Date: Thursday, August 25, 2022
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WASHINGTON, August 25, 2022—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today awarded over $486,000 in Fiscal Year 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to Indiana. This USDA grant will help the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research.
“USDA applauds Indiana’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, the ISDA is funding four projects. Among the projects is $129,846 to the City of Indianapolis’s Seed to Store which is a farm to retail program that fosters connections between local minority-led urban farms and small businesses in Indianapolis and Marion County. Seed to Store aims to boost specialty crops sales, build capacity for the local food economy, and improve access to and awareness of healthy specialty crops through direct-to-consumer marketing. Additional funded projects focus in areas of research and education.
“This funding from USDA is critical to advancing our specialty crop sector and each year many different research areas are impacted,” said Bruce Kettler, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture. “Everything from hydroponic advancements and aquaponics research and from youth development and increased farmer involvement, these awards will go far in enhancing our Hoosier specialty crop industry.”
The funding to Indiana 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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