The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding Wisconsin more than $1.3 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
With the money, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection can fund projects to strengthen the specialty crop industry through marketing, education, and research.
“We are happy to once again be partnered with Wisconsin on the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program,” says USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The innovative projects funded through this program will strengthen U.S. specialty crop production and markets and ensure Americans have sustained access to fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and other crops and support the region’s specialty crop growers to help ensure their long-term success.”
Through the program, DATCP will fund 15 projects.
Among the department’s projects is funding to increase capacity for vegetable production within the Ho-Chunk Nation by conducting demonstration trials at tribally-owned agricultural locations and facilitating educational opportunities. Additional funded projects focus in areas such as pathogen detection, farming training, and farm to institution sales.
