The Georgia Department of Agriculture has announced the recipients of the 2015 USDA/AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds projects that “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.” Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, Christmas trees, turfgrass/sod, nursery and greenhouse crops, including floriculture. Please see a specific listing of all eligible specialty crops at www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/scbgp.
The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service has made this grant funding available, with Georgia’s share being approximately $1.16 million. These funds are dispersed to projects that research and/or promote specialty crops in Georgia. This year, 10 projects were awarded to various organizations including: Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission-GA Grown, Georgia Agritourism Association, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Georgia Olive Growers Association, Georgia Peach Council, Georgia Pecan Growers Association, University of Georgia, Vidalia Onion Committee, and the Vineyard and Winery Association of West Georgia.
“The goal of this grant program is to help fund projects that can produce the highest degree of measurable benefits to Georgia’s specialty crop producers, in relation to each dollar spent,” said Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black. “We encourage organizations such as nonprofits, commodity commissions, associations, state and local government entities, and colleges and universities to consider applying.”
