Application process now open for 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grants

Leisa Schumaker

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Raspberries are one of the many crops eligible for Specialty
Crop Block Grants. 

WSDA is now accepting Concept Proposals for the 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

The program uses a competitive solicitation process to award USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds for projects that enhance the competitiveness of Washington’s specialty crops.

In order to submit a concept proposal, please go to the Specialy Crop Block Grant Program web page for more information and a link to create an application account.  All concept proposals are due November 4, 2019, 4:00 p.m. PST. This is a link to the formal 2020 Request for Proposals (RFP).

All prospective applicants are encouraged to thoroughly read the RFP for eligibility and application requirements before beginning the application process.  Applicants are also encouraged to start the application process early to provide adequate time to ensure a complete and thorough proposal is submitted.

Eligible organizations include

• industry associations
• producer groups
• commodity commissions
• non-profit organizations
• for-profit organizations
• local, state, and federal government entities
• educational institutions

Projects cannot benefit a single commercial product. Projects cannot provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. Recipients cannot use grant funds to compete with private companies.

Specialty crops include

• fruits and vegetables
• tree nuts
• dried fruits
• horticulture
• nursery crops (including floriculture)

Eligible specialty crop plants are cultivated for food, medicinal purposes, or beautification. Processed goods should consist of more than 50 percent of the specialty crop by weight.

For any questions regarding the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program’s requirements or eligibility, please e-mail Leisa Schumaker or call 360-902-2091.

State receives $4.79 million for Specialty Crop Block Grants

Leisa Schumaker

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The Specialty Crop Block Grant program awarded WSU
researcher Tom Collins money to assess the effect of
smoke on wine grapes and wine. He was one of 22
recipients announced this month.  

How can a vintner tell if the smoky air from a bad fire season is bad enough to damage grape and wine quality at an exposed vineyard? Not well enough, according to one Washington State University researcher who was recently awarded a grant of nearly a quarter of a million dollars to study a better way to assess the question.

During a vineyard smoke exposure from the wildfires that seem more and more common in recent years, smoke aroma compounds can be absorbed into skin cells of the grape berries and later extracted from the skins into the wine during the fermentation process. But the industry’s method of determining when the exposure will actually taint the wine is inadequate, according to WSU researcher Tom Collins.

Collins is creating a systems-level metabolic network model using analytical tools and machine-learning techniques to take into account wine variety, smoke composition, and fermentation time to create a risk assessment for smoke taint.

The grant is one of 22 projects funded by $4.79 million Washington State Department of Agriculture received from the United States Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).

The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBG) was created to support the competitiveness of the specialty crop industry through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. In awarding these funds, WSDA selected projects that will directly benefit specialty crop producers, address critical issues to the industry, and contain strong performance measures.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will fund 22 projects, with awards ranging from $51,000 to $500,000 to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government entities, and universities. 

Projects were selected through a competitive two-phase process with a focus on Plant Health and Pest Management, Small Farm Direct Marketing/International Marketing, Soil Health, Food Safety, Innovative Technologies, Training and Education, as well as Innovative Technologies.

WSDA’s project abstracts for 2019 can be found here.

For information about the program, visit the SCBG webpage. To apply for one of next year’s grants, create an account at the 2020 Specialty Crop Block Grant page. For additional SCBG information, go to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service webpage or contact WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program manager Leisa Schumaker or 360-902-2091.

Federal grants available for multi-state specialty crop projects

Leisa Schumaker

WSDA specialty crop grant administrator

The federal Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) competitively awards grant funds to state agriculture departments to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Washington state is the nation’s second-largest grower of specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, horticulture and nursery crops.

SCMP is a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It funds collaborative, multi-state projects that address these regional or national specialty crop issues:

• Food safety
• Plant pests and disease
• Research
• Crop-specific projects addressing common issues
• Marketing and promotion

 Washington is one of 18 states accepting applications from industry organizations, associations, or other state departments for these grants. All SCMP proposals must have at least two partners substantially involved in the project, and partners must be located in different states.

How to apply

If you have a project to propose for funding, submit an application by the deadline of 8:59 p.m. (PST), Dec. 15, 2015, to:  SCMP@agr.wa.gov.  Be sure to follow the submittal guidelines in USDA’s Request for Applications and additional applicant guidance, which can be found on the SCMP How to Apply page.  

WSDA will screen proposals to make sure they’re complete and meet requirements, and then submit applications to USDA for consideration.

For more information about this grant funding opportunity:

• Contact WSDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program at 360-902-2091 or email lschumaker@agr.wa.gov
• See our SCBGP web page
• USDA press release