The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced in a recent press release that 15 projects have been selected to receive more than $1.12 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant funding.
Grants are awarded to projects intended to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop industries through research, education, or market development. Recipients are required to provide 25% of the grant funds as a matching contribution.
Funded projects, among others statewide, include:
- REAP Food Group: Support selection and breeding of collard greens varieties for urban and peri-urban production in the upper Midwest;
- REAP Food Group: Support specialty crop farmers via the Farm Fresh Atlas statewide expansion;
- Spraycision: Implement an advanced level crop detection and sensor system to reduce chemicals and water usage in spray applications of specialty crops;
- The Board of Regents of the UW System: Support honeyberry production in Wisconsin;
- The Board of Regents of the UW System: Reduce groundwater contamination risks with in-season cover crop interseedings in potatoes and sweet corn;
- The Board of Regents of the UW System: Implement attract-and-kill or kill alone tactics to manage Japanese beetles in vineyards; and
- The Board of Regents of the UW System: Determine how local and landscape conditions affect the pollen quality of honeybees.
Funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grant program is provided by the USDA, which defines specialty crops as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. For more information, click here.
