Date: Wednesday, August 23, 2023
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WASHINGTON, August 23, 2023—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today awarded over $611,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to New Mexico. With this grant, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) will fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers.
“With this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, New Mexico is investing in innovative projects that will help address the needs of specialty crop producers within the region,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The funded projects will also further USDA’s efforts to ensure U.S. specialty crop products remain competitive in markets across the nation and abroad.”
Through the SCBGP, NMDA will fund five projects. Among NMDA’s projects, is funding for a demonstration kitchen, training veterans in beekeeping, and increasing awareness and access to the New Mexico specialty cut flower industry. Additional funded projects focus in areas such as expanding land access and providing technical training to specialty crop farmers and training native youth from the Navajo Nation on specialty crop production.
“While New Mexico’s chile, pecans and onions are some of the most well-known specialty crops in the state, this program also provides funding for the critical research and market development of additional specialty crops, such as jujubes, field vegetables and greenhouse and nursery crops,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte. “Projects funded through this program make it possible for our industry partners, including our state’s land-grant university, to navigate the expanding facets of market strategy, and training and education specific to the specialty crop sector.”
The funding to New Mexico is part of a total of $72.9 million in non-competitive FY 2023 SCBGP funding awarded to 54 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 FY2023 funding is awarded for a three-year period beginning Sept. 30, 2023. Since 2006, USDA has invested over $1 billion through the SCBGP to fund nearly 12,000 projects that have increased the long-term successes of producers and enhanced marketing opportunities for U.S. specialty crops products.
More information about these awards is available on this webpage: 2023 SCBGP Awarded Grants (pdf).
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