USDA Announces Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Funding Awarded to Georgia

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 $1.4 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to Georgia. This USDA grant will help the Georgia Department of Agriculture fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research.

“USDA applauds Georgia’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.”

The Georgia Department of Agriculture will fund 14 different projects that research or promote specialty crops within the state. This year, the department is awarding funding to numerous organizations, including the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA), the Georgia Pecan Growers Association (GPGA), the Kennesaw State University Research and Service Foundation (KSURSF), and the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF). Projects, through partnerships such as these, will enhance the marketing, education, and research of a wide variety of specialty crops grown in Georgia.

“The goal of this grant program is to help fund projects that can produce the highest degree of measurable and impactful benefits to Georgia’s specialty crop producers, in relation to each dollar spent,” said Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black. “We believe this year’s projects will accomplish this and will help move our state forward in the essential and dynamic agricultural industry, with the ultimate benefit going toward every specialty crop consumer.”

The funding to Georgia 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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