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.

Roots run deep at Washington farmers markets

Laura Raymond
Food Access and Regional Markets Program

Walk most any farmers market in Washington state this week (and I hope you will) and you’ll encounter a dizzying variety of products.

This week is Farmer’s Market Week by proclamation of the Governor. Now at the height of the growing season, farm tables offer up glowing peaches, nectarines, and plums, glossy eggplants and peppers, fragrant melons, heirloom tomatoes, vibrant greens, crunchy cucumbers, pastured meats and cheeses, and a constellation of fresh cut dahlias and lilies.

Washington farmers grow more than 300 fruits, vegetables and other commodities but it might be the deep-rooted carrot that best represents what’s so valuable about farmers markets.

Farmers markets aren’t just the magical places where grocery lists go to be transformed from being a chore. They transform into places for new recipes, fun and adventure. Farmers markets provide multiple, and deep rooted benefits to shoppers, farmers and communities.

Farmers markets are places of direct and joyful commerce where you get to talk directly to the farmer who grew your food. They are incubators for fledgling enterprises that often grow into generational businesses. Last year, sales at farmers market members of the Washington State Farmers Market Association topped $44 million dollars. That’s “no small potatoes” in terms of local economies. The dollars shoppers spend at farmers markets go directly to the producers, keeping farming viable and keeping farmers on the land and caring for the agricultural landscapes we all can enjoy.

Neighborhood businesses

Farmers markets add sparkle and energy to neighborhoods. Commerce spills over the edges of the markets and supports many neighborhood businesses. As places where people come together from many walks of life, markets also cultivate community. With music, community information, chef demonstrations, kids’ activities, and time to talk while you shop, farmers market days can become not-to-be missed social events.

If you’ve had the opportunity to chomp down on a fresh-picked, sweet and crunchy carrot, you know the availability of delicious, fresh produce at farmers markets makes it easier to eat healthfully. Most farmers markets in Washington accept WIC and SNAP benefits markets, making healthy produce more accessible for all.

That’s why when a group of creative farmers market supporters came together to choose an image that captures what farmers markets mean to farmers, communities, shoppers, and our state, they chose the deep and intertwined roots of a row of carrots. A series of graphics, including "These Roots Run Deep," have been produced in English and Spanish through a WSDA Specialty Crop Grant Program Project awarded to the WSU Small Farms Program. One goal is to promote buying specialty crops (mainly fruits and vegetables) directly from growers at farmers markets.

Farmers Market Week Aug. 7-13

Farmers Market Week runs Aug. 7-13 and many markets are adding special activities to celebrate. Find a market near you at the Washington State Farmers Market Association website.