The USDA announced on Aug. 24 it is awarding $82.3 million “to 65 recipients to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops—including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops and support the industry’s producers.”
An agency press release said, “The funding is being awarded through USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and the Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant (SCMP) Program. “From market development to consumer education to research, these programs expand markets and increase the specialty crop industry’s competitiveness and increase consumer access to specialty crops. The Specialty Crop Block Grant and Specialty Crop Multi-State programs are funded by the 2018 Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).”
