Date: Thursday, August 25, 2022
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Public Affairs
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WASHINGTON, August 25, 2022—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today awarded over $367,000 in Fiscal Year 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to Utah. This USDA grant will help the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research.
“USDA applauds Utah’s continued commitment to supporting our nation’s producers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The projects funded will foster innovative research and new market opportunities within the specialty crop sector, while furthering USDA’s goals of creating a more fair and equitable food system and supporting local and regional producers.”
Through the SCBGP, UDAF will fund four projects. Among the projects, is an education program that will provide hands-on training on Red Acre Center, an existing small acreage farm. The program will work to bring attention, understanding and increase familiarity and knowledge of specialty crops to the broader community. The additional funded projects focus on variety research and the effects of heat on orchards.
"The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is grateful for the ongoing support of the USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Through this funding, our department is able to provide increased opportunities to farmers, food processors and distributors, agricultural researchers, and other organizations dedicated to strengthening Utah's specialty crop production and local food security,” said UDAF Commissioner Craig Buttars. “This year, we are pleased to support projects that will increase specialty crop education for the public and beginning farmers, improve the commercial viability of unique crops like pomegranates and elderberries, and mitigate issues related to heat stress in tart cherries and adapting fruit production to climate change. As the nation's second leading producer of tart cherries, Utah has a vested interest in ensuring the continued success of these multigenerational operations and funding from programs like this are one way we can provide meaningful financial support to the producers we depend upon."
The funding to Utah is part of a total of $72.9 million in non-competitive FY 2022 SCBGP funding awarded to 55 states, territories and the District of Columbia. The SCBGP funding supports farmers growing specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops. USDA’s support will strengthen U.S. specialty crop production and markets, ensuring an abundant, affordable supply of highly nutritious fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops, which are vital to the health and well-being of all Americans.
The funding for the SCBGP grants is authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and FY2022 funding is awarded for a three-year period beginning September 30, 2022. Since 2006, USDA has invested more than $953 million through the SCBGP to fund 11,331 projects that have increased the long-term successes of producers and broadened the market for specialty crops in the U.S. and abroad.
More information about these awards is available on this webpage: 2022 SCBGP Awarded Grants (pdf).
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