Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill

Background
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), is requesting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to award grants to eligible State departments of agriculture to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The SCBGP assists State departments of agriculture in the 50 States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.

Grant Details
The SCBGP assists State departments of agriculture in enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.

States are encouraged to develop projects pertaining to enhancing food safety; improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act; investing in specialty crop research; developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops; pest and disease control; increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops; improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems; sustainability; climate-resilient landscapes; rural economic systems; biobased products and bioenergy programs.

Multi-state partnerships are encouraged. The SCBGP does not have a Federal cost-sharing or matching requirement.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants are State departments of agriculture in the 50 States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands.

Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets.

Applications for grant funds should describe how the project potentially affects and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public rather than a single organization, institution, or individual.

Period of Performance
The available funding is approximately $72.9 million annually for a period of 3 years from September 30, 2022, to September 29, 2025.

Grant Value
Each eligible State department of agriculture applicant is eligible to receive an estimated base grant of approximately $243,001.17 (Farm Bill) along with an amount based on the average value of specialty crop cash receipts in the State (2020 calendar year estimates) and acreage of specialty crop production in the State (2017 Census of Agriculture).

Place of Performance
The grant will be performed by State departments of agriculture in various locations including all 50 States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.