Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2011 11:00 AM
Specialty crop grants awarded
West Coast farmers are big winners in this year's specialty crop grant awards announced Oct. 5 by USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.
California ranked first in grant awards, with $18.6 million; Washington ranked third, with $3.1 million; Oregon ranked fifth, with $1.72 million; and Idaho ranked 12th with just over $1 million.
The grants are designed to help strengthen the market for specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and nursery crops.
"By investing in specialty crop growers and producers across the country, we can help spark new markets and job creation, while expanding production of healthy, safe and affordable food," Merrigan said in a press release.
Included among initiatives supported this year are efforts to:
* Increase nutritional knowledge and specialty crop consumption.
* Improve efficiency within the distribution system of specialty crops.
* Promote development of good agricultural and good handling practices while encouraging sharing of audit costs for small farmers, packers and processors.
* Enhance food safety.
* Expand food access in underserved communities.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service, a division of USDA.
In all, the program is investing in 55 grants that will fund 740 initiatives across the United States and its territories, according to the USDA press release.