high pressure processing (HPP) applications 

focused on the newly emerging Alaska mariculture industry for producing 

safe ready to eat products. Results will be shared with stakeholders 

including farmers and processors. This project will work closely with the 

experts in this field at the JTP Avure HPP testing lab in Erlander, Kentucky. 

Project will conduct at least three product shelf life and three challenge 

studies of Alaskan products that have been processed by HPP over a twoyear period.

$49,633.00 
6

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00 2. Sustainable Commercial Strawberry Varieties Trials

Highlands of Alaska Farms will use new strawberry varieties and sustainable 

growing practices to provide completive yields and best growing practices 

through weekly and daily data logging for gardeners and commercial 

growers and have this information available for the general public through 

farm tour or zoom presentations. This grant project will give the strawberry 

industry a sure foot in the market of Alaska. With the use of natural and 

biological additives to the soil, our farm will monitor health levels and 

nutrient levels in the strawberry plants and fruit. The project will give 

information on the plants that produce the best yield and have the best 

growing ability in the Interior of Alaska.

$28,000.00 

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

3. Specialty Crop Grow 

Towers at Glennallen High 

School

Glennallen High School will implement Specialty Crop Grow Towers to 

increase awareness of specialty crops to high school students, families, 

and community members. Through this project students will be educated 

on Alaska specialty crops, demonstrate knowledge through pre and 

post assessments, and a curriculum will be designed to specifically 

address specialty crops in Alaska with the help of Fairbanks Soil and 

Water Conservation District. Students will be involved in all phases 

of implementation from the construction of the grow towers to the 

distribution of successful grown crops.

$2,200.00 

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

4. The Charles Anway Berry 

Trials Project - Establishing 

the Potential for a SE Alaska 

Berry Industry

The Chilkat Valley Historical Society (CVHS) will conduct a field variety 

trial of blueberry and strawberry cultivars in Haines, Alaska in partnership 

with two local Haines growers. This project seeks to: identify specific, 

commercially suitable cultivars of strawberries and blueberries for both 

local and Southeast Alaska markets supplying our communities with fresh 

fruit and potentially plant-stock; run a randomized block design field trial 

to determine best performing cultivars (fruit yield, winter resilience, taste, 

flower production, number of runners, plant growth and vigor) in their 

respective zones; create a farm design that fosters field trials on berry 

species that are more speculative; support the educational focus of the 

organization aimed at increasing regional, no-till, specialty crop agriculture; 

conduct outreach to specialty crop stakeholders, including socially 

disadvantaged and beginning farmers to disseminate information about 

methods, results and cultivar acquisition.

$32,635.00 
7

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

5. Assessing Scalable 

Hatchery Techniques to 

Improve Access to Seed 

String in Rural, Alaskan 

Communities

Fisherman Fresh will develop an innovative, on-the-water, mobile hatchery 

for growing seeded line to support the state’s burgeoning mariculture 

industry, increase access to seeded line within rural communities in Alaska, 

and provide a platform to educate and prepare farmers to participate in 

the mariculture industry. Fisherman Fresh will share this data with other 

aquatic farmers and producers through mariculture conferences and 

training programs, to increase knowledge of efficient hatchery and growout processes. Fisherman Fresh will be able to not only establish a mobile, 

on-water hatchery, but also refine hatchery techniques, provide a replicable 

hatchery model to be shared throughout the state, and educate other 

mariculture professionals about improved growing processes.

$57,000.00 

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

6. Specialty Crop 

Improvements for Aging 

Farmers through Innovative 

Growing Modifications

The Homer Soil and Water Conservation District, in collaboration with 

Oceanside Farms and AgrAbility, will provide producers with plans and 

demonstrations on how to modify growing practices for strawberries 

by testing various versions of strawberry grow towers, analyzing farmer 

movements with an occupational therapist, and studying strawberry variety 

adaptability to the new methods.

$26,499.80 

Alaska Division of 

Agriculture $253,139.00

7. How to Accelerate Growth 

and Reduce Time to Harvest 

of Rhodiola Rosea Crops 

without Compromising 

Quality

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service and Alaska 

Rhodiola Enterprises LLC will conduct research in the following areas 1.) 

Continue current field experiments started in 2019 which are designed to 

determine soil amendments and weed control methods in young plants 

and extend these experiments closer to plant maturity; and 2.) Investigate 

innovative methods to reduce time required from seed to harvest maturity 

of Rhodiola rosea crops.

$22,746.00 

American Samoa 

Department of 

Agriculture

$268,786.53 

American Samoa Essential 

Food Security Program - 

Specialty Crops Phase II: 

Specialty Crop Diversification

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 improved 

diversification of specialty crops & growing techniques.

$268,511.95 
8

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

1. Aww Nuts! - Lettuce, 

Turnip, the Beet - Keep 

Calm, Carrot On!

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Agricultural Literacy & 

STEM Education program will create a specialty crop curriculum guide 

for Arizona 6-8th grade teachers to increase students’ awareness and 

consumption of specialty crops. This project aims to connect the specialty 

crops to the school garden. The goal is to create a taskforce of teachers 

from across the state who will create the curriculum and pilot the lessons. 

After finalizing the guide, the taskforce will give workshop presentations 

to other teachers and receive a stipend for their contributions. Teacher 

grants will be awarded to selected workshop attendees to provide support 

for materials to use in the classroom. This taskforce will create lessons that 

specifically teach about pecans, pistachios, lettuce, turnips, beets, broccoli, 

Romaine lettuce, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, and cabbage with emphasis 

on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). The new, hands-on 

lessons will use the latest 5E instructional model and will incorporate the 

3-Dimensional Learning and Cross-Cutting Concepts that are used in the 

new Arizona science standards. This project aims to connect a standardsbased curriculum to the school garden, while increasing students’ 

awareness about specialty crops.

$32,888.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 2. Bee’s AM-AZ-ING A to Z Ag-venture

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Agricultural Literacy & 

STEM Education program will produce a book, poster, and map for K-2nd 

teachers to use to increase students’ awareness about Arizona’s specialty 

crops.

$20,843.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 3. Educating & Marketing the Green Industry

Nursery industry workers require education tailored to the unique Arizona 

environment so they can produce healthier plants with the fewest chemical 

inputs and least water resources.

$65,020.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 4. Specialty Crops in the Classroom

The Arizona Farm Bureau will educate the public about Arizona Specialty 

Crops through the development of a standards-based curriculum package 

that includes the Spanish translation of many past grant resources, 

providing classroom cooking grants, and Specialty Crop lessons to be use in 

high school classrooms across the state.

$24,400.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 5. Weed Seedling Identification

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension will collect images and 

identify distinctive characteristics of 50 common weeds found in Arizona. $6,375.00 
9

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

6. Delivering IPM Education 

& Research to the Arizona 

Vegetable Industry

The University of Arizona Vegetable IPM Team, The University of Arizona, 

Yuma Ag Center will enhance the competitiveness Arizona vegetable 

growers by further developing and maintaining a robust Integrated Pest 

Management (IPM) education and research program that provide growers, 

PCAs and Agribusinesses with objective and unbiased information on new 

pest control technologies essential for economical and environmentally 

sound production of high value, vegetable crops in Arizona.

$97,938.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 7. Effects of Arizona Climate on Wine Grape Composition

The University of Arizona will advance climate resiliency in the expanding 

state viticulture industry by developing the first descriptive and predictive 

statistical models of effects of Arizona climate on wine grape composition, 

and by disseminating results to stakeholders through meetings, 

publications, and social media.

$19,777.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

8. Epidemiological Studies 

to Manage Impatiens 

Necrotic Spot Virus in 

Arizona

The University of Arizona-Yuma County Plant Pathology program will be 

conducting a research project on understanding the epidemiology of 

Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) in the desert southwest.

$148,160.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

9. Epidemiology and 

Management of Phoma 

Blight on Pistachio

Phoma blight is an emerging but serious fungal disease of pistachio in 

Arizona. Growers need answers on how to best manage Phoma blight now. $184,722.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40 10. Impact of Harvest Practices on Food Safety

The University of Arizona will work with local produce growers in the 

Yuma and Maricopa, AZ growing regions to evaluate harvest machinery 

and the potential presence and persistence of bacteria on equipment and 

tools before, during, and after harvest. We will also assess the success of 

current cleaning and sanitizing practices for reducing microbial presence on 

machinery and tools.

$214,541.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

11. Incorporating Efficient 

Greenhouse-based Studies 

into Fusarium Wilt of Lettuce 

Research

The University of Arizona will conduct greenhouse- and lab-based studies 

to evaluate management strategies for controlling Fusarium wilt of lettuce, 

caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (FOL).

$132,202.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

12. Insect Pest Management 

During Guayule Stand 

Establishment

The University of Arizona will work with agro-industry, guayule industry and 

their scientists, growers, and Pest Control Advisors to develop best practices 

for insect management at stand establishment of direct-seeded guayule 

through experimental research.

$59,523.00 
10

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

13. Modeling Transport and 

Decay of Disinfectants in 

Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

The name of applicant organization is University of Arizona. The proposed 

project will develop and verify a physically based coupled flow and 

disinfectant transport-reaction model, capable of simulating the transport 

and decay of disinfectants in field-scale sprinkler irrigation hydraulic 

networks during agricultural irrigation water treatment events.

$184,820.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

14. Optimizing Cost Effective 

Insect Management for 

Arizona Winter Vegetables

The University of Arizona, Yuma Agricultural Center will enhance the 

competitiveness of winter vegetable growers in Arizona by developing a 

scientific knowledge base for cost-effectively controlling insect pests in leafy 

vegetables.

$106,572.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

15. Pesticide Data Impacts 

Registration Review 

Outcomes for Specialty 

Crops

The University of Arizona will work with the Arizona Department of 

Agriculture (ADA) to maintain ongoing access to verified and improved 

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

$129,912.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

16. Prevention and 

Management of Fusarium 

Wilt of Lettuce

The Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) will partner 

with various other entities to develop Fusarium wilt of lettuce management 

methods for the Arizona lettuce industry. Fusarium wilt of lettuce is severely 

impacting productivity and thus, the competitiveness of the Arizona lettuce 

industry.

$159,921.00 

Arizona Department 

of Agriculture $1,764,626.40

17. Water and Salt 

Management for Leaf and 

Boston Lettuce

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

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

USDA, USBR, NASA, Arizona Commodity Councils, and others to measure 

water applied, evapotranspiration, and soil salinity levels in order to 

generate data that can be used to create management tools for most major 

desert cropping systems.

$105,244.00 

Arkansas Agriculture 

Department $359,323.37

1. Protecting our Pecans: 

Reducing Foodborne 

Pathogens on In-Shell 

Pecans and Proactive 

Food Safety Resources for 

Arkansas Pecan Producers

The University of Arkansas will conduct research that expands knowledge 

about how much cross-contamination can occur from manure or soil to inshell pecans. The proposed research will quantify contamination of in-shell 

pecans through soil, investigate impacts of soil on washing and sanitizing 

interventions, and provide growers and processors with information about 

preventive controls for pecan safety.

$61,126.00 

Arkansas Agriculture 

Department $359,323.37

2. Using Underutilized Farm 

Produce to Develop ValueAdded Foods for Commercial 

Markets

The University of Arkansas (UA) System Division of Agriculture will work 

with specialty crop farms to establish a model for using underutilized 

produce to develop value-added food products at a shared-use 

manufacturing facility to sale at commercial markets.

$68,590.00 
11

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Arkansas Agriculture 

Department $359,323.37 3. Local Food System Supply Chain Infrastructure

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Local Food System Supply 

Chain Infrastructure project is designed to enhance the competitiveness 

of specialty crops through increased access, improving the efficiency 

of distributions systems by overcoming gaps in the local food system in 

Arkansas as a result of identifying and addressing the obstacles faced by our 

farmers in the supply chain process.

$71,757.49 

Arkansas Agriculture 

Department $359,323.37

4. Implementation and 

Enhancement of Molecular 

Methods to Support 

Diagnostics of Specialty 

Crops in Arkansas

Ornamental trees and shrubs comprise 50 percent of our sample load with 

fruits and nuts another 12 percent. Arkansas has hundreds of specialty 

crop growers across a range of crops including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and 

ornamentals. Additionally, Arkansas has many homeowners interested 

in small home orchards. The Plant Health Clinic provides trainings, 

publications, and diagnostic services to these growers.

$66,365.00 

Arkansas Agriculture 

Department $359,323.37 5. Growing Student’s Taste Buds for Specialty Crops

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

Childhood Education Program (Program) will facilitate the development 

of school gardens and taste tests at schools to increase the consumption 

of specialty crops in the classroom and cafeteria. School garden and taste 

test grants will be awarded to schools, the Program will provide technical 

assistance, develop resources, host events and trainings, and track the 

consumption of specialty crops.

$75,705.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 01: Farming to Grow 

California’s Black Specialty 

Crop Farmers

This grant describes an approach to supporting 5 percent of California’s 300 

African American farmers through customized technical assistance intended 

to increase the production of culturally relevant specialty crops. The overall 

goal of this project is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops 

grown by historically marginalized African American farmers in California. 

Building on a longstanding record of training and support, Farms to Grow 

(FTG) proposes building African American farmers’ capacity to more fully 

access and participate in the specialty crop market. The primary outcome 

is to develop the capacity of the farmers to adopt sustainable practices of 

specialty crop production, including crop planning, irrigation techniques, 

and orchard production. A secondary outcome of the project is to support 

the development and growth of sustainable, diverse, and resilient specialty 

crop systems. The success of this project will be measured using multiple 

indicators devised by an external contract evaluator.

$101,665.00 
12

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 02: Demonstration 

Trial for High Tunnel 

Grown Specialty Crops to 

Demonstrate Sustainable

BMPs

Fresno County is home to the largest population of South-East Asian and 

South Asian specialty vegetable crop growers, a large majority of whom 

are farmers of Punjabi origin. Punjabi origin growers, most of who are 

Sikhs, have contributed to California agriculture for more than a century. 

South Asian crops are popular among ethnic communities, but their best 

management practices have not been established by mainstream research 

organizations like government agencies, farm advisors, or cooperative 

extension agents. Most growers rely on traditional farming practices and 

maintain this passage of knowledge. The proposed demonstration trial will 

display research-based information and best management practices on soil 

and water conservation to educate Punjabi American growers who have 

historically grown specialty crops with little technical support.

$104,313.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 03: Increasing Access 

to Specialty Crops in LowIncome South Los Angeles 

Communities

Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County (NHS) will increase 

specialty crop access and specialty crop consumption in the city of 

Compton, a multiracial, multicultural community of approximately 100,000 

residents located in the southeast portion of Los Angeles County. Compton 

has been designated a food desert by the USDA, and this project will serve 

low-income families who have limited access to healthy and affordable 

food. NHS will educate residents about specialty crops and offer hands-on 

training in gardening, cooking, and other agricultural practices that involve 

the use of specialty crops. Job training and community education will 

emphasize the importance of growing and consuming specialty crops and 

empower community members to pursue careers in agriculture. Project 

success will be measured through intake forms, sign-in sheets, resident 

interviews, and community surveys.

$110,773.00 
13

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 04: La Central: An 

Intergenerational Food and 

Knowledge Sharing Learning 

Community specialty crop 

consumption in the city of 

Compton, a multi

The Community Agroecology Network (CAN) and Growing Justice (GJ) 

Youth, in collaboration with Tierras Milperas (TMil) (7 urban micro-farms), 

will facilitate a culturally appropriate education and training program that 

will increase production and consumption of culturally significant specialty 

crops and increase access for California’s Pajaro Valley, Latinx farmworker 

families. GJ Youth will learn to grow and prepare nutrient-rich greens 

(epazote, papalo, pipicha, coriander, watercress), tomatoes, a variety 

of tomatillos, peppers, and cacti at River Park Community Urban MicroFarm. They will form a learning community with socially disadvantaged 

urban micro-farmers and community elders to learn historical and cultural 

solutions for seed saving, soil and pest management, and processing crops 

into healthy meals. Project success will be measured by an increase in 

consumption of specialty crops, new skills and knowledge- gained by youth, 

and participating learning community members.

$108,046.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 05: Sharing California 

Prune Health Benefits to 

Grow Sales Among United 

States Health Enthusiasts

Sunsweet Growers (SSG) will promote the functional and nutritional 

benefits of California prunes and prune juice (digestive and bone health) to 

this audience via a national public relations and media campaign to drive 

California prune product sales and shift more prunes to this high value use. 

This project will increase sales by $4.46 million, boosting grower returns. 

As a grower-owned cooperative, all SSG earnings flow directly to California 

growers. SSG will evaluate and measure success through syndicated IRI and 

internal sales data.

$450,000.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 06: Growing Demand 

for California Processing 

Peaches and Pears by 

Sharing Nutritional

Value and Positive Attributes 

with Influencers and Diet

Pacific Coast Producers (PCP), representing 280 California peach and 25 

California pear growers, will launch a marketing campaign sharing the value 

and benefits of California processing peaches and pears with influencers 

and dietitians to boost consumer demand for this fruit ultimately. The 

project’s goal is to achieve a one percent sales increase of California 

processing peaches and pears, measured by Nielsen data. As a growerowned cooperative, all profits directly flow to California specialty crop 

growers.

$450,000.00 
14

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23 Project 07: California Figs Fit 

in the Cart and in the Kit

To raise awareness and ultimately drive sales of California grown figs, the 

“California Figs Fit in the Cart and in the Kit” campaign will demonstrate 

how California figs meet the demands of consumers, and therefore, the 

needs of product developers in the fast-growing meal kit delivery segment. 

More than ever, consumers are looking for nutritious and delicious snacks 

and ingredients. California figs meet the demand and more. California 

figs are full of fiber, a critical nutrient most consumers lack in their diet, 

and they are an all-natural energy source containing potassium, calcium, 

iron, and more. California figs add natural sweetness and flavor without 

added sugar or salt, and this is important when dietary guidance around 

the world suggests that consumption of both be reduced. A digital media 

campaign will deliver these key messages to consumers. At the same time, 

the California fig industry will target key influencers in the manufacturing 

industry to showcase figs as a clean, flavorful solution for meal kit 

development.

$450,000.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 08: Santa Barbara 

County Wine Expansion in 

Southern California

United States sales of California wine are growing. Yet, California wine 

trends downward in the state, with 4.3 million fewer bottles sold, a 

decrease of $52.4 million (California Wine Institute, Alcohol, and Tobacco 

Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Shanken’s Impact Databank). Californians buy 

wines from Washington (up 9.6 percent), Oregon (up 4 percent), Italy (up 

4.6 percent), France (up 4.5 percent), and Chile (up 13.5 percent) (Shanken’s 

Impact Databank). Santa Barbara County is negatively impacted by this 

trend due to its reliance on Southern California, with a 4.9 percent decline 

in direct sales since 2016 (Santa Barbara County Sales Tax Data). Santa 

Barbara’s grape growers and wineries, most family-owned and too small for 

a distributor’s attention, are dependent on direct-to-consumer (DtC) sales 

for most of their sales (SVBank/Wine Business Monthly Insights, 2019). 

This project is the second of a powerful marketing campaign that extends 

the Los Angeles strategy south to Orange and San Diego counties to reach 

consumers, wine trade, and media. Using visitation data, sales records, and 

digital analytics, Santa Barbara County seeks to report increased DtC sales 

by 3.72 percent.

$362,575.00 
15

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23 Project 09: Paso Robles 

Wine Targets Mid-Markets

The wine market in the United States is highly competitive, with strong 

wine sales from Europe, South America, and Australia and the growing 

hard-seltzer category. Paso Robles, a known still-emerging wine region with 

proven quality, critical acclaim, and increased distribution, is poised to build 

and strengthen California-grown wine sales. By influencing the influencer in 

targeted mid-tier markets, Paso Robles can continue to build its reputation 

and grow its sales of wine. Influencers today include wine, travel, and 

lifestyle media, bloggers, retailers, and sommeliers; they all wield influence 

on buying habits. Arizona, Colorado, and Texas all offer strong opportunities 

for California’s wine producers based on their size, consumption behavior, 

the concentration of the target audience, and current population 

growth. This multifaceted program will reach influencers within media, 

retail, restaurants, and social media. By educating consumers and wine 

enthusiasts about Paso Robles, California grown wine sales will increase.

$300,038.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 10: Signature Santa 

Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir to 

the People

Growers and producers of California Pinot Noir, including over 100 growers 

and wineries who produce grapes and wines from Santa Lucia Highlands 

(SLH) in Monterey County, face three direct threats to their livelihood: 

decreased sampling and sales from closed tasting rooms and reduced 

restaurant wine sales due to the pandemic, declining grape prices and crop 

losses from 2020 wildfires, and a hot market for out-of-state Pinot Noir. 

The SLH, one of the state’s sought-after Pinot Noir growing regions, sells 

more than 50 percent of its pinot noir directly to consumers through tasting 

rooms and online, the most lucrative marketing channels. This project will 

increase direct sales and the consumer demand of California-grown Pinot 

Noir from SLH by 3 percent with 90 million targeted consumer impressions 

and tasting events in 4 direct-to-wine country flight markets: Los Angeles, 

San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix. Increased marketing will lift sales, bottle 

prices, and sagging grape prices for California SLH pinot noir.

$298,900.00 
16

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 11: California Grown 

Promotions in Southeast 

Asia Featuring California 

Blueberries

The California Blueberry Commission (CBC) will conduct a series of 

California Grown retail promotions in the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, 

and Malaysia, featuring fresh California blueberries. As blueberry 

production in California continues to rise, the industry must increase its 

export volumes. By organizing large-scale collaborative promotions directly 

with retail outlets in these Southeast Asian markets, the CBC will boost 

consumer demand, demonstrating the profitability of high-quality California 

blueberries. By leveraging the California Grown identity, the CBC will 

highlight the availability of California blueberries as the first fresh imported 

fruit of the summer season. Sales data will be collected and discussed 

with importers, who will be surveyed on their perception of California 

blueberries and interest in purchasing volumes in future seasons.

$380,184.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 12: Increasing Access 

to Soil Health Resources for 

Spanish Speaking Specialty 

Crop Farmers

The U.S. Census of Agriculture revealed a 13 percent increase in the number 

of producers who identify as Hispanic, Latinx, or of Spanish origin, even as 

the total number of farmers has decreased (2017). Resources for Spanishspeaking farmers are critical to establishing a new, more diverse generation 

of farmers. Farmers in California have identified a need for Spanish 

language education and outreach programs on organic soil health practices. 

Organic Farming Research Foundation’s (OFRF) 2015 survey of organic 

farmers verified soil health as the top challenge facing California organic 

farmers; this challenge was partially addressed by introducing an online 

training program in English in 2020. OFRF, with its university and non-profit 

partners, will take the next step by translating and adapting this resource 

into Spanish to address the needs of the Hispanic farming community. The 

success of the project will be based on the number of course users.

$172,077.00 
17

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 13: Supporting 

New Generation Socially 

Disadvantaged Specialty 

Crop Farmers Through 

Access, Training, and 

Economic Research

Technical assistance (TA) and financial assistance (FA) service access gaps 

exist for Latino, Southeast Asian women, and other socially disadvantaged 

specialty crop farmers so they can gain farm and business skills and 

adopt climate-smart practices. American Farmland Trust (AFT), Asian 

Business Institute & Resource Center (ABIRC), and Cachuma Resource 

Conservation District (RCD) will deliver case studies on economic benefits 

of adopting climate-smart practices, packaged with targeted education 

through Learning Circles, Community Resource Fairs, tailgates, Business 

Development Trainings, and radio and television broadcasts, addressing 

demographic service gaps and improving farm viability through increased 

participation in services, climate-smart agricultural practices, and sound 

business practices. Project partners will administer surveys to specialty crop 

producers six months after each Learning Circle, Fair, tailgate, and Business 

Development Training to measure project impacts.

$284,374.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 14: Providing 

Sonoma Producers Needed 

Training on Sustainable 

Farming Practices to 

Mitigate Impacts of 

California Wildfires

Seven of California’s ten most destructive fires occurred within the last five 

years; natural disasters are expected to worsen under changing climate 

conditions. Fires have significantly impacted California specialty crop 

farms, especially in Sonoma, where fires have burned 182,049 acres since 

2017. Fire is still tragic for those not directly impacted by flames, with 

approximately 70 percent of Sonoma wine grape producers reporting 2020 

wildfire losses. Education on and adoption of environmentally responsible 

farming practices can help producers adapt to climate change, mitigate 

wildfire losses, and realize other economic and environmental benefits. 

As such, California Land Stewardship Institute (CLSI), in partnership with 

Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), the California Department of Forestry 

and Fire Protection, and others, seek to provide 1,800 Sonoma specialty 

crop producers (mostly wine grape), as well as farmworkers, with needed 

training and education to drive adoption of responsible farming practices 

on 10,000 new acres and/or 120 farms by 2024. Project results will be 

evaluated and measured through surveys and a number of certifications.

$467,999.00 
18

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 15: Educational and 

Training Workshops for 

On-Farm Water and Energy 

Automation

Major specialty crops in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) rely on groundwater 

pumping, such as almonds, pistachios, and grapes. However, groundwater 

levels in the SJV are declining due to over drafting, and new regulations for 

groundwater pumping are anticipated under the Sustainable Groundwater 

Management Act (SGMA) starting in 2020. Growers need monitoring and 

automation systems to simplify farming operations, reduce water and 

energy use, and improve production efficiency. This project will conduct 

15 workshops for almond, pistachio, and grape growers to demonstrate 

water and power monitoring, demonstrate automation systems, and 

train end-users. Growers will benefit from new tools to assist in SGMA 

and Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program compliance and with nitrogen 

management plans. The workshops will be conducted by the Center for 

Irrigation Technology (CIT) and the California State University, Fresno using 

CIT facilities and the University Agricultural Laboratory fields located at the 

California State University, Fresno.

$255,960.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 16: A Multi-Year 

Approach to High-Skilled Job 

Training and Placement in 

California’s Specialty Crop 

Industry

A U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study by Purdue University (2020) 

predicts that agriculture will have 59,400 new skilled jobs to fill each 

year. Yet, employer demand for qualified college graduates will exceed 

the number of qualified graduates available. Since 1993, the Center for 

Land-Based Learning’s Farming, Agriculture, and Resource Management 

for Sustainability (FARMS) Program has provided high school youth with 

opportunities to learn about the specialty crop industry. In 2015, tier 2 

(FARMS Advanced) and tier 3 (paid internships and job shadows) were 

added to the FARMS Program, giving youth a chance to deepen their 

understanding of and experience in the field and allowing service to a 

broader age range (16-24 years). The current project is three-fold, 1) 

continue tiers 2 and 3 of the programs, increasing paid internships and 

job shadows in tier 3 from 25 to 50 total statewide; 2) hire a full-time 

Alumni and Internship Coordinator to engage current and past program 

participants; and 3) evaluate the success of the last five years of each tier of 

the program.

$479,222.00 
19

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 17: Workplace Safety 

for Postharvest Tree Nut 

Hulling and Processing

Hundreds of agricultural workers operate stockpile yard equipment at nut 

hulling and processing facilities without comprehensive safety training 

because equipment-specific training material is unavailable. Western 

Agricultural Processors Association will create a safety training curriculum 

to address the unique equipment found at nut huller facilities and provide 

bilingual training sessions to supervisors. The train-the-trainer style 

sessions will equip supervisors with the tools and materials to conduct 

safety training at their operation. This project will go beyond the training 

to evaluate what happens after the training is provided. Field observations 

and individual interviews will be conducted to analyze the level of training 

effectiveness. Results will be compiled and used to make changes in the 

following year’s training.

$110,572.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 18: Sustainable Pest 

Management in Culturally 

Relevant Crops Grown by 

Small Scale, Diversified, 

and Socially Disadvantaged 

Farmers

Small-scale, socially disadvantaged farmers from Tulare to Santa Clara 

counties grow over 80 different types of culturally relevant vegetables 

in an open field and protected agricultural systems. While the University 

of California (UC), Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines may 

exist for many individual pests, IPM guidelines for these pests and their 

management in small-acreage, culturally important crops, and smallscale, diversified cropping systems are either currently unavailable or 

need expanded guidelines on organically approved methods. Cultural, 

biological, and mechanical pest control practices are alternative pest 

control options for these cropping systems, given the minimal availability 

of chemical control options and new opportunities to access markets for 

organic produce. This project will develop IPM guidelines for culturally 

relevant crops and provide agricultural education to socially disadvantaged 

farmers using a whole-farm IPM approach through on-farm demonstrations 

and peer-to-peer training to assist farmers in adopting nonchemical pest 

management methods.

$478,732.00 
20

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 19: Science, 

Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics (STEM) is 

Girls Representing and

Entering Agriculture Today 

(GREAT) Initiative

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is Girls 

Representing and Entering Agriculture Today (GREAT) initiative aims to 

provide opportunities for young women of color from underrepresented 

races (Black/African American, American Indian, Hispanic, and Asian 

ethnic groups) to engage in the areas of science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics, as they relate to agriculture. Through a four-part 

seminar series, local high school students will gain a piece of foundational 

knowledge in agronomy, twenty-first-century technology, sustainable 

engineering solutions, and the economic and business-driven world of 

agriculture. Students will meet with local female professionals in the 

field, touring the varied operations of local specialty crop producers while 

developing professional skills that they will carry with them as they work to

become the next generation of agricultural professionals.

$103,058.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 20: Eating, Learning, 

Growing: A CulturallyResponsive Model for 

Transforming California 

Specialty Crop Education

Culture is powerful. Yet, there are few formalized efforts to reflect the 

culture and diversity of California students in Farm to School education. 

The “Eating, Learning, Growing” project advances a culturally responsive 

strategy to increase student knowledge and consumption of California 

specialty crops, especially among the 4.8 million non-white students 

who are the majority of consumers in California’s $2.8 billion school 

food industry. This project 1) develops and pilots a culturally responsive 

educational framework for virtual workshops with 150 educators; 2) creates 

28 vibrant school environments that celebrate healthy specialty crops, 

and 3) disseminates the framework, workshop recording, and a turnkey 

resource on transforming school environments to 12,078 adults. As a 

result, 19,631 middle school students may increase their awareness and 

knowledge of and/or intention to eat more specialty crops. Success will be 

measured through student and educator surveys and digital analytics.

$356,484.00 
21

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 21: Promoting 

Pollinator Plant Awareness, 

Access, and Habitat 

Expansion to Benefit 

California’s Nursery Industry

Bee pollinators are essential to California’s specialty crops, but bee health 

declines from lack of adequate, healthy forage. In addition to creating 

on-farm habitat, a solution is using bee forage plants in developed 

landscapes. For this to be successful, the ornamental horticulture industry 

needs knowledge of best practices to use bee-compatible inputs to grow 

appropriate plants and educate consumers on their use. The project goals 

are to deliver educational programs on bee plants to the horticulture 

industry and consumers and to deliver grower-useable systems to assess 

pollinator attractiveness as new plants enter the market. The project team 

expects an informed horticulture industry to expand access to these plants 

to provide vital pollinator habitat in California. The project’s success was 

measured by changes in plant awareness and access among stakeholders, 

increased pollinator habitat planted by consumers, and a number of 

educational and consumer resources created.

$334,779.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 22: California’s 

Specialty Crops Showcased 

in a Ten-Episode Series on 

Award-Winning

Public Television Show 

“America’s Heartland”

Many consumers are unaware of the abundant variety of California 

specialty crops. What do they look like? What do they taste like? How 

can they be incorporated into a healthy diet? KVIE Public Television will 

provide entertaining and educational specialty crop episodes through 

its nationally broadcast series America’s Heartland. These episodes will 

showcase farmers’ stories, specialty crop health benefits, and a regular 

cooking segment titled Farm to Fork featuring KVIE’s own celebrity chef 

demonstrating innovative ways to incorporate specialty crops into daily 

life. The programs will air on 350 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations 

and the nationwide Rural Free Delivery Television (RFD-TV) cable/satellite 

channel influencing viewers to demand and consume more specialty 

crops. KVIE will capture program reach, viewership, and demographics and 

conduct a survey to quantify consumers’ awareness of specialty crops and 

their plans to incorporate them into their diets after viewing the segments.

$470,927.00 
22

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 23: Getting Youth 

Excited About Vegetables: 

Paid Internship and 

Community Nutrition 

Education for Low-Income 

and Underserved Youth

The Ceres Community Project (Ceres) will launch a new paid internship 

program for youth offering experiential learning in an urban farm and 

commercial kitchen and training on how to educate other youth in the 

community on cooking and nutrition with California specialty crops. This 

project builds on nine years of a successful youth volunteer program. 

Interns will be recruited from underserved and low-income communities in 

Sonoma County through partnerships with other organizations and schools 

with a high percentage of reduced-cost lunch participants. By providing a 

paid work experience, the program will be more accessible for youth who 

need to work to support themselves and their families. After completing a 

summer training curriculum, interns will lead classes for 3,000 additional 

youth on cooking and nutrition with California specialty crops at community 

locations such as libraries and schools. Interns will also learn and teach 

about how to find California specialty crops locally.

$188,740.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 24: Effects 

of Processing on the 

Nutritional, Functional, 

and Sensory Properties of 

Almond Milk and Fouling of 

Industrial Equipment

Almond milk consumption has increased as an alternative to dairy milk. 

However, its low nutrient density and use of emulsifiers in the milk have 

cast a negative light on almond milk. The project goal is to develop an 

extraction process to produce a more functional, nutrient-dense, and 

well-accepted almond milk and to identify heating strategies to reduce 

the fouling of industrial equipment; an economic problem faced by 

almond processors. Project success will be measured by chemical and 

sensory characterization of the milk produced (protein content, solubility, 

digestibility, sensory perception, and consumer’s acceptance) to establish 

the best practices to produce more nutritional milk and, by the willingness 

of almond processors, to adopt the new methods developed. Higher 

acceptance of almond milk by consumers searching for higher nutritional 

quality, especially those suffering from digestive/allergic problems, and 

longer processing times without equipment cleaning are expected.

$439,801.00 
23

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 25: Student Nutrition 

Advocate Crew: Youth-Led 

Community Education to 

Celebrate the California 

Harvest

San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) project will empower 

the Student Nutrition Advocates (SNAs) to increase knowledge and 

consumption of California Specialty crops in their communities through 

peer education. SNAs at eight low-income schools will receive training in 

1) personal resource management and specialty crop acquisition through 

Farmers’ Market visits, 2) specialty crop production in school gardens, 3) 

incorporating specialty crops into a healthy diet through cooking activities. 

SNAs will use their training and peer influence to create virtual and inperson specialty crop curricula to reach students and families through 

specialty crop celebrations, Family Nutrition Nights, health education 

lessons, and a student champion poster campaign. A total of 6,750 

students, 145 family members, and 40 staff members reached at the 

eight schools will complete pre- and post-surveys to measure increased 

knowledge of and increased intention to eat more California specialty crops, 

with students also reporting on consumption.

$410,607.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 26: Growing Farms 

and Minds: Nutrition 

Education, Farm Direct 

Purchasing, and Hands on 

Learning for California Kids

This project will enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops 

by advancing Sierra Harvest (SH)’s existing Farm to School (FTS) program, 

which serves 97 percent of kindergarten through eighth-grade students 

in Western Nevada County. FTS currently offers tastings of specialty crops 

through Harvest of the Month (HOM) education, field trips to farms, 

cooking classes, and nutrition education using specialty crops to improve 

access to fruits and vegetables at school. Building on the success of the 

existing FTS program, this project will allow growth in three ways: 1) 

by reaching the underserved eastern portion of Nevada County; 2) an 

expansion of proven programs like “Tasting Week Chefs” that spotlights 

available specialty crops and farmers, and 3) including new program 

elements such as school garden education to increase the impact on 

California’s specialty crop industry.

$429,343.00 
24

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 27: Increasing 

Access and Consumption 

of Specialty Crops through 

Improved ScienceBased Preservation and 

Preservation

This project will enhance access and consumption of locally grown specialty 

crops by promoting safe food preparation and preservation knowledge. 

The project team will utilize Mariposa, Merced, and Tuolumne Counties 

locations to educate communities and outreach to surrounding counties. 

Leveraging the Master Food Preserver (MFP) model, this project will 

extend science-based preparation, storage, and preservation practices, 

building a network of volunteer educators to help disseminate innovative 

research, recipes, and safe preparation and preservation methods to 

promote awareness and consumption of specialty crops. With input from 

the University of California (UC) small farm advisor, and collaboration 

with local food distribution programs and small-scale producers, the 

project team will introduce new specialty crops, demonstrate proper 

preservation techniques, and distribute educational materials to 

underserved populations. A specialty crop website will be created to upload 

demonstration videos and recipes and share local distributor information to 

increase access.

$229,035.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 28: Transforming 

School Gardens into 

Specialty Crop Farms

This project seeks to grow specialty crops in 4 target school districts at 12 

Title 1 elementary schools by integrating agricultural/garden education 

with nutrition, cooking demonstrations, and access to specialty crop 

fruits and vegetables for children, their families, and communities. School 

gardens, which have suffered from closures during the pandemic, are being 

reframed as outdoor classrooms and productive, urban specialty crop farms 

to address the learning, food insecurity, health disparities, access, and 

equity. This project will elevate the knowledge and use of culturally relevant 

specialty crops in the daily lives and diets of underserved and historically 

disadvantaged neighborhoods. Classes, workdays, festivals, and promotions 

will create new links between the school farms and families, neighbors, 

businesses, food entrepreneurs, and local growers, cultivating resilient 

communities and benefitting the specialty crop industry. Project success 

will be measured using pre and post, tests from students and parents to 

compare knowledge and consumption of specialty crops. Stakeholder 

interviews will be conducted with farmers and local businesses to measure 

increase demand and benefits to the specialty crop industry.

$471,960.00 
25

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 29: Increasing 

Specialty Crop Awareness 

and Consumption among 

Pajaro Valley School Children

This project will increase specialty crop awareness and consumption among 

Pajaro Valley students through districtwide farm-to-school procurement 

improvements and garden, nutrition, and cooking programs at a school site 

with a special new instructional kitchen and garden classroom. Students will 

understand where specific California fruits and vegetables come from and 

demonstrate a high willingness to try diverse California specialty crops and 

enjoy them, building healthy eating habits to last a lifetime. Districtwide 

gains will directly impact over 18,000 students, and 600-plus students at 

Starlight Elementary will benefit from programs at the new integrated 

programs site. Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) and Life Lab 

Science Program’s (Life Lab) six-year partnership has been a demonstrative 

success.

$454,781.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 30: Fresno Unified 

Specialty Crop Farmers 

Market Project

Through educational experiences, this project will: 1) increase the healthy 

eating habits of the targeted population, emphasizing locally sourced 

specialty crops, 2) increase awareness, access, and consumption of the 

regions specialty crops, 3) increase marketing events, partnering with 

local specialty crop growers prioritizing minority farmers, 4) develop menu 

items utilizing locally sourced specialty crops for the district’s cafeterias, 5) 

secure procurement contracts with local specialty crop growers to meet the 

growing district needs.

$136,500.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 31: Developing 

High-Throughput Genetic 

Screening Tools for Drought 

Tolerance in Grape

Rootstocks

This project will generate new breeding tools and irrigation management 

strategies to increase water-use efficiency and mitigate the impacts of 

climate change on grape growers. Improving rootstock drought tolerance 

is a crucial strategy to reduce irrigation use and adapt to climate change, 

but a lack of high throughput has limited breeding efforts screening tools. 

The project will genotype and phenotype root drought tolerance traits 

across a population generated from drought tolerant/sensitive rootstock 

cross (110R/101-14) to identify new genetic markers for rootstock drought 

tolerance. The project will also use root traits to define rootstock-specific 

soil moisture thresholds for irrigation and work with growers to evaluate 

whether incorporating these guidelines and automated soil-moisture 

sensing into irrigation management increases the water- and cost-savings 

from drought-tolerant rootstocks. These innovations are crucial for grape 

growers to mitigate climate change and increase sustainability.

$339,451.00 
26

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 32: Life 

Cycle Assessment of 

Environmental Impacts 

and Tradeoffs for Certified 

Organic Practices in Key 

Specialty Crops

This project builds on prior work supporting the development of a scalable, 

process-based, agronomically responsive cropping system life cycle 

assessment (SPARCS-LCA) model, producing a comprehensive life cycle 

impact assessment (LCIA) and analyzing environmental tradeoffs for specific 

management practices, crops, and regions. Here, the SPARCS-LCA model 

will be used to assess key specialty crops prioritized by the University of 

California Organic Agriculture Institute to determine tradeoffs associated 

with organic practices in these crops, quantify environmental impacts/

benefits, and define them with respect to a “sustainability continuum.” 

This project will benefit specialty crop growers by informing their decisions 

on adopting management practices for positive environmental impact 

and informing policy and commodity board priorities to incentivize such 

practices. Outreach success will be quantified via event attendance records 

and before-and-after knowledge surveys.

$327,513.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 33: MultiGenerational Adaptation of 

Blue Orchard Bees (Osmia 

Lignaria) in Response to 

Climate Change in Orchard 

Crops

Blue orchard bees (BOBs) are increasingly being used to pollinate California 

fruit and nut crops. Still, they are often trapped annually in the wildlands 

of Utah, Washington, and California rather than propagated where they 

are used as pollinators. This makes it critical to understand the adaptability 

of populations to new and warming environments because BOBs are 

currently moved to areas with temperatures warmer than within natal 

ranges. Local climate adaptation may be seen in future generations when 

the bees remain in crops locally. Compared to first-generation bees whose 

parents were newly imported, second and third generations may have 

higher survival and developmental phenology that better aligns with the 

timing of crop bloom. However, the potential negative impact of warming 

temperatures on local and transported BOB populations could be decreased 

bee fitness and pollination efficacy. The main objective of this project is to 

determine if BOBs from different regions adapt to new warming conditions 

after multiple generations.

$264,841.00 
27

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 34: Co-Managing 

Deficit Irrigation-Disease 

Interactions to Optimize 

Water Conservation

and Productivity in 

Processing Tomatoes

Irrigation management is pivotal to the environmental and economic 

sustainability of California processing tomatoes. As water scarcity increases 

under climate change and cyclical droughts, deficit irrigation (DI) is a 

common strategy to conserve water. Recent studies indicate an interplay 

between DI and decreased yields due to late-season biotic and abiotic 

diseases. As specific disease risks remain ambiguous, growers have no tools 

to mitigate impacts, putting DI fields at risk of severe losses. To reduce 

disease risks and enable water savings, this project proposes to 1) define DI 

interactions with biotic and abiotic diseases, 2) define economic thresholds 

over which disease-driven losses exceed water cost savings, 3) adapt 

information systems, and 4) adapt genetic-based strategies for diseaseirrigation co-management. Adoption will be enabled through outreach, 

and success will be evaluated based on the workshop, field day, meeting 

attendance, website access; download metrics; and tool adoption data.

$467,445.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 35: 

Evapotranspiration 

Monitoring of Three Major 

Salinas Valley Specialty 

Crops

The project broadly addresses sustainability indicators identified by the 

state of California in response to declining groundwater levels and degraded 

water quality. Ground-based and satellite-based (OpenET) measurements 

of consumptive water use will be made in Central Coast lettuce, broccoli, 

and wine grape fields. The field trials will characterize OpenET accuracy for 

those three crops and demonstrate the potential for applied water savings 

by linkage with ET-based recommendations of the Crop Manage specialty 

crop decision-support application. Project benefits include the improved 

definition of relationships between applied water and consumptive use, 

development of linked technologies to evaluate crop water requirement 

and nitrogen discharge and facilitated grower compliance with legislative 

provisions of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) Agricultural 

Order 4.0 and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

$464,223.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 36: Long Term Saline 

Irrigation Strategies for 

Pistachios on Integerrima 

Rootstock

This cooperative project aims to determine if long-term, salt-damaged 

‘Kerman’ pistachios on PGI rootstock and a six- to 10-foot water table can 

be reclaimed and managed with in-season leaching with the addition of 

in-season leaching saline and good quality water. The outcome will be a 

new method of salinity management and an extension education program 

on salinity management. Success will be evaluated by how well in-season 

leaching reclaims salt-damaged trees and maintains pistachio production 

and by the number of growers reporting new knowledge adoption.

$198,820.00 
28

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 37: Breeding Lettuce 

to Improve Nitrogen and 

Water Use Efficiency by 

Enhancing Root Biomass

Lettuce growers are faced with producing their crops with less water and 

nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The project team previously developed advanced 

lettuce breeding lines whose N uptake and assimilation (NUA) is 22 percent 

higher than commercial cultivars but discovered these lines have low root 

biomass. In this project, three new recombinant inbred lines segregating 

for root biomass and NUA will be screened to identify genetic lines that 

combine NUA and root biomass and to quantify root biomass, leaf biomass, 

and NUA. Carbon and N isotope discrimination will be used to determine 

water use efficiency and N metabolism, respectively. Each population will 

be subjected to genotyping by sequencing, and loci associated with these 

traits will be mapped. Markers for breeders will be developed and breeding 

lines will be released. Outreach to growers and industry will include 

presentations at grower’s and breeder’s meetings and through reports sent 

directly to the industry and made available on a website.

$419,178.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 38: Improving 

Avocado Resource-Use 

Efficiency Through Updated 

Crop Water Use Information 

and Irrigation Management 

Strategies

Avocado is primarily grown in Southern and Central California. These 

regions face uncertain water supplies, mandatory reductions of water use, 

and the rising cost of water, while efficient use of irrigation water is one of 

the highest conservation priorities. Data on water use by avocado orchards 

and optimal irrigation strategies is limited, and the lack of information 

hinders the achievement of efficient water and fertilizer management. This 

project intends to acquire relevant information on crop water consumption 

and crop coefficients, optimal irrigation water management, and to assist 

growers in employing adaptive tools that support profitable and sustainable 

avocado production. A combination of field experiments, case studies, 

and a robust outreach program will be used to develop and disseminate 

information and tools to growers and stakeholders. Project success will be 

quantified as the number of deliveries and growers who gained knowledge 

and/or adopted the tools and practice.

$450,891.00 
29

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 39: Management 

Strategies for Mitigating 

Water Infiltration Problems 

in Almond and Pistachio 

Orchards in the Central 

Valley

Almond and pistachio are major crops in the Central Valley of California 

and are irrigated mainly by drip irrigation. While water infiltration problems 

in the Valley are typically associated with flood irrigated orchards, an 

increasing number of growers with drip irrigation have difficulties filling 

the soil profile during the summer months to meet the crop water demand 

due to infiltration problems and standing water. Low water permeability is 

typically associated with certain soil textures but could also be exacerbated 

by soil compaction and soil crusting. This project will work with commercial 

almond and pistachio growers in the Central Valley and conduct an applied 

research program to develop and test management strategies to improve 

water infiltration rates and alleviate the rootzone saturation problems 

that increase root diseases such as Phytophthora. The project will develop 

educational materials and conduct traditional University of California 

Cooperative Extension (UCCE) activities such as field days and workshops.

$470,265.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 40: Can 

Biodegradable Plastic Mulch 

Increase Long-Term Soil 

Carbon Storage: Integrating 

Soil Responses With Grower 

Values

California strawberry production and floriculture rely heavily on plastic films 

to increase crop health and yield. However, agricultural plastic mulches 

also cause deleterious effects on soil and aquatic systems through their 

breakdown and mismanagement. While biodegradable plastic mulches 

(BPM) may be more sustainable, a paucity of knowledge about the impacts 

of BPM on soils is a barrier to adoption by farmers. In addition, negative 

plasticulture externalities are also poorly quantified. Thus, this project will 

study the utility and consequences of BPM as an alternative technology in 

California plasticulture systems by investigating 1) basal plastic pollution 

levels in agricultural soils and its consequences, 2) the effects of BPM 

versus conventional plastic on soil health, and 3) the perceptions of 

these technologies among key stakeholders in strawberry and floriculture 

production. This research will be used to inform grower decision-making in 

choosing to adopt BPM as an alternative technology.

$471,359.00 
30

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 41: Investigation of 

the Risk of Smoke Exposure: 

Volatile Phenol Absorption 

and Translocation

The California wine industry is worth $43.6 billion with 635,000 acres of 

wine grapes and 5,900 growers. An economic analysis estimated a $3.7 

billion loss in wholesale revenue due to 2020 wildfires. Experts agree 

wildfires will occur with greater frequency and intensity, posing risks for all 

wine grape growing regions in California. Exposure to smoke compromises 

the quality and value of wine grapes and adversely affects grapevines. 

During wildfires, a substantial number of volatile phenols (VP) are released 

into the air from burning wood. These compounds are absorbed through 

the berry skin and can result in tainted wine. There is no successful 

vineyard mitigation strategy to prevent smoke exposure impact, and the 

understanding of VP absorption rates and translocation within grapevines is 

limited. Knowledge gained through this project will aid in the development 

of mitigation strategies for California vineyards’ response to wildfire 

practices and procedures.

$364,461.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 42: Nitrogen 

Management Guidelines for 

Olive Growers to Improve 

Soil Health and Sustain

Production

The rapid expansion of newly developed high- or super-high-density 

(SHD) olive orchards in California, critical nitrogen (N) inputs required for 

olive production, and renewed interest in soil health are leading to rising 

demand for developing best management practices (BMPs) for N use in 

olives. The goal of this project is to assess N recommendations and improve 

N management guidelines for California olive growers to manage SHD 

orchards. This will be done by providing information on how soil health 

parameters, crop N uptake, yield, and fruit quality respond to the use of 

different N rates and organic amendments in olive orchards. This project 

will: 1) determine N uptake dynamics of trees under different N fertilization 

rates and organic amendments to estimate N use efficiency; 2) evaluate 

olive production and quality; 3) investigate soil carbon © sequestration 

potential and greenhouse gas emissions; and 4) refine N recommendations 

and improve N management guidelines. Extension and education activities 

will inform stakeholders.

$472,048.00 
31

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 43: Addressing 

Groundwater Challenges 

for Small-Scale Diversified 

Vegetable Farms in the San 

Joaquin Valley

This project will train small-scale, socially disadvantaged farmers on 

improved irrigation practices for diversified vegetable farms. It will also 

evaluate groundwater monitoring and the potential for groundwater 

recharge on these farms. A group of 57 farmers have implemented drip 

irrigation, moisture sensors, variable frequency drives, and pump repairs, 

presenting an opportunity to optimize their systems and demonstrate 

best practices to similar farmers to reduce groundwater and energy 

use. Water and energy use data from these farms will be analyzed to 

determine tailored recommendations for irrigation scheduling and evaluate 

groundwater monitoring methods for small-scale, diversified farms. Onfarm trials of cover crop use to mitigate environmental impacts during 

flooding will evaluate the potential for managed aquifer recharge on smallscale, diversified vegetable farms with winter fallow periods. These efforts 

will contribute to reducing groundwater use and increasing groundwater 

supplies.

$475,239.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 44: Walking the Pipe: 

Reducing Use of Irrigation 

Pipes as “Super-Highways” 

by Argentine Ant in Citrus 

Orchards

In citrus, an Argentine ant (AA) is a significant pest because it harvests 

honeydew from sap-sucking pests (SSPs) and protects them from natural 

enemies. AA uses irrigation pipes to move rapidly from subterranean nests 

to trees infested with SSPs. Pipes are smooth, which enhances AA mobility. 

Surfaces with uneven topography slow AA. Small trials suggest that organic 

mulch laid over pipes may reduce ants ascending trees to tend SSPs. 

Another approach is to change the surface topography of pipes. Disruptive 

topography designed using AA body dimensions has been demonstrated 

to impede movement. 3D-printed pipes with disruptive topography can 

be field-tested for impacts on ant movement to trees. Ultra-low dose 

nanogram (ng) concentration residues of insecticide kill AA colonies through 

physical transfer to nest mates. Applications to small sections (less than 

1m) of pipe need evaluation. This project will demonstrate that mulches, 

disruptive pipe topography, and insecticide barriers reduce pipe use and 

suppress AA in activity citrus.

$424,421.00 
32

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 45: Enhancing 

Diagnostics of Regulated 

Plant Parasitic Nematodes in 

Specialty Crops

This project aims at developing and applying recombinase polymerase 

amplification (RPA) technology as a novel molecular tool for diagnostics 

of regulatory plant-parasitic nematodes (Ditylenchus dipsaci [D. dipsaci], 

Aphelenchoides fragariae [A. fragariae], Rotylenchulus reniformis [R. 

reniformis], and Radopholus similis [R. similis]) in California. The RPA 

technique has some clear advantages over polymerase chain reaction 

(PCR): (i) does not require any Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) purification 

steps; (ii) does not require thermal cycling; (iii) amplification products 

may be detected at the endpoint or in real-time for 15-30 minutes. The 

field application of RPA methods will also be validated with plant and soil 

samples infected by target nematodes. Molecular diagnostic protocols 

will be available to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state and private 

laboratories. The method will represent substantial improvements regarding 

time and costs over existing diagnostics based on a PCR approach. The 

tools developed will enhance significant accuracy and early detection of 

regulatory nematodes in specialty crops of California.

$89,552.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 46: Integrated 

Pest Management of 

Diamondback Moth on Cole 

Crops 

Diamondback moth (DBM) is an invasive insect pest in California. In the 

last two decades, DBM has generated significant crop losses and remains 

an economic threat to California’s $1.3 billion Cole crop industry which 

includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and various 

other specialty crops. Annual economic losses of up to $6 million have 

been attributed to DBM in California. Current DBM pest control challenges 

stem from the development of suspected insecticide resistance, lack of 

pest monitoring, and the absence of co-evolved natural enemies that can 

significantly suppress DBM populations. This comprehensive project aims 

to strengthen California’s DBM integrated pest management program by 

validating the utility of seasonal DBM monitoring, clarifying DBM insecticide 

resistance issues, and developing a classical biological control strategy for 

natural, long-term DBM control.

$408,536.00 
33

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 47: Recycled Olive 

Waste as a New Tool to 

Control Nematodes and 

Weeds in Perennial Crops

Olive pomace, comprised of olive meat, seed, and skin, has unique natural 

antimicrobial properties, which distinguish it from other agricultural 

byproducts. Preliminary data indicate that pomace can safely decrease pest 

nematodes and prevent weed germination. biosolarization, a process which 

combines solar heating and microbial activity, likely intensifies these effects, 

creating fermentation products which act as natural fumigants. This project 

will characterize the pest control potential of olive pomace. Objectives 

are to 1) Determine which rates of pomace best suppress nematodes 

and weeds, 2) Determine pomace’s mode of action with and without 

biosolarization, 3) Validate biosolarization with pomace as a pre-plant 

disinfestation method, 4) Characterize the efficacy of pomace applied as a 

post-plant strategy, 5) Perform a techno-economic analysis of feasibility, and 

6) Extend results through field days, online publications, presentations and 

outreach to stakeholders.

$373,871.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 48: Investigate and 

Improve Detection Methods 

for Spotted Wing Drosophila 

Pyrethroid Resistance in 

California

The introduction of spotted wing drosophila (SWD) has confounded insect 

management in California berry and cherry crops. Growers who relied 

on integrated pest management prior to SWD invasion must now apply 

insecticides specifically for SWD to avoid crop loss. Although growers 

strive to practice resistance management, the lack of alternative control 

strategies, low damage tolerance in high-value crops, and fast generation 

time of SWD suggest resistance development is inevitable. The project 

team has found SWD populations with tolerance to various insecticide 

chemistries in California berry crops. This project will investigate pyrethroid 

resistance mechanisms in SWD populations by combining insecticide 

bioassays and high throughput DNA and RNA sequencing. Identification 

of genetic mechanisms underlying resistance will enable the development 

of diagnostic assays to enable early detection and efficient screening of 

resistant SWD, optimize spray programs and minimize economic loss.

$372,784.00 
34

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 49: Classical 

Biological Control of Brown 

Marmorated Stink Bug Using 

Trissolcus

Japonicus, the Samurai 

Wasp

This project will provide sustainable, cost-effective management of the 

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), an invasive agricultural pest in 

California and many other states. BMSB is highly polyphagous and is 

presently established in at least 16 counties, including several in the San 

Joaquin Valley. The primary goal of this project is to establish populations 

of the samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) in California’s key agricultural 

production areas at risk of economic harm by BMSB. The California 

Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Biological Control Program 

will purposefully rear and redistribute this parasitoid to agricultural regions 

in critical need of BMSB control. Self-sustaining populations of samurai 

wasps are expected to spread naturally, reducing BMSB populations. 

The success of this project will be evaluated based on the development 

of a viable samurai wasp mass rearing program, the number of growers 

informed about this new biological control agent, and the number and 

distribution of locations of successful wasp release and establishment.

$363,580.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 50: A Metagenomics 

Marker System for 

Identification of All Fusarium 

Oxysporum Taxa in Field 

Soils

Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) is a widespread soil fungus that 

includes saprophytes as well as host-specific vascular wilt pathogens 

capable of infecting scores of specialty crops. One of the biggest challenges 

of working with this taxon is the lack of molecular tools for accurate 

identification and diagnostics. Techniques for positive and negative 

identification of some specific pathogens have been developed, but the 

ability to assess all strains, including saprophytes, has not been developed. 

The objective is to establish further a metagenomics marker system that 

enables the identification of all strains of F. oxysporum present in a sample 

by amplification of specific regions of the genome and sequencing by 

Illumina. This work is made possible by assembling a large and expanding 

database of F. oxysporum pathogens and saprophytes. The ability to do 

this will provide growers with information on risk of disease and impact of 

management practices on populations of all F. oxysporum pathogens in the 

field.

$444,551.00 
35

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 51: Managing Citrus 

Huanglongbing disease using 

a model-driven approach

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) disease has caused annual losses of over one 

billion dollars and approximately 7,900 jobs in Florida. As HLB spreads in 

the United States, similar losses are expected in California unless new and 

more effective management strategies are developed. This project will use 

a model-driven approach to analyze Survivor Trees (ST) in Florida. ST display 

a slow rate of decline even though they are in orchards where most of the 

trees exhibit the rapid HLB decline. After four years of research, the project 

team has identified trees that have only declined by 0.5 in a 0 – 5 disease 

rating system. The project will identify the molecules and molecular targets 

in citrus ST, which will be used to create effective new strategies to manage 

HLB.

$444,032.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 52: Dissecting 

Genetic Control of 

Tolerance/Resistance 

to Huanglongbing in 

Citrus Using the Host 

Transcriptional Response

The most immediate threat to California citrus is the bacterial disease 

Huanglongbing (HLB). Commercial citrus in California has been protected 

from disease through a combination of measures, including monitoring 

of both the insect vector and host and management in cases where HLB 

infection is detected. These strategies have safeguarded commercial 

orchards from HLB for nearly a decade. Still, the continued success of 

citrus in the state depends on stable, long-term solutions, including the 

development of HLB-resistant cultivars. Despite intensive efforts, there are 

still major gaps in the understanding of the genetic control of resistance 

to HLB. This project proposes to survey the genome-wide response to HLB 

infection across a genetically diverse collection of citruses. Gene expression 

is highly amenable to genetic mapping compared to complex traits like 

the disease status of mature trees, alleviating some challenges that have 

delayed progress in understanding the genetic basis of tolerance/resistance.

$447,132.00 
36

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 53: Development, 

Validation and Application 

of Fungicide Resistance 

Monitoring Tools for

Botrytis Spp. of Specialty 

Crops

Botrytis is one of the most important fungal diseases of specialty crops. 

Over the past decade, numerous studies have shown fungicide resistance 

levels continue to rise. Despite rotating products, few synthetic fungicides 

remain that can control Botrytis effectively. This project builds upon 

previous Botrytis projects to develop molecular markers for detecting 

fungicide resistance. Markers have been developed for Fungicide Resistance 

Action Committee (FRAC) groups 17 and 11, but there is considerable 

variation in genetic loci for FRAC 7, 9, and 2. This project focuses on 

validating and deploying previously developed molecular markers using 

field samples, designing new markers for FRAC 7, 9, and 2, and testing 

the efficacy of new FRAC 7 products for cross-resistance to older FRAC 7 

products (e.g., fluopyram and boscalid). Furthermore, project staff will 

identify the genetic basis and molecular targets for FRAC 12 resistance, the 

last major effective synthetic compound for reliable Botrytis disease control.

$368,999.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 54: An Integrated 

Approach to Combatting 

Tomato-Spotted-Wilt Virus 

in Pepper

Processed peppers drove a $1.4 billion salsa industry and a $1.6 billion hot 

sauce market in the United States in 2019. California produces over onethird of peppers in the United States. Tomato-Spotted-Wilt Virus (TSWV) 

consistently produces economic losses for farmers. The team recently 

verified three new resistance-breaking strains (RB-TSWV) in California, 

threatening the industry. The project proposes an integrated approach 

that combines rapid assays to detect and monitor RB-TSWV and resistance, 

locally adapted breeding germplasm and breeding tools. Outcomes are 

monitoring of disease for farmers to make decisions on control and variety 

selection, tools, and germplasm for efficient breeding of resistance into the 

pepper. Success will be monitored by assessing sensitivity and use of assays 

by growers, California’s extension, adoption of DNA markers and germplasm 

directly as varieties, and licenses to industry for the production of hybrids 

peppers. The long-term outcome will be a reduction of economic losses, 

yield, and quality due to TSWV in pepper and related species.

$469,889.00 
37

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23 Project 55: Twelve Citrus 

Leaves Are Not Enough

Citrus laboratories in California test thousands of 12 leaf samples per tree 

every year, yet huanglongbing (HLB) infected trees still go undetected. 

Twelve leaf sampling was developed because hand sample processing 

was the only viable process. The Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) 

and Technology Evolving Solutions (TES) have developed a new leaf tissue 

extractor instrument to replace hand leaf chopping in citrus diagnostics. The 

machine shreds petioles, and the tissues are made ready for downstream 

nucleic acid extraction and pathogen detection. The goal of this project 

will be to develop new protocols for larger sample sizes and evolve the 

shredding machine to accommodate those sizes. If the project team can 

double the sample size at the current California low infection rates, the 

probability of finding HLB could be doubled. The most cost-effective sample 

size must be determined. Then validation of the instrument and protocol 

will look at sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility and determine the cost per 

leaf tested.

$418,830.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 56: Towards the 

Enhancement of PCR 

Detection of Pathogens in 

Specialty Crops

Early detection is critical to controlling and managing pathogens in 

agriculture. This project aims to extend to specialty crop pathogens the 

discovery that a simple additive to established protocols for viroid detection 

in citrus plants improves their detection limits by tenfold. The project will 

focus on the detection of pathogens, such as the grapevine red blotch 

associated virus (GRBaV), Erwinia amylovora (E. amylovora), the causative 

agent of fire blight in apples and pears, and Candidatus Liberibacter 

asiaticus (CLas), the agent associated to the current Huanglongbing (HLB) 

citrus crisis. As the additive affects the central step of ribonucleic acid 

(RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection, fundamental to many 

established detection protocols, the project team also aims to develop 

a reliable protocol that allows specialty crops diagnostic laboratories 

to enhance their detection protocols. To establish the reliability of this 

protocol, the team have enlisted the help of the University of California 

(UC), Davis Foundation Plant Services (FPS), and the UC Riverside Citrus 

Clonal Protection Program (CCPP).

$249,666.00 
38

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 57: Enhanced 

Production of DiseaseFree Citrus Varieties Using 

Sustainable Next Generation 

Indoor Farming Systems

The Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), a National Clean Plant 

Network (NCPN) center, ensures that citrus propagative materials are 

disease-free and available for citrus productions in California. This project 

will lead to an operational modular plant growth unit (MPGU)-freight 

container tailored to citrus. The goal is to adopt, adapt, and validate the 

MPGU to increase CCPP’s plant production capacity (a minimum of 8,700 

containerized trees will be needed in the next three years) and optimize 

disease symptom expression for citrus diagnostics (research on grafttransmissible diseases bioindexing). Project success will be determined 

by 1) increased volume of citrus plants for CCPP disease testing, therapy, 

and budwood sources and materials for Huanglongbing (HLB) research, 2) 

reduce the production of disease-free citrus varieties by 18 months; and 3) 

creation of automated and sustainable citrus nursery technologies with less 

plant space, energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fertilizer, and water.

$439,511.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 58: Microbial 

Characterization of Irrigation 

Waters using Rapid, 

Inexpensive and Portable 

Next Generation Sequencing 

Technologies

New microbial detection approaches utilizing whole genome sequencing 

are being increasingly applied for tracing microbial contaminants entering 

the food chain. The produce industry can directly benefit from powerful 

new methods such as shotgun metagenomics, which allows for the rapid 

identification of all the bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoan pathogens in 

irrigation water, soil, or food samples in a single test. The goal of this project 

is to investigate two technologies that offer slightly different approaches for 

pathogen detection, to identify the benefits and limitations of each, verify 

the results, and validate their applications by the produce industry for use 

in rapid pathogen detection in agricultural waters. The results of this study 

will provide recommendations, protocols, and guidelines to the produce 

industry regarding the proper implementation of these technologies for 

pathogen surveillance.

$347,678.00 
39

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 59: Towards a 

Holistic Assessment of the 

Food-Safety Risks Imposed 

by Wild Birds

Birds introduce complex food-safety risks, as they carry multiple pathogens, 

are difficult to exclude from farms, and regularly defecate on crops. Yet 

very few wild bird species have been studied, and those that have form 

a minority of farm bird communities. Moreover, existing studies stop at 

examining pathogen prevalence in birds and do not holistically assess food 

safety risk. For a species to pose a significant risk, it must carry pathogens, 

visit fields, defecate on crops, and produce feces that support pathogen 

survival. The project team proposes first to identify species that carry 

pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and Campylobacter by 

coupling existing studies with assays of field-collected feces. Second, the 

team will survey birds and collect feces on 15-20 farms near rangeland, 

natural habitats or produce farms to determine which species enter farms 

and defecate on crops and in which contexts. Third, the team will compare 

E. coli survival between feces placed on different substrates (crops, organic/

conventional soils, plastic mulch) and between feces from different species. 

Finally, the team will compile holistic risk assessments for over 50 species 

into a photographic guide to help growers identify and manage birds. 

Ultimately, the team hopes to help growers implement practices that 

bolster beneficial species without compromising food safety.

$390,491.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 60: Quantifying Risk 

Associated with Changes 

in EHEC Physiology During 

Post-Harvest Pre-Processing 

Stages of Leafy Green 

Production

The goal of this project is to determine if the time between harvest and 

end-use of romaine lettuce impacts Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 

pathogenicity and detectability, resulting in increased health risk. 

Laboratory scale experiments with inoculated lettuce undergoing simulated 

harvest and cooling will be used to measure changes in E. coli O157:H7 

stress tolerance and virulence. Input from industry partners, including 

temperature data from commercial romaine harvesting and cooling, and 

details on supply chain logistics, will be combined with the laboratory scale 

experimental data and used to model risk associated with specific harvest 

and handling practices. The resulting quantitative tool will be publicly 

available and allow for growers and producers to determine any practices 

that should be implemented to reduce the potential for O157 transmission 

on romaine lettuce.

$348,502.00 
40

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 61: Assessing 

Romaine Lettuce “Forward 

Processing” for Potential 

Impacts on EHEC

Growth, Antimicrobial 

Susceptibility, and Infectivity

Consumption of romaine lettuce has been linked to multiple foodborne 

illness outbreaks due to contamination by pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. 

coli) strains. Recently, these outbreaks have occurred in the United States 

every year since 2016, causing significant damage to consumer health and 

the economic wellbeing of the fresh produce industry. The project team 

proposes to work closely with the leafy green industry to comprehensively 

assess the forward processing for its effects on the integrity and safety 

of the raw commodity and the packaged products. In addition, the 

forward processing conditions will be simulated in the laboratory with 

the pathogenic E. coli strains. Emphases will be on how these conditions 

would affect the physiology of the pathogenic strains as well as other 

microorganisms on the raw commodity and packaged products. The findings 

in the research could provide important information that can be used by 

the leafy green industry for improving the forward processing practice and 

reducing the risks for fresh produce such as romaine lettuce.

$420,878.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 62: CrossContamination Risks in Dry 

Environments

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) will partner with University of 

California, Davis (UC Davis) to develop a comprehensive understanding of 

cross-contamination risk factors during dry postharvest handling. Crosscontamination during the handling and processing of fresh produce is one 

of the key factors that can lead to a major food safety outbreak. Despite 

significant progress in understanding cross-contamination risks during wet 

handling and processing of fresh produce, there are significant knowledge 

gaps about cross-contamination risks in dry environments. The goals of this 

project are to, 1) quantify transfer coefficients of bacteria from inoculated 

dry food-contact surfaces (plastics and stainless steel, new and used) to 

fresh model produce (i.e., onions and stone fruits), with and without the 

presence of organic and soil contaminants, and 2) develop quantitative 

risk models for cross-contamination in dry environments for the onion and 

stone fruit industries. Results of this study will be summarized in project 

reports and presented at the annual CPS Research Symposium. Outcomes 

of the project will enable the produce industry to identify high-risk surfaces 

and conditions that promote cross-contamination in dry operations.

$222,921.00 
41

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 63: Assessing the 

Potential for Production 

Practices to Impact Dry Bulb 

Onion Safety

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) will partner with Oregon State 

University to determine contamination risks in dry bulb onion production 

practices. In 2020, the dry bulb onion industry faced its first significant 

outbreak of foodborne illness when red onions grown in California were 

epidemiologically linked to greater than 1,000 cases of salmonellosis. 

The primary goal is to collect evidence demonstrating the risks of these 

practices and to communicate the findings to relevant stakeholders to 

reduce the potential for an outbreak like this from recurring in the future. 

Findings will be shared via a broad outreach strategy that communicates 

with the industry throughout the two-year study. Results also will be 

summarized in project reports, presented at the annual CPS Research 

Symposium, and published in peer-reviewed journals. Outreach activities 

will culminate with developments and delivery of a workshop and best 

practices guide that enables bulb onion growers to better understand risks 

and implement changes to minimize the likelihood of crop contamination.

$411,215.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 64: Cyclospora 

Cayetanensis Monitoring in 

Agricultural Water

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Purdue University to design 

low-cost, portable, paper-based colorimetric tests for rapid detection of 

Cyclospora cayetanensis (C. cayetanensis). C. cayetanensis is an important 

emerging foodborne pathogen, causing gastrointestinal illness in people 

who consume fresh produce infected with the parasite’s oocysts. Results 

of this study will be summarized in project reports, presented at the 

annual Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium, and published in 

peer-reviewed journals. The μPADs, if successful, will provide the produce 

industry with rapid monitoring capabilities for detection of C. cayetanensis 

in agricultural water.

$170,694.00 

California 

Department of Food 

and Agriculture

$23,888,200.23

Project 65: Practical 

Application of Superheated 

Steam to Harvesting, 

Processing, and Produce 

Packing Tools and Equipment

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Cornell University to 

assess implementation of superheated steam as a dry sanitation strategy 

for the produce industry. Superheated steam, or “dry steam,” does not 

leave moisture or condensation on surfaces, making it a viable option for 

sanitizing “dry” handling and packing equipment and facilities. Effective 

sanitation is critical to mitigating the risk of cross-contamination of produce 

from surfaces in produce handling operations or from harvest equipment. 

The outcomes of this project will include data-driven resources that support 

industry decision-making about superheated steam implementation in 

dry operations. These resources will help improve the design of sanitation 

programs in dry operations and enhance control over pathogen crosscontamination.

$419,617.00 
42

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

1. Colorado Literacy Project 

Featuring Maxine “The 

Peach Queen”

The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture will increase the knowledge and 

consumption of Colorado peaches through its 2022 Colorado Literacy 

Project, an annual agricultural and reading literacy program for elementary 

schools across Colorado.

$19,536.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

2. Studying the Mechanical 

Impact on Potato Tubers 

During Harvest and 

Postharvest Processes

The Colorado State University (San Luis Valley Research Center) on behalf 

of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee will conduct studies 

on grower farms and warehouses to improve tuber quality and to reduce 

rejections by vendors.

$28,846.80 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

3. Systematic Evaluation and 

Development of New Potato 

Varieties

The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee will create a grower 

evaluation program in partnership with the Colorado State University 

potato breeding program and Colorado certified potato seed growers. This 

program will test and evaluate new potato varieties in research trials with 

actual potato farmers.

$32,800.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

4. Developing IPM 

Strategies for Alfalfa Mosaic 

Virus and Aphid Vector 

Control in Peppers

The Colorado State University will mitigate the economic impact of a new, 

aphid-transmitted viral disease of chili peppers – alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) 

– by developing research-based management tactics that can be easily 

implemented by pepper growers.

$66,229.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

5. Developing Accurate 

Non-Destructive Technology 

Using Vis-NIRS to Assess 

Peach Fruit Maturity, 

Quality, and Storage-Related 

Disorders

Colorado State University through a multi-faceted approach will provide 

growers with knowledge and technology to improve peach fruit pre-harvest 

decision-making, quality, and postharvest management. This project seeks 

to develop new technology for rapid peach fruit quality and maturity 

assessment, in a single scan, across a broad range of popular Colorado 

grown cultivars.

$59,758.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

6. Increasing Regular 

Consumption of Colorado 

Dry Bean: Advancing Grower 

Profitability and Public WellBeing

Dr. Henry Thompson and his team at Colorado State University will promote 

increased regular consumption of Colorado dry bean by: 1.) developing 

a menu and recipe defined Bean Cuisine for human consumption that 

incorporates about 1.5 cups beans/day; 2.) performing co-translational 

preclinical studies that establish that the Bean Cuisine, fed to mice as 

the cuisine that will be consumed by humans, actually induces a healthy 

pattern of microbiota in the intestine (gut health) prior to initiating the 

citizen science component of the project; 3.) engaging the Colorado public 

in citizen science centered around the Bean Cuisine; and 4.) conducting 

statewide outreach efforts through Extension and other networks.

$78,044.00 
43

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

7. Evaluating the Effect 

Different strains of Potato 

Virus Y has on Potato Yield 

and Quality

The Colorado Potato Certification Service (CPCS), Colorado State 

University, will evaluate the effect different strains of Potato Virus Y (PVY) 

has on potato yield and quality and will work with local stakeholders to 

disseminate information through grower meetings and field days.

$22,014.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

8. Molecular tools for 

early detection and highthroughput screening for 

resistance to potato tuber 

necrotic viruses

Colorado State University and the San Luis Valley Research Center will 

develop tools to mitigate the economic impact of two tuber necrotic 

viruses, Potato virus Y (PVY) and Potato Mop Top Virus (PMTV). To 

accomplish this, we will develop molecular tools to enable the highthroughput screening for resistance in Potato germplasm.

$52,300.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

9. Corn Earworm Spray 

Trial in Organic and 

Conventionally Grown Sweet 

Corn in Western Colorado

Colorado State University Extension Tri-River Area, in partnership with 

the Colorado Department of Agriculture and local sweet corn growers 

will conduct a spray trial evaluating the efficacy of chemicals against corn 

earworm in conventionally and organically grown sweet corn in Western 

Colorado.

$32,519.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

10. Stock Plant 

Management Techniques to 

Optimize Vegetative Cutting 

Production

Colorado State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape 

Architecture will investigate effects of lighting treatments on stock plants to 

optimize vegetative cutting production of herbaceous ornamental plant taxa 

in the Plant Select® program.

$38,566.84 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36 11. Establishing Cowpeas in 

Northeast Colorado

Colorado State University will improve production methods of cowpea in 

northeast Colorado by matching maturity ratings to appropriate row widths. $37,843.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

12. Specialty Crop 

Production Research, 

Technical Support, and 

Coordination for Colorado 

Growers: 2022

The Colorado State University (CSU) Specialty Crops Program (SCP) will 

enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state by conducting 

applied research that will enhance growers’ capacity to apply sustainable 

practices to their production systems.

$81,752.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

13. Develop Educational 

Modules for High Desert 

Farmers

Fort Lewis College- Old Fort at Hesperus will coordinate the development 

of 20 modules related to Specialty Crops that will be utilized in educational 

opportunities offered to new and beginning farmers.

$18,878.80 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

14. Guidestone Colorado 

Demonstrates Shifting SmallScale Market Garden to LowTill Practices

Guidestone Colorado will model and teach small-scale low-till methods 

through trials of drought-tolerant cover crops suited for high altitude; 

use of a small walk-behind tractor for cover crop management and bed 

preparation; silage tarps and flame weeder for no-till weed control; 

productive perennial production systems; and deep mulch application.

$36,457.64 
44

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

15. Guidestone Colorado 

Shares Best Practices for 

Selling Specialty Crops to 

Institutional Buyers

Guidestone Colorado will leverage existing relationships with school and 

hospital buyers to refine and widely share best practices for distributing 

specialty crops to institutional buyers, including through trainings, 

conferences, and webinars.

$31,367.56 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36 16. Turf and Arid Climates – 

Benefits and Responsibilities

The Rocky Mountain Sod Growers will conduct an educational campaign 

on the importance of water conservation and the benefits of sod. We 

will create an advertising campaign designed to highlight environmental 

benefits of sod, the water needs of turf, and the role of turf in urban 

environments.

$25,000.00 

Colorado 

Department of 

Agriculture

$817,558.36

17. A Distributed, Owner 

Operated, Four Season 

Growing System for Leafy 

Greens and Herbs.

Rowse Corp. DBA Buffalo Pass Farms will create a containerized controlled 

environment agriculture system to grow leafy greens and herbs. Once 

established at Buffalo Pass Farms, the system will be replicated with farmers 

and growers as a method to empower themselves economically through 

increased revenue.

$63,371.42 
45

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$397,377.31

1. Digital Marketing 

and Market Access of 

Connecticut

Specialty Crops

The Brass City Regional Food Hub will utilize compelling digital marketing 

and mainstream media technologies to expand the brand identity and to 

increase market share for Connecticut Grown specialty food crops among 

various consumer demographics and non-traditional wholesale buyers in 

the for-and-non-profit sector such as congregant housing, rehab centers, 

dietary nutrition programs, soup kitchens, small private schools, etc. 

Enhanced market share will be a multiplier for increased wholesale and 

consumer-based retail access to specialty crop food products that will 

benefit Connecticut specialty crop farmers. Targeted marketing utilizing 

digital and broadcast technologies will enable the Brass City Regional Food 

Hub to increase access to specialty food crops as well as enhanced market 

share of new audiences including non-profit organizations, congregant sites, 

and vulnerable populations of elderly and disabled who may have limited 

access to specialty crops. Once implemented, these technologies will assist 

us in building a more inclusive and stronger food system in Connecticut. 

One of the components of this proposal will be the creation of targeted 

social media and broadcast quality videography in the form of a 30 second 

commercial that will highlight a montage of Connecticut Grown specialty 

food crops through four seasons to reach the intended consumer and 

institutional or non-traditional wholesale audiences. This 30 second 

commercial will also be suitable for trade presentations as we conduct 

outreach to increase access to specialty food crop products to new 

markets. The commercial will contain funding attribute to the USDA and 

the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and will contain a link and a QR 

code to be scanned on the television screen that will take smartphone users 

to the CT Grown website. The QR code will enable consumers to locate 

nearby farmers’ markets or farm stands where they can procure specialty 

crops for consumption. The impacts to be derived from this broadcast 

videography and digital marketing are to: 1) increase Connecticut specialty 

crop brand awareness, 2) increase consumption of specialty food crops by 

consumers including those consumers considered vulnerable populations, 

and 3) increase market share of Connecticut specialty crops by utilizing 

some of the same technologies employed by large corporations that market 

non-domestic specialty crops to Connecticut consumers and wholesale 

buyers.

$68,500.00 
46

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$397,377.31

2. Applications Used in Plant 

Disease Control on Pollinator 

Health. Impact of Antibiotic

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) will evaluate the 

impact of the application of antibiotics used in plant disease control on the 

health of pollinators. Applications of antibiotics are routinely performed 

during bloom to control various economically important diseases such 

as fire blight on apple and citrus greening on citrus. Yet its impact to the 

pollinator health has never been evaluated. In this research, we will first 

determine the residual level of streptomycin on pollen grain collected by 

honeybees from CT apple orchards when streptomycin was sprayed during 

bloom. Next, we will evaluate the impact of streptomycin to microbiome 

on pollen grain. Finally, a microcolony experiment will be performed to 

compare the life span of bees feeding on pollens treated and not treated 

with streptomycin. Findings from this research will be disseminated to 

stakeholders through the CAES annual Plant Science Day exhibition, apple 

grower and beekeeper meetings, as well through webinar presentations. 

We will partner with the CT pomological society (see letter of support), and 

the CT beekeepers (through the collaboration with the CT bee inspector 

Mr. Mark Creighton, Co-PI of this grant) to coordinate sample collection, 

experiment implementation, and information dissemination aspects of this 

project.

Knowledge generated from this project will benefit the CT beekeepers as 

it aims to identify measures to promote bee health. Currently, the bee 

population in North America, including Connecticut, is going through a 

decline. The decline is seen in both the abundance as well as diversity of 

bee pollinators. Many commercial beekeepers in CT generate a significant 

part of

their revenues by bringing beehives to apple orchards during bloom to 

enhance pollination, yet there is always a concern whether the exposure 

of bees to pesticides in the orchard would cause negative impact to bee 

health. Knowledge gained from this project will also benefit the CT apple 

growers, as the apple growers rely on efficient pollination to generate a 

desirable crop load, and many of them maintain their own beehives on site 

at the apple orchards.

$75,000.00 
47

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$397,377.31

3. Developing CommunityInformed Pathways to 

Specialty Crop Access in New 

Haven

The City of New Haven’s Food System Policy Division (FSPD) will bolster 

awareness of, access to, and competitiveness of locally-grown specialty 

crops via three interrelated programmatic pathways: 1) hosting hands-on 

educational workshops in urban agriculture, 2) connecting local culinary 

professionals to urban specialty crop farmers, and 3) establishing the first 

network of community-led, publicly-accessible seed libraries throughout 

New Haven, all with a specific focus on culturally-relevant seeds and crops. 

The FSPD will identify barriers to accessing specialty crops in New Haven 

and mitigate these challenges by increasing seed access and education for 

specialty crops grown in New Haven. The FSPD will host workshops across 

a variety of topics focused on the urban cultivation of specialty crops - 

from all the way from flowers to mushrooms. Concurrently, the FSPD will 

be assessing the market demand and readiness for hyperlocal-sourcing of 

specialty crops among culinary professionals. The FSPD will develop and 

further strengthen these connections between culinary professionals and 

local specialty crop producers to create new local market opportunities. 

Lastly, the FSPD will support and train neighborhoods across New Haven to 

establish their very own seed libraries that contain culturally-relevant seeds, 

especially in Black, Brown, and low-income neighborhoods. 

Ultimately, New Haven’s demographics, geography, and economy present 

both strengths and weaknesses to developing and advancing an equitable 

and just food system. Therefore, the FSPD aims to remove barriers to 

engaging in New Haven’s urban agricultural growth and to ensure that 

urban agriculture’s economic, social, environmental, and health benefits are 

equitable and inclusive of all.

$64,900.00 

Connecticut 

Department of 

Agriculture

$397,377.31

4. Improvement of Indoor 

Vegetable Productivity and 

Nutritional Quality Using 

Optical Strategies

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will evaluate if the yield 

and zinc nutritional profile of lettuce crops can be controlled with light by 

exposure to different wavelengths using full spectrum light emitting diode 

lamps in a Controlled Environment Agriculture setting.

$124,959.00 

University of the 

District of Columbia $243,001.17

1. Diversifying Home 

Gardens and Urban Farms 

with Mushrooms to Improve 

Nutrition and Neighborhood 

Economy in DC.

Sharondale Mushroom Farm will partner with University of District 

Columbia to work with Washington, DC residents and community gardens 

to establish neighborhood expertise in specialty gourmet and medicinal 

mushroom growing as a means of diversifying urban garden and farm cash 

crops and improving access to an important source of dietary nutrition.

$49,998.80 
48

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

University of the 

District of Columbia $243,001.17

2. Food-Energy-Water (FEW) 

Nexus: Next Generation 

Urban Farming Practices 

to Integrate Specialty Crop 

Production with Rainwater 

Harvesting and Solar E

In this proposal, a multidisciplinary team specializing in agriculture, 

stormwater management, and renewable energy will quantify the efficacy 

of this novel system at Firebird Farm to better inform local urban farmers. 

High value specialty crops will be tested in protected micro-climates using 

solar energy to pump water for drip irrigation.

$45,112.00 

University of the 

District of Columbia $243,001.17

3. Expanding Access to 

Specialty Crops in Southeast 

Washington, DC

Building Bridges Across the River (Building Bridges) will increase 

competitiveness of specialty crops by growing and harvesting them in 

partnership with our network of urban farms, known collectively as Building 

Bridges Farms.

$49,994.00 

University of the 

District of Columbia $243,001.17

4. Sovereign EarthWorks: A 

Covered Trailer and Portable 

Green/Hoop Houses to Farm 

Heirloom Crops Closer to 

our Communities

Sovereign EarthWorks is a decentralized mobile cooperative of farmers 

within Washington, DC tending to heirloom Afro-Indigenous crops 

at multiple urban growing spaces. We have committed to engaging 

under resourced marginalized communities, especially in-terms of food 

sovereignty.

$50,000.00 

University of the 

District of Columbia $243,001.17

5. Urban Agriculture as A 

Solution: Using Commercial 

Urban Mushroom Farming 

to Combat Food Deserts

EightFold Farms DC LLC will use the increase demand of specialty 

mushrooms to directly fight the causes of food deserts by operating a 

mushroom farm in Ward 8 that will create new jobs and increase access to a 

nutritionally dense food.

$22,025.30 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89

1. Increasing Knowledge and 

Consumption of Delaware 

Lavender

Brittingham Farms in Millsboro, DE will collaborate with all lavender 

growers in the state and create a “Delaware Lavender Trail” that promotes 

all aspects of education, agri-tourism and health benefits of lavender. 

Through bulk marketing for current and future Delaware Lavender Growers, 

“The Delaware Lavender Trail” will increase sales and awareness, increase 

consumption of lavender goods and show our regions’ ability to produce 

quality lavender products locally grown for Delaware residents. Delaware 

residents will participate in educational events held at each farm and 

will receive resources to more clearly understand all the different uses of 

Lavender. With very specific media promotion and an educational push 

of lavender our goal is to increase overall awareness and consumption of 

lavender, but to also encourage other farmers to add lavender to their farms 

to diversify their farm offerings.

$44,573.00 
49

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89

2. Lettuce Move You: 

Advancing Efficient 

Production and 

Consumption of Greens in 

Wilmington

Conscious Connections Inc. will increase production and child and adult 

nutrition knowledge and consumption of leafy greens through increased 

hydroponic production, farm tours, and a music- oriented healthy greens 

curriculum. Results will be disseminated through an online best practice 

toolkit.

$44,573.00 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89

3. Promoting Delaware 

Specialty Crops through 

Location-Based Targeting 

Technology

The Delaware Farm Bureau, in relationship with the Delaware Department 

of Agriculture, will promote specialty crops, and local farm and produce 

stands, through iHeartMedia’s new location-based targeting technology. 

This campaign will introduce consumers to 24 specialty crops grown in 

Delaware, over a two-year period, via location-based marketing strategies 

that target consumers based on their location and behaviors, along with 

social media and web banners. Delaware specialty crop growers continue 

to diversify the crops they grow, and this grant allows the Delaware Farm 

Bureau to highlight these crops.

$44,492.02 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89 4. Watermelon Virtual Farm 

Tour and Field Trip

The Mar-Del Watermelon Association will build an online platform to host 

a virtual watermelon farm tour. The virtual farm tour will consist of on farm 

videos of the germination process of a watermelon seed, preparation for 

the watermelon season, planting of the watermelon plants, watermelon 

management and harvesting of watermelons. Lesson plans will be given 

through the online platform for teachers of students to implement the farm 

tour in their classrooms. Recipes using watermelon will be demonstrated 

by our Watermelon Ambassador and video will be posted at the conclusion 

of the farm tour. Informational video of the health benefits of watermelon, 

how to select a watermelon in the grocery store and where to purchase 

a local Delaware watermelon will be included on the virtual farm tour 

platform.

$35,199.00 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89 5. School Nutrition 

AgriCulture

The School Nutrition AgriCulture (SNAC) Program will increase direct 

education and access to specialty food crops, nutrition and mindfulness 

programming, and direct horticulture and ecological education to students, 

parents, and teachers (roughly 2,000 students and 4,150 parents and 

teachers) in two schools in the Indian River School District with a high level 

of students on federal reduced or free lunch. Educational programming 

will be provided on-site to both schools on a regular basis with the SNAC 

curriculum using permaculture gardens which integrate native horticulture, 

vegetable gardening, and fruit trees, providing 16 hours of educational 

lessons for each student every year.

$38,851.00 
50

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89

6. Breeding and 

Management Approaches 

to Mitigate Lima Bean 

Yield Losses to Root-knot 

Nematode

The University of Delaware project team will utilize integrated approaches 

of field screening, chemical control, and assessment of lima bean 

germplasm to develop and improve management options for root knot 

nematode.

Current commercial lima bean varieties do not have resistance to root knot 

nematode, resulting in severely galled root systems with reduced yield. 

Across the region, elevated nematode populations often result in growers 

having to abandon vegetable production land. This project seeks to combine 

host resistance and currently available chemical management options to 

develop integrated approaches to combat RKN. In addition, we will screen 

the lima bean diversity panel to identify novel sources of RKN resistance, 

which could be used to develop new RKN resistant varieties.

$39,031.00 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89 7. Corn Earworm Pyrethroid 

Susceptibility Testing

This University of Delaware research project will conduct research on corn 

earworm susceptibility to pyrethroid insecticides. Corn earworm is the most 

important pest of both fresh market and processing sweet corn grown on 

Delmarva. There are only a few insecticide modes of action available for 

CEW management, the most used of which are the pyrethroids. We propose 

to develop an adult vial test based on currently used pyrethroid active 

ingredients, like vial tests currently in use (albeit with a non-agriculturally 

used pyrethroid active ingredient). Pyrethroid susceptibility in Delaware 

earworm populations will be compared to field efficacy trials to help 

determine if there is a relationship between the two tests during 2022.

$24,538.00 

Delaware 

Department of 

Agriculture

$350,407.89

8. Identifying White 

Mold Resistant Lima 

Bean Germplasm and 

Continued Lima Bean Variety 

Improvement

This University of Delaware project continues past efforts to make stress 

and disease resistant lima bean varieties available to Delaware farmers. As a 

part of this project, the team will identify sources of white mold resistance 

from among a collection of diverse lima bean lines using a greenhouse 

inoculation and screening method. Resistant lines will be used to produce 

white mold resistant breeding populations. Existing experimental varieties 

will be screened for white mold tolerance in inoculated field trials. Selection 

and yield trials of new experimental varieties from the breeding program 

will continue as a part of this project with a focus on breeding and selecting 

heat tolerant, large-seeded lima types.

$49,556.00 
51

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

1. Development 

of Potassium 

Recommendations to 

Improve Nitrogen Use 

Efficiency, Yield, and Quality 

of Potatoes in Florida

The University of Florida - IFAS will develop a potassium (K) 

recommendation to improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) yield and 

quality of potatoes for Florida growers, which will result in improved farm 

income and water quality. This study aims to develop K recommendations 

with different combinations of N rates on multiple sites to find the best 

combination for optimum yield. Crop yield and quality; soil moisture; 

weather; tissue potassium, N, and phosphorus uptake; and soil physical, 

chemical, and biological data will be used for this study. An economic 

optimum N rate (EONR) and maximum return to N rate (MRTN) will be 

compared for the K recommendation. A multispectral sensor will monitor 

plant health and help develop yield prediction models. This study’s 

significant outcomes include an independent K recommendation for fresh 

market and processing potatoes, an optimum N recommendation rate in 

conjunction with K application.

$229,816.98 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

2. Mitigating Impacts of 

Salinity and Diseases for 

Sustainable Vegetable 

Production Under Climate 

Change

The University of Florida will investigate the effects of soil salinity on 

diseases of vegetable crops and mitigate their impacts by chemical and 

biological inducers that can simultaneously improve disease resistance 

and salinity tolerance in vegetable crops. Under climate change, multiple 

stresses are likely to adversely impact vegetable production in Florida. 

Soil salinity and plant diseases now commonly coexist in the field and 

cause abiotic and biotic stress interactions that severely affect agricultural 

production and threaten food quality and safety. In Florida, bacterial spot 

of tomato and powdery mildew of squash are economically important 

diseases that threaten vegetable production. Vegetable production in 

Florida is also impacted by soil salinity due to sea level rise and storm 

surges, overfertilization, irrigation with low quality and saline water, and 

poor irrigation management.

$220,647.00 
52

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

3. Development of 

Integrated Management 

Strategies for Dragon 

Fruit Canker Caused by 

Neoscytalidium Dimidiatum 

in Florida

The University of Florida will work to develop integrated management 

strategies for dragon fruit canker, a devastating disease caused by 

Neoscytalidium dimidiatum in Florida. Dragon fruit production in Florida 

started in the early 2000s and more than 720 acres are currently planted. 

The acreage is still rapidly increasing because growers are seeking 

alternatives to avocado, citrus, and lychee, which is seriously affected by 

laurel wilt, citrus greening, and low production, respectively. The following 

are the objectives of this study: (1) Investigate potential disease resistance 

of dragon fruit varieties; (2) Determine the role of cultural practices 

including pruning and sanitation in canker disease control; (3) Evaluate 

conventional and organic fungicide programs for effective canker control; 

and (4) Educate growers on management of dragon fruit canker through 

workshops, seminars, field days, publications, and social media. Completion 

of this project will provide growers, particularly for organic growers, with 

practical strategies for effectively managing this economically important 

disease on dragon fruit in Florida.

$173,822.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

4. Evaluation of Phosphorus 

Recommendations and 

Management Strategies for 

Tomato Production in South 

Florida

The University of Florida will evaluate Florida’s phosphorus fertilizer 

BMP with an innovative compact bed technology for tomato production 

and disseminate the results to stakeholders. Adoption of phosphorus (P) 

fertilizer rates based on the Mehlich 3 (M-3) test, considered an important 

BMP, has been limited due to industry reports of yield responses on 

alkaline soils with high Ca in South Florida (SFL) despite high M-3P values 

(>45 mg kg-1) at which no P fertilizer is recommended. Our preliminary 

analyses showed unusual trends; virtually all (~98%) of the total P present 

was captured via M-3 extraction whereas very little of the total P was 

water-extractable. We hypothesize that M-3P may not accurately reflect 

bioavailable P due to high Ca and pH.

$294,434.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

5. Removing Obstacles to 

Expand the Ginger and 

Turmeric Industry in Florida

Ginger and turmeric are popular “superfoods” that can be commercialized 

to diverse target markets. Because these crops are typically produced 

overseas in tropical and subtropical environments, they are promising 

potential new crops for Florida growers. However, local production 

is currently limited and small-scale. The University of Florida has the 

goal to help stakeholders diversify their crop options by developing 

recommendations to produce, process, and market ginger and turmeric 

products. Results derived from this work have significant potential to 

provide an economic benefit to Florida’s specialty crop industry, as they will 

enable growers to produce ginger and turmeric products that can cater to 

different local markets.

$185,670.49 
53

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

6. Pruning Strategies that 

Optimize Fruit Size and Crop 

Load while Reducing Labor 

Costs in Low-chill Peaches

Typical fruit development periods for low-chill peaches grown in Florida 

are half that of peaches grown in temperate regions. Therefore, extensive 

thinning is critical to achieve marketable fruit size. Florida’s subtropical 

climate and irregular chill units also cause abnormal growth in trees, 

resulting in nonuniform flowering and fruiting, which means growers need 

to spend even more time and labor for harvesting fruit. This proposal is 

aimed at developing a pruning strategy to adjust crop loads in low-chill 

peaches in order to reduce labor cost, and at the same time improve fruit 

size and quality. The parameters for analysis will be pruning time, thinning 

time, crop load, fruit size, and yield of marketable fruit for the fresh market.

$118,639.06 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

7. Developing NPK Fertilizer 

Application Rate Guidelines 

for Low-chill Peaches Grown 

in Florida

Current nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizer 

recommendations for almost all of the low-chill peach trees grown in 

Florida have been adopted from research conducted on high-chill peaches 

from other production areas such as Georgia and South Carolina. Florida 

growers are following these practices without consideration for differences 

in vegetative growth and fruit growth cycles, geographic locations, soil 

types,

tree management, and varietal and environmental factors. As a result, 

it is very possible that the application practices for NPK fertilizers being 

used for low-chill peaches in Florida are not appropriate, and the result 

could be over or under fertilization. This proposal is aimed at developing 

guidelines to adjust NPK application type and rate in low-chill peaches. The 

results of this study will significantly contribute to the improvement of best 

management practices for environmental sustainability while optimizing 

tree growth, fruit quality, and fruit yield. This information is

essential to industry expansion and profitability leading to a strong Florida 

peach brand.

$124,581.59 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

8. The Hibiscus Bud Weevil: 

Management, Ecology and 

Economics

The University of Florida will mitigate the spread of HBW and avoid 

further economic damage to the hibiscus industry by providing hibiscus 

growers with cost-effective, environmentally friendly tools to manage 

this pest and ultimately enhance Florida’s hibiscus growers and nurseries’ 

competitiveness. Research efforts will focus on biological control, sanitation 

practices, and cost-effective pest management strategies. Furthermore, 

the potential of HBW to plague okra, another specialty crop of the same 

botanical family as hibiscus (Malvaceae), will be explored.

$196,568.00 
54

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

9. Incorporation of 

Engineered Biochars Into 

Potting Media for Reducing 

Nitrogen and Phosphorus 

Leaching During Container 

Ornamental Plant Pro

This University of Florida project will demonstrate that potting media 

incorporated with engineered biochars can hold more water, retain N and 

P, and produce high-quality plants, thus reducing production costs and 

protecting surface and ground water resources from N and P contamination. 

Tens of thousands of potted plants can be produced per acre. Frequent 

fertilization and irrigation of potting media with limited water and nutrientholding capacities can lead to leaching of significant amounts of nitrogen 

(N) and phosphorus (P) into Florida’s surface and ground water. Improving 

water and nutrient-holding capacities of media is a critical step for 

minimizing N and P leaching. This project is designed to produce engineered 

biochars, characterize their physical and chemical properties including the 

adsorption of N and P, incorporate selected biochars into potting media 

for producing deciduous shrubs Hibiscus and Viburnum and foliage plants 

Dieffenbachia and Ficus.

$155,913.16 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

10. Development of a 

Smartphone App to Identify 

Weeds in Florida Specialty 

Crops

Successful weed management by herbicide spraying in Florida specialty 

crops relies on correct timing of sprays to coincide with the recommended 

early growth stages of weeds, and recognition of any so-called “problem” 

weeds that may be resistant to herbicides or need special treatments. 

Many such weed identification models already exist and are available 

on smartphone apps. However, the existing apps aim for comprehensive 

taxonomy of hundreds of weeds, and don’t focus on accurate identification 

of the most economically important problem species at the critical seedling 

growth stages. The University of Florida will develop a decision-support 

smartphone app to provide the user with 1) the average number of 

leaves (growth stage) on seedling grass, broadleaf and sedge weed groups 

detected in smartphone camera views, 2) the identity and frequency of 

any problem weeds encountered in those views, and 3) advice on spraying 

herbicide for managing the specific weed situations encountered. The 

completed app will be available to all Florida specialty crop growers to 

improve in-field decision making for weed management.

$170,308.00 
55

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

11. Weed Management 

Alternatives for Cucurbit 

Production

The Weed Science team at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center 

(GCREC) believes that effective weed management in cucurbit crops will 

only be possible with the integration of multiple management tools. We 

have identified alternative preemergence herbicides that may be safe for 

use on select cucurbit crops and previously developed a precision applicator 

that applies herbicides only in the transplant hole where weeds emerge and 

therefore decreases overall herbicide load and potential for crop damage. 

Preliminary observations also suggest that changes in the type of plastic 

mulch as well as changes in the type of hole punched in the plastic mulch 

for transplanting can further reduce weed density. We propose to evaluate 

these technologies and develop new integrated weed management 

programs for cucurbit crops in the state of Florida. Effective management 

plans will reduce weed density, significantly reduce the need for handweeding, improve crop yield and quality, and reduce labor associated with 

plastic removal.

$103,609.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

12. Rapid Detection and 

Monitoring of Emerging 

Neopestalotiopsis 

Populations in Strawberry 

Production Fields

A new disease has recently emerged on Florida strawberry fields and is 

threatening the state production. Although being considered as secondary 

pathogens in most crops, the emerging pathogen population on strawberry 

identified as Neopestalotiopsis sp. has spread to other U.S. and Canadian 

nurseries within one year from a single nursery source. Lack of knowledge 

of this emerging disease has seriously impeded the application of effective 

management programs. The overall goal of this project is to provide rapid 

and accurate diagnostic tests for effective management of important 

and emerging diseases of strawberry and establish a baseline dataset of 

Neopestalotiopsis communities associated with strawberry. The specific 

objectives of this project are to: (1) develop molecular diagnostic tools for 

rapid and accurate detection of Neopestalotiopsis species and (2) other 

common strawberry leaf diseases; and (3) monitor the establishment 

and survival of emerging Neopestalotiopsis populations in strawberry 

production fields in Florida. This project is expected to incorporate new 

molecular tools into the toolkit of the UF-GCREC plant diagnostic clinic as a 

routine diagnostic service for growers.

$151,255.00 
56

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

13. Monitoring Resistance 

to Novel Insecticides Among 

Field Populations of Bemisia 

Tabaci, The Silverleaf 

Whitefly

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1, attacks many important specialty 

crops in Florida’s multibillion-dollar vegetable and ornamental industries, 

causing significant losses annually through mechanical damage and by 

transmitting viruses, including the tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) to 

tomato. This project proposes screening twenty field-collected populations 

of B. tabaci from south Florida to insecticides representing five groups 

using a serial dilution bioassay to determine the frequency of insecticide 

tolerance. This will provide baseline information on susceptibility to both 

established and recently commercialized insecticides, will identify the 

risk of field resistance to key insecticide groups, and will contribute to the 

development of whitefly management plans by determining the optimal 

placement of key insecticides in a season-long rotation. In addition, we 

will biotype all whitefly populations as part of ongoing efforts to track the 

spread of B. tabaci MED (the Q biotype) in Florida.

$72,625.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

14. The Effect of a $15 

Minimum Wage on the 

Florida Tomato and 

Strawberry Industries and 

Adaptation Strategies

Florida’s minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour after a ballot 

amendment passed in November 2020. The large increase constitutes a 

major labor market shock and will have serious implications for the laborintensive fruit and vegetable industry as labor is the largest cost item in crop 

budget. The higher minimum wage will squeeze growers’ profit margins 

and threaten the future of the industry. Growers’ concerns over the statemandated wage hikes are made worse as the industry is struggling with 

competition from low-cost Mexican produce. Given the serious situation, 

growers and policy makers need a thorough understanding of the impact 

of the minimum wage hikes and identify adaptation strategies to overcome 

the state’s minimum wage hikes. The research will focus on two major crops 

in Florida, strawberry and tomato, both of which are labor-intensive and are 

experiencing significant challenges from record-high influx of imports from 

Mexico. In this project the University of Florida researchers will 1) analyze 

the economic impact of the wage hike on the industry to inform policy and 

business strategic planning and 2) analyze growers’ welfare changes under 

different adaptation scenarios, including mechanization and other business 

adaptations and innovation, to assess the effects of potential solutions.

$164,769.00 
57

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

15. Development of 

Integrated Precision 

Irrigation and Nitrogen 

Management Strategies for 

Potatoes.

Potato is one of the most important crops in Florida, with approximately 

30,000 acres which are vital to the state’s economy. Most of these acres 

managed under sandy soils with a shallow water table and sub-surface 

(seepage) irrigation systems. With increasing pressure on water resources 

and declining water quality, precision irrigation management practices 

such as sprinkler irrigation are being promoted to reduce the adverse 

environmental impacts and maintain crop productivity. Therefore, in this 

project, the University of Florida aims to identify and develop irrigation 

and nitrogen management strategies and techniques for potatoes under 

sprinkler irrigation systems that will increase crop water and nitrogen use 

efficiency (CWUE) while minimizing nitrate leaching without impacting crop 

yield. We will compare three irrigation and five fertilizer strategies, including 

control release fertilizer treatment. The outcomes of this research will 

provide data and information that will help farmers to make better on-farm 

management decisions and provide opportunities for the researchers to 

develop collaboration to advance the sensor-based irrigation and nitrogen 

management studies and help government agencies to develop irrigation 

and nutrient management policies based on scientific research.

$216,619.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

16. Improving Management 

of Insect Pests on Florida 

Squash by Testing and 

Registering a New Pest 

Control Product

University of Florida and the IR-4 pesticide registration program will 

evaluate the efficacy of a new pest control product, Spidoxamat, to better 

manage insects in squash. Squash growers face growing difficulties to 

control insects, especially aphids and whiteflies. This project is important 

and timely because squash pests have become resistant to several 

conventional pesticides, including neonicotinoids, which can also have 

detrimental effects on pollinators essential for squash production. The 

proposed project will determine the efficacy and residue of this novel 

insecticide that has demonstrated the potential to effectively control insect 

pests on other crops. The goal is to register Spidoxamat as an EPA-approved 

pesticide for squash growers as a more effective pest control approach. 

This research will be carried out by researchers at the IR-4 southern region 

program who have facilitated the registration of new pest control products 

for specialty crop growers since 1963. The finding from this research will 

enable the use of Spidoxamat to better control pests and have minimal 

negative impact on beneficial organisms. Outcomes of this research will 

enhance the sustainable production and profitability of squash in Florida.

$133,774.00 
58

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

17. Screening and 

Development of Superior 

Potato Varieties Adapted to 

Florida Unique Conditions

Potato is the sixth most valued crop in Florida, with a production value of 

$150 million annually. However, current breeding efforts do not focus on 

selecting varieties specifically adapted to Florida’s unique environment, 

as evidenced by the fact that the main varieties grown in the state were 

developed more than 40 years ago. With the recent increase in production 

and marketing costs, potato growers in the state face significant challenges 

to maintain profitability. There is an urgent demand and opportunity to 

screen and develop varieties adapted to Florida’s challenging production 

system with improved yields and tolerant to abiotic stresses. The goal of 

this project is to screen a broad number of commercial and pre-commercial 

potato varieties that show superior traits regarding yield, N and P uptake 

efficiency, and heat tolerance. The product of this research conducted by 

the University of Florida will be the identification of cultivars and future 

parents that can be used towards our medium-term goal to establish a 

Florida-based plant breeding program to support development of highyielding varieties specifically adapted to Florida’s growing condition.

$192,411.04 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

18. Managing Pepper Weevil 

in Florida Peppers Using 

Metadiamide Insecticide 

as an Alternative to 

Chlorpyrifos

Pepper weevil is a destructive pest of Florida peppers with maximum yield 

losses of 80% reported by some farms. Few insecticides are available to 

growers that effectively manage pepper weevil. Chlorpyrifos is a widely 

used insecticide currently being used to manage pepper weevil with limited 

efficacy. However, this product is currently under review by the current 

administration, and it is likely that EPA will limit its use or de-list this 

product due to safety concerns. Therefore, finding an alternative product 

to control pepper weevil is timely and important. The proposed project 

will evaluate broflanilide as a better alternative to control pepper weevil. 

Broflanilide is the first meta-diamide insecticide and has a new mode of 

insecticidal action. It has demonstrated efficacy against pepper weevil. 

Researchers at the University of Florida and IR-4 pesticide registration 

program will conduct research to evaluate broflanilide on pepper weevil in 

field and greenhouse pepper production. The findings from this research 

will aid in the registration of broflanilide as an EPA-approved pesticide for 

fruiting vegetable crop growers. Broflanilide would be a low-risk alternative 

to chlorpyrifos and other conventional chemistries, minimizing health and 

safety concerns, negative effects on pollinators and ultimately enhancing 

consumption of specialty crops.

$132,522.00 
59

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

19. Optimizing Nitrogen 

Fertilization Rates for 

Evergreen Blueberry

The University of Florida will reduce blueberry production costs and 

prevent excess fertilization by developing nitrogen fertilization rate 

recommendations for evergreen blueberry production. Researchers will 

test the impact of different nitrogen fertilization rates on plant growth, 

fruit yield, and fruit quality in an experimental field and in two commercial 

farms. Results will be disseminated through grower meetings, field days, 

and written articles.

$167,724.43 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

20. Evaluation of 

Begonia Germplasm for 

Stress Resilient Cultivar 

Development

Begonia is among the top five bedding ornamentals with the majority 

of production occurring in Florida. However, the frequent temperature 

extremes such as heat waves and drought have hindered the begonia

production and its utilization in the southeast region of United States 

because of begonia’s failure to withstand the long summers with intense 

heat and high humidity. In coordination with the USDA National

Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center, the University of Florida MidFlorida Research & Education Center (MREC) houses one of the largest 

begonia germplasm repositories in the country. However, the cytogenetic 

background and stress responses of these germplasm stocks have not been 

fully characterized and are largely unknown. This knowledge is essential 

for successful crossing between and within species for developing stressresilient begonia cultivars that can be adapted to climates in the Gulf 

Coastal region. Results from this study will facilitate successful hybridization 

breeding to develop stress resilient begonia by selecting the appropriate 

parents with compatible genomic interaction, which may significantly 

reduce use of fungicide and water for begonia production, thus minimizing 

environmental pollution and maximizing growers’ profit.

$184,790.82 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78 21. Increasing Florida Sweet 

Corn Sales

This Florida Specialty Crop Foundation project aims to increase sales of 

Sunshine Sweet Corn grown in Florida. Florida sweet corn growers have 

experienced a steady decrease in sales in their main spring marketing 

window (March-May) due to a number of factors including adverse weather 

conditions in the Northeast and general lack of consumer demand. The 

goal of increasing sales will be achieved by cooperating with major retailers 

to keep corn in displays and on promotion throughout April and May. 

The use of Social Media Influencers will also be a key component to show 

consumers alternative preparation and consumption methods for sweet 

corn. The Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida agree that promotions 

that increase the reach of Florida sweet corn to new consumers and 

demonstrate new methods of cooking corn are vital to combating the trend 

of decreasing corn sales from Florida.

$86,691.00 
60

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

22. Extend the Shelf Life 

of Florida Strawberries by 

Designing and Implementing 

New Post-harvest 

Technologies

The University of Florida and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association 

will design and implement postharvest technologies to extend the shelf life 

of strawberries. Florida grows 9,400 acres of strawberries valued at $307.2 

million annually. Strawberries are highly perishable and have a 5-7-day shelf 

life. As a result, about 25% of berries are discarded at the distribution and 

retail level. Additionally, some consumers avoid strawberries due to the high 

pesticide residue. Florida farmers urgently need new technologies to extend 

shelf life of strawberries and reduce pesticide residues. This project will 

have a direct impact on the Florida strawberry industry and the optimized 

technologies will be immediately transferred to commercial practices.

$170,748.00 

Florida Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$3,814,268.78

23. AFECCT: Assessing 

Filtration Efficacy for 

Cyclospora Control

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with U.S. Department of 

Agriculture to determine how effectively filtration can remove parasites, 

such as Cyclospora cayetanensis, from irrigation water. Foodborne illness 

outbreaks in the United States have been associated with domestically 

grown fresh produce contaminated with C. cayetanensis. Filtration with 

zero-valent iron (ZVI) and sand have been demonstrated to improve 

the microbial quality of agricultural water. This project will establish 

how effectively ZVI-sand filters remove and/or harm parasites that can 

contaminate irrigation water. The outcomes of this research will directly 

benefit growers seeking tools to mitigate risk, and validate a needed 

surrogate system for studying other interventions against Cyclospora 

cayetanensis.

$245,338.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

1. Marketing Georgia 

Grown Products to National 

Retailers (2021 PMA)

Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), will work in 

cooperation with Georgia specialty crop growers, specialty crop commodity 

organizations and agribusiness companies that handle products and serve 

Georgia specialty crop growers to develop a Georgia Grown exhibition and 

pavilion at the 2021 PMA Fresh Summit in New Orleans, LA. Fresh Summit 

will have more than 21,000 produce industry leaders, including retail store 

and food service buyers looking for new specialty crop suppliers showcasing 

new products and investigating new technologies.

$78,471.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

2. Hybrid Educational Access 

to Increase Specialty Crop 

Producers Profitability

Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) will plan and 

coordinate the 2022 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. 

It will be planned to continue with the in-person format of a four-day 

educational conference and trade show. However, with the expectation 

COVID-19 will continue to be a variable for attendance and Conference 

logistics, Conference organizers are planning to offer some educational 

conferences virtually giving the ability to pilot the interest and applicability 

of online educational content with attendees.

$100,000.00 
61

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

3. Increasing Profitability of 

Ornamental Horticultural 

Crops Through Educational 

Opportunities

Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA) seeks to meet the needs 

of ornamental horticulture growers and the landscape professionals 

that plant and maintain those crops through a three-day educational 

conference and trade show, WINTERGREEN. The educational sessions 

and trade show will address improved crop production and maintenance 

techniques, refined methodology and plant selection, and enhanced 

technology and mechanization. We expect the conference will yield greater 

economic returns, better environmental stewardship, and a higher level of 

professionalism for Georgia’s Green Industry growers and professionals.

$35,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65 4. Pecan Farm Tour to Promote Georgia Pecans

Georgia Pecan Growers Association (GPGA) will develop and execute 

buyers’ workshop and trade event to be known as The Georgia Pecan 

Tour. This interactive annual tour will include pecan farm tours to highlight 

the safety and health of pecan products, as well as product tastings and 

cooking demonstrations in order to demonstrate the superior flavor and 

versatility of Georgia Pecans. Educational workshops and breakout sessions 

will emphasize pecan health benefits and product availability, while salesfocused networking sessions will facilitate increased sales by linking growers 

directly with buyers.

$90,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

5. Automated Planting 

Technologies for Efficient 

Tissue Culture Production in 

Biodegradable Pots

Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC), led by Dr. Cyrus Aidun (PI), will 

design, build and implement technology for one of the most labor-intensive 

and sensitive processes of tissue culture (TC) in vitro plant production, 

namely rooting and planting of the TC propagules. The overall purpose of 

the proposed project is to improve the availability of disease-free higher 

quality specialty crop plants for GA nurseries and farmers.

$99,875.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

6. Piloting Sustainable 

Controlled Environment 

Mushroom Cultivation for 

Georgia Growers

Kennesaw State University Research and Service Foundation (KSURSF) will 

partner with three mushroom growers in Georgia to transition a modular, 

controlled environmental, cultivation technology solution for a wide 

diversity of culinary mushrooms not readily available in Georgia markets as 

a pilot study of the potential of this approach to expanding the productivity 

and profitability of this specialty crop.

$96,740.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

7. Plant Vaccine-Induced 

Resistance Against Viruses 

on Tomato and Squash

There is growing concern over the impact of chemical pesticides on health 

and the environment. As an alternative, the plant virology lab at The 

University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), led by Dr. Sudeep Bag 

(PI), proposes to develop a novel, biological spray, triggering the plant’s 

defenses against insect-transmitted viruses on tomato and squash. Topical 

application of dsRNA molecules targeting specific regions of the genome 

activates RNA silencing mechanism.

$95,000.00 
62

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

8. Determining the Threat 

of Xylella Leaf Scorch in 

Georgia Pecans

Dr. Brenneman (PI) and the University of Georgia Research Foundation 

(UGARF) will lead this project. The Pecan industry is facing significant 

challenges due to the spread of exotic pests and pathogens. Growers 

need to elevate their overall production efficiency considerably to 

remain profitable and sustainable, which includes development and/or 

improvement of the management of diseases such as those caused by 

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. Multiplex (Xfm). In this project, we propose to 

conduct an extensive survey for monitoring of Xfm in pecan orchards and 

pecan nurseries. In addition to the survey, we will evaluate the potential risk 

of seed transmission of Xfm. Such information is required to ensure that 

newly planted pecan orchards are free of Xfm. The impact of this research 

will help contribute to developing an appropriate and coherent disease 

management strategy for Xfm for the pecan industry in GA.

$93,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

9. Reducing Fresh Peach 

Contamination caused by 

Overhead Spray Washers/

Waxers

The University of Georgia Department of Food Science and Technology 

and UGARF, led by Dr. Jinru Chen (PI), in continued collaboration with the 

Georgia Peach Council (GPC) is proposing to mitigate, through research 

funding from Georgia Department of Agriculture’s (GDA) Specialty Crop 

Block Grant Program (SCBG), the risk of microbial contamination of fresh 

peaches caused by the brush rollers inside the overhead spray washers/

waxers systems (WWS). The overall goals of the research are a) to develop 

effective interventions that peach packers could easily adopt to improve the 

hygiene status of the brusher rollers inside the WWS, b) to reduce the crosscontamination of fresh peaches caused by the brush rollers, c) to ensure 

the microbial safety of peaches detained for the fresh market, and d) to 

enhance the sustainability of fresh peach industry in Georgia.

$90,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

10. Improving the Hygiene 

Conditions of Specialty 

Crop Migrant Worker Living 

Environments

The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), through the 

University of Georgia Department of Food Science and Technology and 

Center for Food Safety, with Dr. Jinru Chen (PI) as lead, in collaboration 

with Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), propose 

to assess the feasibility of using hybrid antimicrobial coating polymers to 

improve the hygiene conditions of migrant worker living environments to 

provide a stable workforce for Georgia’s specialty crop produce industry. 

The overall goals of the research are to ensure the safety, health, and 

wellbeing of essential agricultural specialty crop workers, sustain a more 

reliable labor force for Georgia’s specialty crop fresh produce industry and 

greatly improve the microbial safety and quality of specialty fruits.

$50,000.00 
63

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

11. Sustainable Grafting 

Technology to Enhance 

the Competitiveness of 

Watermelon

The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), led by Dr. Bhabesh 

Dutta (PI), will develop a sustainable grafting technology to enhance 

competitiveness of watermelon in Georgia. This proposal will optimize 

and facilitate adoption of watermelon graft technology using the “Carolina 

strong-back (CSB)” rootstock for the management of Fusarium wilt of 

watermelon in Georgia.

$95,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

12. Applications of 

Nanobubble Technology to 

Enhance Sustainability of 

Turfgrass

The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), led by Dr. 

Habteselassie (PI), will evaluate the potential applications of nanobubble 

technology to control pathogens and to improve plant growth, water use 

efficiency and soil biological health in turfgrass system. The technology 

is based on generation of oxygenated nanobubbles that are introduced 

to the turfgrass root system via irrigation water. The benefits of the 

technology arise from its ability to improve aeration, to produce reactive 

oxygen species and to change surface tension. We will design and execute 

laboratory, greenhouse and field studies to prove the outcome that the 

technology enhances the competitiveness of the turfgrass industry through 

more sustainable, diverse, and resilient system.

$85,000.00 

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

13. Anaerobic Soil 

Disinfestation and Soil 

Amendments for Blueberry 

Disease Control

The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), led by Dr. Jonathan 

Oliver (PI) will conduct this research. Blueberry replant disease threatens 

continued blueberry production in Georgia. Replanting blueberries into 

sites infested with soilborne diseases and pests, especially ring nematodes, 

results in poor growth and eventual death of young plants. Through 

this project, the University of Georgia will assess whether anaerobic soil 

disinfestation (ASD) can be implemented as a practice in Georgia blueberry 

production systems to successfully reduce issues with soilborne diseases in 

young blueberry plantings.

$95,000.00 
64

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Georgia Department 

of Agriculture $1,420,820.65

14. Saving the Rose: Using 

Genetics to Battle Rosette 

Virus

Rose rosette virus (RRV) is a destructive rose pathogen that poses a 

significant threat to the commercial rose industry in many U.S. states, 

including Georgia. The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF), 

led by Dr. Dayton Wilde (PI), will develop a novel method for providing roses 

with resistance to RRV. This approach takes advantage of a plant defense 

mechanism that recognizes RRV and cleaves it into small pieces called siRNA 

(small, interfering RNA). The siRNAs then guide the cleavage of more RRVs 

by an enzyme called Argonaute. We will isolate siRNAs than can confer RRV 

resistance by:

1. Characterization of the siRNAs produced in vivo by RRV-infected rose 

leaves

2. Development of an in vitro system for producing siRNAs using rose cell 

lysates

3. Isolation and in vitro testing of Argonaute-bound siRNAs for RRV cleavage 

activity

4. Analysis of RRV resistance conferred to rose leaves in vivo by siRN

$90,000.00 

Guam

Department of

Agriculture

$245,554.27 

Improving hot pepper 

production for increasing 

value-added products in 

Guam

The University of Guam (UOG) and the Guam Department of Agriculture 

(GDAg) will work in collaboration to support vegetable growers and 

emerging businesses making value-added products using locally grown 

hot peppers (Capsicum spp.). The project goal is to increase hot pepper 

production for the development of local favorite hot sauce products. The 

expected outcomes of the project will be (a) an increase in the knowledge 

of plant characteristics of hot peppers suitable for processing; (b) an 

increase in the number of hot pepper cultivars suitable for processing; © 

an increase in the number of farms who grow hot peppers for processing; 

and (d) an increase in the volume of hot peppers from local farms to 

produce value-added products by local enterprises in Guam. At UOG, 

open-pollinated Capsicum accessions will be evaluated for yield, pest 

tolerance, and fruit quality for processing. Selected Capsicum lines will be 

maintained and released as local cultivars at UOG and seeds of superior 

lines will be made available through GDAg to growers. The harvested fruits 

from growers will be sold to food processing enterprises to make valueadded products in Guam. UOG and GDAg will jointly offer a workshop 

and disseminate findings of the project to individuals of agricultural and 

business community including new farmers.

$245,540.24 
65

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

1. Understanding Traditional 

Hawaiian Agricultural 

Knowledge to Improve Taro 

Production and Resilience in 

Crop Systems: Phase II

In Phase II of the project, E kupaku ka aina, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 

collaboration with Joshyboy’s Farm, with extension support from the 

University of Hawaii Molokai Branch of the College of Tropical Agriculture 

Extension Service (CES), will track and evaluate taro growth, yields, quality, 

and costs; lunar planting effects on harvest/distribution schedules, sales 

and product reach; and create a video short as a training tool.

$48,104.22 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

2. The Value and 

Accessibility of Hawaiian 

Floriculture: Educating the 

Wedding Industry

The Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) will host the 

Wedding Celebration 2022 program that will be offered as both as a live, inperson demonstration and as a virtual demonstration that will be streamed 

live to a global audience to educate the wedding industry on the benefits 

of using Hawaii flowers and foliage in wedding designs. These formats will 

enable participants to talk with the growers to discern how to obtain their 

flowers and foliage.

$38,850.00 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

3. Understanding and 

Mitigating Coffee Leaf Rust 

with Coffee Berry Borer 

control in Hawaii

The USDA Agricultural Research Service Daniel K. Inouye Pacific Basin 

Agricultural Research Center (ARS DKI PBARC), in collaboration with the 

Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council, will develop scientific knowledge on 

the Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) disease cycle in Hawaii and determine the most 

effective control methods for the dual management of CLR and Coffee Berry 

Borer (CBB). CLR incidence, severity, and spread will be documented. The 

relationship with microclimate variables will be estimated to determine 

the most important factors involved in disease expression under Hawaii’s 

unique environmental conditions.

$40,000.00 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

4. Protecting Hawaii’s 

Chinese Cabbage, Mustard 

Greens, and Brassica 

Industry from New Soilborne 

Bacterial, Fungal, and Viral 

Diseas

Farmers of Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, and other Brassica crops 

recently suffered from three new plant diseases, Pectobacterium 

brasiliense, and two novel viruses transmitted via the soilborne fungus 

Olpidium spp. The University of Hawaii (UH) will develop management 

practices and recommendations to protect and build capacity in these 

leafy green industries. UH will evaluate both conventional and organic 

commercial fungicides/bactericides, as well as soil pH manipulation, 

for their efficacy in controlling the diseases. UH will also develop rapid 

tests for the unnamed viruses utilizing DNA-based and enzyme-linked 

immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques, which will allow farmers to 

identify and distinguish these soil-vectored viruses from insect-vectored 

ones.

$38,386.00 
66

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

5. Propagation of Ti, 

Cordyline Fruticosa, to 

Support the Food/Flower/

and Ornamentals Industries

Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC) will propagate to plants 

desired by growers. Green ti plants are infected with 6 or 7 viruses that 

can cause blemishes, yellowing, small leaf size, and yield reduction leading 

to decreased sales. “Clean” plants from the University of Hawaii showed 

an estimated 25% growth increase and larger, nearly blemish-free leaves 

compared to traditional plants. Demand is high for ornamental ti plants 

important in floriculture and landscaping, and they cannot be propagated 

quickly enough by cuttings. HARC will tissue culture ti plants, increase 

plant numbers by micropropagation, and as rooted cuttings for largescale 

propagation. Plants will be made available with information on propagation 

in seminars and workshops at HARC.

$39,700.00 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

6. Safely Preserving Locally 

Grown Specialty Produce 

through Hawaii Master Food 

Preservers Online Training

The Hawaii Master Food Preservers (HMFP) will develop seven online 

training “how-to” videos. All videos explain DOH, US Food and Drug 

Administration, and USDA regulations for safe processing of Hawaii produce 

and specialty crop proteins such as unusual legumes like adzuki beans and 

pigeon peas. They are gaining popularity with the local consumers. The 

videos will be offered publicly and as a bundle which would include realtime Zoom Q&A for those registering for the online class.

$40,887.00 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

7. Improving the Growth 

and Yield of Tomato through 

new Integrated Pest 

Management Strategies

The University of Hawaii at Manoa will conduct trials aiming to improve 

the growth and yield of tomato crop by developing and implementing new 

Integrated Pest Management Strategies (IPMs) with an overarching goal to 

reduce the impact of whiteflies populations under both conventional and 

organic farming practices. The project results are expected to improve the 

yield of locally produced tomato by reducing the impact of whiteflies and 

increase marketable fruits harvested from each operation. It will also lead 

to increase net farmers’ profitability by increasing the yield and reducing 

the production cost (less chemical application).

$40,000.00 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

8. Expanding Availability 

of High Yielding Mamaki 

Varieties for Better Selection 

by Hawaii’s Growers

The University of Hawaii will evaluate the yield and quality of Mamaki 

varieties statewide to develop recommendations regarding variety selection 

and expected yield/quality statewide. Also, seeds of the Mamaki varieties 

will be collected and distributed among the interested farmers to ensure 

successful adoption. The project team will conduct statewide workshops to 

disseminate the project findings and provide educational activities about 

Mamaki seeds collection and propagation to ensure a higher percentage 

of sustainable self-sufficiency, while distributing startup Mamaki seeds 

statewide.

$55,000.00 
67

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

9. Enhancing Cacao 

Production by Improving 

Producers’ Evaluation of, 

Access to, and Installation of 

Grafted Varieties

Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council (Oʻahu RC&D) will 

enhance cacao production and profitability by improving producer access to 

improved clonal varieties, accompanied by training on how to evaluate and 

install clonal varieties to improve seedling orchards. This will be achieved 

by (1) replicating an on-farm variety trial of 20 promising clones to serve 

growers statewide and (2) the production of three field days (two in-person, 

one virtual) to deliver training and demonstration of best practices for 

grafting and approaches to improve seedling orchards statewide.

$49,805.32 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

10. Improving the 

Sustainable Production 

of Hawaii’s Ornamental 

Industry through Precision 

Nutrient Management

The University of Hawaii at Manoa aims to increase the sustainable 

production of Hawaii floriculture and nursery crops by reducing its reliance 

on pesticides and targeting plant nutrition. Using sustainable Integrated 

Pest Management (IPM) tactics, this project can increase plant health, 

quality, and yield, which would increase the competitiveness of Hawaii 

ornamentals while protecting the environment. Current research at the 

Waiakea Experiment Station on Hawaii Island demonstrated the positive 

effects of soluble silicon fertilizer on the yield and quality in anthuriums and 

dendrobiums.

$39,884.88 

Hawaii Department 

of Agriculture $479,015.46

11. Enhancing the 

competitiveness of Hawaiian 

Honey and/or Honeybees

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/s. The project seeks to select a proposal for an award that 

will have Outcomes and Indicators that enhance the competitiveness of 

Hawaiian Honey and/or Honeybees.

$10,000.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

1. Impact of Smoke on 

Potato Growth, Storage and 

Profitability

Boise State University, the University of Idaho, and McCain Foods USA, Inc., 

have partnered to study the impact of smoke on the growth, storage, and 

profitability for three common varieties of russet potato, Alpine, Burbank, 

and Clearwater. The climate trend in the Pacific Northwest has been hotter 

and drier than historic precedent, leading to deleterious growth conditions 

for agricultural products with sensitivity to smoke originating from forest 

and/or rangeland fires.

$125,000.00 
68

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

2. Improving Grape 

Extraction with PEF to Make 

Wine Better

Boise State University will demonstrate the attributes of pulsed electric field 

technology to improve the quality of wine produced from grapes grown 

in Idaho. The implementation of pulsed electric field technology following 

grape harvest and prior to wine production has been demonstrated to 

amplify the quality of the wine product by enhancing the extraction 

efficiency of desirable polyphenols, anthocyanins, tannins and color 

pigments from the red wine grapes. In the case of white wine, the PEF 

treatment occurs after fermentation to eliminate the need for bentonite 

and filtration, while providing a clear wine product. We propose to 

introduce this technology to grape growers in order to improve crop 

marketability and profitability in the production of higher quality white and 

red wines.

$164,783.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

3. New Fruit Wall 

Architectures in ‘Fuji’ Apple 

for High Productivity and 

Quality in Idaho

The Idaho Apple Commission will establish an agreement with the 

University of Idaho. The University of Idaho Pomology Program will study 

the impact of fruit wall and tree training configurations on tree growth, 

yield efficiency, quality attributes, light penetration efficiency, leaf nutrients, 

bloom and maturity dates, chlorophyl index and fruit quality attributes in 

fully mature ‘Aztec Fuji’ apples between Oct. 1, 2021 and Sept. 30, 2023.

$175,000.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

4. Advanced Detection and 

Surveillance Methods to 

Safeguard Bean Health in 

Idaho

The Idaho Bean Commission through the University of Idaho will develop 

advanced diagnostic and detection methods. These can be used as part of 

disease surveillance programs for bean pathogens within the state ensuring 

the continued disease-free status of Idaho beans. Analysis of the material 

from both insect and water traps will evaluate their potential use as part of 

an early warning system for predicting risk of disease development as well 

as providing vital epidemiological information on their relative importance 

as an inoculum source. Test validation will be to internationally recognized 

standards. Cutting edge, robust tests and disease surveillance are essential 

to maintain Idaho’s reputation for high quality bean seed.

$133,466.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

5. Investigating the 

Emergence of Onion Leaf 

and Bulb Rot Pathogens in 

the Treasure Valley.

The Treasure Valley of Idaho and Eastern Oregon produces up to 30% of US 

dry onion bulb production. Production costs can be significant ($5,000/acre) 

making stakeholder losses to onion pathogens during the growing season 

and storage costly. Two recently emerging diseases- Stemphylium leaf blight 

(SLB), caused by the fungus Stemphylium vesicarium, and a bacterial bulb 

rot caused by Rahnella spp. are potential threats to yield and profit for 

onion producers.

$140,000.00 
69

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

6. Detection and 

Epidemiology of Airborne 

Pathogens of Hops in Idaho

The Idaho Hop Commission through the University of Idaho, will validate 

real-time PCR diagnostic tests for four key diseases that affect hop foliage, 

determine the status of an emerging hop pathogen in Idaho and gain 

preliminary data on the use of spore traps for disease prediction. Several 

diseases are present in Idaho which can limit hop yield and quality.

$30,000.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

7. Micropropagation of 

Astragalus species for 

Nursery, Conservation or 

Medicinal Uses

Astragalus are economically and ecologically important plants grown for 

medicinal properties, animal forage, habitat restoration and landscaping. 

Traditional seed propagation is complicated by low seed set and extensive 

scarification or stratification requirements. Micropropagation of endemic 

Astragalus will benefit Idaho nurseries, conservationists and ethnobotanists.

$91,351.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

8. Idaho Potato Commission 

Continuing Export 

Enhancement Program in 

Taiwan

The Idaho Potato Commission will continue a marketing program in Taiwan 

utilizing SCBG funds to give Idaho farmers a competitive advantage. 

Marketing activities will consist of developing awareness programs for 

Importers, Retailers, and Foodservice operators.

$100,000.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

9. Idaho Preferred Live.Eat.

Local Campaign Promoting 

Idaho Specialty Crops

Idaho Preferred®, a program within the Market Development Division of 

the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, will promote Idaho specialty 

crops to consumers through a multi-faceted integrated strategy. Consumer 

interest in purchasing local products has been very strong and the COVID 

pandemic accelerated the local trend even more.

$221,938.52 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

10. Embracing Change, 

Growth and Collaboration in 

Idaho

The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission (IWC) is 

committed to helping growers and winemakers in the state of Idaho 

produce the best quality wine in the region. The IWC will focus on 

developing new ways to engage a wide variety of journalists and 

influencers. This will be done via highly curated digital experiences, 

implement robust social media and email marketing strategies, and the 

Idaho Wine Month Campaign Amplification. Through these targeted efforts, 

the IWC hopes to strengthen consumer and media knowledge of the Idaho 

wine industry and expand sales and production within the region.

$88,970.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

11. Improving WeatherData-Driven Decision Tools 

for Idaho Wine Grape 

Vineyards

The proposed project will improve data quality provided through projects 

funded through prior Boise State University SCBG grants completed by Dr. 

David Wilkins, and apply those improved data to develop and provide tools 

that enhance and support decision making efforts for disease control as well 

as improving irrigation efficiency.

$124,000.00 
70

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

12. Development of an App 

for Mobile Devices for Early 

Fruit Yield Estimation

The Robotics Vision Lab of Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) will 

develop an application (app) for mobile devices to estimate early fruit 

yields in orchards. In this project, the algorithm will be implemented in a 

farmer-friendly app for mobile devices, which have an integrated camera 

and computer in one unit. Apps for both iOS and Android devices will be 

developed. The goal is to equip fruit growers with a tool that can support 

orchard management in a simple but functional app. The results of this 

research project will be reported online, through local agricultural field 

days, tours to different commercial orchards, presentation at conferences, 

and publications in scientific journals.

$67,523.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

13. Development and 

Adoption of Direct Tuber 

Testing to Enhance 

Marketing Potential of Idaho 

Seed Potato

To effectively manage the threat of potato viruses, and maintain high 

market value of Idaho seed potato, a new tool is being developed, direct 

tuber testing, allowing drastic shortening of the period of decision making 

for sales of seed potato lots. The proposer intends to develop direct tuber 

testing methodology to conduct the post-harvest test in dormant tubers 

almost immediately after harvest. This new methodology will be able to 

replace the winter grow-out test, providing comparable or better sensitivity, 

reliability, and convenience. These direct tuber testing tools will be 

transferred to the Idaho Crop Improvement Association, individual growers, 

and other Idaho stakeholders.

$129,478.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

14. Establishing a Center of 

Excellence for Specialty Crop 

Seed Health in Idaho

The University of Idaho will develop a specialty crop seed health center 

of excellence which will provide a world leading resource of growers and 

other seed organizations in Idaho and the US. The project will develop two 

cutting edge diagnostic methods, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 

and high throughput sequencing (HTS) for front line diagnostic testing for 

specialty crop seed.

$120,000.00 

Idaho State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$2,085,220.90

15. Sustainability and 

Quality of Mature Almonds 

and Walnuts as a New Nut 

Industry in Idaho

The University of Idaho Pomology Program will study sustainability, 

production, growth, quality, bloom and maturity dates, cold tolerance, 

chlorophyll index and oil profile of fully mature almonds and walnuts trees. 

Both almonds and walnuts are becoming increasingly popular, mainly 

because of their health benefits.

$135,000.00 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,827.98 

1. Helping People in 

Need Where They are for 

Improved Engagement, 

Access and Consumption of

Healthy Produce and 

Nutrition Knowledge

Sola Gratia Farm will expand access to and demand for healthy 

produce and nutrition knowledge in low-income/limited access (LI/LA) 

populations in Champaign-Urbana where social services are currently 

lacking.

$30,678.10 
71

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,828.98 

2. Increasing Knowledge 

and Production of Fruits and 

Nuts through Community 

College Farm Expansion

McHenry County College will provide hands-on educational 

opportunities in fruit and nut production through the expansion of 

the MCC Student Farm, reaching degree-seeking students in our 

Entrepreneurial Agriculture program, as well as new farmers across 

northern Illinois through MCC’s Center for Agrarian Learning, K-12 

school groups, Future Farmers of America clubs, and others who visit 

the MCC Student Farm.

$17,801.00 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,829.98 3. Gardeneers’ Growing Food + Equitable Justice

Gardeneers partners with a network of partner schools, primarily on 

the West and South slides of Chicago, in low-income, under-resourced 

communities of color that face barriers to fresh, healthy food access. 

Our school farm and garden programs contribute positively to the more 

extensive food system by building students’ awareness, knowledge, and 

skills to address food inequality directly and become leaders who care 

for themselves, their communities, and their environment.

$54,933.00 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,830.98 

4. Variety Trial for Ginger 

(Zingiber officinale) and Best 

Practices for Illinois Farmers

Specialty crop growers in the United States have begun to consider 

ginger root (Zingiber officinale) in their crop rotation due to client 

demand and as a way to break disease cycles. As a tropical plant, ginger 

cannot tolerate temperature extremes common in Illinois. To better 

assess its production potential for Illinois specialty growers, University 

of Illinois Extension educators from Macomb, Jacksonville, Quincy, and 

Murphysboro, will collaborate with project partners, including faculty 

of Western Illinois University (Macomb) and Galesburg specialty crop 

farmers Spurgeon Veggies and Tina’s Botanicals. The team will select 

varieties to test and will grow these varieties of ginger utilizing different 

growing methods suitable for Illinois, including high tunnels and 

caterpillar tunnels. Illinois Extension and project partners will collect 

data, including plant growth and health and yield data, to determine the 

best varieties and protected culture methods, with the goal of producing 

a ginger crop profile for Illinois growers.

$47,615.00 
72

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,831.98 

5. Catalyzing Local Food 

System Connections: 

Collaborative Change 

Through Technology, 

Technical

Assistance, Outreach and 

Education

In the next stage of post-pandemic life, The Land Connection has 

focused our energy on the biggest lesson learned for us this past year: 

intentional partnerships and information sharing to solve complex 

problems is critical to achieving the change we want in our local food 

and farming systems. To accomplish this goal, we designed a project that 

brings the collective voices of Illinois organizations advocating for a just 

and equitable local food system together to build a project centered 

on increasing the consumption of Illinois specialty crops by connecting 

producers, consumers, and food entrepreneurs.

$69,722.09 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,832.98 

6. Expansion of Year-Round 

Learning Opportunities for 

Communities in Northern 

Illinois

The purpose of this project is to expand the Learning Center’s 

educational opportunities to include a year-round cooking program, 

reinvigorate our outdoor cooking opportunities, build a library of 

cooking and demonstration videos to reach a wider audience, and 

create the opportunity for interactive streaming classes that allow 

for supplemental learning. The audience will be a mix of families 

from across northern Illinois, urban youth in Rockford, and schoolage children from the area that attend field trips to our farm. Using a 

combination of in-person and virtual resources, we can maximize the 

reach and provide multiple touchpoints for a diverse group of people 

to interact with specialty crops, which will increase consumption and 

nutritional knowledge.

$53,514.00 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,833.98 

7. Novel Cover Crop 

Management for Improving 

Resiliency and Profitability 

of Sweet Corn Production in 

Illinois

Sweet corn is one of the main specialty crops in Illinois. There is a 

growing interest in improving soil carbon while reducing environmental 

footprints in sweet corn production. Integrating winter cereal cover 

crops (WCCCs) such as winter cereal rye (WCR) can deliver both goals, 

but despite these benefits, cover crop adoption is slow. This study will 

evaluate cover crop species such as winter cereal rye, crimson clover, 

and their mixture in two different planting methods (normal planting 

vs. precision planting) in comparison to a no-cover crop control to 

identify the best method of cover cropping for sweet corn growers in 

Southern Illinois. We will team up with Illinois Farm Bureau to reach 

out to as many growers as possible through their extensive network of 

connections. Our comprehensive outreach approach will include writing 

fact sheets to deliver and promote precision cover cropping, presenting 

results in Illinois specialty crop conferences and local and national 

meetings.

$66,238.00 
73

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,834.98 

8. Enhance Microbial 

Food Safety and Growth 

Outcomes of Hydroponically 

Grown Microgreens

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will enhance the 

microbial food safety of hydroponically grown microgreens by 

developing practical and scientifically based seed and tool sanitation 

techniques for application in controlled environment agriculture systems 

(CEAs) in Illinois and by disseminating the results to stakeholders 

through workshops and conferences.

$38,132.60 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,835.98 

9. Evaluation of Day-Neutral 

Strawberry Production for 

Northern Illinois Specialty 

Growers

Day-neutral (DN) strawberry production could provide an opportunity 

for both you-pick operations (YPO) and diversified specialty growers in 

northern Illinois. While some strawberry production of June-bearing (JB) 

currently occurs, the short harvest season of this crop leads to many 

growers either removing or recognizing its limitations for YPO and direct 

markets while being unable to address market demand. DN strawberries 

then may be able to address a grower’s needs as these are grown as an 

annual with weekly harvests from the end of June to October.

$40,424.23 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,836.98 

10. Horseradish Germplasm 

Evaluation and Utilization for 

New Variety Development

This project will be directed by Dr. Alan Walters, Vegetable Crop 

Specialist at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and will identify 

superior clones from a genetically diverse germplasm collection for the 

improvement and development of new horseradish varieties for the 

Illinois industry. Superior germplasm clones will be identified (based 

on root quality characters) and hybridized with adapted commercial 

cultivars. Results of the project will be disseminated to stakeholders 

through presentations and personal contact at the annual Horseradish 

School in Collinsville, Illinois, in January 2023 and 2024.

$49,948.00 

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,837.98 

11. Specialty Crop Education 

& Consumer Awareness 

through Illinois Agriculture 

in the Classroom: Farmers 

Market Ag Mag & 

Companion Poster

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) has a proven track record 

as a trusted source for educational materials teachers can use to 

incorporate agriculture into daily classroom lessons. Producing an Ag 

Mag educational resource highlighting farmer’s markets provides a 

positive introduction to agriculture, specialty crops, and the farmers 

who grow them by using a subject matter with increasing popularity 

and one that captures student interest and meets learning standards for 

teachers. Farmers markets throughout Illinois that engage consumers 

can also benefit from access to a farmers market poster that will 

complement this free educational resource. IAITC has identified these 

new resources as a successful vehicle to cover a wide range of specialty 

crops one might find at their local farmers market and that are grown in 

Illinois.

$13,000.00 
74

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Illinois Department 

of Agriculture $590,838.98 

12. Specialty Crop Market 

Readiness for Under-Served 

Farmers and Markets

The program will specifically target resourcing and training towards 

BIPOC, Latinx, and women farmers of specialty crops, as an affirmative, 

effort to address these under-served farming populations in Illinois.

$63,151.00 

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$485,215.51

1. Improve Drip Irrigation 

Management for Vegetable 

and Melon Production in 

Indiana

Purdue University will improve Indiana vegetable and melon farmers’ ability 

to implement precise drip irrigation, which will improve crop water use 

efficiency, and minimize negative environmental impacts that can result 

from over-irrigation. Our team will achieve the targeted goal by developing 

a watermelon specific irrigation threshold and delivering comprehensive 

drip irrigation management education to Indiana farmers who grow many 

kinds of vegetables.

$139,384.69 

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$485,215.51

2. Determining the 

Suitability of Materials for 

Use as a Postharvest Food 

Contact Surface

Purdue Extension will conduct applied produce food safety research to 

determine the suitability of various materials for use in postharvest settings. 

As part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Produce Safety Rule (21 

CFR 112) (PSR) sets minimum standards for equipment and vehicles used in 

the harvest and transport of produce. This project will study the suitability 

of materials for use as food contact surfaces on equipment and transport 

vehicles. This project will determine best practice for management of food 

contact surfaces, as well as assist growers in complying with the Produce 

Safety Rule and will be conducted primarily at the Purdue Extension Food 

Safety Training Hub, located near Vincennes, IN.

$57,437.95 
75

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$485,215.51 3. Conservation of Indiana 

Specialty Crop Pollinators

Purdue University entomologists will partner with growers across the 

state to evaluate pollination services provided by native pollinators to 

Indiana’s leading specialty crops. Over 50% of the state’s specialty crop 

economy is dependent on pollinators to secure high marketable yields. 

While many specialty growers supplement their crops with honeybees, 

Indiana is home to more than 400 species of native bees which can supply 

free and superior pollination services. However, little is known about which 

pollinator species contribute to securing high marketable yields in Indiana’s 

specialty crops. Thus, the value of these services is poorly understood and 

underutilized. The overarching goal of this proposal is to identify and help 

conserve pollinators for specialty crop production in Indiana. Supporting 

this goal are two objectives, the first is to conduct a series of surveys across 

major Indiana specialty crops (watermelon, tomato, apple, and blueberry). 

These surveys will determine significant pollinator species and the relative 

economic worth of native pollinators to each crop. Secondly, we will 

develop extension resources for growers to identify and assess pollination 

services in watermelon, tomato, apple, and blueberry. In achieving these 

objectives, we will target meaningful conservation practices that protect 

these significant pollinator species and sustain high marketable yields in 

Indiana’s specialty crops.

$119,653.04 
76

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Indiana State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$485,215.51

4. Increasing Productivity 

& Consumer Accessibility 

of Hydroponically Grown 

Organic Lettuce in Indiana

Many hydroponic growers in Indiana are converting to organic farming, 

expecting higher profits. Organic production is characterized by low 

productivity and variable crop yields due to decreased and variable nitrogen 

availability to crops. In addition, a select group of consumers have access to 

organically grown produce due to premium prices. These inequitable factors 

increase risk and negatively affect sustained profits in organic hydroponics 

industry. Crop productivity and yield stability should improve for sustained 

profits in organic hydroponics industry. This will further lower price of 

organically grown produce and make it more affordable to all consumers. 

Increased sales and diverse consumer base are key to sustained profits. 

Purdue University will develop technologies that will aid in increasing 

nitrogen availability to crops to improve crop productivity and yield 

stability in organic hydroponics industry. In addition, Extension will provide 

multiple workshops for the community, including educational programs 

geared towards educating Indiana growers with developed technology, 

introducing local school children to hydroponics with a focus on nutrition, 

and providing home hydroponics education and equipment to low-income 

families. The hydroponics technology will be displayed at 16 Tech Innovation 

District (Indianapolis) for maximum visibility. Workshop programming will 

include getting started with home hydroponics, the environmental benefits 

associated with hydroponics, the promotion of the nutritional value of leafy 

green consumption in the diet, cooking and storage of leafy greens, and 

promotion of the health benefits of organically grown produce with a focus 

on serving underappreciated communities facing food insecurity.

$143,391.00 
77

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

1. Expanding Production 

& Markets for Iowa 

Melon Industry through 

Introduction & Evaluation of 

Specialty Melons

Iowa is renowned for its sweet-tasting watermelons and muskmelons. 

Melons are widely popular and are a staple crop for many Iowa growers, 

however, their markets have essentially plateaued due to several 

challenges, namely production (insects, diseases, etc.), lack of new 

cultivars/varieties, and shelf-life issues of the produce. In order to expand 

production and markets growers need information on advanced varieties, 

types and innovative production practices. The goal of this two-year study is 

to identify, introduce, and evaluate new and novel specialty melon cultivars 

under Iowa growing conditions. Iowa State University will conduct research 

on several specialty melon cultivars/varieties and answer the following 

questions: 1) What are some high performing specialty melon types/

varieties, 2) Does maturity indices differ among varieties, 3) How does 

irrigation scheduling affect fruit yield and quality, 4) Are there differences in 

shelf-life, and 5) what is the economic feasibility of these crops? Data will be 

collected on air and soil temperatures, several crop growth parameters such 

as establishment, vine length, leaf number and area, crop yield, and fruit 

quality indices.

$23,968.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

2. Development of Best 

Production Practices for 

Improving Quality of ColdHardy Red Wines Over Time

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State 

University will evaluate the quality of red wines produced over the past 5 

years in Iowa to develop and deliver to the Iowa grape and wine industry 

best practices for the preservation of cold-hardy red wine quality during 

aging. In this project, red wines aged from 1 to 5 years will be collected by 

visiting Iowa wineries and collecting details about the chemistry of wines 

at bottling and about the storage conditions. These data, along with the 

chemical characterization of those wines, will be used to 1) identify the 

evolution of red wine quality over time, 2) develop workshops to the wine 

industry which will provide knowledge and sensory evaluation of aged 

wines to Iowa wine producers, and 3) disseminate the results and provide 

recommendations and best practices to preserve cold-hardy red wine 

quality during aging, to the wine industry through presentations at the Iowa 

Specialty Crop Producers annual conference, and through an open-access 

extension publication.

$11,577.00 
78

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

3. Develop Infrared 

Radiation Processing 

Technology to

Produce High Quality & Safe 

Hazelnuts

Iowa State University (ISU) will partner with the Iowa Nut Growers 

Association (INGA) to develop and optimize an infrared (IR) radiation drying 

technology to dry the in-shell hazelnuts and evaluate its benefits in terms of 

improved quality, microbial safety and mycotoxin control. For this project, 

we aim to develop a low-cost infrared dryer which will be used by the

small scale hazelnut growers in Iowa and Midwest to achieve simultaneous 

drying, and inactivation of microbes and aflatoxins to produce high quality, 

microbiologically safe hazelnuts free from allergens. The project findings 

will benefit the hazelnut producers, processors, and consumers from Iowa 

by processing the hazelnuts in a more rapid and energy efficient drying 

system to produce high quality and microbiologically safe hazelnuts while 

mitigating aflatoxin contamination and allergenicity.

$21,882.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35 4. Specialty Producers 

Conference

In 2019 the Iowa Wine Growers Association and the Iowa Fruit and 

Vegetable Association created a partnership and began working with 

representatives of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship to plan a combined specialty producers conference. For the 

past two years the conference has brought together specialty producers 

from across the state to network with each other and engage in education. 

Both conferences have been very well received by our association’s 

members and the specialty crop industry. We would like to continue to build 

from the success we started with the Iowa Specialty Producers Conference 

in 2022.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

5. Farmer-Led Research & 

Outreach on Honeyberry 

(HASAP): A New Specialty 

Crop Opportunity for Iowa

Practical Farmers of Iowa and our members have a 30-year history of 

farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing, including over 1,000 farmer-led onfarm research trials through our Cooperators’ Program.

Many specialty crop farmers in Practical Farmers’ membership are seeking 

additions to perennial polyculture systems that produce a marketable, 

fresh-eating berry and extend their production season. The central 

objectives of this grant are to run a farmer-led, randomized and replicated 

research trial on honeyberry varieties and shade-tolerance during 

establishment in Iowa, and to share the results of this farmer-led research 

through farmer-to-farmer education events, publications and media.

$24,000.00 
79

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

6. Local For Lunch 365: 

Connecting Iowa Students to 

Local Produce Year Round

Local for Lunch 365 is a new project by Field to Family to increase sales of 

local specialty crops to east central Iowa schools by filling in seasonal gaps. 

Field to Family has worked with local farmers to procure local products 

for school lunch menus since 2011. Most school specialty crop sales occur 

between late August and early November, even though local fruit and 

vegetables are available and abundant year-round. Our goal is to develop 

and implement a comprehensive marketing and education program for food 

service directors and chefs highlighting local produce available year-round 

from Field to Family and local farmers. At the end of 2022, we will compile 

our successes, lessons learned, and resources developed into a “Local 

for Lunch 365” handbook to be shared with Farm to School professionals 

statewide.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

7. Perennial Native Seed 

Production for Rural 

Resilience

Golden Hills RC&D will work with local partners in western Iowa to 

train growers to develop seed plots of native plant species. The project 

coordinator will identify lands that are feasible for seed production of 

local ecotype prairie, savanna, wetland and woodland species in the Loess 

Hills, Missouri River floodplain, and Nishnabotna watershed region. We 

will expand our current Native Seed Harvest project to train people how to 

properly and ethically harvest native seed from remnant natural areas, store 

that seed, and then grow it. Seed will be used for local restoration projects 

primarily by local conservation organizations.

$23,987.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

8. Addressing Product 

Development & Food Safety 

Needs for Value-Added 

Producers in Iowa

This project includes adopting a lecture-style short course which outlines 

product development and food safety practices to produce specialty crop 

products from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), which conveys 

food product development and food safety messages. The Iowa State 

University (ISU) team will develop a supplemental interactive curriculum to 

help participants apply the lectures’ knowledge. Specific outcomes from this 

project will consist of developing supplemental interactive curriculum to 

support the lecture-style short course from UMass, which outlines product 

development and food safety practices to produce specialty crop products. 

The lecture-style short course from UMass and supplemental curriculum 

will be disseminated throughout the state of Iowa.

$24,000.00 
80

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

9. Assist Iowa Schools and 

Childcare Centers with Local 

Food Procurement Plans

The NE Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative successfully modified a planning 

process recommended by the USDA Farm to School program to help schools 

set procurement goals and create a procurement plan. That process was 

successfully replicated with seven other school districts across the state 

in 2018. The ISU Extension Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Team 

has created a train-the-trainer program that will result in more people 

becoming certified Farm to School/Early Care coaches. Coaches are experts 

in the local food system and have the skills to help school’s complete robust 

procurement plans.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

10. Visually Based & Virtual 

Education Resources for 

New American Specialty 

Crop Farmers

Many refugee groups arriving in Iowa have spent the majority of their 

lives farming and have a strong desire to farm in Iowa as well. Since 

2011, Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) has been working with members of 

various ethnic groups to create the Global Greens program which provides 

opportunities for growers to be re-connected to the land. Through the 

project, Visually Based and Virtual Education Resources for Beginning New 

American Specialty Crop Farmers, LSI will transform key components of its 

production, marketing and record keeping training for refugee farmers into 

virtual formats in a variety of languages so that they are more accessible 

and available to English Language Learners (ELL) working in the industry. In 

addition, LSI will create supplemental visual, picture based crop planning 

and pest management resource guides.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35 11. Teaching about 

Christmas Trees

The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation will increase awareness and 

understanding of Christmas trees as a specialty crop in Iowa through the 

development of lesson plans, hands-on activities, and virtual field trips for 

educators and students. The lessons and activities will include Christmas 

tree production, supporting local businesses, selecting Christmas trees, 

and caring for Christmas trees after being cut. The lessons will be used by 

Agriculture in the Classroom educators across the state and other formal 

and informal educators. The virtual tours will be made available throughout 

the month of December when teachers are actively teaching holiday and 

seasonal lessons. This project will inspire more students and their families 

to purchase a locally grown Christmas tree to decorate their homes during 

the holiday season.

$9,499.00 
81

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

12. Des Moines Public 

School Agriscience Orchard 

& Apiary

The Des Moines Agriscience program will establish a formal fruit orchard 

that will also include other plants conducive to pollinators. We will also 

establish a 10-hive apiary. The orchard and apiary will aid in the education 

of students in Des Moines Public Schools, supply local food banks, and be 

opened to various community groups that wish to utilize it for education 

purposes.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35

13. Expanding grow.eat.play 

awareness campaign for

Cedar Valley Regional Food 

& Farm Network & North 

Iowa Specialty Crop Farmers

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) will increase demand for and 

consumption of specialty crop products and promote local farmers by 

expanding on the Grow.Eat.Play campaign created by Healthy Harvest of 

North Iowa. This awareness campaign was crafted by a collective effort of 

farmers and consumer advocates. Through market research, consultation 

with a marketing expert, and cooperation with a group of key partners, 

Healthy Harvest of North Iowa developed a core message about the value, 

availability, and use of specialty crops. The campaign developed visually 

rich social media campaigns, newsletters, and website content amplifying 

the values of specialty crop products through and with the stories of 

participating farmers and consumer contact partners. This campaign will 

expand on those efforts in the Cedar Valley and North Iowa regions with a 

collaboration between the UNI Local Food Program and Healthy Harvest of 

North Iowa.

$24,000.00 

Iowa Department of 

Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship

$353,519.35 14. Farm to Summer 

Campaign

The importance of local food crops has never been more apparent than 

during the Covid-19 pandemic. Delays in shipping and scarcity at grocery 

stores exemplified the need to source local foods. The goal of

this project is to increase the support of our specialty crop industry by 

increasing equitable access to and the demand for Iowa’s specialty crops 

during the summer months. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land 

Stewardship (IDALS) proposes continuing and strengthening partnerships 

with the Iowa Department of Education (IDOE), FoodCorps, and Iowa State 

Universality Farm and Food Enterprise Development (FFED) to launch an 

enhanced Iowa Farm to Summer Campaign. IDALS will work with these 

partners to create a three-year

campaign in which we offer funding, technical assistance for local 

procurement, consultation for hands on food education and promotional 

material to Iowa summer meal sites with added emphasis on one fruit or 

vegetable each summer.

$34,894.94 
82

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

1. New Roots Specialty Crop 

Expansion and Viability 

Enhancement Project

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Inc. proposes to accomplish several 

important outcomes through our New Roots Specialty Crop Expansion 

and Viability Enhancement Project. Proposed outcomes include increasing 

specialty crop sales for 68 Beginning AND Socially Disadvantaged farmers 

by 8%, introducing 60 new specialty crops to consumers including exotic 

offerings from Asia and Africa, increasing access and awareness by reaching 

27 wholesale buyers, and doubling the number of access points in our 

“Dedicated Markets” initiative which brings smaller farmers’ markets to 

dedicated sites. Tasks include developing new access points, developing 

marketing materials and processes for new specialty crops, educating 

farmers on best practices in both farming, food safety and transportation 

and marketing and customer service, and reaching more wholesale markets 

through existing methods, and helping all farmers and farms we work with 

become more competitive in their specialty crop sales.

$27,005.00 

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

2. Increasing Resiliency 

and Competitiveness of 

Beginning Specialty Crop 

Farmers in South Central 

Kansas

The Extension Education Foundation, Inc will increase the sustainability, 

competitiveness and access to specialty crops in south central Kansas 

while increasing the number of farmers and businesses to enhance the 

economy. This will be accomplished through providing education to new 

and beginning farmers through the Growing Growers Learning Network. 

The project will continue to improve on the existing program and add new 

content and learning opportunities based on the needs of local farmers. All 

program activities will occur in collaboration with county Extension agents, 

K-State Research & Extension specialists, local non-profits, and other 

community partners.

$69,186.58 

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

3. Expanding Food-Safety 

Training, Certification and 

Record Keeping Software 

for Specialty Crop Producers 

and Aggregation Centers

The Kansas Farmers Union will establish an agreement with Advancing 

Rural Prosperity, Inc. a Kansas team of local food system specialists and 

Fresh Systems, LLC dba 4-Corners GroupGAP to expand a multi-state USDA 

GroupGAP into Western Kansas. This will provide the High Plains Food 

Cooperative’s (HPFC) aggregation center, and small to medium area sized 

producers a tiered FSMA training, USDA GAP certification, and introduction 

to the HeavyConnect software platform, that electronically captures and 

manages farm food safety records.

$44,960.00 
83

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

4. Identifying Best 

Management Practices for 

Upright Dry Bean Production 

in Northwest Kansas

Dry edible beans have been a long-standing specialty crop in Northwest 

Kansas. They are a unique cropping option in this region as they are a 

high value specialty crop destined for human consumption. They are 

an economically viable legume pulse crop in a region whose cropping 

rotations are typically dominated by grass species, specifically irrigated 

corn. Research regarding production practices has not been conducted in 

decades. In recent years, producers have shifted their production systems 

towards growing upright type varieties instead of vine types. This shift 

in production practice has reduced or eliminated some of the barriers to 

entry for new growers. Optimal management practices have likely changed 

with this transition from vine-type to upright dry edible beans. Research 

by Kansas State University will establish best management practices for 

upright dry edible beans. In addition, this project will evaluate several other 

management questions developed from producer interviews. Extension 

activities will communicate findings to current and potential future dry bean 

growers.

$46,551.24 

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

5. Safety for Produce 

Growers: Worker Protection 

Standard Training 

Certification and GAP 

Certification Funding and 

Outreach

Kansas State Research and Extension (KSRE) will assist at least 10 Kansas 

(KS) specialty crop producers to receive training and certification as a US 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-recognized Worker Protection 

Standard (WPS) pesticide safety train-the-trainer (TTT) so that they can 

train the workers on their farm. In addition, we will assist at least 7 Kansas 

fruit and vegetable producers earn Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 

certification during the project, which will help growers access new markets 

which require that certification. This will help improve worker safety, 

produce safety, and profitability of KS specialty crop producers.

$56,094.12 

Kansas Department 

of Agriculture $338,614.23

6. Improving Safety, 

Nutritional Quality and 

Consumer Acceptability 

of Lettuce Growing with 

Movable High Tunnels in 

Kansas

Kansas State Research and Extension (KRSE) will evaluate productivity, 

safety and quality of lettuce grown using a movable high tunnel production 

system in Kansas. Specifically, replicated field trials at the K-State Olathe 

Research and Extension Center will investigate the effect of deferent 

exposure times to open field conditions (full-spectrum natural light) prior 

to harvest on lettuce yield, microbial safety and nutritional quality, grown 

in a movable high tunnel. The open field exposure effect will be evaluated 

in terms of total and marketable yield, physical, microbial and nutritional 

characteristics. Moreover, descriptive sensory analysis will evaluate the 

sensory profile of the produced lettuce and a consumer study will examine 

the consumer acceptability. The overall goal of the proposed project is to 

increase the safe production of lettuce with enhanced nutritional quality 

and fulfill consumer demand.

$74,495.16 
84

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$255,673.30 1. Winter Squash- a LowHanging Fruit?

Increasing the consumption of Kentucky-grown specialty crops in school 

meals is challenging for a number of reasons. This project aims to provide 

a model for small and medium-sized school districts to connect with small 

and medium-sized commercial growers in the state by focusing on a crop 

that can be available through the school year, is in demand because of the 

school meal pattern requirement for red/orange vegetables, stores well, 

and fits the production systems already in place on many Kentucky farms.

$26,964.52 

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$255,673.30

2. Evaluating the Interseason Rotation of Tomato 

with Fresh-cut Flowers in 

a High Tunnel System for 

Improved Pest, Disease, and 

Soil Management

The University of Kentucky seeks to improve the economic value of high 

tunnels by evaluating the potential inter-season rotation of tomatoes and 

fresh-cut flowers. Both are high value crops. Tomatoes would be grown 

from spring through summer. Flowers would then be grown in late summer 

into the fall. Data on disease, pest pressure, soil fertility, and economic 

viability will be collected, analyzed, and shared with county agents and high 

tunnel growers via field days, workshops, and webinars. Optimal planting 

dates for various flower species and cultivars will also be evaluated.

$48,664.00 

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$255,673.30

3. Increasing Consumer 

Demand for Kentucky 

Specialty Crops and Inspiring 

Beginning Farmers through 

Extension-Supported 

Gardening Programs at 

Substance

This project brings together University of Kentucky Extension professionals 

across Horticulture (Bethany Pratt, Co-PI), Nutrition Education (Jann 

Knappage, Co-PI), Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (Alex Elswick, 

Co-PI), and Community and Leadership Development (Nicole Breazeale, 

PI) to expand Extension-supported gardening programs at Substance Use 

Recovery Centers around the state. The project builds on a successful 

pilot project spearheaded by the Nutrition Education Program; programs 

have been established in eight counties over the last three years and 

evaluation results indicate that participants increased their fresh vegetable 

consumption (an average of 67% percent change at program exit). 

Furthermore, by exposing socially disadvantaged individuals to specialty 

crop production, the program motivates those in recovery to consider 

establishing a future career in agriculture.

$55,809.00 

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$255,673.30

4. Establishing 

Recommendations for 

Greenhouse Soilless Culture 

Cucumber Production in 

Kentucky

The University of Kentucky seeks to evaluate varietal performance and 

yield of cucumbers grown under soilless culture greenhouse conditions; to 

establish and optimize nutritional requirements thereby mitigating drainto-water fertilizer pollution; and to disseminate technical information to 

stakeholders through web-based and printed technical information, grower 

meetings, on-site farm and research greenhouse demonstrations, and 

training days.

$49,978.00 
85

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Kentucky 

Department of 

Agriculture

$255,673.30

5. New Digital Tools and 

Marketing Strategies for a 

Post-COVID-19 Marketplace

Through this project, the Center for Crop Diversification will expand its 

offerings to meet the highly diverse marketing education needs of scalevariable Kentucky specialty crop farms and businesses by developing new 

trainings and resources, while updating and extending several existing 

programs.

$55,124.00 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

1. Introduction of Youth and 

Producers to Sustainable 

Watermelon Farming 

Utilizing Local Agricultural 

Byproducts

McNeese State University (MSU) will collaborate with the IBC Charter 

Academy (Coushatta Tribal Youth) and Allen Parish high school students 

to conduct research and demonstration on a sustainable watermelon 

patch making use of locally produced byproducts for recruitment of youth 

into specialty crop agriculture, for undergraduate education, for graduate 

student research, and for local producer education.

$44,820.00 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

2. Expanding Hustle & Grow 

Youth Education Program: 

Promoting Urban Farming 

and Increased Access to 

Specialty Crops in Additional 

Schools

The Walls Project’s Hustle & Grow program, in partnership with Healthy BR, 

will teach high school students the business of urban agriculture through 

community farming. The program empowers surrounding neighborhoods 

to develop a sustainable food system and land stewardship ethic through 

outdoor hands-on experiences in growing, producing, and distributing fresh 

food in an urban setting.

$33,415.00 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

3. Develop and Validate a 

Low-Cost Produce Washing 

Setup for Small and Medium 

Scale Growers

Washing of fruits and vegetables with water has been identified as the step 

to remove dirt, chemical residues, and other organic material present on 

the produce surfaces. During the washing step, the microorganisms present 

on the produce surface due to preharvest contamination can get dislodged 

in the wash water which increases the risk of spreading the bacteria to 

other non-contaminated produce.

$54,500.00 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

4. Intensive Protected 

Structure Production and 

Fruit Quality Evaluation 

of Southern Highbush 

Blueberries and Primocane 

Blackberries and Raspberries

The Louisiana State University (LSU) Agricultural Center will introduce and 

evaluate new and existing low chill southern highbush blueberry cultivars 

and primocane blackberry and raspberry cultivars for development as highvalue fruit crops for commercial producers, nurserymen, and homeowners. 

New and intensive production practices will be employed using container 

substrate culture and protected structure growing environment.

$84,775.00 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

5. Documenting the 

Impact of 2,4-D Choline 

and Glufosinate on Sweet 

potato Growth and Yield as 

Influenced by Reduced Rate 

and Growth Stage

The proposed LSU AgCenter research aims to assess the impact of the 

herbicides 2,4-D choline and glufosinate, applied at reduced rates that are 

often encountered in off target or spray tank contamination events, on the 

growth and yield of sweet potato varieties commonly grown in Louisiana. In 

addition, susceptibility as affected by plant growth stage at time of exposure 

will be assessed. Such information will be critical to the sweet potato 

industry in terms of possibly leading to more restrictive label application 

requirements in close proximity to the crop.

$25,000.00 
86

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86

6. Louisiana Strawberry 

Industry Consumer 

Awareness Program

The Louisiana Strawberry Marketing Board will raise awareness of the 

availability, high quality and nutritional value of Louisiana strawberries 

during peak harvest season through marketing and promotion via digital 

audio advertising, streaming television advertising and digital interstitial 

ads, thereby increasing the competitiveness of Louisiana strawberry 

growers and increasing strawberry sales.

$70,478.37 

Louisiana 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Forestry

$408,716.86 7. Promoting Louisianagrown Pecans

The Promoting Louisiana-grown Pecans program by the Louisiana 

Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) will enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops by implementing a promotional 

campaign intended to increase sales of Louisiana-grown pecans. To 

accomplish this, LDAF will develop a marketing campaign, purchase outdoor 

advertisements and develop artwork to be placed on the social media 

pages of Certified Louisiana, Louisiana Grown, Louisiana Department of 

Agriculture and Forestry, and the Louisiana Pecan Growers Association.

$62,400.00 

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

1. The Millennial 

Opportunity: Expanding 

Supply, Demand, and 

Infrastructure for a New Era 

of Maine Wild Blueberry 

Sparkling Wine

Bluet, creator of Maine’s first nationally viable wild blueberry sparkling 

wine, will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders in 2021-2022, 

the second year of the proposed three-year project, to expand supply, 

demand and nfrastructure for a new era of low-intervention Maine wild 

blueberry sparkling wine.

$99,525.00 

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

2. Creating a Replicable Farm 

Equipment Sharing CoOperative For Growers Using 

Soil-Steaming Technology 

in Their Hoop-House 

Production

The Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District will organize 

a soil steamer equipment sharing co-operative which will facilitate access 

to an expensive yet effective technology to a core group of farmers, 

demonstrating through community outreach an alternative model of farm 

capitalization as well as innovative technology specific to specialty crops 

grown in hoop-houses. Through use-fees, the CCSWCD will leverage co-op 

funds for further farm equipment co-operatives.

$40.642.00

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

3. Expanding on Daybreak 

Growers Alliance’s 

Wholesale Aggregation, 

Marketing and Distribution 

Model for Maine Specialty 

Grown Crops

Daybreak Growers Alliance will expand upon its existing wholesale 

program with the aid of the third and final year of SCBG funding support 

by increasing marketing and promotion of the most popular specialty crops 

DGA distributes.

$29,740.00 
87

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

4. Formation of Maine 

Flower Collective: A 

Cooperative to Enhance 

the Competitiveness and 

Market Reach of Maine’s Cut 

Flowers

The Maine Flower Collective (MFC) will research potential market expansion 

for Maine-grown specialty cut flowers and strategies for increasing access, 

availability, and distribution across the state and region. By forming the 

MFC, Maine’s specialty cut flower farmers will be able to aggregate and 

distribute their flowers more efficiently, thereby allowing them to better 

compete with conventional wholesalers that resell imported flowers.

$93,950.00

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 5. Maine Produce Safety 

Improvement Project II

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will continue 

the successful work it began last year to enhance the competitiveness 

of specialty crops by increasing the number of farms able to come into 

compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety 

Rule, and/or a GAP/GHP audit, by providing food safety education, one-on 

one technical assistance, and financial resources to Maine farmers.

$90,518.00 

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

6. Investigating Cultural 

Practices to Improve 

Integrated Pest Management 

Practices for Potato Virus Y 

(PVY) of Potato.

The Maine Potato Board will investigate the efficacy of cultural practices 

to reduce the incidence and spread of potato virus Y (PVY); specifically, the 

practices of intercropping (mixed- species planting or nurse cropping), grainseeded spray alleys to prevent potato plant damage and mechanical PVY 

infection, grain seeded field borders as PVY buffers, and improved targeting 

and management of environmental inoculum provided by volunteer 

potatoes and solanaceous weeds. Project results will be shared with Maine 

potato producers through grower meetings (e.g., Maine Potato Conference), 

and through a written report on Integrated Pest Management Strategies for 

PVY in Maine, that will be distributed through the Maine Potato Board.

$79,245.00 

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42 

7. Exploring Fertilizers, 

Soil Amendments, and 

Pollination as Tools to 

Improve Wild Blueberry 

Resilience to Warming

We also continued evaluating blueberry growth under two temperature 

regimes that mimic climate warming. We also found that wild blueberry 

plants grown at 3 to 5oC above ambient temperature had less available soil 

water and nutrients due to increased water loss under warming yet showed 

an extended growth period and increased yield. It is critical that we begin to 

understand how farmers can adapt to changes in crop production given new 

products on the market, longer seasons, and warming conditions.

$99,894.00 

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42

8. Producer Groups 

Outreach Tool for Off-Season 

Education

Agricultural Resources Development Division of the Maine Department of 

Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry will offer a digital library application 

to offer lectures, workshops and educational content for Maine specialty 

crop producers. The application will allow for scheduling of one-on-one 

business advising, and store educational content year-round.

$15,000.00 
88

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maine Department 

of Agriculture, 

Conservation, and 

Forestry

$610,638.42

9. Promoting Awareness of 

Key Maine Specialty Crops 

Through Video to Increase 

Sales.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) 

promotes Maine agricultural products, including fruits and vegetables, 

to consumers and industries in Maine and across the region and country. 

In recent years, DACF has been expanding its marketing and promotion 

efforts. DCAF launched a consumer-facing website launching in July 2020 to 

promote local ag products, events, and services. DACF has been increasing 

its social, print, and radio media promotion. Recently DACF has been 

assisting agricultural producers market their products outside the state, 

with a 2-year-old national and international trades show program.

$16,757.27 

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

1. Evaluation of a Unique 

Maryland “Heritage” Hop for 

the Maryland Craft Beverage 

Industry

Grow & Fortify will support, and promote, the research of University of 

Maryland Extension Western Maryland Research and Education Center 

(WMREC) to conduct research trials to more clearly understand the 

potential value of a unique hop that has been growing on a local farm 

for over 100 years. This hop will be evaluated to determine if it meets 

both quality, and quantity requirements for commercial demand, and 

the needs of the Maryland craft alcohol industries. The research results 

will be disseminated widely to commercial hops producers and brewery 

community.

$25,900.00 

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80 2. Promotion of “Old Line 

Marketplace”

Grow & Fortify will promote the launch of an exciting new tool to help build 

the customer base and demand for products offered from Maryland’s small 

business sector, including specialty crop growers.

Old Line Marketplace is the first of it’s kind here in Maryland and will serve 

as a platform where customers can easily shop for a wide range of Maryland 

grown, made, or manufactured products, with a special emphasis on 

products utilizing raw agricultural commodities grown in Maryland as well 

as products classified as Maryland’s Best.

We believe promotion for this new marketplace is key and therefore we 

will build a promotional plan which will include short promotional videos 

and interviews highlighting specialty crop products, as well as advertising 

the marketplace to both merchants and customers, through public radio, 

commercial radio and social media advertising.

$39,500.00 

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

3. Maryland’s Best - 

Promoting Maryland 

specialty crops to consumers 

and distributors

Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Seafood Marketing 

Section will promote local specialty crops to consumers and distributors 

through advertising, virtual presentations with libraries, the web site 

Marylands.Best.net, Maryland Public Television, business to business 

meetings and point of sale promotional material. MDA will also conduct an 

analysis of the Maryland’s Best program benefits to specialty crop growers.

$164,751.66 
89

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

4. Adding Value to Specialty 

Crops: Regulatory Decision 

Trees for Maryland Specialty 

Crop Growers

Maryland specialty crop growers who desire to make value-added products 

must first locate, interpret, and apply laws and policies related to food 

safety, processing, licensing, and labeling. Understanding the applicable 

standards enforced by state and local governmental agencies is difficult and 

can stifle grower efforts. The Agriculture Law Education Initiative (ALEI), 

in partnership with the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) and 

Eastern Shore (UMES) Extension, will create Regulatory Decision Trees 

to centralize this information and provide technical support to growers, 

including but not limited to, beginning and socially disadvantaged growers, 

and direct-to-consumer sellers. The Decision Trees, broken down into 

common product types, will equip growers with the knowledge they need 

to undertake the production of value-added products. The desired outcome 

for this project is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops 

within Maryland’s value-added economy by helping to create or maintain 

Maryland specialty crop businesses. Project activities will include creation 

of Regulatory Decision Trees, an online self-assessment tool, a process plan 

checklist, a pilot program at UMES Extension to help growers understand 

and measure food safety benchmarks, and technical assistance to producers 

using the resources. The ALEI will distribute and educate throughout 

the state at winter grower meetings, University of Maryland Extension 

programs, webinars, ALEI website, and more.

$35,912.26 
90

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

5. Developing an Apple 

Fruit Maturity Assessment 

Program for Maryland 

growers to Improve Harvest 

and Storage Decisions of 

Economically Important Cult

University of Maryland researchers in partnership with apple growers 

in Western and Eastern Maryland will develop an apple fruit maturity 

assessment program to be used as a tool to improve harvest and storage 

decisions of economically important cultivars recently adopted by growers 

statewide. We will conduct harvests and evaluations of the commonly used 

apple fruit maturity indices of widely grown apple cultivars throughout 

ripening on the tree, for two consecutive growing seasons, grown under the 

diverse environmental conditions of Maryland. Through our “Fruit Pulse” 

newsletter this critical information and our recommendations will be timely 

disseminated to fruit growers throughout the state in order to help them 

improve their harvest decisions based on their environmental conditions 

and fruit target markets. This will allow them to increase the value and 

marketability of their crop that can lead to greater profits. 

We will additionally share our information and findings to apple growers 

and other stakeholders via local grower commodity meetings, regional 

meetings and conferences, field day tours, newsletters, web postings and 

other outreach venues. We anticipate the adoption of the practice of using 

maturity indices as a tool for harvest and storage decisions of their apple 

cultivars will help local growers improve the profitability of their orchards. 

It is anticipated that this fruit maturity assessment program will be 

transferable to other specialty crops.

$15,752.89 
91

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

6. Unveiling Fungicide 

Resistance in the Downy 

Mildew Pathogen in 

Maryland Vineyards

The University of Maryland will improve the effectiveness and sustainability 

of grapevine downy mildew (DM) management by understanding species 

prevalence and assessing fungicide resistance issues in a two- year project. 

Wine grape production is a fast-growing specialty crop sector in Maryland 

involving both established farmers seeking an additional value-added crop, 

and beginning growers interested in filling the niche for locally produced 

wine. Due to the warm and humid growing season, DM is one of the most 

persistent and devastating diseases in Maryland vineyards. Control of DM 

heavily relies on synthetic fungicides. However, fungicide use is threatened 

by increasing resistance issues due to intensive sprays over the last decades.

In this project, we will take integrated approaches to 1) characterize and 

identify species of the Plasmopara viticola complex causing DM in Maryland 

vineyards; 2) determine frequencies of resistance to commercially available 

DM fungicides; and 3) identify molecular method(s) for quick resistance 

detection based on understanding of mechanisms underlying fungicide 

resistance in DM pathogens. The outcomes of this project will not only 

educate growers and stakeholders on resistance management guidelines, 

but also eliminate ineffective fungicide sprays which in turn reduces 

chemical input and increases grower’s profits, for the sustainability of wine 

grape production in Maryland.

$30,664.80 
92

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Maryland 

Department of 

Agriculture

$483,992.80

7. Produce Safety GAP/GHP 

Programs: Market Access 

and FSMA Produce Safety 

Rule Compliance

The Maryland Department of Agriculture Food Quality Assurance Program 

will partner with the University of Maryland Plant Sciences and Landscape 

Architecture Department, University of Maryland Extension, University of 

Maryland Eastern Shore and the University of Maryland Agricultural Law 

Education Initiative to continue providing coordinated food safety programs 

based on research; lessons learned from previous projects; identified 

gaps in specialty crop growers food safety knowledge; and updates to 

GAP and Produce Safety Rule standards to assist specialty crop producers 

in complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety 

Rule and maintaining/gaining market access through GAP certification. 

Programs will include in person and virtual formal training sessions, fact 

sheets, webinars, how to videos, and updated templates for food safety 

plans to educate specialty crop growers on prevention, detection, control, 

and intervention food safety practices; technical assistance to develop 

and implement effective food safety plans; verification of prevention 

strategies effectiveness through detection of microbial threats; inspection 

and certification of compliance with food safety practices; consumer 

specialty crop food safety education; and cost share funds to assist with the 

implementation of effective food safety plans and practices.

$120,191.65 

Massachusetts 

Department 

of Agricultural 

Resources

$457,684.38

1. Assessing Agricultural 

Water Quality for Food 

Safety on Massachusetts’ 

Specialty Crop Farms

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) as lead 

agency, along with collaborator University of Massachusetts Extension, 

will increase understanding among regulators, educators and producers 

of the microbial risk associated with currently available water sources for 

agricultural use among specialty crop farms in Massachusetts. This project 

will use water testing and development of a water quality baseline for 

representative water sources in the state to provide targeted outreach 

and education on best practices for water sampling and use. Additionally, 

the project will help growers comply with state and federal food safety 

regulations and voluntary 3rd-party audit programs by providing cost-share 

funds to offset producers’ expenses related to required water sampling.

$150,000.00 

Massachusetts 

Department 

of Agricultural 

Resources

$457,684.38

2. Enhancing technological 

decision-making tools for 

MA cranberry growers

The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association will develop technological 

decision-making tools for Massachusetts cranberry growers. This will be 

accomplished by making enhancements to the existing BOGS Online Grower 

System, focusing on areas that will help drive user decisions regarding 

integrated pest management, water use, cultural practices, yield, pesticide 

and nutrient use, reporting and overall on-farm efficiencies. Enhancements 

will also be introduced to assist in regulatory compliance.

$80,739.00 
93

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Massachusetts 

Department 

of Agricultural 

Resources

$457,684.38

3. Innovative Boston Food 

Hub’s whole-crop marketing 

benefits Massachusetts 

specialty crop growers

Boston Food Hub is an innovative program of Boston Area Gleaners that 

supports dozens of Massachusetts specialty crop growers. This marketing 

project will increase sales by 36% and new delivery access points by 10 by 

creating and implementing a marketing plan; strategies will include website 

expansion, new social media presence, and advertising on our fleet of 

trucks.

$40,700.00 

Massachusetts 

Department 

of Agricultural 

Resources

$457,684.38

4. Promoting the Healthy 

Incentives Program 

to increase sales of 

Massachusetts’ grown fruits 

and vegetables.

CISA will increase sales of and access to local fruits and vegetables by 

providing training and promotional support to Healthy Incentives Program 

(HIP) vendors and educating eligible people about where, why, and how to 

use HIP to purchase fruits and vegetables directly from local farms.

$89,874.30 

Massachusetts 

Department 

of Agricultural 

Resources

$457,684.38

5. Protecting Massachusetts 

specialty crops from two 

invasive pests through 

monitoring, research, and 

outreach.

Two University of Massachusetts Extension programs (the Landscape, 

Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program and the Fruit Program), the 

Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and the Department of Environmental 

Conservation are joining forces to monitor for SLF in MA, to conduct 

Extension/outreach on both invasive pests, and to conduct applied research 

aimed at (1) identifying attractive lures for SLF and (2) monitoring for 

the Samurai wasp, an egg parasitoid of the BMSB. This information is 

important given the potential implementation of biological control of BMSB 

in agricultural areas while potentially reducing urban and suburban home 

invasions of BMSB.

$58,928.43 
94

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

1. International and 

Domestic Promotion of 

Michigan Specialty Crops

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development’s (MDARD) 

International Marketing Program will continue collaborative work with the 

Cherry Marketing Institute, Michigan Bean Commission, Michigan Apple 

Committee, the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, Michigan Asparagus 

Advisory Council, and the Michigan Blueberry Commission to promote 

specialty crops both domestically and internationally. The project will allow 

Michigan specialty crop companies and commodity groups the ability to 

exhibit at domestic and international trade shows and the ability to bring 

domestic and international buyers to Michigan as part of a buyers’ mission 

for specialty crops. Connecting the Michigan specialty crop industry with 

potential buyers is critical for the expansion of sales both domestically and 

internationally, especially, as production continues to increase and there is 

additional competition in the domestic market. The International Marketing 

Program will work to secure booth space at various trade shows, recruit and 

assist with organizing the specialty crop exhibitors for each of the shows. 

Additionally, the International Marketing Program will collaboratively 

work with the specialty crop commodity groups to provide mini grants 

to bring either domestic or international buyers to Michigan. Finally, the 

International Marketing Program will work in the specialty crop commodity 

groups to collaborate on the production of promotional videos for the 

specialty crop commodity group. The goal of all activities is to increase 

purchases of Michigan specialty crops and provide markets for producers.

$168,590.98 

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

2. Identification of Improved 

Dry Bean Varieties, 

Maturities, and Integrated 

Weed Management 

Systems: Managing 

Production for an Evolving 

Market Place

The Michigan Bean Commission (MBC) will work to improve environmental 

and economic sustainability of dry bean production in Michigan while 

improving quality and reducing the use of synthetic crop inputs to better 

meet the demands of a changing marketplace.

$100,000.00 
95

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

3. Getting to the 

Root of the Problem: 

Increasing Vegetable 

Plant Establishment and 

Productivity

The Michigan Vegetable Council has partnered with MSU researcher, Dr. 

Mary Hausbeck and extension educators Ben Werling and Ben Phillips to 

develop recommendations for the state’s root crops to limit soil-borne 

pathogens that prevent plant establishment and productivity. Michigan 

produces a wide range of root vegetables including table beets, parsnips, 

celeriac, turnips, radishes, and carrots. Growers of these crops are 

challenged each year by a range of soil-borne pathogens that prevent 

plant establishment and cause root lesions. The most prevalent soil-borne 

pathogens affecting Michigan’s root crops have not been identified and is a 

proposed objective of this project. The use of cover crops is a widespread 

practice especially in shortened vegetable crop rotations. However, these 

cover crops may be susceptible to the very plant pathogens that they are 

supposed to suppress. Determining the cover crops that can be used in the 

root crop production system is a proposed objective. These cover crops 

must be tested to determine whether they are susceptible to the primary 

root pathogens of the various root crops. The results of the studies and 

recommended practices will be shared with the state’s stakeholders. The 

anticipated outcomes from this project include a decrease in the risk soilborne pathogens which will lead to increased productivity

$90,591.00 
96

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

4. Advancing Weed 

Management in Michigan 

Carrots through Novel 

Cultural, Electrical, and 

Physical Approaches

Michigan ranks fourth in both acreages of processed carrots and total 

carrots (processed and fresh market). Weed management is one of the 

biggest challenges in carrots due to 1) their slow germination and early 

growth; 2) lack of registered herbicides; 3) increased incidence of herbicide 

resistant weeds; and 4) scarcity of labor for rogue weeding. In Michigan, 

large-scale commercial production of carrots has been dependent on a 

relatively narrow range of herbicides including Lorox, which has contributed 

to the development of resistance among important weeds (e.g., Powell 

amaranth). Lorox is also under regulatory review for its potential risk as 

an endocrine disrupter, and the cancelation of its registration in Europe 

and elsewhere suggests that it may soon be unavailable to Michigan 

growers. Other herbicides, including Prowl and Caparol may serve as useful 

alternatives, but each have limitations that limit their effectiveness. Along 

with this, late emerging weeds have fewer control options that lead growers 

to choose expensive hand weeding options. Weeds that escape control 

efforts can produce hundreds-of-thousands of seeds that fall to the soil 

and ensure weed pressure for years to come. Reducing the impact of this 

seed rain along with effective early season weed control is critical to longterm sustainability of carrot production in Michigan. Therefore, the main 

goal for this project is to evaluate novel weed management approaches 

including competitive cultivars, seed priming, stale seedbeds, mechanical 

cultivation, and electrical weeding for effective early and late-season weed 

management and optimum crop quality and yield.

$98,525.00 
97

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

5. Enhanced Strategies to 

Communicate the Value 

of Michigan Dry Beans: 

Conventional and Digital 

Educational Programs to 

Increase Bean Consumption 

for

The Michigan Bean Commission (MBC) has been chartered to enhance 

the production and consumer use of dry beans grown in the State of 

Michigan. The Michigan Bean Commission activities embrace the health, 

food, therapeutic, and dietetic value of beans and bean products; carry 

out market development, market research, and promotional programs. 

PA 114 established the MBC in 1965 to support the growth and prosperity 

of dry bean growers and supply chain stakeholders. It has consistently 

demonstrated

commitment to sound economic development and innovative consumer 

marketing initiatives. Michigan is known throughout the world as a top 

producer of dry edible beans. Michigan works hard to grow and market 

world-class beans that reflect the place from which they originated, and 

the passionate commitment of the people involved. As today’s consumers 

become increasingly health conscious, they appear to be eager to learn 

more about the nutritional value, preparation, inclusion, and consumption 

of beans within their lifestyle and budget. 

This project is designed to enhance consumer awareness through educating 

and engaging them directly regarding the health benefits of incorporating 

nutrient dense dry beans in their daily diet. This will be achieved through 

the implementation of multifaceted strategies to communicate and educate 

the value of Michigan dry beans. It is proposed that conventional and 

digital approaches (social media and web-based resources) designed for 

specialized educational programs be targeted to increase Michigan dry bean 

consumption. Beans clearly have a significant role among today’s healthconscious consumers. Additional bean education and communication for 

consumers is a promising opportunity.

$124,400.00 
98

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

6. Improving Grape Berry 

Moth Management in 

Michigan Vineyards

In this two-year project, the Michigan State Horticultural Society will work 

with contractors at Michigan State University to improve management of 

the most damaging insect pest of vineyards, grape berry moth. This native 

insect remains a major challenge for vineyard managers in Michigan, 

resulting in significant yield loss and reduced fruit quality at harvest. To 

explore reasons for this pest challenge and to explore new control tactics, 

the project will conduct widespread monitoring of berry moth populations 

for their susceptibility to common insecticides. Due to the challenge of 

reaching this pest in wooded habitats where it persists on wild grapevines, 

drone-based application will also be tested to determine the effect on 

reducing infestation in vineyards, through a public-private partnership. 

Monitoring for this pest is also challenging, especially identifying the timing 

of late season populations that cause the greatest economic injury, and 

so we will also explore some new lures for monitoring berry moth before 

harvest. Finally, extension staff will work with grape grower organizations to 

deliver updated IPM programs to the juice and wine grape industries

$99,979.00 

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

7. Specialty Crop Grower 

Directory for the Michigan 

Craft Beverage Industry

Michigan Craft Beverage Council will increase access to Michigan-grown 

specialty crop inputs into the craft beverage supply chain by creating, 

maintaining, and promoting a grower directory for craft beverage 

manufacturers, industry members, and enthusiasts.

$45,662.00 
99

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

8. New Herbicides and New 

Uses for MI Nursery Shrub 

Containers

The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) will establish 

effective, environmentally responsible weed control programs for 

container nursery shrubs to increase returns on investments, skilled job 

creation, and foster revenue generation. The objectives of this trial are 

to evaluate over-the-top use of seven new granular herbicides in side-byside comparisons with in-season and early winter dormant applications 

to container coniferous, deciduous, and broadleaf evergreen shrub crops. 

Consecutive applications will be evaluated for long-term efficacy and 

minimal phytotoxicity. Outcomes will be measured quantitatively as <20% 

crop injury of any kind and >75% reduction in weed biomass at the project’s 

conclusion by comparing harvested weed biomasses from untreated/

control areas to treated pots. In many states, container production has 

risen dramatically in the past 25 years. In MI container sales have decreased 

(2014-19) by 23%. Given labor shortages, further intensified with the 

COVID-19 pandemic, container production is a logical choice as it can afford 

easier weed management, due to the new herbicides introduces in this 

sector. Also skilled jobs can be expanded as increased technical skills are 

required with containers. MI nursery stock is in high demand in 2021, stock 

shortages are already occurring, and container production has quicker 

turn-around-times vs field. The last side-by-side studies were conducted 

in 2002-2004 in Oregon, for six container weeds. These new side-by-side 

studies with the seven new herbicides that pre-date 2004, and six new 

weed species that have escalated since 2004, include: Conyza canadensis; 

Poa annua; Stellaria media; Sonchus arvensis; Galinsago quadriradiata and 

Erechtites hieraciifolius.

$91,555.00 
100

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

9. Increasing the Productivity 

of Michigan Asparagus 

Through Sustainable Disease 

Management Tactics

The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board has partnered with MSU 

researchers to develop strategies to mitigate the destructive diseases that 

affect Michigan’s $23 million asparagus industry and reduce yields. Losses 

from plant death in the field and poor spear quality on the fresh market 

packing line is costly. Growers have reported up to 50% yield loss and a 

critical reduction in field longevity. Infection by the prevalent soil-borne 

pathogens Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora asparagi cause crown and root 

rot. The foliar diseases purple spot and rust result in lesions on the foliage 

and premature defoliation which also negatively impact yield. Our field 

studies will compare asparagus cultivar susceptibility to rust and purple spot 

and test new fungicide products for their ability to protect the fern from 

rust. We will build on previous efforts to improve the quality and health 

of asparagus crowns by targeting the nursery for mitigation strategies that 

target Fusarium and Phytophthora. The outcome of this proposed project 

will be a sustainable and resilient asparagus cropping system with the 

capacity for increased yields and

competitiveness

$86,950.00 

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

10. Advancing Agbot and 

Drone Technologies for 

Sustainable Soil and Weed 

Management in Michigan 

Vegetables.

Michigan State University will conduct research aimed at reducing fertilizer, 

herbicide and labor costs while improving profitability in Michigan 

vegetable crop production through 1) evaluation of visual and multispectral 

aerial imagery to inform adaptive and efficient soil fertility management 

strategies; 2) testing of compact autonomous agricultural robots to 

selectively remove weeds from crops; and 3) dissemination of results 

through grower meetings and field days.

$99,891.00 
101

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

11. Taking Asparagus 

Disease Management into 

the Future with Real-Time, 

in-Field Sensor Data

The applicant organization is the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board. 

The expected outcome is improved disease management with a sensor 

technology package that is affordable, provides easy access to the data 

in real time, and provides timely disease model output through the MSU 

Enviroweather website. The disease forecaster TOMCAST has been adapted 

to time fungicide sprays to the asparagus fern for protection from purple 

spot disease and helps growers maximize the return on their input dollars 

through better timing of fungicides. TOMCAST was implemented by the 

industry ~15 years ago and is used today but the technology needs to be 

updated. Our project proposes: 1) Comparing the TOMCAST output from 

LOCOMOS (Low-cost sensor monitoring system) and a representative 

commercial system, 2) Developing a system to connect LOCOMOS units to 

the Enviroweather network. 3) Programming the TOMCAST disease model 

on the MSU Enviroweather website, and 4) Demonstrating the efficacy 

of the LOCOMOS sensor package in a field demonstration plot with a 

commercial grower. The success of this project will be measured by tracking 

the number of users of the TOMCAST model on the Enviroweather website, 

and surveys at the start and end of the project will capture the number 

of growers that adopt the new technology package to more sustainably 

manage the disease.

$99,800.00 
102

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

12. Evaluating and 

Disseminating Soil 

Amendment Practices 

to Mitigate Heavy Metal 

Uptake by Carrot

Michigan State University will evaluate and disseminate soil amendment 

practices to mitigate heavy metal uptake by carrot. Michigan produces 

over ten million pounds of carrots annually for baby food production. 

Contamination of baby foods and their ingredients by heavy metals 

(specifically, arsenic [As], lead [Pb], cadmium [Cd], and mercury [Hg]) have 

raised serious concerns on food safety and potential negative impacts to 

the health and development of vulnerable young children. To safeguard 

food safety and public health, and improve economic profitability for 

producers, scientifically robust management strategies are needed to 

minimize heavy metal uptake by carrot. This project will evaluate the 

effectiveness of individual or combined soil amendments to minimize plant 

uptake of multiple heavy metals (As, Pb, Cd, and Hg) using early-growth 

stage screening experiment and full season soil pot growth experiment 

in a greenhouse. Heavy metal uptake by carrot will be related to soil 

physicochemical properties, heavy metal concentrations in bulk soil and 

rhizosphere soil, bacterial communities, and abundance of metal-resistant 

bacteria. Extension and outreach activities will be performed to disseminate 

research results. This project expects to improve food safety, public health, 

and economic profitability by mitigating heavy metal contamination of 

carrots.

$100,000.00 
103

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

13. Combining Pest Control 

Strategies to Increase 

Quality of Yield of Michigan 

Onions

In Michigan, producers continue to wage a yearly battle to protect onion 

foliage from Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB). Fungicide tools have been 

developed to alleviate disease pressure, but the longevity of these tools 

is at risk. Stemphylium vesicarium, the causal agent of SLB, is a highly 

adaptable pathogen and Michigan’s most effective fungicides are at risk 

for resistance development. An integrative management approach with 

additional control strategies is needed to combat fungicide resistance. Our 

previous research indicates that onions need to be protected from SLB 

starting early in the season. Based on these results additional research is 

needed to determine where the early season SLB is coming from. Also, 

because fungicide programs need to begin earlier than previously thought 

improvements are needed to better time application interval during 

the growing season and reduce the total number of fungicides applied. 

Further, there is a growing evidence that thrips can exacerbate SLB and 

improvement in thrips management may help alleviate foliar disease 

pressure. In this proposal, the Michigan Onion Committee aims to develop 

an integrated pest management program to mitigate fungicide resistance 

and improve control of SLB by 1) determining the role of cover crops in 

early season SLB, 2) optimizing the TOM-CAST disease forecaster for SLB 

in Michigan, 3) determining how thrips and SLB can be managed with 

pesticides that are safer for biological control agents, 4) determining how 

thrips spread foliar diseases, and 5) communicating research results and SLB 

management recommendations to growers.

$98,814.00 

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

14. Finding Solutions to 

Cherry Orchard Replant 

Disorder Using Chemical and 

Organic Amendments

The Quintanilla Lab at Michigan State University will establish a trial orchard 

and develop non-fumigant management strategies for cherry orchard 

replant disorder focused on nematodes with the goal of disseminate results 

to growers and stakeholders via extension articles, field days and grower 

meetings in order to increase sustainable management practices for orchard 

replant disorder.

$95,685.00 
104

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

15. Characterizing Apple 

Storage Practices and 

Potential Risk of Listeria 

Contamination

The Michigan Tree Fruit Commission, in partnership with Michigan State 

University AgBioResearch food safety scientists and Extension educators, 

will develop recommendations for controlling risk of Listeria contamination 

during apple storage and disseminate results to stakeholders through 

presentations at scientific and industry meetings. Data on apple storage 

practices and facilities will be collected by surveying growers, and 

environmental sampling of apple storage facilities will be conducted to 

determine the prevalence of Listeria. These data will be used to model risk 

associated with specific apple storage and handling practices. The resulting 

risk matrix will be publicly available and allow for growers and producers 

to determine any practices that should be implemented to reduce the 

potential for Listeria transmission on apples.

$99,984.00 

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

16. Climate Resilience in 

Potato: Field and Storage 

Assessment

Michigan State University will conduct field and storage studies to 

understand the effects of mid-century global climate change projections 

on commercial potato production. We will examine the effects of water 

and heat stress on commercial and newly developed potato varieties. 

Potato tuber processing quality from late season storage is critical to the 

sustainability of the potato industry in Michigan as well as other production 

regions in the US. We will study how changes to timing, duration, and 

severity of in-season abiotic environmental factors affect tuber quality 

attributes. Storage studies will be implemented to evaluate the impact 

of in-season abiotic stress on tuber sugar concentration, dry mater 

content, dormancy, and processing quality. Results will be used to develop 

recommendations to mitigate abiotic stress during field production of 

potato and manage effected tubers once in storage. The findings of this 

research will be disseminated to local, regional, and national stakeholders 

through extension and scientific meetings.

$100,000.00 
105

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

17. Researching Efficacy of 

Growing Blueberries in InGround Containers Through 

On-Farm Trials

The average blueberry yield in Michigan ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 

pounds per acre compared to 20,000 to 40,000 pounds in the Pacific 

Northwest, which benefits from higher organic matter, greater plantings 

of superior varieties, milder winters, and higher annual rainfall. Michigan 

blueberry growers have struggled to remove and replant blueberry varieties 

due to the lack of plant vigor that comes with mono-cropping. Planting 

newer varieties in containers with appropriate high-nutrient substrate may 

help offset the lack of stable organic matter, lack of organic acids, and aid 

in nutrient uptake, but research is needed to determine the efficacy of this 

practice on Michigan blueberry farms.

Accordingly, Michigan Blueberry Growers Association (MBG), a growerowned cooperative, seeks to meet this need by executing a research 

project to conduct trials of container-planted blueberries on Michigan 

blueberry farms. To meet the project goal of determining the potential 

viability of this practice for the Michigan blueberry industry, trial plantings 

will be conducted on three separate blueberry farms. During the project 

period, pilot plantings will be established and regularly monitored, with 

tasks including documenting data on overall plant vigor, soil health, water 

use, and yields. Overall project results will be reviewed by Michigan State 

University Extension, documented, and widely shared with Michigan 

blueberry growers through an educational presentation and digital report, 

reaching at least 115 Michigan blueberry growers, the main project 

outcome. Project will have a positive impact on plant health and provide 

insights on whether this practice is a potential solution to strengthen farm 

sustainability.

$99,793.00 
106

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Michigan 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Rural Development

$1,955,693.23

18. Branding Montmorency 

tart cherries with a 

Geographical Indication: 

Legal and consumer 

research and development

The Michigan Cherry Committee (MCC) will research the feasibility of 

using a Geographical Indication (GI) for branding domestically-produced 

Montmorency tart cherries and defending our products from unfair 

competition and fraudulent use internationally. Using consumer surveys 

and industry input, we will develop logos for branding and the production 

rules that will be certified for the GI. We will conduct legal research related 

to domestic and international registration of the GI and undergo the 

registration process at the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). 

Results of survey research and registration outcomes will be disseminated 

to growers and processors as they become known.

The overall goal is to get a GI certification mark that can apply to tart 

cherries across the U.S. However, if USPTO administrative decisions are not 

favorable for a U.S.-wide mark, we will apply for registration of a Michiganbased GI mark, which has a high likeliness for success. Either mark would 

provide great advantages to our greater U.S. tart cherry industry. After 

registration with the USPTO, we will begin the process of registration with 

the European Union (EU), one of the U.S. tart cherry industry’s top export 

markets. Registration with the EU will enable us to incorporate the EU’s 

well-recognized Protected Geographical Indication logo into our branding, 

which may have significant marketing value in third countries such as Japan 

and South Korea.

The outcome of this project will be a registered GI branding logo that can 

be used for tart cherries both domestically and abroad in future marketing 

projects.

$89,000.00 
107

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56 1. Building an Integrated 

Hop Breeding Program

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus will develop, evaluate, 

and preserve powdery mildew resistant germplasm for hop growers in 

Minnesota. This project builds on our previous MDA SCBG funded work 

that resulted in building a trellis on the St. Paul campus for growing 

hops, identifying wild hops that exhibited high levels of powdery mildew 

resistance, and characterizing and identifying lines from breeding 

populations that exhibit good agronomics, brewing characteristics and 

powdery mildew resistance. The project outcomes include long-term 

preservation of a promising hop breeding line and four wild hop accessions 

carrying broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance, expanding the scope 

of the University of Minnesota hop breeding program, and developing elite 

hop cultivars that are adapted to Minnesota and carry broad spectrum 

powdery mildew resistance.

Viruses and other pathogens will be removed from our promising hop 

germplasm (one breeding line and four wild hop accessions) at the 

National Clean Plant Network-Northwest (NCPN-NW) in Prosser, WA and 

subsequently deposited in the National Clonal Germplasm Repository 

(NCGR) in Corvallis, OR for long-term storage and distribution. Eight 

potential cultivars will be evaluated at the University of Minnesota and two 

grower-cooperator locations and in collaboration with local breweries. With 

the aim to develop elite cultivars carrying powdery mildew resistance that 

are adapted to Minnesota, we will introgress powdery mildew resistance 

from wild hop accessions into elite cultivars through molecular breeding 

approaches.

$148,566.00 
108

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

2. Statewide Media 

Promotion of Minnesota 

Grown Specialty Crops

This project increases sales and awareness of Minnesota specialty crops 

with statewide marketing, through a two-year statewide earned media 

public relations campaign.

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 some public relations activities. The program receives an annual 

appropriation of $186,000 to support these activities. The Minnesota 

Grown Program strategically directs this appropriation to specific marketing, 

including paid advertising through television and digital platforms. While 

public relations efforts remain a critical part of our marketing strategy, a 

campaign of this size requires more time, expertise, and contact building 

than our program staff can undertake. A PR firm has the resources 

necessary to write and pitch the stories to local, regional, and national 

markets, as well as manage connections with local social media influencers. 

They can coordinate, schedule, and create the messaging for the campaign, 

and provide detailed reporting and analysis of results. Specialty Crop 

Block Grant funds will directly support the media marketing portion of our 

program marketing initiatives.

$147,888.00 

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

3. Development of a 

Genetic Test for Accurate 

Identification of Native 

American Highbush 

Cranberry

Development of a genetic test to identify American highbush cranberry 

(native, edible fruit, ornamental) from the nearly identical European (nonnative, inedible fruit) will increase use of the native, and reduce genetic 

pollution and invasiveness.

The University of Minnesota will develop a definitive genetic test 

to distinguish American highbush cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. 

americanum) from the European highbush cranberry (V. opulus var. 

opulus) and other relatives. American highbush cranberry is sold by many 

nurseries for its attractive flowers, fall color, edible fruit, and as a key plant 

for restoration of native landscapes. Unfortunately, European highbush 

cranberry with inedible fruit, is nearly identical and is often mistakenly sold 

as American.

$148,862.00 
109

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

4. Enabling Rapid Molecular 

Diagnostics of Trunk 

Diseases for Minnesota Fruit 

Farms

Implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics for early detection of 

grapevine trunk diseases will provide Minnesota fruit growers and nurseries 

with insight to improve climate-appropriate management practices and 

identify sources of disease.

The University of Minnesota will conduct this research project to develop 

a diagnostic assay for grapevine trunk diseases (GTD), which are a leading 

threat to grape production worldwide, including Minnesota. These 

diseases contribute to vine decline and death, reducing productivity and 

affecting the grower’s bottom line. Growers need to diagnose GTD on 

their farms to take responsive action, but current diagnostic techniques 

are not adequate. The aim of this project is to develop and implement 

rapid molecular diagnostic (RMD) techniques for targeted identification of 

the major GTD pathogens unique to the Upper Midwest. Minnesota fruit 

growers, nurseries, and wineries will benefit from the development of RMD 

of GTD that would take just a single day for diagnosis rather than the several 

months required by current diagnostic techniques. RMD would allow 

growers for timely interventions of cultural practices and locate sources of 

diseases for removal and destruction. Additionally, RMD will better improve 

key GTD mitigation practices such as pruning timing and tool sterilization. 

For nurseries and breeding programs, RMD can be a tool for development 

of broader disease-free propagation techniques from which stock plants 

could be broadly certified as disease-free and plants supplied to growers 

would have increased longevity.

$131,811.00 
110

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

5. Precision IPM and 

Reducing the Risk of 

Japanese Beetle in Wine 

Grapes

Novel research, via GIS and an “Attract & Kill” strategy will be implemented in 

commercial grape vineyards to manage Japanese Beetle, a pest of >300 host 

plants, and one of the most damaging, invasive pests of specialty crops in 

Minnesota.

This project by the Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota will 

demonstrate the value of one or more Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 

strategies for improved Japanese Beetle (JB) solutions for growers. One of 

the first questions we all ask when finding the ultra-high JB aggregations on 

wine grapes is “how did they get here, or where are they coming from?” A 

foundational purpose of this study is to answer this question; knowing the 

source of the problem is key for improved IPM. Objective 1 frames this question 

as “Landscape-level Risk of JB”, because we know the insect is responding to 

a complexity of soil, vegetation, and weather/climate interactions. Because of 

the many factors involved, at an agroecosystem scale, we propose that a GIS 

(geographic inform. system) approach is well suited for pooling the data for 

analysis. We have experience in producing multi-county and state-level pest 

risk maps (see Potter et al. 2021). We also have preliminary data on high levels 

of overwintering survival by JB grubs (in part due to the grub depth at 8-10” 

below the surface). We also have data on the relationship between soil texture, 

as a basis for pursuing a GIS approach. We now need more data, over a broader 

geographic area, and propose sampling in 15 counties, and areas with several 

vineyards. Objective 2 is designed to answer the question of Local, Vineyardspecific Risk, where detailed JB sampling from the trellis edge, then transects 

down the trellis at specific distances, will provide evidence of the extent of 

an Edge Effect. This effect has been documented in soybean (Sara et al. 2012) 

and other crops. Objective 3, based on beetle behavior, will pursue an “Attract 

& Kill” method for JB management. With results from Objs. 2-3, we intend 

to show that foliar insecticide use can be reduced substantially. This will be 

achieved via spatially-driven, or “hot-spot sprays” limited to areas of vineyards 

where JB are most common, vs entire vineyards. For Obj. 4 we will use several 

Environmental Impact indices to quantify the value of reducing insecticide 

use. Finally, by hosting proactive Outreach/Extension events, such as at least 

one field day each summer, winter educational meetings (e.g., MGGA), and 

publishing research updates each year in the MN Fruit & Veg. News, we plan to 

increase awareness of outcomes to growers throughout the project.

$149,628.00 
111

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

6. The Chemical Biology of 

Adventitious Rooting in

Hybrid Hazelnut

The University of Minnesota will apply a novel chemical biology focus to 

understand the ‘chemical space’ that regulates extrinsic control of root 

organogenesis in hybrid hazelnuts. Standard techniques for induction of 

roots, either for cuttings or for in vitro propagation is to treat with indole-3-

butyric acid (IBA) or possibly α-naphthaleneacetic acid alone or combined 

with IBA. Variations on this basic strategy have dominated woody plant 

propagation for the last 70 years. The under explored chemical space 

that have potential fall into five main categories: 1) compounds that bind 

to the auxin receptor more strongly that IAA and/or are more persistent 

than IBA (Figs. 1,2,3); 2) sequestered compounds, such as ester or amide 

forms of auxins, that alter permeation or serve as ‘slow release’ agents; 3) 

the induction of amide conjugation reactions may reduce auxin induced 

rooting responses such that inhibitors of that process offers could be useful; 

4) novel analogues with, like IBA, longer side chains requiring peroxisomal 

ß-oxidation; 5) recognizing the role of proper auxin gradients in the 

initiation of root organogenesis, non-responsive plants may have too high of 

levels of endogenous auxin to respond, thus compounds that reduce auxin 

production may heighten extrinsic control. This proposal will explore in 

depth these chemical opportunities to further define the differences in the 

auxin responses in easily rooted and less tractable lines of hazelnut.

$150,000.00 

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

7. Non-Seasonal Production 

of Nutritionally Rich

Sprouts and Microgreens for 

Health Benefits

This project will advance non-seasonal consumption of nutritionally 

enriched Sprouts and Microgreens as specialty crops to counter health 

disparities and co-morbidities in the Native American communities 

worsened by COVID-19 pandemic.

Indigenous People Task Force (IPTF) in collaboration with the Global 

Institute of Food Security and International Agriculture (GIFSIA) at North 

Dakota State University will advance organic and sustainable production 

innovation for health-targeted and nutritionally rich Sprouts and 

Microgreens. Nutritionally enriched Sprouts and Microgreens, grown 

throughout the year in indoor vertical production system are extremely 

important to address nutritional insecurity and associated public health 

challenges facing communities across Minnesota. Poor and imbalanced 

nutrition-influenced co-morbidities as seen globally has worsened COVID-19 

susceptibility and particularly in Native American and BIPOC communities.

$150,000.00 
112

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

8. Cut Flower Perennial Flax: 

Production & Postharvest 

Considerations for a New 

Floriculture Crop

The project goal is to test our perennial flax (Linum) selections for cut flower 

production and postharvest storage conditions that enhance vase life.

The University of Minnesota, Dept. of Horticultural Science is conducting 

this research project with the following partners: Rosemount Research and 

Outreach Center (RROC, Rosemount, MN), Len Busch Roses, Inc. (Plymouth, 

MN; commercial cut flower grower & cut flower wholesaler), Walters 

Gardens (Zeeland, MI; perennial producer company), Koehler & Dramm 

Wholesale Florists (Minneapolis, MN; cut flower wholesaler) and Sweet 16 

Farm (Houston, MN cutflower grower).

Perennial flax (Linum) has potential as a new cold-hardy cut flower for its 

fine-textured foliage and blue flowers (blue was Pantone Color of the Year 

in 2020). We are breeding cut flower perennial flax for the floral design 

industry. Our previous studies have shown perennial flax to be useful as a 

blue-flowered filler material in floral designs with an average vase life of 

9 days, although rapid petal drop exists. Additionally, little is known about 

optimal storage conditions. Recent findings showed that wet and dry 

storage may be possible for cut stems. This study aims to answer production 

(Obj. 1) and postharvest (Obj. 2) questions by trialing production (container) 

methods, as well as greenhouse and field production techniques; testing 

the level of ethylene produced by flax flowers; determining the effect of 

1-MCP and AVG on flower longevity and vase life; evaluating the effect of 

wet vs. dry storage to determine the optimal storage conditions. Given that 

AVG, 1-MCP are applied during storage/transport in commercial cut flower 

operations, this study will answer questions pertaining to postharvest 

handling of perennial flax cut flowers to bring the species as a new cut 

flower to the market.

$150,000.00 

Minnesota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,343,698.56

9. Improving the Economics 

of Perennial Ryegrass Seed 

Production Through Pest 

Monitoring and Endophytes

The integration of an insect (armyworm) monitoring and trapping program 

coupled with a perennial ryegrass seed production and endophyte survey 

to improve the profitability of turf grass seed production in northern 

Minnesota.

$60,000.00 
113

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

1. Nondestructive Detection 

of Spotted Wing Drosophila 

Infestation in Blueberry Fruit 

Using Optical Imaging

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a devasting pest for blueberries grown 

in Mississippi and beyond. Blueberry growers are under intense pressure 

to monitor SWD infestation and protect yield loss. The zero tolerance 

for SWD larvae inside the fruit is also posing significant challenges for 

packinghouses in identifying and removing infested fruit to ensure safe fruit 

to consumers. Current methods for detecting SWD infestation in blueberries 

are tedious, destructive, labor-intensive, and thus unsuitable for highthroughput inspection. Therefore, Mississippi State University will conduct 

novel research to explore the development of a non-destructive and rapid 

method based optical imaging technology for enhanced detection of SWD 

infestation in blueberries. Research-based findings will be shared with 

stakeholders and the scientific community via extension publications, peerreviewed articles, electronic newsletters and social media.

$35,218.00 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

2. Public Relations and 

Marketing Campaign to 

Promote Buying Mississippi 

Turfgrass

Farm Families of Mississippi will develop and implement a promotional 

campaign educating consumers on the turf grass industry in Mississippi. We 

will work with the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State 

and the Mississippi Turf Grass Association to establish economic impact of 

the turf grass industry in Mississippi using the latest data available, produce 

and air television and radio spots and buy billboards and digital marketing 

space promoting Mississippi turf grass.

$78,862.04 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

3. Delineating Sweetpotato 

Weevil Boundaries in South 

MS to Update Regulated 

Zones

Mississippi State University will conduct research to 1) determine the extent 

of sweet potato weevil presence in counties defined as “eradication areas” 

through extended weevil trapping, 2) determine if substantial evidence 

exists through this weevil trapping to recategorize “eradication areas” as 

green-tag weevil free counties without jeopardizing existing sweet potato 

production regions, and to 3) work with the Mississippi Department of Ag 

and Commerce- Bureau of Plant Industry Division (MDAC-BPI) to ensure 

that quarantine regulations reflect updated information that best protects 

Mississippi sweet potato growers.

$12,075.00 
114

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

4. Determine Levels of Heavy 

Metals in Mississippi Sweet 

Potato and Develop Farming 

Practices to Mitigate Risk.

Mississippi State University will conduct research to 1) Determine the extent 

of heavy metal contamination in sweet potatoes produced in Mississippi, 

through sweet potato root and soil sampling , 2) establish if any current 

production methods contribute to heavy metal content in sweet potatoes, 

and 3) collaborate with other sweet potato producing states though the US 

Sweet Potato Council to generate baseline data for the presence of heavy 

metals that could be used to establish allowable limits at the state and 

federal level. Research-based findings will be shared with stakeholders and 

the greater scientific community via field days, production meetings, expos, 

conferences, extension publications/fact sheets/bulletins, and electronic 

newsletters, webpages, and social media.

$44,620.65 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

5. Improved Herbicide 

Selectivity in Tomato 

by Safening Action of 

Benoxacor and Fenclorim

The Mississippi State University will provide effective control of problematic 

weeds in tomato production systems by increasing tolerance of tomato to 

effective herbicides using safeners. The main goal of this project is to use 

safeners to increase tolerance of tomato to herbicide that are effective 

in controlling problematic weeds, including yellow and purple nutsedge, 

annual grasses, and pigweed species. We will also confirm if the use of 

safeners do not produce any antagonistic effects with the herbicides tested. 

Results from this project will be made available to approximately 1,200 

stakeholders at the Vegetable Field Day, American Society of Horticultural 

Science, and Southern Weed Science Society Annual Meeting. The general 

tasks of the project will be to evaluate the safening effect of benoxacor and 

fenclorim on tomato against selected herbicides. Safeners identified from 

this project, will then be tested in the greenhouse and field, together with 

standard herbicides labeled in tomato, to confirm yield potential and level 

of tolerance to the applied herbicides.

$33,178.92 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

6. Evaluating Native 

Christmas Trees Species 

Production in North 

Mississippi

Mississippi State University Extension will increase producer access, 

awareness, and knowledge of native Christmas tree specialty crops through 

further research and educational/demonstration efforts with the North 

Mississippi Research and Extension Center (NMREC). Informed producers 

can make better choices deciding which native Christmas tree to grow and 

be more successful in grower operations when armed with knowledge of 

proper installation, maintenance, and production practices.

$17,940.00 
115

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

7. Enhancing Production 

Efficiency and Profitability of 

Greenhouse Vegetables in 

Mississippi

Mississippi State University will implement greenhouse hydroponic 

technologies, environmental controls, and water and nutrient management 

strategies to mitigate seasonal fluctuations in vegetable yields, quality, and 

nutritional values while developing scientifically based practical actions and 

disseminating results and knowledge through Extension training modules, 

social media, a revitalization of the Greenhouse Tomato Short Course (New 

Name TBD), and scientific and grower meetings.

$51,566.00 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

8. Utilize Machine Vision 

Technology to Improve 

Efficiency and Reduce 

Labor of Local Sweetpotato 

Packing Lines

Mississippi State University will collaborate with local sweet potato 

packinghouses to enhance the efficiency and reduce human labor of 

packing operations by: 1) assessing the status of automation technology 

utilized in local sweet potato packing lines and 2) designing and evaluating 

a machine vision technology-based inspection system for automatically 

grading and sorting sweet potatoes for size, shape and defects. Researchbased findings will be shared with stakeholders and the greater scientific 

community via field days, extension publications, peer-reviewed articles, 

electronic newsletters, webpages, and social media.

$34,911.00 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

9. High Tunnel Production 

of Containerized Specialty 

Cucumber Varieties

Mississippi State University will conduct research to: 1) identify cucumber 

varieties for productivity and superior fresh eating quality suitable to 

be produced in a high tunnel production system in Mississippi and 2) 

investigate the effect of a high tunnel combined with containerized 

production on planting and harvest time, yield, and fruit quality of 

cucumber varieties. Challenges for Mississippi vegetable growers in 

producing cucumbers lies in the lack of good variety choice for local 

production, sensitivity of cucumber plants to low temperatures, and high 

pressure from soilborne diseases. A high tunnel serves an economical 

season extension tool, which can potentially extend growing season into 

early spring and late fall, improve yield and quality, and reduce disease 

occurrence for warm season vegetable production.

$18,840.00 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

10. Evaluating bermudagrass 

(Cynodon spp.) germ plasm 

collection for varietal 

development

Mississippi State University will evaluate a bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) 

germplasm collection and develop new seeded and vegetatively propagated 

turf bermudagrass varieties by conventional breeding and molecular 

markers. This project aims to characterize turf quality and stress tolerance 

of the germplasm collection and identify superior genotypes for hybrids 

development.

$24,801.25 
116

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

11. Production of High 

Quality Microgreens 

Affected by Fertilization Rate 

and Substrate Type

Mississippi State University will conduct research to: 1) Investigate the 

effect of fertilization rate on yield and mineral nutrient of microgreens; 

2) Compare the use of soilless substrate and hydroponic pads in the 

production of different microgreen species; 3) Identify optimum seed 

sowing rate for various microgreen species. Results generated from this 

study are expected to increase competitiveness of vegetable growers 

and promote a healthy local food system in Mississippi. Microgreens are 

a collective term for vegetable or herb seedlings consumed at a young 

stage harvested 7 to 21 days after germination. Microgreens are known to 

have high concentrations of mineral nutrients as well as health beneficial 

bioactive compounds. As a new specialty crop, market value of microgreens 

is $30 to $50 per pound, drawing interest among vegetable growers in 

Mississippi for the high value and short production cycles.

$16,558.75 

Mississippi 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Commerce

$425,800.19

12. Value-Added Product 

Training for MS Christmas 

Tree Growers

Mississippi State University will increase revenue of Christmas tree farms 

through value-added product training workshops. Cut evergreens are a 

renewable, recyclable, and sought-after for use as Christmas decorations. 

Mississippi State University Extension and MAFES faculty will conduct a 

series of three, value-added, evergreen product training workshops. These 

educational programs will benefit Mississippi Christmas tree growers as 

well as farmers from nearby counties in Louisiana and Alabama, and MS cut 

flower farmers. The purpose of this training is to provide hands on practice 

in the material selection, construction, cold storage, and marketing of valueadded evergreen products from their farms. In January 2023, we will record 

in our annual report the sales accounted of value-added products from the 

trainees.

$16,469.00 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

1. Black Walnut for Kernel 

Markets – Cultivar Release 

and Modern Genetics

The black walnut (Juglans nigra) breeding program at the University 

of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) has pursued the genetic 

improvement of black walnut as a specialty nut crop for Missouri since 

2001. The breeding program has reached the long-awaited release of its 

first nine advanced breeding selections. This proposal centers around (a) 

the pilot release of these selections to facilitate orchard adoption and (b) 

developing modern genomic tools to accelerate the continued improvement 

of black walnut as a nut/kernel crop.

$49,906.30 
117

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77 2. Promoting Specialty Crops 

in Missouri Schools

The Missouri Grown program at the Missouri Department of Agriculture 

proposes a project that aims to increasing the consumption and knowledge 

of specialty crops in children and adults through stipend purchases of 

specialty crops for schools. An outcome focus for this project is to increase 

the competitiveness of specialty crops in Missouri through increased 

consumption. To complete this project, schools can apply and sign an 

agreement for a stipend for $1,000 to cover the cost of purchasing specialty 

crops from Missouri farmers to serve the students and staff through the 

school food service program. Schools must also agree to include at least one 

educational interaction about the importance of eating fresh, local foods. 

This can include the farmer if possible, either in-person, doing a tour or an 

online tour presentation. Funded schools must show proof of serving the 

food and of the educational experience.

$50,000.00 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77 3. Show-Me the Gold – 

Missouri’s Honey

The Missouri State Beekeepers Association (MSBA) will promote locally 

produced Missouri honey with a marketing plan that will educate Missouri 

beekeepers and residents. MSBA will focus on the honey production process 

(from nectar producing plants to where Missouri residents and visitors can 

purchase local honey) throughout the calendar year. Education for local 

beekeepers will include marketing strategies to use in their communities. 

Marketing and promotion of Missouri honey to residents will take place 

by developing and delivering information to local news outlets (example: 

news releases to local newspapers & radio stations as well as social media 

platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

$24,123.00 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

4. Establishing a Hands-on 

High Value Specialty Crop 

Fruit Education Site

Lincoln University Co-operative Extension to establish and operate a Fruit 

Education Site, focusing on blackberries, elderberries, and high tunnel 

strawberries. The project will effectively guide and educate farmers 

regarding all aspects of production and marketing of the selected fruits by 

hands-on group training. While this project focuses on Hmong farmers, the 

project will be available to and valuable for farmers throughout Southwest 

Missouri. The project will also include consumer education in processing 

elderberries at several farmers markets, as well as farmer education in 

marketing the fruit grown on the education site.

$50,000.00 
118

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

5. Breaking Ground – Virtual 

Training for 21st Century 

Specialty Crop Farmers

This Webb City Farmers Market project will create and share educational 

videos on eight specialty crops. Each crop will be featured in a 45-minute 

video shot over a growing season which examines best practices and 

issues found on one farm in Southwest Missouri, as well as three to four 

7-minute videos exploring in detail some issue connected to the production 

of that specialty crop. In addition, this project will create and post six to 

eight 7-minute videos documenting best practices from implementation 

of infrastructure through harvest/marketing of each of three crops: 

blackberries, elderberries, and high tunnel strawberries. Links to the live 

virtual presentations and 7-minute videos will be posted on training page 

of webbcityfarmersmarket.com so farmers in Missouri, and indeed farmers 

across the country, can access the information as needed. This grant also 

includes training on shooting raw video footage to ensure high quality 

presentations.

$44,939.00 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

6. Beekeeping and 

Honey Production: Niche 

Agriculture

The Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation (DAEOC) will develop 

and implement a demonstration beekeeping and honey production 

education and job training model titled Beekeeping and Honey Production: 

Niche Agriculture. The learning environment will include both classroom 

and hands-on training and promote natural beekeeping in rural areas for 

a source of income and integrated with regional biodiversity conservation 

efforts. The educational module will provide participants the opportunity 

to gain experience using practical and natural techniques in the handling 

and management of bees and honey production. A local farmer, Lincoln 

University, the Missouri Community Action Network, and the Missouri 

Beekeepers Association will partner with DAEOC to design the training 

module.

$50,000.00 
119

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

7. Meeting the Demand 

for Locally Grown Roses, 

Chrysanthemums, Specialty 

Bulbs

Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers will demonstrate the viability of locally 

grown specialty crop flowers in a heated hoop house. There is a resurgence 

in demand for locally grown specialty crops such as roses, heirloom 

chrysanthemums (mums), tulips, and hyacinths. These crops are considered 

staple products within the florist industry and are three of the most 

frequently imported flowers. This project directly addresses two major 

concerns of small-scale Missouri farmers and the floral industry at large 

and serves as a demonstration for other growers to bring the production of 

these important crops back to the United States. The two major concerns 

we are addressing are 1. Farm financial health and 2. Effective and efficient 

growing practices. Through our targeted outreach efforts, the long-term 

goal of this project is to demonstrate the creation of a viable revenue 

stream, adaptation of sustainable growing techniques, and decreased 

reliance on imported flowers.

$44,710.00 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

8. Evaluating Native Edible 

Plants as Specialty Crops in 

Missouri

Lincoln University will conduct an education project to evaluate and 

promote nettles, wild leeks, wild onions, mints, cup plant, cattail and 

goldenglow as specialty crops in Missouri. These edibles have increased in 

popularity in recent years for consumption as regular vegetables, greens 

or herbs. One of the goals of this project is to encourage farmers and 

producers to cultivate these species to increase diversity and resiliency 

in their farms and to gather them from their lands in a sustainable way. 

Several of these species, especially stinging nettles and wild leeks, are 

already used by chefs in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia, 

but the availability is sometimes unpredictable. This project will be done in 

collaboration with plant growers, farmers, chefs, landscape designers and 

educators.

$49,843.60 

Missouri 

Department of 

Agriculture

$428,949.77

9. Specialty Crop Outreach 

and Education at Amanda 

Belle’s Hospital Farm

Springfield Community Gardens educational project will leverage the 

existing investment of multiple local and federal stakeholders for beginning 

and socially disadvantaged farmers into a long-term solution towards 

financially viable agricultural careers. These funds will also maximize SCG’s 

long-term organizational objectives, creating opportunities for an innovative 

and efficient local food system. Specifically, the project will provide 390 

beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers propagation education, as 

well as outreach and marketing using social media and other online tools, 

to increase awareness and expertise in local specialty crop production. 

Specialty crops will include salad greens, lettuce, root (cooked), root (raw), 

allium, cooking greens, cooking vegetables, raw vegetables, herbs, cut 

flowers, fruits, and berries.

$30,403.36 
120

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

1. Establishing the Industry 

and Market for Montana’s 

High-Value Fractioned Pulse 

Ingredients via Food Product 

Innovation

To maximize the market opportunity of Montana pulse crops, Montana 

State University Food Product Development Lab partnered with Montana 

pulse stakeholders to investigate the potential of highvalue fractionated 

pulse ingredients in developing texturized pulse protein (TPP) and other 

food products. Texturized plant proteins are gaining selling points for 

their meat-mimicking qualities while being lower in ecological footprint. 

This project will establish Montana’s first TPP extrusion technology and 

create product recipes using Montana fractionated pulse ingredients and 

TPP, which will advance Montana’s pulse technology and encourage more 

Montana value-added pulse products to enter the market.

$227,814.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

2. Honey Bee Antiviral 

Defense Mechanisms in the 

Context of Stressors and 

Stimulants

The goal of research lead by Dr. Michelle Flenniken at Montana State 

University is to reduce the number of virus-associated honey bee colony 

deaths. Montana is an important beekeeping state, which ranked 4th 

for honey production in 2018 (i.e., 14.8 million pounds, $22 million) 

and provided over 260,000 colonies for pollination. Honey bee health is 

impacted by many factors, including plant derived nutritional resources and 

phytochemicals, agrochemicals used in cropping systems, and pathogens, 

including iruses. Beekeepers are concerned about the negative effects of 

viruses and agrochemicals on bee health, and interested in the potential 

of natural compounds to boost immune competency and reduce virus 

infection.

$141,336.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

3. Nursery Survey for Brown 

Marmorated Stink Bug in 

Montana

The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) will work with other 

agencies in the state to prevent the movement of Brown Marmorated 

Stinkbug (BMSB) throughout Montana. BMSB is a pest of concern for 

Montana as it can cause serious damage to crops and nuisance problems 

to home-owners. MDA’s role will be to use insect traps to survey for 

the presence of BMSB in nurseries over two years to prevent accidental 

introductions to other parts of Montana.

$11,365.00 
121

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

4. Characterization of 

Chickpea Pathogens in 

Montana and Evaluation of 

Fungal Species Response to 

Fungicide Sensitivity

Montana State University – Plant Science and Plant Pathology Department. 

Chickpea is an important specialty crop in Montana. Before the 2020 

chickpea field survey, no information was available on the diversity of 

chickpea pathogens, except F. oxysporum. This information is essential to 

inform breeding efforts, disease control choices made by growers, and to 

assess future threats to Montana chickpea production in a conscientious 

way.

Outcomes- Conducting the second year of field surveys (continuation of an 

SCBC-funded 2020 survey) to isolate soilborne pathogens and Botrytis gray 

mold pathogens from the chickpea leaves, young pods, shoots, etc. Isolation 

of prevalent pathogens, along with novel pathogens of chickpea. Evaluation 

of fungal pathogens and oomycete pathogen sensitivity to fungicides.

$100,973.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

5. Improving Efficiency and 

Sustainability of the MSU 

Potato Lab Tissue Culture 

Program

Montana Seed Potato Certification (MSU) will work towards improving 

efficiency and reducing risks and costs in the Montana Seed Potato 

Certification Tissue Culture Program. This project plans to improve efficiency 

and reduce programmatic risks and cost through two objectives: 1. Improve 

standard operating procedures by: a. Increasing time intervals between 

maintenance cutting of tissue culture plantlets. b. Establish a long-term 

storage protocol for mother-stock. c. Establish procedures for preventing 

and treating microbial and insect contamination of tissue culture plantlets. 

d. Cross-training Potato Lab personnel for proficiency in tissue-culture 

methods. e. Develop a database module for the tissue culture program 

that would track origin of all mother-stock, testing history, and cutting 

schedules for maintenance and increase of plantlets for distribution to 

farmers. 2. Convert plant growth lights from fluorescent to LED. a. Change 

all fluorescent lighting to a LED source to minimize risk of overheating. b. 

Correlate optimal plant growth with light intensity (umol/m2 /sec).

$94,430.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

6. Optimizing Production, 

Storage, and Marketing of 

Winter Storage Vegetables in 

Montana

Montana State University aims to identify specific cultivars, production 

practices, achievable on-farm storage conditions, and marketing practices 

to extend the sales season and volume for Montana-produced carrots 

and winter squash through the winter. The student-run organic vegetable 

farm will grow and evaluate multiple cultivars of these crops with special 

consideration to harvest timing relative to the onset of extreme cold 

weather. After harvest we will store carrots and squash in a range of typical 

on-farm storage conditions, including rudimentary climate-controlled 

options available at low cost to small farms. Finally, we will evaluate the 

culinary quality of these crops after storage for up to 6 months after 

harvest.

$143,573.00 
122

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

7. Evaluating the Effect of 

Long-Term Rotations and 

Previous Crop on Pathogens 

of Pea and Lentil

Pulse crops have become an important component of dryland cropping 

systems in Montana due to their use as an alternative to fallow, which has 

increased soil quality and profitability. There are two objectives for the 

research proposed here to be performed at the Montana State University 

Eastern Ag Research Center in Sidney, MT. First, we will examine the effect 

of rotations and previous crop in current rotation studies on the identity 

of Fusarium species causing root rot and characterize the pathogens 

involved. In addition, we will initiate a long-term rotation study designed 

specifically to understand how pathogens proliferate and evolve under 

these conditions. The results from this study will enable plant pathologists 

to provide improved plant disease control recommendations to the 

agricultural community.

$84,497.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

8. Advancement of Genetic 

Tools to Understand 

Potato Virus Y Resistance 

Mechanisms

Dr. Michelle Flenniken (Plant Sciences), Montana State University. Montana 

growers have experienced increasing losses of early generation seed 

potatoes due to wider prevalence of Potato virus Y in their fields. Potato 

virus Y-infection reduces the value of the initially infected potato tubers, as 

well as successive generations of seed potato crops. Severe PVY-infection 

may result in loss of entire seed potato generations. Genetic resistance 

to PVY is a sustainable way to prevent losses in potatoes. This research 

projct will (1) Establish an efficient system for gene functional analysis 

for potato, using published viral vectors and protocols. (2) Apply these 

system to investigate the role of Beta-1-3-glucanase genes within the 

context of Potato virus Y infection. The outcomes of this project include the 

development and optimization of broadly-applicable gene analysis tools, as 

well as a greater understanding of molecular mechanisms of resistance to 

Potato virus Y.

$44,913.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

9. New Supportive 

Resources for Montana 

Beekeepers

The Montana Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Section (MDANRS) aims to provide Montana beekeepers with adequate tools to prevent 

honey bee colony losses from excessive pests, diseases, and varroa mite 

numbers and, ultimately decreasing colony losses every year. The MDANRS will provide registered beekeepers with sampling kits to monitor for 

varroa mites and an MDA-NRS made pocket-guide that contains resources 

to help identify pests and diseases of honey bees and MDA regulations for 

beekeepers’ reference. The MDA-NRS will purchase and distribute sampling 

kits, use the camera system to create publication quality images of pests 

and diseases, both in the lab/office and in the field, and utilize these images 

to create and publish a pocket-guide to distribute to registered beekeepers 

to use as a resource.

$19,733.00 
123

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

10. Optimizing Essential 

Oil Seed Treatments and 

Enhancing its Efficacy 

in Managing Root Rot 

Pathogens of Pulse Crops

The potential of essential oil (EO) seed treatment in managing pulse crops 

pathogens has been determined from multiple studies in our lab. However, 

formulation of an improved EO seed treatment is necessary to achieve a 

desired in vivo EO efficacy in managing root rots. The purpose of this project 

is to optimize EO seed treatments and increase their efficacies in managing 

pathogens causing root rot and damping-off on pulses.

Outcomes: This study will formulate an EO seed treatment with desired 

seed surface coating ability of Eos and evaluate its phytotoxicity on pulse 

crops. It will determine the compatibility of Eos with Biological Control 

Agents (BCAs) and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) identified 

from previous studies. Additionally, it will measure the efficacy of EO seed 

treatments alone or by using a cocktail of Eos with BCAs/PGPB and/or 

fungicides against root rot pathogens.

$80,651.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

11. Improving Methods of 

Exploring the Microbiome of 

Pulse Crop Fields

Montana State University will focus on methods for detecting and 

characterizing soilborne pathogens and beneficial microbes in diseased and 

non-diseased pulse crop fields. Additionally, the project has an objective 

to isolate beneficial microbes in the soil and explore their relationships 

with soilborne plant pathogens for biocontrol (antagonistic bacteria) 

management options for soil-borne pulse diseases specifically root rots 

where no conventional management options exist. The ultimate aim of this 

project is to develop a soil testing system to inform growers of disease risk 

and soil health and allow them to base planting and management decisions 

on this knowledge. The project will focus on pulse crops but since the 

techniques are broadly applicable, will potentially benefit all specialty crops 

in Montana.

$73,567.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

12. Developing Direct 

to Consumer Market for 

Montana Craft Cider

Montana craft cider is a value-added product that utilizes local farmers’ 

supplies of apples, along with cherries, berries, hops, stone fruit and 

botanical herbs. The Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) is submitting this 

marketing and promotions project. NWCA is a member-based nonprofit that 

supports all facets of the cider industry in Montana, Oregon, Washington, 

Idaho and British Columbia. NWCA began in 2010 with 10 members and 

now supports 100+ cidermaker members. There are currently 7 cideries 

in Montana. This project is strategically designed to respond to drastic 

changes in consumer purchasing behaviors brought on by COVID that are 

anticipated to continue after the pandemic. This project will increase sales 

of, and access and awareness to Montana craft cider through an innovative 

multi-cidery sales offer coupled with extensive national marketing and 

promotions.

$320,862.00 
124

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

13. Abundant Montana: 

Increasing Specialty Crop 

Competitiveness and 

Consumer Awareness 

through Expanded 

Marketing and Media Hub

The Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO)’s Montana food 

systems directory, Abundant Montana (AMT), is expanding into a financially 

self-sustaining statewide marketing and media hub for Montana food. 

This project will specifically fund specialty crop (SC) marketing. The hub 

structure uses a successful revenue-based model licensed from Michiganbased Taste the Local Difference, and includes partner relationships with 

regional/statewide Montana program collaborators and AMT listers. The 

statewide AMT specialty crop marketing plan will increase consumer 

awareness of SCs through education and digital marketing, enhancing the 

competitiveness of Montana’s SCs.

$209,078.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

14. Influence of Arbuscular 

Mycorrhizzal Fungi and 

Rhizobium on Soil Health 

and Plant Growth

Montana is America’s top producer of pulse crops with more than 1.4 

million acres currently growing. With this project, MSU aims to access the 

effects of inoculation on beneficial soil microbial communities, root rot, soil 

chemical properties and pulse crop growth. The outcome of this study could 

be used to determine if reinoculation of pulse crops with specific microbes 

that facilitate soil health and plant growth is essential.

$375,000.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

15. Identify and Explore 

Resistance to Control Pea 

Ascochyta Blight Disease

Dr. Li Huang (Genetics and Plant Pathology), Dr. Kevin McPhee (Pulse-crop 

Breeding) and Dr. Qing Yan (Plant Pathology) from Montana State University 

propose to develop organic strategies to manage pea Ascochyta Blight 

(AB), a predominant disease affecting a half of the nation’s pea production 

produced in Montana State. Our strategies are fungicide/chemical 

independent, therefore, the outcomes will result in the development of 

environment-friendly strategies for managing pea AB disease and enhancing 

food safety. The expected outcomes of the project will, 1) enrich resistance 

resources for breeding high levels of resistance pea cultivars, 2) establish a 

new approach for farming using beneficial bacteria living inside pea plants 

to suppress Ascochyta pathogens.

$349,543.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

16. Evaluation of Cover 

Crops as Contributors to 

Plant Disease in Pea and 

Lentils

This research project, performed at the MSU Eastern Ag Research Center 

and Northern Ag Research Center, seeks to determine the effect of cover 

crops containing pulses on disease the following season in pea or lentil 

by both field and greenhouse studies. Cover crop mixes containing pea 

or lentil, grasses, alternative hosts such as clover, or pathogen inhibiting 

brassicas will be planted at both locations and either hayed (Sidney) or 

grazed (Havre). Disease will be identified in both the cover crop mix and the 

peas or lentils planted the following season. The results of this study will 

help guide RMA policy and provide better recommendations to producers.

$145,995.00 
125

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

17. Evaluating Honey 

Bee Infecting AnBV-1 

Distribution, Sequence 

Diversity, and Utility for 

Laboratory-Based Virus 

Infection Studies

The goal of research led by Dr. Michelle Flenniken at Montana State 

University is to reduce the number of virus-associated honey bee colony 

deaths. Recently, Flenniken and team discovered a new bee infecting virus 

called Andrena associated bee virus-1 (AnBV-1). It is not yet known whether 

AnBV-1 is in the United States, but it seems likely given that it was detected 

in both mining bees and honey bees in Israel. It is important to understand 

if AnBV-1 is a contributing factor to bee health in the US. Goals/Tasks: The 

goals and associated tasks of this project are to: (1) examine if AnBV-1 is 

circulating in US bee populations using a bioinformatics approach, (2) test 

for AnBV-1 presence in Montana bee samples using molecular diagnostic 

tests (PCR/qPCR), and (3) develop a laboratory-based system for studying 

the impact of AnBV-1 on honey bee health. Outcome: This project will 

evaluate the AnBV-1 prevalence in the US, with a focus on Montana, and 

result in the development of laboratory based system to understand the 

impact of AnBV-1 on honey bee health.

$38,932.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42 18. Pulse Promotion in 

Mexico and Latin America

Montana Department of Agriculture (MDOA) proposes to increase the 

competitiveness of dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas in Mexico and Latin 

America by using a three-year approach to forge strong and lasting 

relationships with pulse buyers and end consumers in Mexico and Latin 

America. In 2022, with the help of a contractor, MDOA will recruit buyers 

from Mexico and Latin America to bring to Montana for a tour of farms 

growing pulses, pulse processing facilities, and B2B meetings with our 

export companies to increase sales of pulses to Mexico and Latin America. 

In 2023, MDOA will organize an outbound mission to include a networking 

dinner event show casing Montana grown pulses prepared by a professional 

chef. In 2024, MDOA will host an inbound trade mission with the companies 

who participated in the networking event the previous year to strengthen 

buying relationships and secure long-term sales.

$257,141.00 
126

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42

19. Weed Management in 

Dryland Chickpea and Faba 

Beans in Montana

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), cool season 

annual legumes, are gaining attention as alternative crops in Montana 

because of their economic advantages, high protein, and biological nitrogen 

fixation. However, these crops are poor competitors with weeds because of 

their slow germination and early growth until canopy closure. This project 

will conduct field dose response studies to estimate the effective rates for 

weed control and crop safety (chickpea and faba bean) of selected nonlabeled herbicides tested in the first study. This 3-yrs. Research will be 

conducted at four sites across Montana: (1) Southern Ag Research Center, 

Huntley; (2) Post Agronomy Farm, Bozeman; (3) Western Ag Research 

Center, Corvallis; (4) Northwestern Ag Research Center, Kalispell.

$129,836.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42 20. Varietal Education to 

Advance Best Practices

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 climate, condition 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 a limited uptake of the best suited varieties. A Montana 

State University varietal education specialist will inform producers on the 

releases and best practices and technologies resulting in increased yields, 

reduced inputs, increased efficiency, increased economic return, and 

conservation of resources.

$45,851.00 

Montana 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,076,940.42 21. Montana State Grain Lab 

Pulse Crop Market Access

The Montana Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Montana 

State Grain Lab (SGL) is requesting funds to raise awareness of the pulse 

crop sampling and inspection services of the lab, resulting in the enhanced 

competitiveness of Montana pulse crops. Grant objectives include educating 

producers on the value of official samples/inspections, increased data 

collection and analysis of pulse crops, and promotion of the services offered 

by the SGL.

$56,352.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

1. Integrating Cover Crops 

in Dry Edible Bean for 

Suppression of HerbicideResistant Weeds

Suppression of HerbicideResistant Weeds

The Weed Science Program of the University of Nebraska Panhandle 

Research and Extension Center (PREC) will compare the competitive ability 

of a cereal cover crop to suppress weeds in dry edible bean when planted 

at different timings, and in combination with various standard herbicide 

treatments used in western Nebraska dry bean production. Results from the 

trial may provide a novel use of cover crops in western Nebraska.

$31,104.00 
127

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

2. Double-Cropping 

Vegetables and Strawberries 

in Plastic Mulch Film: 

Reducing Waste and 

Increasing

Profits

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln will enhance the competitiveness of 

specialty crops in Nebraska through research on double-cropping vegetables 

and strawberries in plastic mulch film. Results from field trials will be shared 

at grower meetings to increase knowledge about plastic mulch film reuse 

and annual strawberry production opportunities in Nebraska.

$66,263.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

3. An Image and SensorBased White Mold Alert 

System for Dry Edible Beans

This project will be carried out by the University of Nebraska’s Panhandle 

Research and Extension Center (PHREC) in western Nebraska. The overall 

goal of this project is to develop a decision support system (DSS) that will 

increase efficiency and success in monitoring and controlling white mold 

of dry edible beans for stakeholders and growers in western Nebraska. This 

DSS will be comprised of in-situ temperature and relative humidity (RH) 

sensors, pivot-mounted cameras, low-cost telemetry, image recognition, 

edge and cloud computing techniques.

$65,000.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

4. CRISPR-Mediated 

Nutritional and Functional 

Enhancement of Yellow Pea 

for Human Health Benefits 

and Industrial Uses

The University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Department of Plant Pathology, will 

develop an efficient and routine protocol that would make yellow pea 

amenable to gene editing-based genetic modifications. The protocol will 

offer quick and targeted development of next generation of improved 

commercial yellow pea cultivars able to mitigate negative effects of 

diseases, drought and other adverse conditions stabilizing and improving 

productivity and availability of this nutritious food crop.

$45,360.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

5. Vineyard Weed Control 

and Soil Impact: A 

Sustainable Approach

Mac’s Creek Vineyards will study, by analyzing soil, petiole and leaf samples, 

what impact, if any, the use of chemical herbicides compared to essential 

oils have on the soil quality/soil nutrients. They will also examine the extent 

to which the herbicides and essential oils “lock up” the soil thereby blocking 

the vine’s ability to take up nutrients to benefit plant health. The results 

will be disseminated to stakeholders through grower meetings and/or field 

days.

$56,090.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

6. Develop a Standard Grape 

Quality Evaluation Program 

to Improve the Sustainability 

and Profitability of Nebraska 

Grape and Wine Industry

The University of Nebraska Food Processing Center (FPC) and their 

Viticulture Program (UNVP) will develop a standard grape quality evaluation 

program to improve the sustainability and profitability of the Nebraska 

Grape and Wine Industry by collaborating with the Nebraska Winery and 

Grape Growers Association (NWGGA). This project will develop standard 

protocols of sampling, shipping, testing, and reporting to ensure a more 

complete, reliable, consistent, and short turnaround time analysis of fruit 

quality.

$69,413.00 
128

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

7. Creating Listeria Control 

Specialists in Nebraska 

Packinghouses and 

Processing Plants

In collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and 

Nebraska commodity groups, the International Food Protection Training 

Institute (IFPTI) will enroll 56 Quality Assurance (QA) Managers

from packinghouses and processing plants in Nebraska into the Listeria 

Control Specialist Certificate Program, developed by experts from the 

American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). AFFI leads the Alliance for Listeriosis 

Prevention, which promotes food safety practices that minimize the 

presence of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in food products.

$50,000.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78 8. Nebraska Certified 

Sustainable Specialty Crops

The Nebraska Grape and Winery Board will engage the Nebraska specialty 

crop industry in the creation of a sustainability program (to include mission, 

vision, standards, measurable criteria, certification process, etc.), to 

identify, create, adapt, implement, and be recognized for, commitment to 

sustainable practices (i.e., attain the recognition as a Nebraska Certified 

Sustainable Specialty Crop Producer (or Winery)). This process will be 

disseminated to Nebraska specialty crop stakeholders via a program rollout 

workshop held in conjunction with the Nebraska Specialty Crop Conference.

$73,500.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

9. Hydroponic Growing 

Systems to Address Food 

Security Sustainably

Nebraska Extension will provide experiential workshops on hydroponic 

plant production system technology and conduct farm tours to demonstrate 

cooperative farm prototypes exhibiting water/labor conservative production 

alternatives to specialty crop growers and to increase availability of fresh 

produce in high need areas.

$29,216.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

10. Managing Diseases of 

New Pulse Crops in Nebraska 

with New Chemical Products

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 test new, relatively inexpensive commercially available chemicals 

for their ability to reduce damage in cowpeas as a result of both fungal 

and bacterial diseases and improve yields. We will also be observing and 

promoting another new pulse crop, mungbean. The results will be shared 

with clientele (growers, consultants, and colleagues) via both research- and 

extension-oriented publications, commodity grower meetings, and field 

days.

$36,720.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

11. High Value Yellow Pea 

Varieties with High Protein 

Quantity and Quality for 

Nebraska

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center will 

evaluate commercially grown yellow pea varieties from Nebraska farmers’ 

production fields and experimental yellow pea varieties from the UNL’s 

variety trials for superior quality seed proteins, important non-protein 

nutrients, and antinutritional factors. The objective is to identify commercial 

pea varieties with high % of superior quality seed proteins, important nonprotein nutrients, and low % of anti-nutritional factors for immediate use by 

NE-farmers.

$49,896.00 
129

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

12. Identify Nebraska-Grown 

Pulses with High Value for 

Human Food Uses

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center (UNLPHREC) will evaluate seven pulses (yellow pea, chickpea, lentil, cowpea, 

mungbean, faba bean, and black gram) grown at Scottsbluff for superior 

quality seed proteins, important non-protein nutrients, and low % of antinutritional factors. The project will be in collaboration with Dr. Kaustav 

Majumdar (UNL Food Sci. & Technology), Dr. Bijesh Maharjan and Dr. Bob 

Harveson (UNL-PHREC). One or two varieties of each pulses will be grown 

in the field at Scottsbluff, NE under irrigation following standard production 

methods. Standard agronomic traits (flowering, maturity, plant height, 

disease and insects, if any) will be recorded.

$35,640.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

13. Can Turmeric Be a Viable 

Crop for Nebraska Specialty 

Crops Growers?

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Panhandle Research and 

Extension Center will evaluate turmeric varieties to identify the best 

adapted variety for production of high quality turmeric in Nebraska. Five 

to ten turmeric varieties will be planted in large pots in the greenhouse at 

Scottsbluff. The experiment will be a randomized complete block with four 

replications. Trials will be planted following standard production practices.

$22,464.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78

14. Enhancing Nebraska Dry 

Bean Tolerance for Drought 

and Heat Stress

The Nebraska Dry Bean Breeding Program has incorporated new genetic 

variation from tepary beans into dry bean genotypes with the goal of 

improving dry beans’ ability to tolerate drought and heat stress. We will 

conduct drought tolerance trials in Nebraska and heat tolerance trials in 

California and Puerto Rico to determine which interspecific genotypes 

perform best under these abiotic constraints and incorporate them into the 

Nebraska Dry Bean Breeding Program.

$38,353.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78 15. Columbia Root-Knot 

Nematode Survey

This project is designed to maintain Nebraska’s Columbia Root Knot 

Nematode (CRKN) pest-free status by the Nebraska Department of 

Agriculture (NDA) conducting comprehensive soil surveying throughout 

Nebraska to confirm the presence or absence of CRKN in Nebraska.

$24,300.00 

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78 16. Japanese Beetle Survey

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) proposes a coordinated, 

comprehensive survey to document the presence or absence of Japanese 

Beetle in Nebraska and to provide certification to facilitate out of state 

shipments of Nebraska grown nursery stock. This survey will assist in 

keeping interstate and international markets open to Nebraska nursery 

stock. The monitoring will confirm the status of the pest in our state to 

determine what steps, if any, are necessary to certify nursery stock.

$36,600.00 
130

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nebraska State 

Department of 

Agriculture

$820,903.78 17. Thousand Cankers 

Disease of Walnut Survey

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) will conduct a survey 

for walnut twig beetle across the state and confirm compliance with the 

Nebraska Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) of walnut quarantine through 

inspections. The results of this survey will be used to confirm the presence 

or absence of TCD in the state. This will allow for movement of products, 

like nursery stock and scion wood, out-of-state. Should TCD be found during 

this survey, the information could be used to determine the extent of the 

infestation, and potentially mitigate the impact on trade.

$26,450.00 

Nevada Department 

of Agriculture $273,886.87

1. Farm to Kitchen: 

Increasing Access, 

Consumption & Sales of 

Specialty Crops

This two-year project of the nonprofit Nevada Grown is a multi-faceted, 

statewide project centered around a “farm to kitchen” approach, following 

the path of food from the farm to the consumer’s home, including how to 

purchase, store, cook and preserve specialty crops. It will include robust 

print and social media promotions of specialty crop farms, farmers markets 

& other sales avenues; outreach to underserved populations including 

seniors, Hispanics, SNAP, WIC and senior farmers market coupon recipients; 

and interactive dialogue with consumers through community events and 

social media to encourage increased consumption of specialty crops. The 

intended outcomes are to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops 

through increased sales, increased consumption and increased access.

$32,224.00 

Nevada Department 

of Agriculture $273,886.87

2. Assessing the potential 

of native shrubs for nursery 

production

The University of Nevada Las Vegas will investigate the potential of 

developing native shrubs of the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin for 

nursery production in Nevada. A panel of botanists and horticulturalists will 

provide a list of shrub species to investigate. Seed from specific ecoregions 

will be collected and studies carried out to determine optimum techniques 

for germination and best soil mixes for growth. Those species that 

demonstrate the best response in terms of growth and visual appearance 

will be selected for a grow-out.

$36,038.40 

Nevada Department 

of Agriculture $273,886.87

3. Marketing & Promotion of 

Lavender, Honey & Specialty 

Crops through Agritourism

This project of the nonprofit Sierra Nevada Lavender & Honey Festival 

provides for production of a regional agritourism festival in 2022 and 2023, 

that highlights two popular specialty crops- lavender and honey. It will 

provide sales and promotional opportunities to specialty crop producers 

and will provide opportunities for consumer education for lavender, honey 

and other specialty crops. The intended outcomes are to enhance the 

competitiveness of specialty crops through increased sales, increased 

consumption and enhancing or improving the economy as a result of 

specialty crop development.

$46,500.00 
131

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Nevada Department 

of Agriculture $273,886.87

4. Evaluation of Tomato 

Rootstocks and WildRelatives for Salinity 

Tolerance

The University of Nevada, Reno, will determine if the use of rootstocks 

can improve tomato salt tolerance and benefit growers through higher 

yields. Trials under greenhouse and field conditions will be conducted 

with several tomato genotypes (commercial rootstocks, cultivars and wild 

relatives). Physiological and morphological root responses will be evaluated 

to determine tolerance traits under soil salinity in Northern Nevada. The 

project’s outcome is expected to enhance the competitiveness of local 

tomato production using vegetable grafting, which should increase yields 

and resource use efficiency (e.g., water and nutrients). Results will be 

disseminated to stakeholders through grower meetings, field days and fact 

sheets.

$70,510.58 

Nevada Department 

of Agriculture $273,886.87 5. Pilot Nevada Farm Network

Desert Farming Initiative at UNR and NEON Agency propose to enhance 

the competitiveness of specialty crops by initiating a pilot Nevada Farm 

Network. The project proposes to identify specialty crop production 

information gaps and develop an online platform that includes an initial 

resource library, a forum for the Nevada specialty crop farm community, 

and one pilot educational video produced by NEON Agency.

$16,843.56 

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

1. Increase Awareness 

and Consumption of New 

Hampshire Grown Vegetable 

and Berry Crops

The New Hampshire Vegetable and Berry Growers Association project will 

focus on outreach to the local community and consumers by creating a 

website and active social media profiles with content designed to increase 

awareness and interest in farms while promoting more local farm visits for 

purchasing and pick your own. 

The project will serve as a central clearinghouse for consumers seeking 

timely information about where to purchase and pick your own vegetables 

and berries. The multi-pronged approach–website, social media and digital 

advertising–will together provide substantial frequency and reach. This 

should result in increased visitation and sales. 

The project will also encourage membership participation and web site 

visits from other New Hampshire Growers by creating a user-friendly 

website which will disseminate local, state, and regional updates on current 

issues and news. The web platform will also include online membership 

registration, free farm listings for any and all local producers, and links to 

growers’ guides and libraries.

$40,000.00 
132

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

2. Off-peak Season 

Marketing of New 

Hampshire’s Maple 

Producers and their Crop

The New Hampshire Maple Producers Association (NHMPA) will support its 

members in increasing understanding of the general public during the time 

following “maple season” each year (2022-2024) that real maple is pure, 

local, and versatile – the smarter sweetener!

$62,076.00 

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

3. Increasing the 

Competitiveness of NH 

Specialty Crops through 

Energy Savings

The Cheshire County Conservation District (CCCD) will work with partners 

to provide education, technical assistance, and financial incentives to 

specialty crop producers in NH to improve their energy efficiency, lower 

their electricity costs, and shift toward renewable energy production. This 

project will lower specialty crop producers’ farm input costs to ensure their 

continued profitability and the competitiveness of their products in the 

market. The CCCD will incentivize producers’ active participation in this 

project with a stipend they can use to invest in accessing energy efficiency 

and renewable energy options.

$46,000.00 

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

4. NH Wine Grape Varietals – 

Increasing Public Awareness 

and Expanding Grower/

Winemaker Knowledge

The New Hampshire Winery Association, a non-profit organization 

promoting grape growing and wine making, intends to: 1) increase public 

awareness of distinctive wine grape varietals grown in the state, along 

with the unique wines produced from those varietals, to encourage more 

vineyard plantings; and 2) provide educational opportunities for growers 

and winemakers to improve the harvest quantity and quality, particular to 

the varietals that adapt well to the New Hampshire agricultural conditions.

$12,000.00 

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

5. Researching the Potential 

of Farmer’s Market Incentive 

Programs for NH Families

This project aims to investigate farmers’ market incentive programs for 

food insecure NH families that are available or could be available. In 

particular, MCCD aims to research the Women’s, Infant, and Children (WIC) 

Farmers’ Market Incentive Program, analyze its previous struggles, and 

collaboratively create a plan to re-implement the program in NH. This 

collaboration will include NH Department of Health & Human Services, 

NH Food Bank’s Granite State Market Match program, farmers’ markets, 

specialty crop producers, and food insecure families benefitting from 

programs.

$15,510.00 

New Hampshire 

Department of 

Agriculture, Markets 

and Food

$299,406.92

6. Buy New Hampshire 

Specialty Crops Social Media 

Video Campaign Featuring 

User Generated Content 

(UGC) in Partnership with 

NH Division of Travel & 

Tourism Development

The NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food will increase sales of all New 

Hampshire specialty crops through work with micro-influencers to create 

video content as well as create our own video content to engage social 

media audiences about NH specialty crop farms and products.

$97,193.56 
133

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

1. Research into the Efficacy 

and Methodology of Sanding 

New Cultivars in Renovated 

Cranberry Bogs.

The American Cranberry Growers’ Association (ACGA) will research best 

practices in the sanding of cranberry bogs recently renovated with new 

cultivars – including sand depth, time-from-planting, and breed-specific 

responses – to improve productivity and rate-of-return. This research 

reflects the hypothesis that light sanding of newly planted beds (in the 1st 

and 2nd years after planting) decreases the time to onset of productivity. 

The grant equipment will be used by scientists at the Rutgers University 

Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research, and the 

results will be disseminated at biannual grower meetings.

$34,150.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

2. Marketing Campaign 

for Cumberland County 

Specialty Crop Commodities

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census of Agriculture, 

Cumberland County alone accounts for nearly 20% of the entire state’s 

agricultural economy, and the commodities produced are some of the 

most diverse in New Jersey. Cumberland County is the #1 producer of such 

commodities as beets, cabbage, collards, escarole, kale, lettuce, radishes, 

tomatoes, peaches, cut flowers, and nursery stock. In specialty crops, 

Cumberland is a significant producer of Christmas trees, cut flowers, fruits, 

herbs, honey, lavender, mushrooms, organic, peppermint, potatoes, sweet 

corn, and vegetables. There is strong interest at the county level to support 

our agricultural industry sector and encourage diversity in commodity 

production. The proposed marketing campaign would accomplish both 

goals by highlighting Cumberland County’s agricultural sector and 

encourage entrepreneurial investment in specialty crop production.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

3. Increase Specialty Crop 

Farming in NJ by Providing 

Access to Affordable Land 

Via Long-Term Leases on 

Preserved Farmland

The Foodshed Alliance will increase the number of specialty crop farms in 

New Jersey by providing emerging and expanding farmers with affordable 

long-term leases on preserved farmland. Grant funding will be utilized to 

create marketing materials (videos and advertising) to reach specialty crop 

farmers in need of farmland.

$36,100.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60 4. Judgment of Princeton 

International Wine Summit

Working in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture 

and the New Jersey State Division of Travel and Tourism, the Garden State 

Wine Growers Association will use funding awarded from this Specialty 

Crop Grant to develop a first-ever international wine conference hosted 

by New Jersey’s wine industry. Our program will be called the Judgment 

of Princeton International Wine Summit. The goal of the campaign is to 

create international exposure for New Jersey’s wine industry with a series 

of events that will feature a reception for international and domestic wine 

writers, wine seminars and a major tasting event.

$40,000.00 
134

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

5. New Jersey’s Specialty 

Crops: Expanding 

Awareness, Education, and 

Demand through FAH at the 

Land Stewardship Center

The New Jersey Agricultural Society, if awarded, will establish an 

agreement/contractual relationship with the NJ Department of Agriculture 

to lead and execute the project. The NJAS’s new Farmers Against Hunger 

at the Laurel Run Land Stewardship Center (“the Center”) in Burlington 

County will serve as the hub for this project, which will focus exclusively 

on specialty crops. The targeted outcomes of this project are to: Expand 

awareness of the importance and nutritional value of specialty crops, to 

include fruits and vegetables through focused exposure to such crops at 

the new Land Stewardship Center; Develop in those most in need the 

knowledge and skills necessary to prepare delicious and nutritious meals 

using fresh produce; and Increase awareness of and exposure to local 

sources for purchasing fruits and vegetables, e.g., New Jersey’s specialty 

crop farmers, farmers markets, etc., to drive demand.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

6. Expanding Specialty Crop 

Exposure in NJ High-Need 

Urban Elementary Schools

The New Jersey Agricultural Society, through its signature Learning Through 

Gardening program, proposes to expand its school-based garden production 

of fruits and vegetables at 12 new (not previously funded) elementary 

schools that serve high-need students in urban areas across New Jersey. 

The project includes providing the essential start-up materials, supplies, and 

support for the 12 new school-based gardens, as well as three-year ongoing 

support to the schools for their gardening programs. The project will also 

expand outreach to teachers through on-site visits and activities and the 

development and distribution of 10 new school garden-based lesson plan 

to teachers in the 12 target schools. These lesson plans will also be made 

available online to the public regardless of association with LTG.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

7. NJ Specialty Crops 

Advancement through Ag 

Leadership Development

The New Jersey Agricultural Society (NJAS) has as its overarching mission 

to preserve and enhance agriculture, farming, and related activities 

and businesses in New Jersey through educational, informational, and 

promotional programs. As two key areas of its supporting agenda, the NJAS: 

(1) identifies issues impacting the agricultural industry and articulates those 

issues to key audiences, and (2) builds coalitions to preserve, enhance, and 

promote economically viable agriculture. In alignment with this mission and 

agenda, the NJAS proposes the NJ Specialty Crops Advancement through 

Ag Leadership Development project. This project is fully integrated into the 

NJAS signature NJ Agricultural Leadership Development Program (NJALDP).

$40,000.00 
135

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60 8. Advertising Jersey Fresh 

Blueberries 2022

After a year of pivoting and adjusting a more traditional media plan to 

account for the effects of Covid on targeted media outlets, The New Jersey 

Blueberry Growers Association seeks Specialty Crop Block Grant funding for 

a project to promote awareness and purchase of local, New Jersey grown 

blueberries in season via newer, non-traditional marketing methods to 

reach a more diverse audience.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

9. Increasing the Sale of 

Deciduous & Flowering 

Trees & Landscape Conifers 

Through Education and 

Management Tips

Deciduous trees, such as ash, elm, poplar, oak, and others, provide many 

benefits to the environment and to pollinators. Flowering trees and 

landscape conifers also provide a multitude of environmental benefits, and 

all are considered specialty crops by the USDA. With an ever-present threat 

to these specialty crops by invasive pests and disease, the public must be 

made aware of the many benefits they bring and be provided with methods 

to manage these assets. This project, “Increasing the sale of deciduous & 

flowering trees and landscape conifers through education and management 

tips,” will use an already successful platform to convey this message and 

allow the New Jersey Forestry Association to increase marketing and 

educational efforts to reach an even greater audience. “Backyard Forestry in 

90 Minutes” is a free monthly program that has been offered at no charge 

to anyone that is interested in trees, forests, or the environment and has 

been successfully running since 2014.

$23,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

10. Landscape Plants of New 

Jersey and Jersey Grown 

Directory Guide

The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association will assist in increasing 

the awareness of native landscape plants of New Jersey, explain the Jersey 

Grown program, encourage more producers to participate in Jersey Grown 

program and how readers can locate Jersey Grown Certified Suppliers 

from which they may purchase by publishing a Landscape Plants of New 

Jersey and Jersey Grown Directory Guide. The guide will be mailed to 

approximately 3,800 landscape professionals and delivered to nurseries 

throughout the state to provide free to consumers. The guide will include 

plants found in New Jersey, such as annuals (geraniums), broadleaf 

evergreens (rhododendron), deciduous flowering trees (dogwood), conifers 

(hemlock), shrubs (barberry), and perennials (switchgrass), etc. The plan 

is to continue to strengthen the Jersey Grown brand name to enable 

the industry to benefit from locally produced nurseries, turfgrass and 

greenhouse products.

$23,504.00 
136

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

11. Increasing Sales of 

Plants and Flowers in New 

Jersey through the ‘Plant 

Something’ Marketing 

Program

The New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association’s aim with this 

project is to continue to expose the general public in New Jersey to the 

environmental, physical, and emotional benefits of New Jersey grown (i.e., 

Jersey Grown) plants, flowers, and trees. This grant award would allow for 

further participation in this award-winning industry promotion. Building 

upon the success that has already been established thru campaigns, 

promotions, and educational outreach, we hope to utilize the “Plant 

Something” brand awareness to help inform the public of not only the 

benefits of planting (environmental, physical, and emotional), but the need 

to plant “Jersey Native” plants, pollinator-friendly plants, and inform the 

consumer on the negative impacts of invasive species such as the Emerald 

Ash Borer, Spotted Lanternfly and Beech Leaf Disease. Components in this 

grant request include licensing of the Plant Something program, public 

relations, media and awareness, social media promotions, public events (if 

allowed during the pandemic), and Point of Purchase/Sale Materials.

$20,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

12. Increasing Sales of 

Specialty Crops by helping 

producers find careeroriented employees through 

apprenticeship & marketing

In order to “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through 

enhancing or improving the economy as a result of specialty crop 

development,” producers of specialty crops need to have a sufficient 

workforce. Throughout New Jersey, these producers are experiencing 

unprecedented shortages of available employees due to COVID-19, resulting 

in decreased production and sales. Through an already-approved US DOL 

registered apprenticeship program, the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape 

Association can help these producers find and retain employees. This grant 

would include the development of new occupations that are needed by 

producers, such as horticulturalists, and would market the opportunities 

through colleges, FFA, workforce development boards, and any other 

opportunity that arises.

$21,100.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

13. Two Educational 

Seminars/Tastings 

Highlighting New Jersey 

Wine Grape Varieties for 

Growers and Wine Industry 

Influencers

The OCPVA will organize and execute two educational seminars (one in 

the northern part of the state, one in the southern) for wine writers, 

sommeliers, grape growers, and other influencers highlighting New Jersey 

wine grape varieties and the wines produced from them. OCPVA will 

partner with Rutgers NJ Center for Wine Education to coordinate venues 

and speakers for the events. Topics will include climate and soil conditions 

in the state, as well as the economics of grape growing. The book Wine 

Grape Varieties for New Jersey will be used as a teaching tool. Wine 

industry influencers from New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey will 

be targeted. Award-winning wines from across the state will be available for 

tasting.

$13,884.00 
137

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

14. Establishing and 

Demonstrating Methods 

for Hazelnut Harvesting and 

Processing in New Jersey

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (“Rutgers University”) will 

assemble the equipment and protocols necessary to demonstrate, 

document, and extend effective methods for hazelnut harvesting and 

processing in support of new and prospective growers of this low-input, 

high-value crop.

$39,991.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

15. Developing Best 

Management Practices for 

Native Plant Nurseries in 

New Jersey

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey will develop best management 

practices and educational programming to support the New Jersey nursery 

and landscape industries in the production of native plants as a specialty 

crop. Nursery growers, landscapers, and the general public will be invited 

to the research farms to see first-hand the many native plants that can be 

incorporated into ornamental landscape plantings and used for ecosystem 

restoration projects. The design of this project has the potential to increase 

the competitiveness of native plants as a specialty crop in the ornamental 

market. It is the project team’s expectation that this will result in increased 

profits for growers and an increase in the ecosystem services provided by 

native plants throughout the State of New Jersey.

$39,932.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

16. Evaluation of the 

Feasibility of Hard Cider 

Apple Production in New 

Jersey

Rutgers University will spur the growth of the New Jersey hard cider 

apple industry through concise survey tools and data-driven horticultural 

recommendations. These tools and educational materials will be 

outreached to growers through twilight meetings, factsheets, social media, 

and articles. Information from the surveys and field trials will be utilized 

to develop decision-making tools (enterprise budget). These will aid New 

Jersey growers in deciding if establishing a hard cider apple orchard/cider 

mill will be an economically feasible venture.

$37,338.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

17. Develop Retail Level 

Packaging to Improve Food 

Security, Reduce the Use 

of Plastics, and Highlight 

the Locally Grown Specialty 

Crops of Our Family

This proposal aims to level the playing field between large and small 

specialty crop producers and give our small family farms an opportunity 

to work directly with retailers/wholesalers to provide consumers with a 

more secure, environmentally friendly retail packaging option. Jersey Fruit 

will work directly with targeted retail accounts to identify and implement 

new packaging solutions that increase input recyclability, reduce the use 

of plastics and emphasize the “local” origin of our products through the 

prominent use of the “Jersey Fresh” promotional logo, thereby making 

Jersey Fruit-branded products more attractive for retailers and consumers.

$40,000.00 
138

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60 18. Marketing Jersey Fresh 

Local Peaches

The NJ Peach Promotion Council will direct and coordinate a group of 

approved ad successful techniques to market Locally Grown New Jersey 

peaches using expert consultants, volunteers, and director growers and 

Personnel from Rutgers University and the New Jersey Department of 

Agriculture. Since environmental conditions affect the size of the NJ peach 

crop and the timing of the marketing season, occasionally adjustments 

must be made on the technology utilized to meet the goal of enhancing the 

sales movement and viability of the NJ Peach crop and the industry that 

sustains it. The outcome will be focused on maintaining and enhancing the 

sustainability of a viable peach industry in the state.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

19. Know Your Farmer, Know 

Your Food, Connecting 

Consumers with New Jersey 

Potato Growers

The New Jersey White Potato Association will be promoting Jersey Fresh 

branded potatoes for wholesale and retail consumption. The goal of this 

project is to increase the volume of Jersey Fresh potatoes sold by embracing 

the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food theme. We will be using point of 

sale merchandise so that consumers will be able to put a name, face, and 

place on where their potatoes came from. We will be using our Jersey Fresh 

Potato packaging material, POS merchandise, website, and advertising to 

achieve this goal. In addition, we will be conducting a variety of trials of new 

varieties of potatoes in New Jersey in order to help our growers maximize 

yields and return on investments.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60 20. Specialty Crop Box and 

Mobile Marketing Program

The Tri-County Cooperative Auction Market Association seeks to increase 

sales, the efficiency of distribution, and consumption of specialty crops 

among residents of the Hightstown and East Windsor area, including those 

impacted financially by Covid-19, through a fresh produce box and mobile 

marketing program. Tri-County will partner with the Rise Community 

Services Partnership, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Hightstown, NJ, 

to accomplish the project’s goals. The program’s success will be measured 

by the number of families served who report increased consumption and 

increase in sales to new customers via the mobile marketing system.

$40,000.00 
139

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60

21. Improving the 

Aggregation and 

Transportation to Newark, 

NJ for Rural and Urban 

Specialty Crop Farmers

Urban Agriculture Cooperative will aggregate 15 growers of specialty crops 

in the Northern New Jersey counties, sell their crops both online and inperson and transport their crops, so they do not have to physically attend 

and sell in the Newark NJ markets. UAC will sell and transport $24,000 

worth of specialty crops the last mile from our cold storage and packing 

sites to farmer’s market pick-up locations, pantries, and urban residences 

in the Newark, NJ area. UAC will thus significantly improve specialty 

crop access to underserved urban populations (5 community markets/

contactless pickup locations), serving over 250 unique customers living in 

food deserts as defined by USDA. As a nonprofit aggregator in a developing 

local foodshed, we are committed to extending training reimbursements 

and sharing knowledge with our food and agriculture communities.

$40,000.00 

New Jersey 

Department of 

Agriculture

$757,150.60 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.

$25,393.29 

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

1. Reducing Costs & 

Improving Environment 

Safety of Onion Herbicide 

Programs

New Mexico State University (NMSU) will expand weed control options 

available to onion farmers by conducting studies and outreach activities 

that support a Special Local Need registration for delayed pre-emergence 

(after onion germination but before onion emergence) applications of the 

residual herbicide pendimethalin. Compared to the residual herbicides 

currently registered for application at onion seeding, pendimethalin is less 

expensive and features lower risk of harm to the environment. Thus, this 

project will improve the economic and environmental sustainability of 

onion production in New Mexico.

$43,712.99 
140

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

2. Creating Listeria 

Control Specialists in NM 

Packinghouses & Processing 

Plants

The Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center 

(Center) is a collaborative effort of New Mexico State University (NMSU) 

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES); 

Cooperative Extension Service (CES), and the New Mexico Department 

of Agriculture (NMDA). The Center helps protect the nation’s food supply 

against threats ranging from foodborne illnesses, supply chain disruptions 

to agroterrorism. We honor a three-prong approach to Food Protection: 

Food Safety, Food Defense and Food Security. This proposal will address 

food safety concerns through collaboration with the International Food 

Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) to enroll 36 Quality Assurance (QA) 

Managers from packinghouses and processing plants in New Mexico into 

the Listeria Control Specialist Certificate Program, developed by experts 

from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). AFFI leads the Alliance for 

Listeriosis Prevention, which promotes food safety practices that minimize 

the presence of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in food products.

$40,000.00 

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

3. Shaping the NM pecan 

root-soil microbiome to 

improve orchard health & 

productivity

Pecans are one of the most important specialty crops in New Mexico, 

annually contributing $185 million to the state’s agricultural economy. 

Pecans trees are unusual in that their roots lack root hairs, which may be a 

contributor to inefficient tree acquisition of nutrient (e.g., zinc) and water 

in pecan orchards. Certain microbial species living in association with pecan 

roots are thought to increase root function similarly to root hairs. Other 

microbial species may benefit root health or function in different ways. We 

hypothesize that these beneficial microbial populations can be managed by 

New Mexico producers to improve pecan orchard health and, ultimately, 

productivity. To test this, we at New Mexico State University (ACES College) 

propose using molecular techniques and microscopy to monitor changes 

over three years in the diversity and abundance of microbes associated with 

pecan tree roots grown under three different orchard floor/soil treatments 

(vegetation-free, cover crop, and compost).

$76,413.88 
141

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

4. Growing Community Now 

SC Carrot Growers’ Training 

Prog for Young & Beg 

Farmers

Growing Community Now, a project of the Taos based 501(c}3 organization 

Agriculture, Implementation, Research, Education (A.I.R.E), will provide 

socially disadvantaged young and beginning farmers with intensive no-cost 

hands-on training in growing (regenerative) carrot varieties that are adapted 

for northern New Mexico’s short high desert growing season. Training will 

be conducted by experienced carrot growers from Taos County and Taos 

Pueblo, using sustainable practices to increase the yield of carrot crops for 

the benefit of northern New Mexico school districts and charter schools, 

the Taos Grower’s CSA, farm-to-table markets, and northern New Mexico 

food banks.

$50,000.00 

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

5. Enhance the 

Competitiveness of SC- NM 

K-12 Educators & Students

Enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through educator 

workshops to increase their understanding of the Science, Technology, 

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) found throughout the specialty 

crop processes. New Mexico Ag in the Classroom (NMAITC) is the nonprofit educational outreach program of the New Mexico Farm and 

Livestock Bureau Foundation. The purpose of NMAITC is to educate the 

general public, with an emphasis on K-12 students and educators, about 

the importance of agriculture. If awarded this grant, it will allow us to 

further our purpose by providing K-12 educators the opportunity to learn 

about New Mexico’s specialty crops and how to incorporate them into 

their curriculum. We will also develop educational posters for classroom 

instruction and teachers will work with the school nutritionist and/or school 

cafeteria personnel, asking them to display the posters in the school.

$100,000.00 
142

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57 6. Educational Workshops 

Featuring NM Green Chile

The project entails conducting educational workshops for new retailers 

to increase awareness, competitiveness, and access to New Mexico Fresh 

Green Chile. New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) staff will 

coordinate with retailers, culinary professionals, growers, processors, 

and other professionals to plan and execute these workshops on state, 

regional, and national levels. The venues will include retail supermarkets, 

distribution centers, and others. The workshops will include educational 

training, roasting and sampling segments, cross-merchandising tips, 

preparation and access discussions. A social media component will increase 

traction and awareness of New Mexico green chile, including media (videos, 

graphics, etc.) that can act as teaching aids, event announcement platforms, 

and more. All chile used will be unbranded to avoid marketing of any 

individual businesses or brands. Workshops and discussions will focus on 

nutritional information, flavor profiles, preparation and handling, storage 

in commercial establishments, and traditional and non-traditional cooking 

methods with green chile.

$22,855.78 

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

7. Eval Retail Mktg Tools/

Stimuli to Improve Healthy 

Food Selection, Reduce Food 

Insecurity & Improve Food 

Affordability

We have developed this scope of research through a partnership 

between New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Farmers’ 

Marketing Association (NMFMA) and their “Double Up Food Bucks” SNAP 

program. This specialty crops grant would provide needed funding to 

assist researchers with the necessary tools and supplies to explore New 

Mexico citizens’ diets, better perceptions of food insecurity, and access 

to affordable healthy foods. This will be evident upon the completion of 

the experiments and data analysis. The different aspects of this proposal 

will assist New Mexico grocery retailers in identifying effective marketing 

tools/stimuli to assist New Mexico consumers in reducing food insecurity, 

accessing affordable healthy foods, and supporting economic stability in 

New Mexico.

$102,596.00 
143

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New Mexico 

Department of 

Agriculture

$598,925.57

8. Growing Forward Farmgrowing SC agtivities 

through training and ed 

opportunities in NW NM

Growing Forward Farm is a project of the New Mexico State University, 

San Juan County Extension Office to increase the competitiveness of 

specialty crops through education and consumer awareness programs. 

The project will create agritourism trainings and educational programs 

to increase the consumption, safety and access of specialty crops in 

Northwest New Mexico. Growing Forward Farm is a 12-acre outdoor 

educational facility located at the San Juan County Cooperative Extension 

Service office in Aztec, NM. The farm will provide ag-tivities programs to 

connect community members to specialty crop products and will increase 

consumption of specialty crops through educational programs, tasting 

events and tours. There is a great need in the region to assist specialty crop 

farmers in diversification strategies and improve their food safety practices 

and certifications to enter new markets. The project will assist farmers in 

business development and create a toolkit for New Mexican specialty crop 

growers looking to expand into agritourism operations.

$113,721.00 

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

1. Monitoring the 

Occurrence and Spread of 

Streptomycin Resistance and 

Refinement of Alternative 

Management

Programs for Fire Blight

Cornell University will monitor fire blight epidemics for early detection of 

streptomycin resistance in major production regions of NY. Strains with 

unique identities will be tracked and map in QIS. They will also conduct field 

research to develop and refine novel approaches to fire blight management 

involving growth regulators and defense inducers as alternatives to 

antibiotics. These results will be disseminated to stakeholders statewide 

through grower meetings, field days, and grower-focused publications.

$96,403.00 

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

2. Improving Management 

of Sour Rot Disease and 

Important Insect Vectors in 

NY Wine Grapes

Cornell Entomologists and plant pathologists will develop a better 

understanding of the biology and management of sour rot in wine grapes 

in NY leading to more judicious use of pesticides and reduced crop loss. 

Sour rot can be a devastating disease for wine grapes in New York and 

other grape growing regions. Previous research has shown that weekly 

applications of insecticides targeting Drosophila fruit flies, important vectors 

of the disease, and antimicrobial pesticides targeting causal bacteria and 

yeasts can provide substantial benefit, especially the insecticide component. 

However, we have documented significant levels of insecticide resistance 

to three of the main insecticide classes labeled for use against Drosophila 

in grapes. Hence, there is a great need to limit the use of insecticides to 

when they are needed. We will address several objectives relevant to 

improving management of sour rot: Through achieving these objectives, we 

will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in NY through greater 

capacity of sustainable practices.

$99,985.00 
144

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

3. Making the Switch: 

Incorporating Biopesticides 

into Vegetable Disease 

Management

Cornell University will increase grower adoption of biopesticides for control 

of tomato bacterial diseases and cucurbit powdery mildew through on-farm 

demonstrations and replicated research trials of biopesticide efficacy and 

sharing results through twilight and winter grower meetings plus extension 

publications and web postings.

$99,436.00 

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

4. Energy Efficient Lighting 

Control to Increase 

the Profitability of NYS 

Commercial Greenhouses

The goal of this project is to improve NYS greenhouses energy use efficiency 

and operational profitability while promoting energy conservation through 

the use of advanced horticultural lighting controls. Supplemental lighting 

represents roughly 30% of production costs for the roughly 130 acres of NYS 

greenhouses that produce specialty crops during winter. That accounts for 

an estimated $13 million in electricity costs per year. An advanced lighting 

control system developed by Cornell University (LASSI: Light and Shade 

System Implementation) can reduce energy costs by 20-35%, increasing 

operational profitability by an average $17,000/acre/year. Working in 

collaboration with greenhouse growers across NYS, we will implement LASSI 

in 8 commercial greenhouses and promote statewide adoption of energy 

efficient light control technologies. Three Cornell Cooperative Extension 

(CCE) educators will assist with recruiting participants and disseminating 

project results. 7 greenhouse operations have already expressed interest 

in implementing the system. Cornell will work with Candidus Inc. to deploy 

the LASSI control system for 12 months at 8 greenhouses. Energy savings 

and profitability increases will be reported monthly. Final results will be 

disseminated to at least 200 growers across NYS leading to adoption of the 

system by 15 growers within one year after the project completion. A total 

of 75 facilities are expected to adopt advanced greenhouse lighting controls 

over the next 5 years.

$99,868.00 
145

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

5. Facilitating Regional 

Hazelnut and Chestnut 

Industries through the 

Identification of Improved 

Genetic Materials and Best 

Management Practices

Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County (CCE Tompkins) will direct 

this project to provide the necessary groundwork for commercialization of 

chestnut and hazelnut production in New York State. It will involve a strong 

collaboration between CCE Tompkins, a Cornell PhD student, the NY Tree 

Crops Alliance (a newly formed grower cooperative), and current regional 

growers, bringing to bear high level research and farmer experience to 

facilitate the development of the nut-cropping sector in the near and 

medium term. We will identify and survey early-adopter growers of 

these two crops, identify superior genetic material and best management 

practices, and provide a hub for information-sharing among current and 

prospective growers.

Hundreds of thousands of acres of underutilized land in NYS have suitable 

soils and climate for these crops. The development of hazelnut and 

chestnut industries will result in increased production and income for 

ag and non-ag landowners. Compared to commonly grown tree fruits, 

establishment and growing costs for these crops are lower. However, 

optimal genetic material and best management practices have not been 

determined. NYS markets for healthy chestnut and hazelnut products are 

strong and can be supplied with regional production.

As a result of this project, new and established farmers planting these 

perennial tree crops will have:

• Selected germplasm available for commercial trial,

• Knowledge of optimal planting systems and plant material for easier 

management including harvest,

• Understanding of best processing equipment options for their scale, and

• Knowledge of ready markets as their trees start producing a crop.

$86,248.00 

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

6. Marketing and Promotion 

of New York State Specialty 

Crops

NYSAGM will continue to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by 

increasing wholesale and retail demand for New York grown specialty crops. 

Marketing activities will focus on a coordinated presence at key national 

and regional tradeshows, thereby building awareness and expanding 

sales networking opportunities for various New York State specialty crop 

commodities and their representatives. Activities will also include the 

production and distribution of promotional materials, including an updated 

buyer’s guide, for use at trade shows. Effectiveness will be measured by 

lead capture tracking.

$189,397.02 
146

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

New York State 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Markets

$1,234,780.08

7. Identifying Alternatives 

to Neonicotinoids and 

Chlorpyrifos for Controlling 

Insect Pests in New

York State Specialty Crops

Specialty crops entomologists at Cornell University and New York State 

Integrated Pest Management Program will work together to identify 

effective alternatives to neonicotinoid and chlorpyrifos insecticides for 

managing key insect pests of fruit, vegetables and turfgrass. Specialty crops 

in New York generate nearly $1.4 billion annually and are instrumental 

to the state’s economy. Multiple insect pests attack specialty crops and 

considerable economic loss results if they are not controlled. Neonicotinoid 

and chlorpyrifos insecticides are often used in Integrated Pest Management 

programs to protect specialty crops from these pests because they are 

highly effective and relatively inexpensive. Despite these attributes, there 

is increasing concern that their benefits do not outweigh potential harm to 

the environment including negative impacts on pollinators. Consequently, 

there is a great deal of interest in identifying both conventional and biobased tools to replace neonicotinoids and chlorpyrifos. Additionally, there 

is interest in providing predictive degree-day models that would aid in 

application timing of these alternative tools. We propose to evaluate the 

efficacy of alternative conventional and bio-based strategies that have the 

most promise to protect specialty crops from pests currently managed with 

neonicotinoids and chlorpyrifos, and to make predictive tools available 

for timing applications of these alternatives via NYS IPM’s Network for 

Environment and Weather Applications website. We also propose to gauge 

adoption and success of the alternative strategies. We will disseminate 

our results at stakeholder meetings, through newsletters and via online resources. Expected outcomes include identifying viable alternative 

treatments and their adoption to keep New York’s specialty crops industry 

viable and profitable.

$460,000.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71

1. Controlling Guava RootKnot Nematode (GRKN) 

in Sweet Potato Packing 

Facilities

The NC Sweet Potato Commission Foundation will mitigate the spread of 

Guava Root-Knot Nematode (GRKN) in packing facilities through a threefold approach. In cooperation with NC State University, nematode specialist 

Adrienne Gorny will develop a rapid-response test to identify the presence 

of GRKN in sweet potatoes prior to their being packed or stored for later 

shipment.

$166,763.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 2. UAV Biosurveillance of 

Curcurbit Downy Mildew

North Carolina State University will develop an unmanned aerial vehicle 

(UAV) biosurveillance system for precision disease management of cucurbit 

downy mildew through early detection of Pseudoperonospora cubensis 

airborne sporangia and establishing a crop’s risk of infection. We will work 

closely with stakeholders to ensure system relevance and we will actively 

disseminate results through grower meetings and field days.

$77,850.00 
147

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 3. Precise Indoor Vine 

Conditioning

The North Carolina State University (NCSU) will reduce costs and pesticide 

input in NC vineyards by developing controlled environment (CE) technology 

to optimize grape transplants. NC has the seventh largest grape and wine 

industry in the US, with an economic impact of $1.95bn. However, two 

factors pose major challenges for grape growers in NC: a) severe systemic 

biotic diseases; and b) high establishment and management costs. Those 

two factors often lead to high-risk operations, in which frequent poor vine 

performance contributes to non-profitable grape production conditions. We 

propose to develop precise indoor vine conditioning (PIVC) protocols, using 

CE technology to optimize the fruiting capacity of grapevines, leading to 

plants that can be planted and cropped in the same year.

$85,840.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71

4. Mitigating Soilborne 

Diseases in Floriculture 

Crops

In North Carolina (NC), the greenhouse floriculture industry is economically 

important to the state: it represents a farm-gate value of $180 million and is 

one of the top 6 crops in the state. However, the industry battles soilborne 

diseases, which impact production and profits to an estimated $17 million 

in losses. Phytophthora crown and root rots represent the largest portion 

of soilborne diseases in NC and have been identified as one of the top 3 

problems in the industry.

$125,000.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 5. Greenhouse Production of 

Strawberry in North Carolina

The North Carolina (NC) State University will investigate technical and 

economic strawberry greenhouse production, with the goal to produce 

comprehensive strawberry greenhouse production guidelines for NC. The 

NC strawberry industry is the largest in the Southeast and the third largest 

in the country. While plasticulture production systems are common in NC, 

farmers often struggle with the reuse of existing greenhouses structures for 

the production of strawberries.

$54,190.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 6. Extending Muscadine 

Shelf-life for New Markets

Muscadine grapes, unique to the warmer parts of the United States, are 

generally consumed regionally. Expansion of the market has happened 

slowly and shipments to Canada have had successful consumer interest 

recently. In trial shipments, it was found that Asian markets will pay a 

premium price for large size, purple colored muscadine grapes and there is 

interest in sending muscadine shipments to Hong Kong.

$100,000.00 
148

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71

7. Genetic Understanding 

of HWA-Susceptibility in 

Hemlocks

This project will be a collaboration between the Forest Biotechnology 

Group in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and 

the Forest Restoration Alliance in the Department of Entomology and Plant 

Pathology at North Carolina State University. We propose an integrative 

approach to understanding the genetic response to hemlock woolly adelgid 

(HWA) infestation in susceptible and resistant hemlock species, and how 

these genetic regulations are transduced to alterations in phenotypic 

traits associated with HWA susceptibility. The proposed project builds 

upon ongoing research in developing a CRISPR genome editing system for 

hemlocks funded by the SCBGP in 2020-21.

$125,000.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71

8. Management of Sweet 

Potato Bacterial Postharvest 

Diseases

North Carolina State University will develop integrated management 

strategies for bacterial soft rot in sweet potato postharvest by determining 

which bacterial pathogens are causing disease, identifying effective 

products for chemical control that are acceptable for organic and 

export markets, and providing information on diagnostics and cultural 

management to stakeholders to through web-based resources, grower 

meetings, and field days.

$81,439.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 9. Improved Christmas Tree 

Health through Genomics

This project will be a collaboration between the Christmas Tree Genetics 

Program, the Forest Health and Conservation Program, and the Molecular 

Tree Breeding Lab in the Department of Forestry and Environmental 

Resources at North Carolina State University. Our goal is to accelerate 

the genetic improvement of Fraser fir against the tree-killing pathogen 

Phytophthora root rot (PRR). Fraser fir is one of North Carolina’s most 

important specialty crops generating annual revenues exceeding $100 

million. The development of novel genomic tools and technologies will 

have a positive, transformative impact on the North Carolina Christmas tree 

industry.

$150,000.00 

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71

10. Protecting Pollinators 

in Ornamental Plant 

Production

This project is a collaboration between North Carolina State University 

Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC Extension Service, 

and cooperating nurseries to develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 

tactics to reduce the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. Neonicotinoids 

threaten pollinators and other beneficials but also greenhouse and 

nursery profits since many wholesale buyers and consumers will not 

purchase neonicotinoid-treated plants. We will develop IPM protocols for 

using alternative insecticides, cultural practices and biological control to 

replace neonicotinoids. Results will be disseminated to growers, extension 

professionals, and other stakeholders through web resources, extension 

workshops, and national print publications.

$100,000.00 
149

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$1,267,999.71 11. Specialty Crops in Early 

Childhood Education

Farm to preschool (F2P) is a set of strategies that offer increased access to 

locally grown foods through local procurement, gardening opportunities, 

and agriculture education activities. F2P encourages family/community 

engagement and provides additional market opportunities for farmers. 

ASAP, in partnership with NC Community College (CC) Early Childhood 

Education (ECE) programs, will improve child/adult nutrition, increase 

knowledge/consumption of specialty crops, and expand access to specialty 

crops in underserved communities through the proposed Specialty Crops in 

Early Childhood Education project.

$125,000.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

1. Providing Access to 

Specialty Crops to Grade 

Schools in North Dakota

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) will provide 

educational resources and grants to grade school classrooms to purchase 

supplies to grow lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and peppers in their classroom 

during the school year. The growing of vegetables in the classroom will 

provide hands on learning to enhance STEM education already being 

taught.

$61,915.88 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

2. Disentangling the Root 

Rot Pathogen Complex in 

Lentils through Molecular 

Diagnostics

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center will optimize a root rot 

pathogen assay that will test environmental samples from university 

and private lentil fields to provide preliminary pathogen data in ongoing 

research and further evaluate molecular diagnostics as a proactive 

management tool for root rot disease in pulse crops.

$114,636.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

3. Comprehensive Panel 

to Detect Genetic Markers 

Linked to Herbicide 

Resistance in Pigweeds

The declining herbicide options to manage pigweeds is a persistent concern 

for North Dakota dry bean producers. Knowing the herbicide resistance 

potential of local pigweed populations can help producers avoid costs of 

using ineffective chemical control. The National Agricultural Genotyping 

Center will optimize diagnostic assays to detect genetic markers linked to 

herbicide resistance in pigweeds collected from dry bean fields. The specific 

objectives for this project are to: 1) evaluate target-site mechanisms for 

ALS- and PPO-inhibiting herbicide resistance in late-season pigweeds that 

persist in dry bean fields, and 2) validate high-throughput diagnostic assays 

for detection of commonly occurring target-site mechanisms.

$123,086.00 
150

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

4. Enhancing Rust Resistance 

in Confection Sunflower 

Production through NextGeneration Technologies

The National Sunflower Association will use newly available genome 

sequence information for sunflower to identify diagnostic single-nucleotide 

polymorphism (SNP) markers tightly linked to the rust resistance genes 

(R genes) expanding the options for stacking resistance to obtain an 

enhanced, long-lasting resistance to the rust disease. Rust is a growing 

threat to sunflower production worldwide, leading to losses in yield and 

seed quality. This project will apply cutting edge genetic and genomic 

approaches to characterize the genetic basis for rust resistance in sunflower. 

With improved next generation sequencing (NGS) and the decreased cost of 

sequencing, it is now feasible to discover millions of SNPs for any plant and 

connect these markers to desirable phenotypic traits.

$130,004.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

5. Increasing Consumer Use 

and Consumption of Peas, 

Lentils and Chickpeas

The Northern Pulse Growers Association (NPGA) proposal is to design 

an educational outreach program to the restaurants in the region which 

will address the priorities of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture 

related to enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops through 

increased sales and consumption of dry peas, lentils, chickpeas and fava 

beans.

$80,730.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

6. Virtual Experiences 

Delivering Real Protection of 

Specialty Crops from Plant 

Diseases and Economic Loss

North Dakota State University plant pathologists will deliver 

transformational educational experiences to growers by utilizing immersive 

360-degree videos and drone imagery that teach disease management 

practices by letting growers ‘experience’ protection of specialty crops from 

diseases and yield loss.

$121,177.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

7. Root Rot of Lentil: 

Evaluation of Crop Rotation, 

Intercropping and Risk 

Assessment

Lentil production has been an economic boon to northwest North Dakota, 

but in recent years root rots have becoming increasingly problematic. 

Recommendations for a four-to-five-year rotation between lentil crops 

to avoid the build-up of root rot pathogens in the soil can be a challenge 

for many growers, as lentils may be their primary profit generating crop. 

The North Dakota State University Williston Research Extension Center 

will compare one-, two-, three- and four-year intervals in between lentil 

crops to determine the effect of these rotation lengths on root rot disease 

severity and yield in a no-till, dryland cropping system. Intercropping lentils 

with mustard will be evaluated for suppression of root rot in lentils in a 

short rotation. Finally, a soil root rot potential seedling bioassay will be used 

to determine the effect of rotation length on root rot inoculum in the soil 

and these data will be correlated with yield and field root rot severity. This 

effort will improve root rot management and help generate more specific 

rotation recommendations for lentils grown in North Dakota.

$28,662.00 
151

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

8. Pyramiding Desirable 

Bean Rust Genes for Broader 

and Durable Resistance

Bean rust is one of the most important diseases both in North Dakota 

and worldwide. Under high disease pressure conditions, seed yield losses 

range between 50 to 100%, especially if infection occurs at early growth 

stages. Genetic resistance is a good control alternative because of lower 

costs compared with chemical applications, plus it is more environmentally 

friendly. Since its beginning in the early 1980s, the dry bean breeding 

program at NDSU focused its efforts on the genetic improvement of rust 

resistance. The Ur-3 gene was deployed in many released varieties and 

provided rust protection during many years. Unfortunately, bean rust 

is a highly variable pathogen and in 2008, a new race of the pathogen 

that overcomes the Ur-3 resistance gene, was detected in North Dakota. 

Fortunately, a few alternative genes were found to be effective against 

this new race (named 20-3). The NDSU dry bean breeding program 

started efforts to incorporate the Ur-11 resistance gene which has broader 

resistance. However, additional genes are needed to ensure long-term 

durable resistance. Recent efforts are focused on incorporating the Ur-5 

gene.

$162,533.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

9. Integrated Improvement 

Process of Cold-Hardy 

Grapes; from Breeding, 

Production, to Sensory 

Analysis

The Northern Crops Institute will lead a collaborative and integrated effort 

between North Dakota State Universities Grape Germplasm Enhancement 

Project (GGEP) and the North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) 

to evaluate 11,000+ winter-hardy grape accessions, including breeding 

projects, to grafting and production improvements, to final microvinification 

(small batch wine) process and tasting evaluations at the NCI. Outcome 

to include an improved process for selecting and screening cold-hardy 

grapes for North Dakota and disseminate non-proprietary information to 

all stakeholders in the expanding grape and wine industry through industry 

meetings, reports and with the Winery Association of ND (WAND) and the 

ND Grape and Wine Association (NDGWA).

$270,134.00 
152

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

10. Evaluation of Lupin 

Adaptation in North Dakota 

and Seed Quality for Food 

Ingredients

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center 

will evaluate a diverse number of lupin selections to determine their 

adaptation for production in North Dakota and assess their nutritional 

profile for inclusion in food products. This project will source and assemble 

a diversity of lupin genetics representing experimental lines and released 

varieties grown in other parts of the world. Seed quality of the most 

adapted materials will be evaluated to determine their level of the primary 

nutritional factors important for lupin as a food ingredient or product 

and to assess any presence of alkaloids, an antinutritional factor. Multiple 

food ingredient companies and researchers will be provided with seed 

samples for evaluations to determine acceptance within their products. 

Achievement of project objectives will position North Dakota to be in a 

favorable position to supply the emerging demand for this high-quality 

plant-based protein.

$196,972.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

11. Impacts of Fungicide 

Applications and Plant 

Diseases on Specialty Crop 

Yields After Hail

North Dakota State University plant pathologists will; 1) determine the 

severity and yield impact of diseases that occur on pinto bean, navy bean, 

chickpea, dry edible pea and confectionary sunflower following hail, 2) 

determine the disease severity and yield impact of foliar fungicide and 

cupric hydroxide applied after hail events, 3) determine the impacts of 

fungicide applications on plant health, and 4) develop and disseminate 

management recommendations to growers at meetings, field days and 

through media.

$180,342.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

12. Mining the Soil and Host 

Genetics for Sustainable 

Answers to Verticillium Wilt 

in Potato

North Dakota State University plant pathologist and potato breeder, and 

University of Minnesota potato breeder will improve the management 

of Verticillium wilt of potato using sustainable methods. Specifically, we 

will develop, optimize and validate multiplex qPCR methods to quantify 

Verticillium dahliae and Colletotrichum coccodes from potato stem tissue 

and soil, and identify genetic regions associated with resistance to V. dahliae 

in potato breeding germplasm developed for North Dakota growers. This 

project is somewhat unique in that it will leverage existing genetic and 

phenotypic data for NDSU breeding lines. These efforts focus on two interrelated, critical and sustainable aspects of Verticillium wilt management and 

bring together three potato researchers with complementary expertise.

$176,720.00 
153

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

13. Defining Optimum Row 

Spacing for Improved Size 

Profile and Yield of Chipping 

Potato Tubers

North Dakota State University will determine the value of narrower row 

spacing to reduce size profile and improve total marketable yield. Potato 

chips are most sold in small bags of 0.75 to 1 oz. Because smaller bags 

are most popular to consumers, chip processors would like to receive 

smaller sized tubers and will likely mandate a smaller size profile soon. It is 

unknown though what effect row spacing would have on chipping potato 

production. Because it is very costly for a commercial potato grower to 

change equipment for narrower row spacing, a research project should 

be performed to determine if there is value in narrower row spacing. The 

purpose of this study is to determine the optimal row spacing of chipping 

potatoes to improve marketable potatoes.

$117,844.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

14. Inducing Sterility in 

Ornamental Woody Trees 

and Shrubs

Many woody plants are well adapted for the harsh growing environment 

of North Dakota. Unfortunately, with non-native plants, there is a risk of 

invasiveness. Examples of this include Siberian elm and common buckthorn. 

Both plants are well adapted for growing in very difficult places but are 

highly invasive. This North Dakota State University project proposes to 1. 

evaluate commercially available sterile ornamental trees and shrubs and 2. 

induce sterility by developing tetraploids of several different woody trees 

and shrubs. These tetraploids will be utilized for breeding and inducing 

sterile cultivars to be used in the ND nursery and landscape trade.

$45,739.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

15. Develop Complementary 

Pulse Proteins for Improving 

Nutritional Quality and 

Functionality of Pulse 

Proteins

North Dakota State University will address the critical needs of pulse 

proteins to be utilized as “Alt protein” in the food industry, which can 

directly help increase the market and profitability of pulse production in 

North Dakota (ND). In North America, positioning a good/excellent source 

of protein claim in food requires enough “high-quality” protein. The quality 

of a protein is primarily determined by its amino acid composition and 

digestibility. Pulse proteins are known to be deficient in certain essential 

amino acids such as sulfur amino acids or tryptophan. The most promising 

solution to overcome these deficiencies by combining pulse proteins with 

cereal proteins/or another source of plant protein, leading to a complete 

amino acid profile and overall digestibility and functionality. However, 

functionality, sensory and flavor profile of pulse protein blends are not 

explored yet. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 

pulse protein and/ or rice, hemp protein blending method, ratio on amino 

acid profile, in vitro digestibility and physicochemical characteristics of 

protein mixture.

$181,758.00 
154

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

16. Determining Nitrogen 

Use Efficiency of New 

Russet-skinned Potatoes

North Dakota State University (NDSU) will determine the response of lower 

nitrogen rates of newly released potato cultivars or advanced selections 

from the NDSU potato-breeding program. There is a great push for more 

sustainable potato production North America from consumers and 

processors. One way to improve sustainable potato production is to reduce 

inputs by using new cultivars that have higher nitrogen use efficiency. A 

reduction of inputs could lessen the production cost and put fewer products 

into the environment. Exciting cultivars that the NDSU Potato Agronomy 

program have tested can produce potatoes with less nitrogen than the 

standard Russet Burbank.

$134,594.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

17. Optimizing Fungicide 

Spray Droplet Size for 

Improved Management of 

Foliar Diseases in Field Peas

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center, in 

cooperation with the NDSU North Central and Langdon Research Extension 

Centers, will conduct multi-location field trials to develop rigorous disease 

management recommendations for optimizing fungicide spray droplet size 

for improved management of Ascochyta blight and powdery mildew in field 

peas. Field peas, grown for domestic and international consumption and for 

the non-GMO plant-based fractionated protein market, are an important 

rotational legume in western and central North Dakota. Powdery mildew 

and Ascochyta blights are economically important diseases of field peas, 

impacting both seed yield and seed quality, and fungicides are important 

tools for their management. Preliminary research indicates that the yield 

response to fungicide applications in field peas is strongly influenced by the 

spray droplet size utilized in fungicide applications. This project seeks to 

establish field studies to develop rigorous recommendations on optimizing 

fungicide droplet size relative to crop canopy characteristics for improved 

management of Ascochyta blight and powdery mildew in field peas.

$107,581.00 
155

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

18. Optimizing Fungicide 

Tank-Mixes with 

Chlorothalonil for Improved 

Management of Ascochyta 

Blight in Chickpeas

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center, in 

collaboration with the NDSU North Central and Williston Research Extension 

Centers, will conduct field trials and conduct outreach to North Dakota and 

Montana chickpea producers to improve the management of Ascochyta 

blight in chickpeas. With the development of resistance to QoI fungicides, 

Ascochyta blight of chickpeas is managed almost exclusively with fungicides 

with DMI (triazole) and/or SDHI modes of action. Neither mode of action 

provides satisfactory disease control under conditions of high disease 

pressure, and the reliance on two modes of action is high risk for the 

development of fungicide resistance. The contact fungicide chlorothalonil 

represents another mode of action and is registered for use on chickpeas, 

but it is not used widely due to poor efficacy when applied alone. This 

project seeks to optimize fungicide application rates in tank-mixes with 

chlorothalonil, assess whether different brands of chlorothalonil perform 

equivalently, evaluate which commonly used fungicides benefit from this 

tank-mix strategy, and identify the spray droplet size that optimizes the 

performance of the tank-mix.

$109,377.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

19. Boosting Field Pea 

Production and Insect Pest 

Control: The Role of Root 

Microbe Diversity

Root microbes are promising tools in the sustainable management of 

specialty crops that can be manipulated by farmers, although their use 

is hampered by variable performance and a lack of information of how 

they function under realistic growing conditions. North Dakota State 

University will conduct greenhouse and field experiments to determine 

how manipulating the species diversity of beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal 

fungi benefits microbes associated with field pea roots, levels of key 

phytohormones and nutrients, plant growth, and reduces insect pest 

densities. NDSU will disseminate results to stakeholders via presentations 

and published articles.

$99,582.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

20. Assessment of Improved 

Haskap Selections for North 

Dakota

The North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center 

will make selections of new Japanese haskaps to identify varieties that 

are better suited to North Dakota’s growing conditions. We will assess the 

berry cling, ripening time, productivity and fruit quality of new material and 

plants that were propagated in a previously supported project which will 

begin to bear fruit in 2022 and 2023. Results will be made available through 

meetings, field days, publications and web content.

$97,369.00 
156

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

21. Translating HighThroughput Phenotyping 

into Realized Genetic Gain in 

Pulse Crops

Collecting useful, accurate, interpretable, and biologically relevant 

phenotypic data in a resource‐efficient manner is a major bottleneck in

plant breeding. The phenotyping bottleneck, particularly for capturing 

under- and over-canopy traits, is a perennial problem for successful 

evaluation of new breeding lines. The NDSU researchers will pioneer 

development and utilization of a high-throughput field phenotyping 

platform for 1) efficient generation of high-quality trait data, 2) speedup the time-consuming and laborious traditional data gathering, and 3) 

increase selection accuracy of phenotyping field experiments. We will 

explore a combination of aerial imaging and under-canopy robot, including 

development of a machine learning algorithm, for estimation of important 

agronomic yield-related and adaptation traits. We will focus our efforts on 

field pea with a current market cap value ca $9 billion due to growing plantbased protein market.

$190,453.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

22. Weed Control in Onion: 

Using an Integrated System 

for Early Season Control

North Dakota State University will establish a contractual relationship 

with the State Department of Agriculture to lead and execute the project. 

Objectives are to determine appropriate herbicide applications that will 

keep the field weed-free without onion injury prior to the two-true-leaf 

stage when several products are available. Field experiments will be in a 

grower’s field and the NDSU Agricultural REC near Oakes, ND. Data from 

each location will be recorded and analyzed. The findings from this research 

will be provided at field days, meetings, and will be published nationally 

and locally online. With demonstration of early season weed control, onion 

acreage will increase, potentially diversifying a producer’s cropping system 

and increasing the competitiveness and profitability for ND growers.

$83,283.00 

North Dakota 

Department of 

Agriculture

$3,272,190.59

23. Unlocking Beneficial 

Microorganisms for 

Enhancing Adaptability and 

Resilience of Dry Edible Pea

Dry edible pea is a critical specialty crop to agriculture in North Dakota, 

which ranks top in the US for dry edible pea production. Consumption 

of pea protein is gaining traction in a growing market driven by products 

such as the Beyond Meat burger. In North Dakota, key stresses that affect 

pulse crop production include abiotic stresses like drought and biotic 

stresses such as root rot. A growing body of evidence suggests that plants 

can recruit beneficial microbes from the soil to improve their adaptability 

and resilience to stressful conditions. Researchers from North Dakota 

State University are working to identify beneficial members of the pea 

microbiome that become enriched following exposure to biotic and abiotic 

stresses and applying new innovations towards harnessing them as a tool 

for sustainable dry edible pea production.

$199,663.00 
157

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and Natural 

Resources

$154,006.21 1. Specialty Crop Value 

Added Project

The Division of Agriculture will partner with the only publicly owned 

Farmer’s Market in Garapan to enhance the shelve life of the specialty crops 

by processing them to last longer, thus preventing them from

either going to waste or returning them to the farmers who would then end 

up not making any profit. The project would also allow the market to buy 

more specialty crops from the farmers because any surplus

would be processed and sold, thus benefiting both the farmers and the 

public market.

$20,000.00 

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and Natural 

Resources

$154,006.21 2. Special Crops Radio Talk 

Show Project

The Division of Agriculture will partner with KKMP Radio Station to do a 

Radio Talk Show featuring local farmers to discuss their experiences in 

preparing the soil, planting, nourishing, harvesting and marketing their

specialty crops. Since specialty crops are healthy foods for people to 

consume, even chiefs and dieticians will be invited to participate to provide 

a well-rounded talk show program. Different farmers, chiefs and dieticians 

will be contacted to participate in this live radio talk show program.

$20,000.00 

Commonwealth 

of the Northern 

Mariana Islands 

Department of 

Lands and Natural 

Resources

$154,006.21 3. Agricultural Practices and 

Farming Techniques Project

The Division of Agriculture will partner with Northern Mariana College 

CREES to provide events at selected venues around the islands or at 

different farm plots. These events will provide farmers opportunities to be 

taught the different farming techniques, composting, agroforestry, pest 

control, plant propagating and others. They will also be taught harvesting 

and marketing techniques for their products to be presentable and sellable. 

In addition to DOA and college staff, other technical providers will be 

contacted and recruited from off island to lead or be part of these events. 

These events will take place on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

$75,413.00 

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

1. The Ohio State University- 

“Long Cane Raspberry 

Production System for 

Acreage Expansion, 

Farm Diversification, Risk 

Mitigation and Season 

Extension

Dr. Gary Gao and his team members at Ohio State University (OSU) 

South Centers will optimize the long cane raspberry production system 

for growers’ adoption and for helping new and existing farmers expand 

raspberry acreage, diversify farming operations, mitigate the risks, and 

extend fruit harvest season.

$95,000.00 
158

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

2. The Ohio State University- 

“FSMA Water Standard for 

Surface Irrigation Water 

in Tomato Production 

using High Tunnel Drip-line 

Systems”

The Ohio State University Center for Food Animal Health seeks funding to 

assess the environmental and food safety risks associated with the use of 

surface water from streams and ponds in drip-line irrigation systems and 

high tunnels. Fresh market tomato production systems will be evaluated in 

this study because it is the most common vegetable crop grown by farmers 

in the Midwest under high tunnels and it is frequently associated with widescale foodborne outbreaks.

$85,000.00 

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

3. The Ohio State University- 

“Improving Tomato Yield 

and Quality Using Nano 

Fertilization with Salicylic 

Acid”

The Ohio State University South Centers will conduct applied research 

to improve the growth, fruit yield, and quality of fresh market tomato 

production by developing science-based management techniques and 

disseminating evidence-based knowledge to stakeholders via traditional and 

electronic Extension outreach activities.

$55,000.00 

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

4. “Feed Our Future: Going 

Local in Schools to Support 

Ohio’s Specialty Crop 

Industry”

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH), backbone agency for Feed 

Our Future (FOF): Local Foods for Growing Minds, has successfully executed 

farm to school programming in the Northeast Ohio region for the past 

ten years. Under this funding opportunity, it is CCBH’s hope to 1) increase 

investment in the specialty crop industry by school districts, 2) create 

new turn-key solutions that increase students and other stakeholders 

recognition and knowledge of the specialty crop industry, and 3) expand the 

FOF framework to one new region of the Ohio.

$55,000.00 

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

5. Bowling Green State 

University - Strategic 

Positioning Plan for Lake Erie 

Sediments as a Specialty 

Crop Amendment”

Dr. Angélica Vázquez-Ortega (Bowling Green State University) and Dr. 

Guilherme Signorini (The Ohio State University) will investigate the 

beneficial use of lake sediments (LS) as soil amendment for specialty 

crops, including tomato, carrot, strawberry, and lettuce, by conducting a 

greenhouse experiment using various LS to soil ratios. We will determine 

the potential bioaccumulation of heavy metals, microcystin, polychlorinated 

biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the 

specialty crop fruit and edible tissue to ensure food safety.

$135,000.00 

Ohio Department of 

Agriculture $573,478.02

6. Central State University— 

“Development of a Low-Cost 

and Smart Raspberry Drip 

Irrigation Robot”

Central State University (CSU) will develop a low-cost, reliable, and smart 

drip irrigation system for beginning raspberry farmers. CSU will integrate an 

automated robot to obtain real-time soil moisture data and communicate 

with the irrigation controls to optimize zone irrigation to not only improve 

water efficiency but also increase yields through reduced plant stress, 

management costs, and irrigation efficacy.

$95,000.00 
159

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

1. Effect of Storage Time 

and Harvest Season 

on Transplant Success 

of Bermudagrass and 

Zoysiagrass Sod

Oklahoma State University researchers in the Department of Horticulture 

and LA will identify the effect of five storage times (0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 

hours after harvest) and three harvest season (late spring, mid-summer, and 

late summer) on the transplant success of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass 

sod rolls/slabs stacked in pall.

$79,460.00 

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

2. Canopy Management of 

Pecan Trees for An Earlier 

Reproduction Recovering 

from Ice Storm Damage.

Scientists at Oklahoma State University (OSU) will study the canopy 

recovery of pecan trees damaged by ice storms to accelerate the recovery 

toward reproduction. Ice storms often result in catastrophic damage of 

pecan orchards and improper canopy management will delay return to tree 

productivity resulting in devastating economic loss.

$99,184.00 

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

3. Doubling the Production 

And Marketing Seasons For 

Broccoli, Snap Beans And 

Asparagus In Oklahoma

Scientists at Oklahoma State University’s Horticulture and L.A. Department 

will combine their expertise and resources in small farm vegetable 

production and harvesting, handling and objective measurement of quality 

to devise systems for producing high-quality broccoli, snap beans and 

asparagus in their conventional and their alternate production seasons in 

Oklahoma.

$99,817.00 

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

4. Investigation of Hops 

(Humulus Lupulus) As A New 

Oklahoma Specialty Crop

Scientists at Oklahoma State University’s Horticulture and L.A. and 

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Departments will combine their 

expertise and resources in new crop production and harvesting, handling 

and objective measurement of quality to devise systems for producing hops 

in field and greenhouse production systems in Oklahoma.

$99,569.00 

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

5. Enhancing Specialty 

Crop Competitiveness in 

OK Through Replicated 

Aquaponic Research Systems 

At OSU

Oklahoma State University and Symbiotic Aquaponic, LLC will create 

a partnership that will build and establish seven replicated media bed 

aquaponic systems. Specialty crop competitiveness will be enhanced 

through research conducted by OSU on these systems that provides 

valuable data and knowledge regarding specialty crop productivity within 

media bed aquaponic systems.

$88,076.00 

Oklahoma 

Department of 

Agriculture, Food, 

and Forestry

$601,281.20

6. Precision Irrigation 

to Improve Water Use 

Efficiency in Production of 

Ornamentals, Vegetables, 

and Turfgrass.

As input costs continue to increase, growers are looking for simple solutions 

to increase production or plant quality without having to make big changes 

to their production. Research at Oklahoma State University will evaluate use 

of soil moisture sensors for precision irrigation for ornamental, vegetable, 

and turf production.

$85,523.00 
160

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92 1. Stop the Spread of a Gill’s Mealybug in Oregon

Gill’s mealybug (FEGI), Ferrisia gilli, is an emerging pest. In Oregon, the crop 

most at risk for damage is grape. FEGI could pose a regulatory problem for 

growers shipping to uninfested countries or states. FEGI is also a vector of 

grapevine leafroll disease, a significant concern for growers. If no action is 

taken, this pest will spread through suitable growing areas throughout the 

state. In addition to grape production, it may impact both the nursery and 

fruit industries. Plant Program’s Insect Pest Prevention and Management 

proposes a program to delimit the area infested by the mealybug with the 

intent of educating Oregon grape growers about this pest and management 

practices to limit its spread. No lure is available for this pest. Research 

is being conducted to determine the pheromone of FEGI. If it becomes 

available as a lure, we will utilize it in our survey effort. The work will be 

implemented in cooperation with OSU extension.

$24,966.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

2. Invasive Wasp and Bee 

Survey and Educational 

Outreach to Bee

Because invasive hornet species can destroy honeybee colonies, they 

pose a threat to our honey producing industry, and to Oregon specialty 

crops reliant upon honeybee pollination. As our beekeepers are likely to 

encounter these pests, they require education on recognizing invasive 

hornets and hive attack. Invasive mason bee species threaten our mason 

bee industry, which is the pollination source for several specialty crops. 

These invasive bees can contaminate our managed mason bee stock and 

increase the likelihood of transporting novel bee pests throughout the 

state. Exotic wasps pose a threat to our Christmas tree export industry as 

they can lead to product rejection if found. The outcomes of this project 

are 1) documenting any of the listed species found at high-risk sites and 2) 

creating a webinar and outreach materials targeted at beekeepers.

$100,089.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

3. Dry Farming Variety Trials: 

Connecting Producers, 

Researcher

Chemeketa Community College’s project, Dry Farming Variety Trials: 

Connecting Producers, Researchers, and Students, will educate students, 

producers, and the community about dry farming as a resilient and reliable 

specialty cropping system to increase the amount of land that is considered 

suitable for agriculture production by demonstrating the ability to produce 

specialty crops without irrigation. This project will establish dry farm 

research trials, provide research internship opportunities for community 

college students to study dry farming and collaborate with Oregon State 

University students and researchers, and disseminate the results to a 

wide audience through a variety of outreach activities and events. These 

experiences will directly teach students and the community about specialty 

crop research, production, and consumption.

$88,429.00 
161

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

4. Connecting Specialty Crop 

Professionals with Science 

Classes

Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation will provide a platform 

for specialty crop scientists, researchers and professionals to increase 

knowledge, familiarity and exposure to Oregon’s specialty crops within 

middle and high school science classrooms. This will be accomplished 

through a series of recorded conversations, virtual field trips, educator 

workshops and a repository of free media and curriculum featuring 

Oregon’s vibrant specialty crop industry.

$80,762.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

5. Grow This! Driving Sales 

of and Access to Specialty 

Crops

Oregon Potato Commission will establish agreements with Oregon Aglink 

and Oregon State University Extension (OSU) and OSU Food Hero will 

lead this project and coordinate partners. This is a market access and 

development project designed to enhance the competitiveness of 40+ 

specialty crops through increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and 

consumption of specialty crops by expanding access at schools and in local 

neighborhoods.

$174,969.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

6. Generating Demand for 

Oregon Berries: Consumer 

Education In-Store and 

Online

The Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission (ORBC) and the Oregon 

Strawberry Commission (OSC) will generate consumer awareness and 

demand for Oregon grown blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries 

in West Coast US markets by implementing a multi-pronged consumer 

education campaign both in-store and online for processed berries and 

value-added products.

$131,900.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

7. Oregon Master Beekeeper 

Training for SpanishSpeaking Beekeepers

The Oregon State Beekeepers Association will work with the Oregon State 

University Honeybee Lab to develop the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program 

in Spanish. This effort to train Spanish-speaking beekeepers of all levels will 

improve inclusivity in the beekeeping industry as well as provide economic 

opportunity for new beekeepers (honey production, pollination services). 

Training will improve job performance of those working in pollination 

services to Oregon’s specialty crops and commercial honey production.

$59,290.00 
162

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

8. New Alternatives to 

Replace Chlorpyrifos in Tree/

Small Crops

Chlropyriphos has been an important tool for the control of insects in many 

cropping systems across Oregon. The recent ruling to phase out this tool 

has left many growers scrambling to find viable alternatives for protecting 

against key insect pests. Oregon State University has been instrumental 

in researching new and innovative alternative control tactics that seek 

to increase sustainability and profitability for growers. Many of these 

innovative tools are still in development and require more research before 

they can be scaled up and applied industry wide. In this proposal we outline 

research into alternative control tactics against four key insect pests, codling 

moth (CM), spotted wing drosophila (SWD), brown marmorated stink bug 

(BMSB), and filbertworm (FBW). Various technologies have been developed 

for these pests, sterile insect technique against CM, a new arrestant 

against SWD, attractants for BMSB, and mating disruption for FBW. These 

technologies have had promising early results and have the potential to 

significantly enhance IPM for growers. This project strives to advance the 

development and implementation of these promising technologies.

$168,588.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

9. Growing Oregon’s 

Asian Herb and Vegetable 

Production System

Oregon State University, in partnership with Herb Farm and Iverson Family 

Farms, will train farmers on the adoption of specialty Asian vegetables 

and medicinal herb crops. Additional project partners Oregon College of 

Oriental Medicine, SEDCOR, and Organically Grown Company will also take 

part in Extension market events to connect adopting farmers with market 

research and opportunities to showcase locally grown crops to potential 

buyers, creating a path to market to support new specialty crop production.

$169,313.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92 10. Optimizing Irrigation Initiation Time in Oregon

Wine grapes are the most valuable fruit/nut specialty crop in Oregon, and 

the 7th most valuable agricultural commodity overall. Despite being known 

for its dry-farmed vineyards, about 30% of Oregon’s vineyard acreage is 

irrigated, and competition for freshwater resources is increasing between 

urban and rural entities. Though there is extensive scientific literature about 

irrigation quantity, there is a surprising lack of literature about irrigation 

timing. Moreover, few wine grape irrigation studies consider fruit quality 

as the response variable of interest. Led by Oregon State University, this 

project brings together a multidisciplinary team of partners across all major 

wine producing regions of Oregon that include researchers, extension 

specialists, and producers. We aim to bridge this knowledge gap in irrigation 

management and develop best irrigation management practices for wine 

grapes in Oregon.

$174,682.00 
163

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92 11. Hydroponic Agriculture: Research and Training

Oregon State University (OSU) will establish a comprehensive hydroponic 

agriculture research and training program to increase the State’s capacity 

to educate new and existing farmers who are interested in diversifying their 

production with technologically intensive hydroponic systems. Despite 

being a national leader in horticulture and widely known for its local food 

movement, Oregon lacks opportunities to support farmers interested in 

hydroponic production. This project will enhance the competitiveness of 

Oregon specialty crops by creating opportunities for sustainable, diverse, 

and resilient hydroponic production systems.

$174,032.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

12. Improving Containment 

of Wild Carrot in Oregon 

Carrot Seed

The Oregon State University Central Oregon Agricultural Research & 

Extension Center and Oregon State University Institute for Natural 

Resources will investigate the current and potential geographic and 

habitat-type distribution of the industry-priority weed wild carrot in and 

around the carrot seed producing region of Oregon, and develop current, 

research-based recommendations for detection and control of this 

critically important seed contaminant, which poses considerable potential 

risk to the continued profitability of carrot seed production in Oregon. 

Expected products include a spatially explicit Species Distribution Model, 

accompanying probabilistic risk maps for use by weed control practitioners 

in the region, and robust, research-based control recommendations.

$149,063.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

13. Novel Coatings to 

Prevent Uptake of Smokes 

into Wine Grapes

Oregon State University will conduct research to produce novel food 

coatings to stop uptake of smoke volatile compounds into wine grapes. The 

recent wildfires impacted wine regions throughout the states of Oregon, 

Washington and California, with many wineries and vineyards not picking 

fruit or producing wine. The wines made from affected grapes can develop 

smoke related off-aromas and flavors associated with negative wine quality.

$167,270.00 

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92

14. Oregon Wine Direct 

Sales Reporting and 

Benchmarking and Work

The Oregon Wine Board, which represents all Oregon winegrowers and 

wine producers, will equip all interested producers and associations 

within Oregon’s statewide wine industry with a sophisticated platform 

to aggregate, benchmark and provide analytics for direct sales data. It is 

anticipated that through the adoption of this new business model and 

recommended practices, 125 enrolled wineries will increase sales in 

their direct-to-consumer channels by 15% on average, in part driven by 

increasing access through new wine club memberships.

$169,500.00 
164

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Oregon Department 

of Agriculture $2,070,525.92 15. Farm to Fork: Building On-Farm Experiences

Umpqua Valley Farm to School (UVF2S) is a nonprofit organization which, if 

awarded, will establish a contractual relationship with the State Department 

of Agriculture to lead and execute this project. UVF2S will plan and 

implement farm field trips with local school districts and build a sustainable 

plan with local partners. By providing training to farmers in the areas listed, 

the farmers will increase sales and the ease of which they partner with 

school nutrition staff. Students and families will have a better understanding 

of our local food system and the importance of supporting local agriculture.

$72,149.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

1. Workforce Retention, 

Leadership, and Food 

Safety for Next Generation 

& Diverse Background 

Specialty Crop Producers

Penn State Extension will develop and deliver research-based training 

in both English and Spanish for specialty crop growers that will focus on 

ways to reduce turnover and to minimize sources of contamination of 

fresh produce that can cause foodborne diseases. Reducing turnover, and 

delivering safer products to market, will in turn impact profitability and 

increase farm viability. Educational programs will be tailored to the needs of 

new and minority specialty crop growers. Once this training is developed, it 

will be scalable and offered throughout Pennsylvania and online.

$58,472.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

2. Enhanced Preparedness 

Against Pathogens that 

Threaten Specialty Crop 

Production and Markets

This proposal builds on a long-term partnership between Penn State and 

the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture (PDA) Plant Diagnostic Laboratory 

(PDL) and aims to enhance the state’s preparedness against several 

pathogen groups threatening the production and marketability of multiple 

specialty crops, including hop. Due to increasing agricultural trade and 

globally networked plant production systems, exotic pathogens and novel 

pathogen variants frequently migrate.

$64,360.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

3. Heat-Proofing and 

Resilience for Potatoes in 

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State University will provide solutions to major challenges 

of modern potato agriculture: improving yield and quality traits, under 

changing environmental stressors, namely heat stress. Global climate 

change affects weather patterns resulting in extreme heat and drought 

posing a crucial challenge to sustainable potato production negatively 

impacting initial tuberization and tuber growth resulting in lower tuber yield 

and quality. The scale of yield loss due to heat stress, however, depends on 

the duration, severity and plant growth stage.

$63,288.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08 4. The Neighborhood Food 

Project

The LEAF Project Inc. will harness the energy and talents of the youth 

growers within our program to increase access to and consumption of 

specialty crops through a youth-supported community backyard garden 

program. Through this program, LEAF will train youth interns in the skills 

necessary to site, design, and build garden plots and then equip individuals, 

families, and organizations throughout South Central PA with the knowledge 

to grow their gardens and cook with the produce.

$38,124.00 
165

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

5. Juventud Campesinx del 

Futuro (Young Farmers of 

the Future)

Norris Square Neighborhood Project, with its partners and youth farmers, 

will revitalize El Batey, one of its urban farms—transforming this community 

space into one with a diversity of traditional Puerto Rican specialty crops 

that are accessible and affordable to the community, and celebrate the 

cultural heritage of the neighborhood.

$92,700.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

6. Enhancing Mushroom 

Yield and Quality Through 

On-Farm Modifications and 

Implementation of Novel 

Pest Management

Strategies

Penn State University will mitigate mushroom phorid fly populations in 

the community and on mushroom farms by developing and facilitating 

the adoption of novel control methods for flies on mushroom farms in 

Southeastern Pennsylvania. Building on our successful proof of concept 

on one demonstration farm in Chester county we will work directly with 

mushroom growers to implement specific modifications and management 

strategies appropriate to individual buildings and crop management 

practices.

$100,228.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

7. Techno-Economic 

Assessment of Hops 

Production, Densification, 

and Distribution in 

Pennsylvania

Penn State University will develop a scientifically-based decision-making 

tool for small-scale hop growers and other stakeholders to assess 

the economics of hops production, pelletization, and distribution in 

Pennsylvania. This tool will also include a comparison of the economics of 

hops pelletization on farm vs. in centralized locations, to assist hop growers 

in decision-making related to hops pelletization.

$70,740.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

8. Preparing Beekeepers 

in Pennsylvania for the 

Spread and Management of 

Africanized Honeybees

The Pennsylvania State University will take the first steps to prepare 

beekeepers in Pennsylvania for the spread and management of Africanized 

honeybees. The honeybee Apis mellifera is the most important crop 

pollinator and produce over 600 tons of honey yearly in Pennsylvania. 

Currently, all the protocols and educational programs for beekeeping 

management in the northeast are based on practices developed for the 

mild temperament of European honeybee subspecies. In the US, the 

honeybee population is a hybrid of several European subspecies, with a 

great proportion of ancestry from the Italian subspecies Apis mellifera 

lingustica.

$147,753.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

9. Evaluate and Select 

Potato Varieties to Replace 

“Norwis” in Pennsylvania 

Phase 2021-2022

Pennsylvania Cooperative Potato Growers, Inc. will work with Sterman 

Masser, Inc. and Penn State University Potato Team to evaluate and select 

potato varieties to replace Norwis in Pennsylvania. We will select varieties 

that may have potential to fry similarly to Norwis but have better field and 

storage characteristics. We are seeking higher yields and better shaped 

tubers that produce a high-quality fresh cut potato.

$130,217.21 
166

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08 10. Specialty Crops Test Plots 

and Community Education

The Indiana County Conservation District will demonstrate how to grow 

specialty crops by creating demonstration test plots at three locations, 

expand community knowledge of specialty crops, and combat food desert 

issues.

$100,491.24 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08

11. 2022 Pennsylvania 

Veggies Promotion and 

Demand Generation

The Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and Research Program (PVMRP) 

will further its marketing strategies for Pennsylvania vegetables focused on 

its PA Produce Month promotion by partnering with restaurants, hosting 

Q&As with food experts and growers, creating educational and promotional 

web based content for growers, enhancing the PAVeggies.org website and 

strategically reviewing the PVMRP promotion efforts.

$50,450.00 

Pennsylvania 

Department of 

Agriculture

$1,055,540.08 12. Pennsylvania Farm to 

Retailer Initiative

The Food Trust will pilot the Pennsylvania Farm to Retailer Initiative to 

increase access to Pennsylvania produce at corner stores and school- and 

community-based farm stands. The Food Trust will develop new wholesale 

opportunities for Pennsylvania farmers who attend Philadelphia farmers 

markets by providing technical assistance to both store owners and farmers 

and creating marketing materials to promote Pennsylvania produce.

$50,000.00 

Departamento 

de Agricultura de 

Puerto Rico

$483,669.55

1. Increasing High Quality 

Cocoa Production in Puerto 

Rico.

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) and the Innovation Fund 

for Agricultural Development (FIDA), as part of their public policy, have an 

interest in increasing cocoa production in Puerto Rico. This cocoa project 

is targeted to increase the production of cocoa and position it in the same 

worldwide standing as coffee from Puerto Rico. To be officially recognized as 

part of the best growers of cocoa in the world.

$17,920.00 

Departamento 

de Agricultura de 

Puerto Rico

$483,669.55

2. Effect of Artificial Light, 

Phosphorus Fertilizer and 

Hormones to Develop OffSeason Floral Induction and 

Fruits Production of Pitahaya 

(Hylocereus

The popularity of the exotic fruit Pitahaya, or dragon fruit (Hylocereus 

undatus), is booming in Puerto Rico. Farmers are using different 

management practices, trellis systems and cultivating varieties that have 

not been studied on the Island. This research project is being proposed to 

evaluate different methods of off-season floral induction (illumination with 

solar energy, phosphorus fertilizer and hormones to increase flowered) will 

be established at the Lajas Agricultural Experiment Substation to evaluate 

flowering, fruit set, production, maturity index and fruit quality of offseason production.

$82,754.35 

Departamento 

de Agricultura de 

Puerto Rico

$483,669.55 3. Consume Local Products 

with Delpais Chefs.

With the adoption of the “Delpaís” brand, the Government of Puerto Rico 

seeks to promote local products, by identifying and differentiating them, 

thus promoting their consumption, which will cause an increase in the 

supply, that is, greater planting of local produce.

$213,920.66 
167

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Departamento 

de Agricultura de 

Puerto Rico

$483,669.55 4. Capacity Building in 

International Trade.

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA), the Small Business and 

Technology Development Center (Puerto Rico SBTDC) and PROMOEXPORT 

have the priority to guarantee the food security of our Island, in addition to 

explore and facilitate the export of agricultural products. For the PRDA, it is 

important to strengthen the technical capacities of Puerto Rico farmers, to 

achieve the quality standards established to export agricultural products.

With this new project we have the need to bring to their maximum 

competitive capacity the agricultural activities with the greatest economic 

viability, the greatest demand and potential for local and export marketing.

$26,700.00 

Departamento 

de Agricultura de 

Puerto Rico

$483,669.55

5. Increase Market 

Competitiveness for 

Specialty Crops Products 

Cultivated in Puerto Rico 

after the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA) and the Innovation Fund 

for Agricultural Development (known by its acronym in Spanish as FIDA) are 

aware of the difficulties that farmers must overcome to access local markets 

after the Pandemic of the Covid 19. Most of our farmers still does not have 

sufficient knowledge in marketing. As a result, the majority of them do 

not possess technical marketing and sales skills neither business sense to 

market, distribute and sell their products without the assistance of PRDA 

and/or FIDA. Their presence, with the assistance of PRDA and FIDA, in trade 

fairs, events and conventions are great opportunities for farmers to learn 

how to access their target market and increase their sales. These events are 

also a great opportunity to develop awareness on the consumers of local 

products produced in Puerto Rico.

$102,000.00 

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74

1. Soil Steaming Technical 

Assistance to Reduce 

Disease and Weed Seeds in 

High Tunnel Soils

The Southern Rhode Island Conservation District (SRICD) will establish a 

technical assistance program for specialty crop growers in Rhode Island to 

utilize low pressure steam to increase yields and reduce costs in production 

high tunnels by offering demonstrations and instructional workshops and 

establishing a long-term technical assistance program to make the machine 

accessible to growers and researchers across the state.

$53,406.48 

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74 2. Preserving Rhode Island’s 

Bounty: From Farm to Jar

The University of Rhode Island, Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences 

Department and Cooperative Extension Food Safety Education Program will 

develop a video series on proper handling and safe preservation of locally 

grown specialty crops. These videos will follow an interview/conversation 

format and feature members of the local farming community and 

demonstrations by URI food safety educators. This video series will not only 

promote safe handling and proper preservation techniques of RI specialty 

crops but will also enhance awareness of good agricultural practices in RI’s 

farming community, while increasing their demand and accessibility of yearround consumption.

$24,671.00 
168

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74

3. Vegetable Variety Trials 

for RI Growers: One-cut 

Lettuce for Sustainable Salad 

Mix

The University of Rhode Island will conduct research trials to evaluate 

performance of new “one-cut” lettuce varieties under Rhode Island 

conditions in the high tunnel and the open field. Trial data will be used to 

recommend varieties for specific seasons and production systems; results 

will be shared with Rhode Island vegetable growers through Cooperative 

Extension publications, field days, and participatory trial evaluation events.

$38,908.00 

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74

4. Technical Assistance, 

Training, Outreach in 

Support of Innovative 

Digital Engagement, Organic 

Techniques and Product Dev 

for Young & Organic SC Far

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Rhode Island (NOFA/RI) 

seeks to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through technical 

assistance, training and outreach to young & organic specialty crop farmers. 

It seeks to increase the demand for more farmers who can supply organic 

products to state customers. The focus addresses certified organic crops 

or those grown with organic methods in response to increasing market 

demand. The project’s objectives are directed towards building farmer 

capacity in practicing organic techniques or in transitioning to certified 

organic production. The objectives further seek to diversify our forms of 

community engagement by using several means of interaction ranging from 

interactive Zoom webinars to free online trainings and YouTube channel 

productions.

$35,276.80 

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74 5. The Rhody Grown 

Campaign

The RI Division of Agriculture will support RI Grown specialty crops by 

further developing an RI Grown marketing toolkit for farms, and by investing 

in an externally managed marketing campaign to better reach consumers 

interested in supporting local agriculture. The RI Grown program, was 

designed to meet consumer demand for purchasing locally grown specialty 

crops. The RI Grown program offers a competitive advantage to any 

specialty crop growers who wish to use the RI Grown marketing tool kit.

$65,148.01 

Rhode Island 

Division of 

Agriculture

$273,605.74

6. Enhancing Market 

Access for RI Specialty Crop 

Growers

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Division of 

Agriculture (RIDEM) will put measures in place to enhance market access 

for Rhode Island specialty crop growers through providing access to USDA 

Organic Certification, RI – GAP certification and Agricultural water quality 

testing to promote food safety.

$36,700.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

1. Produce Safety Rule 

On-Farm Produce Safety 

Improvements and Grower 

Training Grant

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture will assist produce growers 

in enhancing food safety on their farms by offering Produce Safety Rule 

Grower trainings at a reduced cost and will provide a cost share program to 

assist produce growers in implementing on-farm food safety improvements 

in order to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization 

Act, Produce Safety Rule.

$30,000.00 
169

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

2. Exploring Novel Armillaria 

Root Rot Management 

Strategies in Peach

Clemson University will develop novel strategies to manage Armillaria 

root rot (ARR) in peach by deploying a two-prong approach that involves 

recombinant virus-mediated host-resistance development and nucleic 

acid-based bio-pesticide application. This information will be made 

available to the stakeholders through grower meetings and field days and 

communicated to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

$79,149.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

3. Evaluation of Agricultural 

Carbon Waste Streams 

to Facilitate Anaerobic 

Soil Disinfestation in 

Watermelon Production

In partnership with Clemson University, Growers for Grace will investigate 

the viability of agro-industrial plant-based waste streams as a sustainable 

carbon source in Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD). This collaborative 

research will explore the efficacy of these organic waste streams against 

the proven ASD standard in a watermelon field trial in South Carolina. This 

project will also identify and evaluate efficiencies gained by using these 

specific substrates as an ASD facilitator relative to the commercial practice 

and ASD standard.

$50,000.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

4. FoodShare Greenville: 

Supporting Local Farms and 

Low-Income Consumers in 

Greenville, SC

Through this project, Mill Village Farms will increase the number of boxes 

per cycle from 800 to 850 and ensure that 20% (over 63,000 pounds 

annually) of the produce included in FoodShare boxes annually, or an 

average of 2 items/cycle, is a specialty crop grown in South Carolina.

$41,575.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

5. New Winter Legume Cash 

Crop: Developing Improved 

Pea Cultivars for SC Organic 

Cropping Systems

Clemson University (CU) will develop organic dry pea cultivars (Pisum 

sativum L.) adapted to SC using on-farm field selection to increase crop 

yield and nutritional quality. CU breeding goal is to develop organic pea 

cultivars adapted to South Carolina’s environmental conditions, increasing 

seed protein and desired carbohydrate ratios with micronutrients for better 

human and animal health.

$56,530.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

6. Assessing Nematode 

Populations Damaging 

Bermudagrass in South 

Carolina

Turfgrass nematode researchers at Clemson University will address growing 

concerns with pathogenic nematode populations that are damaging 

bermudagrass by formulating new threshold guidelines for soil populations, 

examining non-pesticide tools of reducing populations, and enhancing 

grower knowledge through novel educational programs that engage 

growers across the state.

$22,196.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

7. Taking Disease Detection 

to the Sky: Evaluating 

Satellite Imagery for Virus 

Disease Detection in Peach 

Trees

This project is aimed at developing a large scale, early detection method for 

virus diseases in peach orchards. Clemson University researchers will collect 

and analyze satellite imagery and virus prevalence results. Grower partners 

will assist with site selection in commercial orchard blocks and assist with 

method validation. This will ultimately reduce costs associated with virus 

testing and extend the lifespan and productivity of peach orchards.

$45,145.00 
170

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03 8. South Carolina Statewide 

Honey Pollen Analysis

The South Carolina Beekeepers Association will select 15 local bee 

associations, resulting in 20 collection locations throughout the state 

of South Carolina (15 rural + 5 urban) based on the 6 S.C. ECO Regions 

collecting honey samples weekly during the nectar flow and check/collect 

nectar as available during the nectar dearth’s for honey pollen analysis 

to determine:1) When and which plants typically bloom. 2) What the 

nectar sources are for honey in particular areas of the state. 3) If maples 

that bloom end of January/early February are both a pollen source and 

honey/nectar source. The honey samples will be analyzed for pollen at 

universities throughout the United States and one or more articles will be 

published with the results. South Carolina is the first state to do this analysis 

statewide. Replicating this study in the future will help determine changes 

to the SC ecosystem.

$73,050.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

9. Enhancing the South 

Carolina Specialty Crop 

Industry Through Education 

and Trade Show Promotion

The South Carolina Specialty Crop Growers Association in conjunction 

with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture will work together to 

promote the specialty crop industry through a cost share program that will 

assist growers in attending identified domestic industry trade show and 

conferences. This proposed project will benefit South Carolina specialty 

crop producers, growers, wholesalers, and other allied industry member.

$57,106.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

10. Value-adding Packaging 

at GrowFood Carolina: 

Creative, Innovative 

Investments for Specialty 

Crops in South Carolina

GrowFood Carolina, the local food hub of the Coastal Conservation 

League, will increase specialty crop sales for our 120-plus South Carolina 

partner growers by contributing to the development of more marketable, 

in demand specialty crop products that stand out among competitors by 

continuing the following approach over the next year.

$24,135.17 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

11. Determining Prevalence 

of Nematodes Damaging 

Strawberries in South 

Carolina

Following statewide survey for nematodes occurring in strawberry fields in 

South Carolina, greenhouse studies will be conducted at Clemson University 

to determine new action threshold for the most commonly occurring 

nematode, and the results will be disseminated to stakeholders through 

extension and scientific publications, grower meetings, field days, and 

scientific meetings.

$54,871.00 

South Carolina 

Department of 

Agriculture

$601,531.03

12. Enhancing the South 

Carolina Specialty Crop 

Industry Through Valueadded Packaging

The South Carolina Specialty Crop Growers Association will administer a 

program for small and medium sized specialty crop growers. This project 

will provide funding for a cost share reimbursement program to offset 

the burdensome cost of packaging expenses for growers. This project will 

enable growers to increase their share of South Carolina’s specialty crop 

industry while complying with market outlet packaging requirements.

$18,259.00 
171

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19 

1. Apiaries in the Classroom: 

Educating South Dakota’s 

Youth about Honey 

Production Through 

Educational Beehives

The Edmunds Central School District presents a proposal that would 

dramatically impact the exposure to and consumption of locally-produced 

honey by developing a network of apiaries and supporting curriculum 

geared toward educating and providing opportunities to consume locallyproduced honey for South Dakota students in PreK-12.

$106,033.61 

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19

2. Diagnose Seed Quality 

and Composition of Pulse 

Crops at South Dakota State 

University

Through this research, we propose to provide diagnostic services to 

producers for seed-borne diseases at the South Dakota State University 

Seed Testing Laboratory. Additionally, we propose to screen varieties of 

pulse crops for specific seed-borne diseases and determine if the pathogens 

impacts seed composition and functionality. Results will be shared with 

the South Dakota Pulse Council, South Dakota Pulse Growers, the Northern 

Pulse Growers Association, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council and the American 

Pulse Association. Accessibility to seed health diagnostic services for South 

Dakota pulse producers is a major outcome of this project. Furthermore, 

data collected will educate and help the producers implement costeffective, sustainable disease management strategies in their fields.

$64,435.00 

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19

3. Economic Impact Study 

of Specialty Producers and 

Increased Aggregation of 

Specialty Producers in the 

State of South Dakota

The South Dakota Specialty Producers will partner with Atlantic Corporation 

to perform an Economic Impact Study of specialty foods and products 

produced in South Dakota. The information and facts gathered will be used 

to further promote the products and producers and show the importance of 

specialty products to the economy of South Dakota.

$58,120.00 

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19

4. Integrating Early Season 

Cover Crops to Improve 

Sustainability of South 

Dakota Vegetable Farms

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Specialists will conduct 

research trials on two SDSU research fields and one on-farm cooperator 

location to identify the optimum clover cover crop, planting method, and 

management strategies to improve sustainability of brassica, cucurbit, 

and solanaceous cropping systems. Project outcomes will include the 

development of new crop management systems, increased adoption of 

early season cover crops, and increased knowledge of production practices 

that can improve the resilience of South Dakota vegetable farms.

$75,138.00 

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19

5. Increasing the 

Competitiveness of South 

Dakota Grown Specialty Cut 

Flowers Through Season 

Extension

Stems LLC will enable small-scale South Dakota cut flower growers to 

compete with imports by determining the best varieties and cultivars in 

conjunction with season extension techniques for profitable cut flower 

production that extends four months outside of our standard growing 

season. Information generated by trials will be transferred to producers 

through field days, publications, conferences, and other outreach efforts.

$40,318.14 
172

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

South Dakota

Department of

Agriculture

$402,137.19 6. Marketing Trials for Beer 

Brewed with Frozen Hops

We will focus on working with craft breweries to help them develop new 

and additional beer styles brewed with frozen hops. The taste panel 

findings confirm the concept that alternative hop preservation does 

improve beer quality.

$21,817.60 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

1. Evaluation of 

Supplemental Lighting on 

Hop Growth and Yield

Many plants use day length as an environmental cue to control the timing 

of flowering. Such plants are classified as short-day or long-day plants 

depending on if they flower when day length becomes shorter or longer 

than a specific number of hours, referred to as critical day length. The 

timing of blooming is a major yield determining factor. Hop plants are 

most productive when adequate vegetative bine (twining stem) growth is 

achieved by long day length before flowering is induced.

$24,810.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

2. High School Agricultural 

Education on Good 

Agricultural Practice (GAP) 

Certification as it Relates 

to Hydroponic Production of 

Specialty Crops

Blackberry Pond Farm, LLC will increase both the understanding and 

numbers of next generation specialty crop producers in Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) by instruction, formation, and implementation of standard 

operating procedures in local high school agricultural programs in order to 

obtain GAP certification.

$25,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87 3. Friendly Farm Fruit for All

Rebel Hollow Farm will plant fruit to add to our pick your own operation in 

an area where fresh fruits and vegetables are not available. In addition to 

providing a source of fresh fruit to an area where the nearest grocery store 

with fresh fruit is 20 miles or more from home, we will provide education 

on how to prepare the fruit and a field day to 10 others to grow fruit as a 

way to diversify their farms.

$12,954.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

4. Educational Symposiums 

for Integrating Specialty 

Crop Agricultural Habitats 

Benefiting Beginner and 

Advanced, Apiarists and 

Farmers

Partnership Management Services Inc will educate apiarists and specialty 

crop growers on best scientific based practices for creating successful 

honeybee habitats through field days and educational symposiums, while 

establishing secondary markets for ancillary specialty crop products.

$12,750.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

5. Creating a Greater 

Opportunity for Tennessee 

Grapes and Tennessee 

Wines

Because of limited sparkling wine production capability in Tennessee, 

relatively few acres are used for the production of sparkling wine grapes, 

such as Catawba, that grow well in our climate and produce amazing 

sparkling wines. This project will allow procurement of specialized 

equipment to have modern sparkling wine production capability.

$25,000.00 
173

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

6. Enhancing Employee 

Knowledge Through 

Certification of Tennessee 

Farm Winery Employees

Hillside Winery (HW) will increase the knowledge and education base of 

employees within the Tennessee Grape and Wine Industry. In partnership 

with Pellissippi State Community College and the Viticulture Enology 

Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA), certifications will be pursued 

for employees engaged in the production of value-added products using 

specialty crops. Hillside Winery has been producing Tennessee wines since 

2008 and is the largest processor of Muscadine grapes grown in the state, 

including purchasing most from the largest Muscadine producer in East 

Tennessee (Tsali Notch Vineyards).

$13,500.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

7. Urban Arboretum 

Development Program –

Shelby Avenue, Nashville, TN 

– PHASE 2

Nashville Tree Conservation Corps will enhance the competitiveness of 

nursery stock trees and fortify rural Tennessee’s economy by installing and 

marketing a public arboretum where people can learn about trees, their 

benefits in the city, and how to purchase trees from Tennessee Tree Farms 

using digital marketing tactics.

$50,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

8. Expanding Children’s 

Educational Programs 

Promoting Specialty 

Crop Purchasing and 

Consumption at East 

Tennessee Farmers’ Markets

Nourish Knoxville will promote the consumption of specialty crops by 

building capacity for our children’s educational program, Nourish Kids, at 

East Tennessee farmers’ markets. The program will fund Nourish Kids Clubs 

at six farmers’ markets in East Tennessee, providing children ages 2-12 with 

the opportunity to try new specialty crops, to participate in educational 

activities about specialty crops, and $5 each in Produce Bucks to spend 

on select specialty crops at farmers’ markets, which builds revenue for 

specialty crop farmers. Participating children will also receive recipe cards 

to take home featuring specialty crops, encouraging more consumption of 

specialty crops at home.

$30,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

9. Increasing Demand and 

Diversity for Additional West 

Tennessee Grapes

This project is for research and development of a custom crush and 

production facility whereas, Sanderson Family Farm will partner with the 

growing number of West Tennessee grape producers, farm wineries and 

wineries to process their respective grapes and wine and produce and 

bottle finished carbonated wines for each of these Tennessee businesses.

$40,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87 10. Tennessee Agritourism 

Executive Director

The Tennessee Agritourism Association will hire an executive director at 

a salary of $10,000 per year that will be responsible for managing daily 

activities, marketing, and promoting the association. We are requesting 

funding to cover 80 percent of the total salary due to only 80% of the 

responsibilities being related to specialty crops. With the increased 

marketing and promotion of the Tennessee Agritourism Association, we 

hope this drives the increase of specialty crop production by increasing the 

awareness of specialty crops.

$25,920.00 
174

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

11. Increasing Specialty 

Crop Sales with Education 

and Resources for Market 

Vendors and Managers

The Tennessee Association of Farmers Markets is a statewide association 

providing networking, education and best practice resources to farmers 

markets and member organizations. TAFM will increase the accessibility of 

specialty crops at farmers markets by developing educational opportunities, 

resources and best practices for market managers and specialty crop 

producer vendors.

$30,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

12. Teaching Proven 

Management Methods for 

Sustainable Beekeeping

Teaching Proven Management Methods for Sustainable Beekeeping 

aims to educate, train, and mentor 800 of Tennessee’s approximately 

7000 registered beekeepers (roughly 12%) in sustainable beekeeping 

practices. The goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of sustainable 

practices to achieve the following outcomes: 1) increased adoption of Best 

Management Practices for Bee Health; 2) increased bee colony counts; and 

3) increased honey production. These outcomes will have the added benefit 

of improving bee survival rates and, thus, enhancing crop pollination that is 

so vital to Tennessee agriculture.

$27,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

13. Tennessee Christmas 

Tree Growers - Marketing 

Training & Product Research

The Tennessee Christmas Tree Growers Association (TCTGA) will enhance 

the Christmas tree industry in our state through increased Training Events 

for our growers and conducting a Research Project. 1) The Training Events 

include education conferences, meetings, and farm tours. This will include 

specific training for growing and marketing Christmas trees. 2) The Research 

Project will explore new Christmas tree species for our farms to potentially 

begin growing. It includes germinating seeds from exotic conifers to produce 

seedlings and testing the ability for them to grow in our state.

$29,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

14. Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) Audit Cost 

Share

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture would like to continue to increase 

the number of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified producers 

offering specialty crops in Tennessee. We plan to continue to mitigate the 

cost of GAP audits for producers in the state by providing a cost share. GAP 

Certification allows producers to expand their markets to businesses such 

as grocery stores and institutional entities such as hospitals with stringent 

food safety requirements. This will allow producers to increase their income 

and help to ensure proper food safety for specialty crops in the state of 

Tennessee.

$28,000.00 
175

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

15. Growing Viticultural 

Operations and Support for 

the Tennessee Wine Industry

The Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance (TFWA) will organize and oversee 

a series of workshops, bootcamps, and leadership development sessions 

aimed at improving the viticultural and agritourism practices across 

Tennessee. Through conducting a series of workshops aimed at providing 

insights and best practices into operating a financially viable vineyard we 

hope to expand the overall acreage of grapes produced in the state over the 

next 3 years.

$45,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

16. Improving Sustainable 

Pest Management Practices 

to Control Cucumber Beetles 

in Cucurbits

Tennessee State University will identify and demonstrate Integrated Pest 

management (IPM) based, sustainable pest management practices to 

control cucumber beetles in cucurbit crops. The university is situated in a 

suitable location in middle Tennessee to determine the best management 

practices and educate stakeholders on this issue. Striped and spotted 

cucumber beetles are critically important pests of cucurbits for both 

conventional and organic cucurbit production in Tennessee.

$44,992.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

17. Identification of HighQuality Pod-Types in 

Heirloom Green Beans to 

Expand Tennessee Specialty 

Crops Markets

Tennessee Technological University will screen the heirloom green bean 

collection held by the Sustainable Mountain Agricultural Center to identify 

lines with superior pod quality traits, such as tenderness and sweetness, to 

enhance the Tennessee green bean specialty crop market.

$25,000.00 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

18. Chickpeas as an 

Alternative Specialty Crop 

and Storage Crop for 

Tennessee

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will investigate the 

feasibility of producing chickpeas as a crop for small, diversified growers 

in Tennessee. Chickpea is a drought tolerant crop, requiring low fertility 

inputs, thereby, it could enhance the competitiveness of TN specialty crops 

by utilizing a low-input, sustainable cropping system, plus peas stored from 

the previous season could add diversity to early markets and CSA boxes, as 

spring crops are dependent on weather and sometimes later than expected.

$37,000.00 
176

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture

$554,217.87

19. Investigating New Crop 

Adoption and Success in 

Tennessee: Production 

Methods and Marketplace 

Acceptance of

Microgreens

University of Tennessee will support new and diversifying producers 

in growing and selling microgreens in Tennessee through a better 

understanding of market potential, customer preferences and key 

production practices. These efforts will investigate how light intensity during 

production influences visually and non-visually apparent nutritional quality, 

color, overall appearance, and yield of microgreens. The economic viability 

and marketability of enhanced visually and non-visually apparent nutritional 

attributes and appearance of microgreens will then be assessed through 

consumer behavior research to determine future market opportunities. 

Results will be disseminated to stakeholder groups through university 

extension reports, in-person/virtual meetings, and through national 

associations.

$25,079.20 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

1. Market Matchmaking for 

Specialty Crop Producers in 

Texas

Sustainable Food Center’s (SFC) project expansion will enable increased 

scale in production for small to mid-sized specialty crop producers across 

Texas. Collaborating with HEB Grocery, one of the region’s largest buyers of 

specialty crops, SFC and project partners (Foodshed Investors (FI), National 

Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 

(AgriLife), Plant to Profit, HEB Grocery will cultivate a pipeline between 

specialty crop producers and wholesale buyers to: 1) build capacity for local 

food procurement among at least five new wholesale buyers to expand 

or improve purchasing of Texas and sustainably grown specialty crops. 

2) develop wholesale readiness among Texas specialty crop growers. 3) 

increase revenues of specialty crop growers by 10 to 25 percent. 4) match 

buyers with growers and facilitate transactions

$266,276.00 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

2. Reducing the Potential for 

Cold Injury to New Vineyards 

in Texas by Evaluating Vine 

Shelter Type

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service & project partners, Cross Timbers 

Wine and Vineyard Association and East Texas Wine and Grape Producers, 

proposes to evaluate ten vine shelter types utilized in Texas vineyards with 

thermocouples placed inside and outside of the shelter for two growing 

seasons. Understanding temperature dynamics of each shelter type will 

provide critical information on determination of vine shelters removal 

for each Fall. This requires added time, labor, and cost or if there is a vine 

shelter type that does not negatively impact a vines dormancy period.

$14,470.11 
177

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

3. Evaluation of Mobile 

Drip Irrigation for Melon 

Production in the Texas High 

Plains

Texas A&M AgriLife Research, in collaboration with USDA-ARS, will conduct 

research to determine the potential of Mobile Drip Irrigation (MDI) 

technology for production of melons for fresh market sales. With mobile 

drip technology, drip lines are attached to the drop hoses of the center 

pivot system and water is applied directly to the soil as the lines are dragged 

across the field. This new technology will be compared with conventional 

center pivot sprinkler irrigation and traditional surface drip with regard 

to crop yield, quality, water use, water use efficiency, and total economic 

return. Mobile drip technology has potential to greatly facilitate increased 

production of high-quality, high-value specialty crops and to increase the 

economic and environmental sustainability of existing cropping systems.

$132,203.00 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65 4. Pecan Scab Fungicide Resistance Management

This Texas A&M AgriLife Extension team, in collaboration with the Texas 

Pecan Growers Association, aims to research and remediate the pecan 

scab disease in the state of Texas. The ultimate goal of our research group 

is to develop and optimize fungicide application schemes based on the 

knowledge of scab’s fungicide sensitivities in Texas pecan orchards. The new 

scab management strategy will be disseminated to stakeholders and pecan 

producers to improve their orchards’ biosecurity and increase economic and 

ecological benefits. To accomplish this goal, a practical fungicide sensitivity 

screening protocol will be developing and improving fungicide application 

recommendations customized to the condition of local orchards will be 

provided.

$130,386.00 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

5. Unlocking the Potential 

of Commercial Apricot 

Production in Texas

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will partner with Cooper Farms of Fairfield, 

TX to explore the improved feasibility of commercial apricot production in 

Texas through: 1) protected culture production in high tunnel greenhouses; 

2) the expanded field trialing of an extensive collection of new and 

heirloom apricot varieties. Production under protected culture (high tunnel 

greenhouses) will be compared to conventional, unprotected planting 

at Cooper Farms and at the Texas A&M Horticulture Research Farm 

(Somerville, TX). Plant health, vigor, yield, and fruit quality data will be 

collected from an expanded trial consisting of approximately 80 varieties 

at the TAMU Research Farm and Copper Farms to identify selections with 

superior fruit quality and consistent production for the Texas fruit market.

$53,337.00 
178

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

6. Avocado: An Ideal 

Specialty Crop to Add Value 

and Diversify the Texas Fruit 

Industry

Texas A&M AgriLife Research in collaboration with industry partners: Villita 

Avocado Inc., Rio Farms, Inc., and Texas International Produce Association 

(TIPA), propose to address the key focus area of Value Added and Industry 

Development as it pertains to fruit (avocado) production. This project seeks 

to increase resilience and to diversify the Texas fruit industry by introducing 

avocado (Percea Americana Mill) production, utilizing the existing 

operational structure for fruit tree production/processing to create valueadded products for conventional and niche markets. Two main outcomes 

are anticipated: (1) to identify avocado scion and rootstock varieties that 

are suitable for Texas production environments especially those that are 

cold-hardy and resistant to prevalent biotic and abiotic stresses such as 

heat, drought, salinity, and soil-borne diseases, (2) development of orchard 

best management practices to utilize resources such water efficiently, 

minimize stress impacts and increase productivity.

$113,196.00 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

7. Verjus: A Natural Method 

to Improve Wine Acidity and 

Increase the Profitability of 

Grape Production in Texas

Researchers at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas 

Woman’s University seek to evaluate the potential of using verjus to 

naturally acidify Texas wine, addressing a common winemaking challenge of 

high pH, while simultaneously providing grape growers with an additional 

source of income for the fruit that is normally removed prior to harvest, but 

discarded. The goals of the project are 1) to assess the feasibility of verjus 

production by cluster thinning using a mechanical harvester, 2) determine 

the impact of verjus on white wine chemical composition and flavor quality, 

and 3) to perform a fundamental economic analysis of all recommended 

practices relative to current standard viticulture and enology practices in the 

industry, and 4) disseminate the results with Texas grape and wine industry 

members and other interested parties through workshops, presentations, 

newsletters, and journal article publications. The trial will be conducted in a 

commercial vineyard in Brownfield, Texas.

$116,425.00 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

8. Strategic Approaches 

to Mitigate Salmonella 

Contamination of Bulb 

Onions

The Texas International Produce Association will partner with the Center 

for Produce Safety, which will in turn partner with Texas A&M University 

to develop an onion-specific risk reduction plan to address the recent 

multi-state Salmonella outbreak associated with red onions. The outbreak 

highlighted the pathogen’s ability to persist and survive on bulb onions 

during production, handling, or storage. However, there is a knowledge 

gap with regards to the behavior of Salmonella on bulb onions. This project 

will determine Salmonella survival and growth on bulb onions of different 

varieties, and investigate how pre-and post-harvest bulb onion production 

practices impact the susceptibility to Salmonella contamination.

$250,000.00 
179

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65

9. Enhancing Specialty Crops 

Through SNAP and FMNP 

Use at North Texas Farmers 

Markets

Enhancing Specialty Crops Through SNAP and FMNP Use at North Texas 

Farmers Markets is a project led by GROW North Texas (The Gleaning 

Network of Texas dba GROW North Texas and project partners Good Local 

Markets, Cowtown Farmers Market, Denton Community Market, WesleyRankin Community Center, Texas Center for Local Food) that brings together 

farmers markets and community partners to increase sales of Texas 

specialty crops by increasing the use of SNAP and WIC Farmers Market 

Nutrition Program dollars by 25% at eight (8) farmers markets in North 

Texas. By developing education materials for training and technical support 

for farmers market staff and information via social media for SNAP and 

FNMP beneficiaries about market opportunities for Texas specialty crops, 

this project will reduce the barrier of unfamiliarity for both audiences and 

facilitate a welcoming atmosphere for SNAP and FMNP users at farmers 

markets. Two new farmers markets will be established to additionally 

increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in under-served communities.

$192,312.46 

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $1,589,520.65 10. Tastes of Texas Road Tour and Texas Nursery Roadshow

The Tastes of Texas Road Tour and Texas Nursery Roadshow is a marketing 

campaign created by the Texas Department of Agriculture – Marketing and 

International Trade Division (TDA Marketing) (with project partners Texas 

International Produce Association, Texas State Florists Association, Texas 

Nursery and Landscape Association, Texas Watermelon Association, Texas 

Beekeepers Association, Texas Association of Olive Oil, Texas A&M AgriLife) 

designed to increase the awareness of Texas specialty crops to consumers 

throughout the state. TDA Marketing will also continue to leverage the 

success of the GO TEXAN marketing program to increase sales of Texas olive 

oil and honey by promoting sales of olive oil and honey products at GO 

TEXAN sponsored events.

$150,000.15 

US VI Department of 

Agriculture $244,603.26

1. Promoting Julie Mango as 

the Fruit of Choice of the US 

Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDA) Marketing Division 

is seeking the amount of $52,629.00 to establish and implement “The Julie 

Mango in Every Yard Program” in the territory. The agriculture community 

stakeholders (during a Specialty Crop Townhall meeting held on May 2, 

2021) unanimously decided on promoting Julie Mango as the fruit of choice 

according to Title 7 of the Virgin Islands Code. This program will seek to 

train participants on grafting, tree pruning and general tree maintenance. 

Next, the grafted trees will be adopted by community residents, who will 

receive training on tree planting and care. VIDA will oversee and highlight 

the program via electronic and print media to help raise awareness of Julie 

mango as the Virgin Islands fruit of choice.

$52,629.00 
180

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

US VI Department of 

Agriculture $244,603.26

2. Establishment of an 

Agriculture Development 

Pilot Program for (at risk) 

Youths living in Public 

Housing Communities

Sadly, many of the crimes that takes place on St. Croix occurs in the 

Public Housing communities. What’s even more alarming is the fact that 

99% of the food consumed in the US Virgin Islands is imported, yet the 

number of individuals that are engaged in farming are rapidly declining 

due to aging, while the youths are perpetuating the crimes and violence 

on the community. There is a great need to intervene into this growing 

trend by seeking to engage Virgin Islands (VI) youths (residing in housing 

communities) into an agriculture Development program in order to help 

deter crime (or criminal intent), while enhancing the competitiveness of 

Specialty Crops in the US Virgin Islands. For this reason, VIDA Marketing 

Division is seeking the amount of $112,400.00 to establish a Youth 

Agriculture Development Pilot Program to teach youths in public housing 

communities how to access, grow, market, and consume Specialty grown 

crops.

$112,400.00 

US VI Department of 

Agriculture $244,603.26

3. Development of Wild 

Cinnamon (Pimenta 

racemosa) for the USVI 

nursery industry

The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Agricultural Experiment Station will 

partner with the UVI Cooperative Extension Service and will collect seeds of 

Wild Cinnamon or Bayrum (Pimenta racemosa), a Virgin Islands rare native 

fruit tree and investigate and develop propagation techniques for the local 

nursery industry. Pregerminative seed treatments along with vegetative 

propagation systems will be developed for nurseries to obtain planting 

stock. The leaves of this tree species are used in cooking as a substitute for 

cinnamon. Oils, extracted from the leaves, is used to make highly valued 

Bayrum. From the various germinated seedlings, we will produce viable 

plantlets to be given out to participating farmers and for planting in public 

areas. An informative fact sheet will be developed with protocol nurseries 

could follow to propagate and make this tree available to the general public.

$55,554.00 

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19

1. Buy Utah First; Bringing 

Utah’s Consumers Together 

With Utah’s Fruit Growers to 

Secure a Sweeter Future

Payson Fruit Growers, joined by over 30 fruit growers throughout Utah, will 

develop “Buy Utah Fruit First”, an association that will create a strategic 

action plan to educate Utah retailers and consumers to actively seek out 

and purchase Utah grown fruit through initial industry evaluation, trade 

meetings, and targeted educational campaigns.

$47,180.00 
181

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19

2. Developing Ceanothus 

Velutinus for Sustainable 

Green Industry Production 

by Exploring its Microbiome

Native plants are ‘new blood’ to the Green Industry. Utah ranks in the 

top 10 states for vascular plant species diversity. Developing Utah’s native 

plants as specialty crops for nursery production and promoting their use 

in water-efficient landscaping can play a pivotal role in sustaining specialty 

crop production throughout Utah and the Intermountain West. Utah State 

University will establish an agreement or contractual relationship with the 

State Department of Agriculture and Food to lead and execute a project to 

develop Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush ceanothus) as a unique broadleaf 

evergreen specialty crop for sustainable Green Industry production.

$62,351.22 

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19 3. Statewide Promotion of 

Utah Grown Specialty Crops

This project will alleviate some of the financial burden, human capital 

and time required to take advantage of modern marketing opportunities 

to efficiently promote and market Utah specialty crops. Emerging trends 

indicate that the Utah’s Own program can be effective in generating 

centralized, coordinated and comprehensive campaigns to effectively 

promote Utah’s specialty crops, while also providing a marketing 

infrastructure to oversee campaign management and execution.

$62,154.00 

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19

4. Understanding 

Southwestern Native 

American Peach Diversity 

Through Genetic and 

Rooting Characterization.

Utah State University (USU) Extension Assistant Professor, Reagan 

Wytsalucy, will work to identify American Southwestern peach germplasm 

diversity and rooting characteristics to understand their potential as a 

resource to peach breeding practices in addition to bringing their presence 

back to production among Southwestern Native American communities. 

Project results will be disseminated to Four Corners Native American Tribal 

communities and Horticulture professional audiences.

$21,943.38 

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19 5. Utah Harvest of the 

Season Program

Utah State Board of Education Child Nutrition Programs (USBE CNP) will 

establish a statewide Harvest of the Season program to provide educational 

resources for classrooms, gardens, and kitchens that showcase selected 

seasonal Utah-grown foods. The Harvest of the Season program will 

increase pre-K-12 students’ access to, knowledge of, and consumption 

of Utah-grown specialty crops. Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds 

will be used to market the program to students, teachers, and school food 

service workers. Also, will develop additional program resources.

$94,620.00 
182

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19

6. SCOPE (Specialty Crop 

Outreach and Program 

Education): A Utah Public 

Radio Broadcast/podcast 

and USU Hunger Solutions 

Institute Community Event 

Pro

UPR will partner with Utah State University’s Hunger Solutions Institute 

(HSI) and Create Better Health (CBH) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP-Ed) to produce and distribute a series of educational radio 

broadcast/podcast programs as well as sponsor community information 

events to discuss ways consumers, producers, distributors, and researchers 

of Utah’s specialty crops can work together to address hunger, improve 

health, and increase the production of and access to our state’s unique 

crops.

$35,000.00 

Utah Department 

of Agriculture and 

Food

$368,435.19

7. Crops in a Box: Classroom 

Resources for Utah Specialty 

Crops

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom (Utah State University Extension) will 

increase knowledge and consumption of Utah Specialty Crops by providing 

Crops in a Box educational resources and professional development to Utah 

teachers, grades 3-5.

$19,789.74 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23 1. ACORN Wholesale Network

The ACORN Wholesale Network (AWN) will be a centralized digital and 

physical space that facilitates the sales, aggregation, and distribution 

of locally produced food products to wholesale markets by partnering 

with existing organizations, including Farm Connex Food Connects and 

the Vermont Farmers Food Center. The AWN will use the Local Food 

Marketplace platform to aggregate specialty crop producers’ inventory 

online to make it easier for wholesale buyers to purchase products and 

receive one invoice.

$58,300.00 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

2. Establishing a 

Vermont Holistic Orchard 

Management Network

This project is led by Eden Specialty Cider / Eden Orchards of Newport 

and West Charleston, VT. The project will develop a network of small-scale 

and U Pick growers in Vermont to explore Holistic orchard management 

practices and their use in the growing of apples specifically for alcoholic 

cider production. This is step 1 of a multi-year project that intends to 

conduct research on methods and practices to improve yields, lower costs, 

and minimize negative environmental impacts for apples that are prioritized 

for flavor development over appearance and storage characteristics.

$4,000.00 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

3. VitiNord 2022: A Pivotal 

Opportunity for Education, 

Collaboration, And 

Innovation Among Vermont 

Grape and Wine Producers

In summer 2019, the VitiNord planning committee selected Vermont as 

the site for its December 2021 (delayed to 2022 due to COVID) conference. 

VitiNord is the world’s premier international cold-climate grape and wine 

conference. It is expected to bring over 300 attendees, including grape 

and wine producers, educators, researchers, marketers, and wine writers, 

to the state. The potential impact of this high-profile conference on the 

Vermont wine industry is huge. Conference operations are managed by local 

partners, and the Vermont Grape and Wine Council will handle registration 

and event logistics.

$20,548.00 
183

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

4. Developing a Plant-Based 

Lure for the Swede Midge, 

An Invasive Pest of Brassica 

Crops

Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an invasive 

insect that is threatening Brassica production in the Northeastern and 

North Central United States. The insect specializes on all Brassica crops, 

including B. oleraceae (kale, collards, broccoli, kohlrabi etc.) and B. rapa 

(canola, turnip, etc.) (Chen et al. 2011). Swede midge feeding scars plant 

tissues, creates multiple shoots, and causes the loss of marketable heads. 

The University of Vermont will develop an attractive lure for female swede 

midge through laboratory and field research to manage midge populations 

in broccoli fields.

$44,310.00 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

5. Cultivating Local Food in 

the Rutland Region Through 

Market Expansion

Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) will increase specialty crop sales for 

Rutland region’s producers by expanding access through its Online Market 

and Farmacy produce prescription programs; creating new opportunities 

and relationships with wholesale customers; restaurants and institutions; 

and by establishing the infrastructure and processes to aggregate, store and 

distribute specialty crops.

$52,000.00 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

6. Expanding Use for 

Vermont Pure Maple Syrup 

Among Existing Consumers

The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association (VMSMA) will expand the 

use of pure Vermont maple syrup with existing Vermont consumers by 

introducing Vermont maple as a replacement for other sugars in coffee. The 

project’s long-term goal is to pilot one in a series of marketing campaigns 

introducing pure Vermont maple syrup as a pantry staple. VMSMA will start 

this program with the pairing of maple and coffee and hire a local marketing 

firm to create a measurable, branded, and cohesive campaign during the 

course of the project.

$35,825.00 

Vermont Agency of 

Agriculture $325,756.23

7. Improved Coordination 

for Strengthened Local 

& Regional Marketing 

Initiatives

Using the Specialty Crop funds, the marketing team at the Vermont 

Agency of Agriculture will look closely at three of our premier consumer 

facing events to ensure robust specialty crop participation and consumer 

engagement, set up a reporting structure, create a standard method of 

recruitment, and create and distribute supporting marketing materials to 

ensure that each participant has the information they need to be successful 

during these events and beyond. We will also work with DigInVermont 

and participating producer associations to move the state towards one 

consumer facing directory.

$86,353.85 
184

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

1. Point-of-Harvest (PoH) 

Continuing Education 

Program for Wild Harvesters

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), in partnership with Virginia 

Tech (VT), will improve forest botanical competitiveness, sustainability, 

and profitability among Virginia’s wild harvesters. Partners will accomplish 

this by finalizing and implementing a Point of Harvest (PoH) workforce 

development and continuing education program. Partners will certify five 

PoH instructors and 100 PoH wild harvesters, who, in turn, will gain access 

to equipment and premium-priced markets for sustainably and legally 

harvested forest botanicals through the Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub 

(AH).

$73,974.55 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

2. Examining the Use of 

Biochar to Improve Lavender 

Disease Resistance in 

Virginia

Researchers at Virginia Tech will examine the efficacy of biochar soil 

treatments in promoting disease-resistance in a model specialty crop 

system using greenhouse and field studies. This project will develop 

diagnostic tools and growing recommendations for lavender farmers 

afflicted with Phytophthora infections that will be shared with lavender 

growers via U.S. Lavender Grower newsletters, social media, and 

conferences.

$68,382.72 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

3. Establishment of 

a Hazelnut (Corylus 

avellana L.) Cultivar Trial 

at the Southern Piedmont 

Agricultural Research and 

Extension Center

The Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension 

Center (SPAREC) jointly with Virginia State University, are requesting support 

to initiate a hazelnut (Corylus avellane L.) cultivar trial in Virginia. Hazelnut 

is a high value specialty crop whose production in the United States (U.S.) 

occurs primarily in the Pacific Northwest with Oregon accounting for more 

than 90% of the total acreage.

$53,224.41 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

4. Improving Agronomic 

Traits of Edamame by Gene 

Editing

Edamame, also known as vegetable soybean, is becoming increasingly 

popular in the United States owing to its excellent nutritional value and 

health benefits. Most of the edamame consumed in the U.S. is imported 

from overseas producers. The expanding domestic demand for edamame 

and increasing import dependency has kindled government and local 

growers’ interest in producing this crop. Three major factors preventing 

wider adoption of edamame production in Virginia are short shelf life, 

longer production cycle (90-100 days) to reach optimal harvesting time, and 

commonly used bean harvesters can cause 15-25% loss of fresh beans for 

edamame.

$63,538.85 
185

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

5. Securing Organic 

Vegetable Production in 

Virginia Through Increased 

Disease Management 

Knowledge

Organic production in the Commonwealth of Virginia has grown to include 

over 28,000 acres and account for over $62,800,000 in value according to 

the 2019 Organic Survey conducted by the USDA. Diseases are one of the 

most important limiting factors for organic vegetable production in Virginia. 

Growers experience losses in yield and quality due to disease damage and 

organic disease control materials are sparse.

$72,026.57 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

6. Assessing Suitable 

Production Techniques for 

Ramps in Appalachia

Virginia Tech, in partnership with Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer’s 

Coalition, Appalachian Sustainable Development, and U.S. Forest Service 

will develop sustainable propagation and production techniques for ramps 

(Allium tricoccum); this effort will involve improving our understanding 

of markets for cultured ramps, comparing and conserving ramp ecotypes, 

improving ramp production techniques, refining a site suitability model, and 

disseminating results to stakeholders through field days, university media 

and extension publications.

$70,257.88 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

7. Evaluating the Microbial 

Quality of High Tunnel 

Environments used for 

Produce Production

High tunnel production has increased greatly in the last ten years. In 2010, 

there were approximately 400 high tunnels in the Southern Region, but 

since then, over 7,000 high tunnels have been built across this region 

with funding support through the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Since 

2010, approximately 800 high tunnels have been funded by USDA-NRCS 

in Virginia. Soil borne diseases threaten the long-term sustainability of 

vegetable production in high tunnels if left unchecked. A survey is needed 

to determine pathogens present within Virginia high tunnels in order to 

ascertain which risks are present within the Commonwealth.

$72,225.93 

Virginia Department 

of Agriculture and 

Consumer Services

$550,688.79

8. Large Scale 

Commercialization of Ginger 

Production in VirginiaAssessing its Health Benefits

The Small Fruit and Vegetable Program with the Cooperative Extension 

in partnership with the Food Chemistry and Nutrition Science Program in 

the Agricultural Research Station Department at Virginia State University 

are seeking funding to promote the commercial production of fresh ginger 

roots among Virginia farmers and its health benefits among consumers.

$57,717.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

1. Fresh Sweet Cherries 

Product Launch and Market 

Development in India

The Washington State Fruit Commission (WSFC) will establish an agreement 

with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to create trade and 

consumer demand and increase sales of fresh, sweet Northwest cherries in 

the India market through strategic Trade partnerships, influencer marketing, 

public relations, product education meetings and events, and research.

$245,768.00 
186

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

2. World Pear Day Global 

In-person Consumer Event 

Outreach and Social Media 

Promotion

PBNW will establish an agreement with the Washington State Department 

of Agriculture to target increased consumption and awareness of USA Pears 

in the key export markets of Mexico and Canada, with large-scale in-person 

consumer outreach events (mall events, road shows, restaurant takeover, etc.) to celebrate World Pear Day and attempt to set Guinness World 

Record(s) and conduct a coordinated social media outreach campaign to 

broaden the reach and impact of World Pear Day to all USA Pear export 

markets. World Pear Day is a global promotion initiated by PBNW to 

celebrate all things pears. PBNW will work with a Global Ad agency to 

conceptually develop, implement and evaluate all the activities described 

above. Planned activities at the in-person outreach events will include 

sampling USA Pears, blind taste tests for consumers to find their “perfect 

pear,” recipe demonstrations, interactive educational activities for kids and 

adults and the Guinness World record attempt. Due to ongoing concerns 

with Covid, the vaccine rollout, and the possibility there still may be Covidrelated restrictions in place for large gatherings and on sampling activities in 

December 2021, PBNW will look to start this project in earnest in December 

2022.

$100,000.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

3. Establishing Rootstock 

and Production System 

Recommendations for New 

Washington Apple Selection 

(WSU ‘L’)

A Washington State University research and extension team will establish 

an agreement with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to 

establish two orchards of the new potential apple release (WSU selection 

‘L’) with four different rootstocks and two different production systems to 

develop recommendations for Washington growers. One orchard will have a 

research focus, with replicated blocks of each rootstock/system combination 

to enable appropriate statistical analysis of the growth and production data 

collected. The second orchard will have a demonstration focus and will 

be planted with full rows of each rootstock/system combination to better 

represent a commercial orchard. Trees have been propagated ready for 

planting in spring 2022 which will enable three growing seasons of data to 

be collected in the project period. Field visits to both orchards (in person 

and/or virtual), combined with recommendations based on the robust data 

from the research orchard, will enable Washington apple growers to make 

informed decisions on how to best establish and manage this new variety 

in their own orchards. In addition, grower-press articles and stakeholder 

meeting presentations will be used for dissemination. All information 

generated will be available on-line through the WSU Tree Fruit Extension 

website www.treefruit.wsu.edu.

$220,045.00 
187

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

4. Sustainable Management 

of X Disease by Removing 

Weedy Vector and Pathogen 

Hosts

Sustainable Management of 

X Disease

The Washington State University will establish an agreement with the 

Washington State Department of Agriculture to evaluate environmentally 

sustainable weed management techniques to remove weedy hosts for 

the pathogen and the leafhopper vectors in a large-scale field trial in 

commercial orchards. The Washington stone fruit (cherry, peach, nectarine) 

industry is experiencing a devastating X-disease epidemic that makes 

fruit unmarketable and has no cure. Key timings for weed removal will be 

evaluated to break the cycle of disease transmission. These techniques 

will reduce the environmental impacts of repeated insecticide sprays and 

mitigate the spread of the disease to safeguard fruit production.

$244,750.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

5. Scouts and Thresholds: 

Implementing Biologically 

Based Pear IPM

Through this project, Washington State University will establish and 

agreement with Washington State Department of Agriculture to build on 

previous work to establish strategies which consistently produce marketable 

fruit by testing natural enemy thresholds and establishing a scouting 

network. Washington is the nation’s number one pear producer, growing 

one half of U.S. pears. Pear psylla and spider mites are a top priority for 

pear growers in production areas like the Wenatchee river valley. Low fruit 

prices and inconsistent returns combined with rising insect control costs are 

threatening profitability. High yields and quality fruit are needed to keep 

pear production competitive.

$246,524.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

6. Survey for Parasitoids that 

Infest the Apple Maggot 

and Snowberry Fly (Diptera: 

Tephritidae) in Washington

The Washington State Department of Agriculture will conduct a survey for 

parasitoids that infect the apple maggot and snowberry fly in Washington. 

To minimize the impact that R. pomonella can have on the apple industry, 

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), in collaboration 

with the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research 

Service (USDA-ARS), plans to execute a project evaluating biological control 

options that include these sympatric wasps that attack both fly species. 

These options will complement current fly detection and control programs. 

WSDA’s goal is to survey native parasitoids of the R. pomonella complex 

and to determine the frequency of “cross parasitism” by parasitoids of 

these fly species. Furthermore, we plan to map out the host distribution of 

parasitoids of this Rhagoletis complex to determine how to conserve the 

parasitoids and minimize the future impact of R. pomonella complex on 

Washington agriculture.

$102,312.00 
188

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

7. Regulated Deficit 

Irrigation for Improved Cider 

Apple Quality with Reduced 

Water Input

Washington State University (WSU) will establish an agreement with the 

Washington State Department of Agriculture to improve stewardship of 

water resources and the Washington state cider industry’s competitiveness 

by measuring the response of cider apple yield and quality to regulated 

deficit irrigation and then disseminating research results through field days, 

videos, WSU Extension publications, and grower training on methods of 

irrigation scheduling that can also translate across perennial specialty crop 

systems.

$244,085.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

8. Healthy Soils for Healthy 

Peas: Soil pH Management 

and Micronutrient Dynamics 

for Washington Peas

Washington State University will establish an agreement with the 

Washington State Department of Agriculture to evaluate genotype by 

environment by management interactions (G x E x M) of uptake efficiency 

and grain content of nutritionally important micronutrients in existing 

cultivars and advanced breeding lines of peas in acidic and remediated soil 

environments for improved production and marketability of Washington 

peas, and disseminate results to stakeholders through meetings and field 

days. This project will develop information for both soil management 

and crop (genetic) improvement to increase micronutrient content, 

marketability, and overall profitability for food quality peas. On-farm 

trials in three eastern Washington environments will quantify the efficacy, 

interactions, and economics of soil amendments for ameliorating acidic soils 

and micronutrient deficiencies. The outcomes indicating pea cultivars with 

higher and lower capacity for micronutrient uptake and best management 

in the three environments will be presented at multiple grower conferences, 

field days, and workshops. Both soil and crop management are needed for 

higher production and improved quality and marketability of Washingtongrown peas.

$244,944.00 
189

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

9. Working Buffer Practices 

on Marginal Farmlands to 

Increase Income Potential 

and Address Natural 

Resource Concerns

The Snohomish Conservation District will establish an agreement with the 

Washington State Department of Agriculture to establish on-farm working 

buffer trials to increase income potential and address natural resource 

concerns. Agroforestry is a system of practices that utilizes perennial tree 

crops to increase farm income, resiliency, and ecosystem services. This 

project will focus on combining two temperate agroforestry practices, 

multi-story cropping and native riparian buffers, to create multifunctional 

“working” buffers. These provide financial return to the farmer while 

maintaining the ecological benefits of traditional riparian buffers. The 

utilization of this practice to protect critical water resources while 

mitigating losses for agricultural producers has garnered regional attention 

from natural resource agencies. However, there has been little producer 

adoption, likely due to a lack of region-specific technical information 

available regarding implementation and the market viability of specialty 

crops suitable to the practice.

$244,275.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

10. Old Wood Ciders: 

Evaluating Heritage Varieties 

for Specialty Cider

Kwiaht will establish an agreement with the Washington State Department 

of Agriculture to identify and evaluate heritage tree fruit of the San Juan 

Islands for producing specialty ciders. Through participatory research 

involving orchard owners, value-added product producers, and community 

volunteers, Kwiaht will evaluate heritage and locally adapted, apple, pear, 

and plum varieties from the San Juan archipelago for use in the production 

of specialty ciders. This will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops 

by increasing the economic return on heritage fruit varieties per acre for 

at least 10 specialty producers. Additionally, this project will result in the 

characterization and evaluation of at least 12 heritage fruit varieties that 

have not yet been evaluated for their use in ciders and, working with cider 

makers, facilitate the release of at least 3 new varietal cider products. 

$93,132.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

11. Stop the Spread: Building 

Pest Management Plans to 

Comply with New Grape 

Quarantine Rules

The Washington Wine Industry Foundation (WWIF) will establish an 

agreement with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to 

establish and implement a Pest Management Plan (PMP) before moving 

plant material, labor or equipment out of a pest-infested vineyard. This 

project responds to a recent update to the state grape quarantine rule 

requiring grape growers to establish and implement a Pest Management 

Plan (PMP).

$237,703.00 
190

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

12. Raising Awareness of 

Washington’s Specialty 

Crops Locally and 

Internationally

The Washington State Department of Agriculture will develop and distribute 

videos to raise awareness of Washington specialty crops to domestic 

and international consumers and increase specialty crop export sales in 

foreign markets. Videos relevant for an international audience will be 

subtitled or dubbed in selected foreign markets where WSDA has in-market 

representation. All videos will be posted on YouTube and social media 

domestically and internationally to promote Washington specialty crops.

$250,000.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

13. Tree Removal for 

X-disease and Little Cherry 

Disease Infected Orchards

Washington State University in partnership with local conservation districts 

and pest boards will provide cost share stipends for the removal of trees 

infected with X-disease and Little cherry disease in order to slow the spread 

of these devastating pathogens which have already caused the loss of 974 

acres of cherries in Washington and Oregon.

$249,200.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

14. Genetic Insights into 

Leafhopper/Phytoplasma 

Interactions and Gene-based 

Immunization for Plant 

Disease Control

This project’s overall focus is on biological mechanisms underlying X-disease 

and involves a collaboration between researchers at the United States 

Department of Agriculture and Washington State University. X- Disease 

is caused by a phytoplasma bacteria transmitted to stone fruit trees by 

leafhopper vectors and is fatal to the fruit trees. Currently there are no 

direct treatments to control X-disease, so growers rely upon the removal of 

infected trees and prophylactic insecticide applications to suppress vector 

populations. Very little is known about the genetics of the leafhoppers and 

the X-disease phytoplasma. Our project will investigate genetic interactions 

between phytoplasma and its leafhopper vectors. Specific attention will 

be given to immune system genes of the leafhoppers and bacterial genes, 

known as effectors, that allow the bacterium to infect host plants and 

insect vectors. The genomes of the primary leafhopper vectors of X- disease 

phytoplasma will be sequenced. Catalogues will be developed of all genes 

expressed by leafhoppers and phytoplasma during infection of leafhoppers 

and these catalogues will be analyzed to identify the genes that putatively 

mediate X-disease phytoplasma interactions with their leafhopper host. The 

genomic resources developed from this project will be used to integrate 

X-disease research with ongoing research on similar pathosystems for which 

extensive genomic resources are already available, namely citrus greening 

and zebra chip diseases. Specifically, this project will allow researchers to 

eventually adapt novel gene-based therapies and delivery mechanisms that 

are being developed for citrus greening and potato zebra chip diseases to 

immunize cherry trees against the X-disease phytoplasma.

$233,807.00 
191

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

15. Validation Study for the 

Tree-fruit Industry: Effective 

Strategies to Sanitize Harvest 

Bins and Picking Bags

The Center for Produce Safety will partner with Kansas State University to 

develop science- based recommendations to help improve cleaning and 

sanitation practices for tree fruit harvesting operations. The reduction 

of foodborne illnesses associated with fresh produce can be better 

achieved by controlling potential food safety risk points during harvesting, 

processing, and distribution. Harvesting tools, bins, and containers have 

been recognized as microbial reservoirs and contamination sources in 

several outbreaks and recalls. Undefined recommendations for cleaning and 

sanitation of harvest bins and picking bags have created challenges for tree 

fruit producers and handlers. The overall goal of the project is to validate, 

through lab and field testing, several strategies for cleaning and sanitizing 

harvest bins and bags in collaboration with growers and packinghouse 

stakeholders. This project will first evaluate the effectiveness of 

commercially available sanitizers (chlorine, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid, 

steam, and silver dihydrogen citrate) in controlling Listeria monocytogenes, 

Salmonella, and Escherichia coli on representative food contact surfaces 

encountered in the apple industry during harvesting. The results obtained 

will guide the selection of treatments for the subsequent validation studies 

at commercial facilities, located at primary sites of small-scale (Kansas, 

Missouri, and Iowa) and large-scale (Washington) apple production areas 

in the United States. The data generated from this project will improve the 

competitiveness of tree fruit crops by increasing the number of available 

strategies that can be implemented by growers and packers of many sizes 

and scales, while managing food safety risks tied to sanitation of harvest 

bins and picking bags.

$250,000.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

16. Utilizing Machine 

Learning for Site-specific 

Washington State Perennial 

Crop Weather Forecasting

The Washington State University (WSU) AgWeatherNet (AWN) program, 

in collaboration with the University of Washington Department of 

Atmospheric Sciences, will utilize machine-learning techniques applied to 

AWN station data to develop new site-specific air temperature and relative 

humidity forecast products to aid Washington State specialty crop grower 

decision-making. These forecasts and forecast- dependent decision support 

tools will be made available to Washington growers for free on the new 

AgWeatherNet AWNfarm web- and mobile-platform, as well as via other 

WSU platforms.

$243,459.00 
192

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

17. Mechanical-assist 

Harvest Technologies for 

Reducing Labor Requirement 

in Tree Fruit

Currently, every piece of high-value tree fruit grown in Washington is 

harvested by hand, at great annual risk to those harvesting the fruit, 

and singular expense for orchardists raising the fruit. This research 

and extension proposal led by Washington State University faculty, in 

partnership with the agricultural engineering firm DeKleine Machine Co., 

seeks to improve production efficiency and reduce labor requirements for 

harvest of tree fruit crops. We propose to further develop mechanicallyassisted harvest systems comprised of small, handheld shakers combined 

with lightweight catching frames (i.e., shake- and-catch). Our previous 

research has demonstrated potential for remarkable improvements 

in harvest efficiency using prototype shake-and-catch systems in 

sweet cherry and apple. We propose here to refine the systems and 

work with commercial growers in their development, evaluation, and 

commercialization. We propose to work specifically in sweet cherries, first 

with stem-free fruit harvested for cannery or freezing, as well as stem-free 

fruit for fresh market. In addition, we propose to evaluate the system for 

cider apple harvesting, a process that shows potential to be mechanized, 

with little concern over minor bruising or cosmetic damage. At this project’s 

completion, we will have developed and evaluated a novel handheld shake 

and catch harvest system for sweet cherries, and cider apples that may be 

further evaluated for fresh market apples, and other crops in the future. 

This project will help ensure the sustainability of Washington’s high value 

fruit crops through the development and deployment of innovative harvest 

systems.

$234,453.00 
193

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

18. Organic Online: Creating 

Tools and Resources to 

Support Organic Specialty 

Crop Farmers and Handlers

Statistics support specialty crop businesses in planning for growth, 

responding to trends, and securing funding. WSDA Organic Program will 

facilitate the use of this vital data by compiling and maintaining statistics on 

Washington organic agriculture.

USDA organic regulations have specific restrictions on the use of input 

materials on organic farms and in processed organic products. WSDA 

Organic Program reviews and registers inputs used in organic production. 

To help organic specialty crop businesses navigate input material 

requirements, WSDA Organic Program will develop a searchable online 

database of compliant products to make materials easy to source and select 

for the proper use.

When organic specialty crop farmers, processors, and handlers choose to 

certify their businesses, they commit to following organic practices from 

soil to sale. They must follow USDA organic requirements, including an 

annual certification application and update, maintenance of extensive 

recordkeeping, and consent to inspections. Organic certification can be 

complex and time consuming. To improve service to existing clients and 

ease certification for new clients, WSDA Organic Program will respond to 

requests to modernize the certification process for specialty crop farmers, 

processors, and handlers.

$243,721.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

19. Building an Aggregation 

Network and Marketing 

Support for BIPOC Specialty 

Crop Farmers in Western WA

Washington State University (WSU) in partnership with International Rescue 

Committee (IRC) and Culinary Breeding Network (CBN) will create a BIPOC 

specialty crop aggregation association for the Food Access Aggregation 

Community Team (FAACT) of South King County, that will engage in 

branding, marketing, and events to build direct-to-consumer, retail, and 

wholesale markets for BIPOC specialty crop producers in Western WA.

$249,178.00 

Washington State

Department of

Agriculture

$4,626,980.96

20. Gorge Grown Mobile 

Farmers Market: Increasing 

Markets for Smaller-Scale 

Specialty Crop Producers

Gorge Grown Food Network will increase sales of specialty crops and 

the number of access points for specialty crops in Klickitat and Skamania 

counties by increasing marketing/promotion, connecting smaller-scale 

farmers to new accounts/markets, hosting educational events, and 

increasing the number of communities served through the Gorge Grown 

Mobile Market.

$54,972.00 
194

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06 1. Development of a Walnut 

Sap Spout

Future Generations University, in collaboration with the Robert C. Byrd 

Institute of Advanced Manufacturing (RCBI), plans on conducting the 

research necessary to develop a walnut specific spout. US Forest Service 

data shows that West Virginia has over 20 million tappable, black walnut 

(Juglan nigra) trees (Ferrell). With market prices for walnut syrup over 10 

times that of maple syrup, West Virginia has the opportunity to become 

a leader in the emerging walnut syrup market. Much less is known about 

walnut tree tapping than maple. Future Generation is addressing that 

knowledge gap with two Northeast SARE grants and private support from 

the Benedum Foundation. This proposal focuses on the walnut specific 

problems of bark thickness, optimal spout taper, and the problem of 

spouts backing out of trees. Successful development of walnut specific tap 

will allow production with existing maple infrastructure (i.e., storage, RO, 

evaporators) leading to increased efficiency, and quicker capital investment 

payback. Specific project outcomes include:

- Research into the anatomical and physiological characteristics of walnut 

trees that are causing maple spouts to back out of tapped trees.

- Research into spout characteristics as they effect volume of sap produced 

and volume of compartmentalization in the tree’s sapwood. 

- The development and testing of prototype spouts to solve the issues 

identified above.

- The commercialization of the best of the tested spouts allowing adaption 

by existing and future walnut syrup producers.

- Extension of the developed technology through the sap and syrup 

production events and workshops to explore future market development.

$49,997.00 
195

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06

2. Risk Assessment and 

Management of Spotted 

Lanternfly

West Virginia University will perform a project to protect specialty crops 

in WV from the invasion of the spotted lanternfly (slf) through research, 

active survey, outreach, and education. The project will assess the potential 

damage and spread of slf and improve early detection to mitigate the 

slf invasion. The research will develop a spatial model to predict the 

distribution of slf in WV, which will be used to generated risk maps for 

various specialty crops that could be damaged by slf. Active surveys of slf 

will be conducted for the early detection of slf by using drone and ground 

surveys. The project will provide rigorous formal and informal education 

for stakeholders and the public for detection and management of slf on 

specialty crops. Planned activities include outreach at grower conferences/

meetings and public training in slf identification through the WVU extension 

service and social networking platform. Three major outcomes/outputs of 

this project are: 

1. Risk maps of wv specialty crop due to the invasion of slf. 

2. Active detection, monitoring, and mitigation of localized slf population in 

the state using aerial and ground surveys.

3. Increased grower education and slf detection by the population.

this project is timely and important because the invasion of slf is in an early 

stage of its invasion to wv, and early detection/risk assessment, could help 

proactive measures before slf spreads throughout wv.

$73,345.00 

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06

3. Developing a Farmer’s 

Market Price Reporting 

System

West Virginia University’s cooperative extension service and Davis College 

of Agriculture will collect historical and current price data for 25 specialty 

crops sold at West Virginia farmers’ markets across the state. Once 

collected, this data will be provided to farmers through an online platform 

hosted by the WVU’s cooperative extension service and will be shared with 

the West Virginia department of agriculture. WVU cooperative extension 

service will host educational sessions to spread awareness about the 

availability of such data, an on how producers can responsibly use this data 

to evaluate crop prices. currently, there is no comprehensive collection of 

farmers market price data taking place for West Virginia markets.

$9,948.00 
196

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06

4. Determining Market 

Potential of Dried Vegetables 

and Herbs

The West Virginia Military Authority’s Patriot Guardens program will 

support veteran and military families in production and marketing of 

dried vegetables and herbs for sales to local culinary businesses, as well 

as farmers markets and other direct to consumer opportunities. Through 

direct support to these veteran and military families by way of education, 

technical, and production support, etc. the amount of locally produced 

vegetables and herbs will be able to reach the market, particularly those 

products that would receive a grade less than premium via the wholesale 

market. Objectives of the project would include the determination of 

market desire/needs, development of a network producers and a series 

of educational activities to include production, value added processes, 

food safety and more. Outputs of the project will be at least 10 producers 

beginning to dry, market and sell their products to various restaurants/food 

service businesses, farmers markets, meat shops/delis, etc. statewide, but 

particularly in the greater charleston – huntington metro area.

$36,324.00 

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06

5. D4P: Diversified Protected 

and Perennial Production 

Plot

D4P (Diversified Protected Perennial Production Plot) will instigate perennial 

specialty crop production in the upper OV (Ohio Valley) by providing 

multiple entry-points for perennial crop production, from commercial 

farmer to home gardener to school children, while providing a verticallyintegrated value chain from seed to table to facilitate perennial grower 

success.

$72,706.00 

West Virginia 

Department of 

Agriculture

$309,569.06

6. Examining Kale Yield and 

Sales Based on Varieties and 

Cabbage Looper Control 

Methods in WV

Kale has been identified by the Tumrow Network as a crop with significant 

production gaps with respect to scalability in consideration of the length of 

growing season. diversity of markets, consistently high overall demand. Lack 

of volume production, and the favorable growing conditions found in the 

region. High Rocks Educational Corporation in partnership with Pocahontas 

County Extension will examine multiple kale (Brassica oleracea) varieties for 

yield and control treatments for cabbage looper damage. Three treatments 

(floating row cover, Bt and/or Neem Oil, hand picking larvae, and control for 

each variety) will be applied to each of the varieties (Winterbor, Redbor, Red 

Russian, Toscano, Lacinato, Westlandse). Results will be distributed through 

field days and publication in and National Associations of Agricultural 

Agents.

$28,650.00 
197

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

1. Field Research to Support 

a New Export Market for 

Fresh Ginseng

Fresh ginseng is in high demand in Taiwan, where it is sold in grocery stores 

and used in traditional Taiwanese recipes. Fresh roots are less expensive 

than dried ginseng and are larger in size. Korea, China, and Canada are 

currently filling the Taiwanese demand for fresh ginseng because fresh 

Wisconsin ginseng is not available to them. The GBW is pursuing exports of 

fresh ginseng to Taiwan as this will diversify Wisconsin sales. Diversification 

of markets for Wisconsin ginseng is increasingly important given the recent 

increase in tariff to 41% for exports of ginseng to China.

$99,920.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

2. Where Should I Put My 

Honey Bees? Exploring 

Variation in Pesticide 

Contamination, Nutritional 

Quality, and Diversity of 

Pollen Collected by Honey B

The Gratton Lab in the Department of Entomology at the University of 

Wisconsin-Madison will improve our understanding of how variation in the 

landscape influences the quality of pollen collected by honeybees and how 

this influences hive health by assessing pesticide load, pollen diversity, and 

protein content across different landscape types, and will share results with 

stakeholders through grower meetings and online materials.

$99,868.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

3. In-Season Prediction 

of Potato Yield Using 

Satellite Remote Sensing 

and Machine Learning 

for Sustainable Irrigation 

Management

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will develop an open-source webbased tool with the use of publicly available satellite remote sensing data 

and machine learning techniques for in-season potato yield prediction 

at the field scale to improve irrigation management, and will provide 

dissemination of research results through multiple extension/outreach 

approaches.

$99,745.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

4. Enhancing Vegetable 

Crop Production and 

Competitiveness Against 

Weeds with Natural Plant 

Growth Regulators

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will increase vegetable crop 

production and quality by reducing competition with weeds through timely, 

practical and affordable use of natural plant hormones that enhance crop 

growth and eliminate early season weeds.

$97,067.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

5 . Harnessing the 

Microbiome in Potato 

and Vegetable Production 

to Improve Disease 

Management and Soil 

Health

The proposed project, led by Amanda Gevens of the UW-Dept. of Plant 

Pathology & University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension in 

conjunction with Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers (WPVGA, 

WFMVGA, MWFPA), aims to explore the microbiome in relation to potato 

and vegetable crop and soil health and productivity.

$90,000.00 
198

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

6. Development of NextGeneration Detection 

Methods and Improved 

Biological Understanding 

for Tuber Necrotic Viruses 

in Wisconsin Seed Potato 

Producti

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will reduce the economic impact of 

potato tuber necrotic viruses by evaluating sensitive and high-throughput 

virus diagnosis methods to implement in seed certification, studying the 

biology of tuber necrotic viruses in early generation seed, and disseminating 

research results to stakeholders and seed certification members through 

outreach and extension activities.

$92,171.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

7. Equity for Wisconsin 

Specialty Crop Growers by 

Documenting and Providing 

Voluntary Food Safety Audits 

to Enhance Market Access 

and Availability of

Produce growers in Wisconsin seek a way to document that their food 

safety assurance efforts meet accepted regulatory standards, with the 

goal to satisfy buyer requirements. Buyers typically seek third-party food 

safety documentation from growers, such as regulatory inspection records 

for compliance with the federal Produce Safety Rule, or third-party food 

safety audits such as Primus GFS or Harmonized GAP. Buyers view this 

documentation as part of a risk-mitigation strategy that provides some 

evidence that a grower may be a suitable supplier. Many growers are not 

under mandatory inspection requirements of the federal Produce Safety 

Rule (PSR) and thus do not receive a regulatory inspection.

$83,029.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

8. Evaluation of Heat 

Treatments on Cranberry 

Fruit Rot Pathogen Survival 

and Cranberry Plant Viability

The University of Wisconsin will assess and optimize hot water treatments 

of cranberry vine cuttings (i.e. propagation material) as an environmentally 

friendly and sustainable option for the management of fruit rot fungi in 

Wisconsin cranberry marshes and disseminate results to stakeholders 

through grower meetings and articles.

$82,422.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53 9. Breeding Cold Hardy 

Chestnuts in Wisconsin

The Savanna Institute will stimulate farmer adoption of chestnuts in 

Wisconsin by (1) mapping ideal soil types and target adoption zones, (2) 

identifying and further improving cold hardy chestnut cultivars that can 

extend the range for commercial chestnut production further north in 

Wisconsin, and (3) developing an app to facilitate crowd sourced data 

collection on new and established orchards regarding cold hardiness, yield 

and other parameters throughout WI zone 4-5 in chestnut orchards.

$81,514.28 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

10. Supporting Seedless 

Table Grape Production in 

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension will evaluate 

performance of new table grape varieties by establishing replicated 

performance trials at five locations (Bayfield, Richland Center, Chippewa, 

Sturgeon Bay, Spooner) to provide locally relevant performance data for 

growers in support of expansion of this fresh fruit and processing crop for 

Wisconsin.

$74,133.00 
199

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

11. Using Hyperspectral 

Remote Sensing to Monitor 

Nitrogen Status of Three 

Processing Vegetable Crops 

in Central Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin (UW) - Madison will perform a two-year 

study at the UW Hancock Agricultural Research Station to 1) explore the 

use of hyperspectral remote sensing technology to monitor in-season 

plant nutrient status and predict end-of- season yield of three processing 

vegetables including green beans, dark red kidney beans, and sweet corn; 

and 2) create and deliver extension materials about results from the study 

to the Wisconsin vegetable industry.

$69,489.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53 12. The Wisconsin Apiary 

Outreach Initiative

The Wisconsin Apiary Outreach Initiative seeks to expand on past work to 

improve honey bee health and reduce hive mortality by providing outreach 

and educational training on honey bee best management practices (BMPs) 

for Wisconsin beekeepers and outreach on pollinator protection that will 

help honey bees and native pollinators.

$67,919.97 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

13. Assessing Attract-andKill as a New Management 

Strategy for Japanese Beetle 

in Wisconsin Vineyards

The University of Wisconsin will assess the impact of attract-and-kill as an 

alternative management strategy for Japanese beetle to reduce this pest’s 

population while reducing environmental impact and non-target effects 

on pollinators and will provide new management recommendations to 

Wisconsin grape growers for managing Japanese beetle in commercial 

vineyards.

$62,521.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

14. Continued Evaluation of 

the Cordon Trellis System 

for Growing Currants and 

Gooseberries

Christopher and Julianna McGuire (dba Two Onion Farm) will continue to 

evaluate the cordon trellis system of growing currants and gooseberries as 

a method to reduce labor needs and improve fruit quality and they will also 

disseminate results to stakeholders through conferences, an online video, 

and publications.

$41,900.00 

Wisconsin 

Department of 

Agriculture, Trade 

and Consumer 

Protection

$1,267,172.53

15. Survey for Potato Mop 

Top Virus and Powdery Scab 

Spongospora Subterranean f. 

sp. Subterranea on Potato in 

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 

(DATCP) Plant Industry Bureau will survey the potato growing regions of 

Wisconsin for the presence of Potato Mop Top Virus (PMTV) and its vector 

Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (Powdery Scab) by testing 

potato tubers and soil using gene-based diagnostic tests and reporting 

the results of this survey to stakeholders though grower meetings and the 

DATCP website.

$25,747.59 
200

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95

1. Wyoming-Grown Peruvian 

Popping Beans: A Healthy 

Snack for Consumers (Part 2)

Family & Consumer Sciences and Plant Sciences and researchers from 

the University of Wyoming will evaluate WY-grown popping beans, an 

alternative dry bean market class and nutritious source of protein and 

dietary fiber. This project aims to evaluate factors that influence consumer 

perception of popping beans, measure growing characteristics, and evaluate 

advanced breeding lines of nuña beans for popping characteristics and 

desirable agronomic characteristics of the WY growing environment. Long 

term outcomes include enhanced understanding of storage factors on 

popping, advanced breeding line(s) better adapted to WY, and evaluation of 

the potential for organic cultivation.

$49,972.00 

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95

2. Cooking It Up! From the: 

Zucchini Patch, Pepper Plant, 

and Tomato Vine

The University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety team 

will increase nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops by 

introducing consumers to the crops, cooking and preparing techniques, 

and recipes. Research-based Information will be disseminated through 

educational programs, publications, social media promotion, and/or the 

University of Wyoming Nutrition and Food Safety extension website to 

increase the reach to more consumers.

$10,825.40 

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95 3. June Bearing Strawberry 

Production in High Tunnels

University of Wyoming Extension will conduct research on June bearing 

strawberries grown in high tunnels to evaluate varieties for cold hardiness 

and yields. The goals of this project are to identify suitable varieties for 

high tunnel production in Wyoming, and to establish a knowledge base for 

strawberry producers in Wyoming. As an outcome, strawberry producers 

will make informed decisions regarding plant selection and strawberry 

management, resulting in higher yields and more sustainable production 

systems. The tasks required to fulfill the goals of this project include 

selecting and purchasing plant material, preparing soil in high tunnels, 

purchasing and installing drip irrigation, purchasing and applying mulch, 

and regular maintenance through the growing seasons including managing 

weeds, disease, and insect pests as needed, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, 

and fall clean-up.

$11,500.00 
201

Organization

Amount 

Funded to 

Organization

Project Title Description Project 

Budget

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95

4. Improving Nutrition 

though Promotion of Local 

Gardening

Wyoming Food for Thought Project will develop a program to improve 

the availability of nutritious locally grown food to seniors and other 

disadvantaged individuals through a local gardening assistance program. 

The garden projects will include the construction of 96 square feet of raised 

beds per site including a season extension low tunnel/cold frame over part 

of the garden at each location. This project will be two pronged. First to 

assist senior citizens still living at home with modifying and maintaining 

gardens they are no longer are able to because of physical limitations. 

Secondly to educate disadvantaged individuals on the benefits of specialty 

crop production through local gardening. It is the intention of this project to 

continue to increase interest in local gardening and encourage their use for 

the production of fresh local vegetables. Participants in the project will be 

surveyed to assess any increase in knowledge of local gardening methods 

and any increase in consumption of locally grown specialty crops.

$47,865.00 

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95

5. Yield of Hydroponic Crops 

vs. In-Soil Crops Under 

Greenhouse Conditions

Papa Joe’s Produce will test differences in specialty crop yield between 

hydroponic systems and in-soil growth methods, all within a consistent 

greenhouse environment. This project will focus specifically on testing the 

yield of select pepper and tomato varieties within the same greenhouse. 

This project will provide valuable insight on potential greenhouse yields 

of flowering crops in hydroponic vs. soil growing methods, with additional 

lessons on successfully growing these crops year-round in the conditions of 

Northern Wyoming.

$16,704.00 

Wyoming 

Department of 

Agriculture

$193,001.95

6. Indoor Specialty Crops 

Production for Year-Round 

Food Access and Distribution 

in Albany County, Wyoming

Feeding Laramie Valley (FLV) program of Action Resources International 

(ARI) will establish and share educational information regarding the 

design, construction, and implementation of three innovative growing 

systems including tower aeroponics, top drip bucket hydroponics, and tub 

hydroponics systems, capable of growing select specialty crops through a 

high yield, year-round process. The project will produce specialty crops, 

in particular a variety of greens such as spinach, lettuces, and kale, as well 

as culinary herbs to be used in the food security, access, and distribution 

programs of FLV, and will provide tours, workshops, and written/audio/

video materials as educational opportunities for extending these innovative 

growth systems out into general public understanding and use.

$23,403.00