The US Department of Agriculture announced on 13 October that it is awarding $86.6 million in grants through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), which funds projects meant to make specialty crops more competitive.
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is funding approximately 609 state projects across 56 states and territories. The states and territories make subawards to projects that serve producers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops.
The projects cover food safety, research, the development of new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops, pest and disease control, teaching communities about healthy eating, and making it easier and cheaper to get specialty crops to market, according to the department. They are meant to help businesses all along the specialty crop distribution chain.
"These 609 state projects represent the Trump Administration's commitment to innovation, marketing, and research, ensuring specialty crop businesses are at the forefront of markets all around the world," Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said.
A complete list of the funded projects is on the AMS SCBGP webpage. AMS also supports market opportunities for US food and farm products through applied research, technical services and grants funded by Congress.
Photo: Julian Hanslmaier / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Source: USDA
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