Resource Details

Agriculture, Food & Beverage

Specialty Crop Block Grant

To be eligible for a grant, the project(s) must solely enhance the competitiveness of Wisconsin grown specialty crops and cannot benefit any non-specialty crops. Priority will be given to projects that have the potential to provide solutions that lead to measurable benefits to specialty crop growers and consumers. Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that provide profit to or directly benefit a specific commercial product or a single organization, institution, business, or individual. Projects must include a plan to disseminate project results to the targeted industry.

Eligibility

Projects must enhance the competitiveness of specialy crops by: 1) leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; 2) assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; 3) expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and 4) addressing local, regional and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.

Top Benefits

  • Specialty Crop Block Grant projects pertain to the following issues affecting the specialty crop industry: enhancing food safety, improving the capactiy of all entitites in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act, and in cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems (including USDA GroupGAP) for small farmers, packers and processors, investing specialty crop research, including research to focs on conservation and environmental outcomes, developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops, pest and disease control, increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops, improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems, and sustainability
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Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)

We will deliver efficient and effective programs and services to Wisconsin agriculture, consumers, and businesses, to provide market confidence and to enhance competitiveness and profitability.​

Contact

Ryan Dunn

608-590-7239

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