Specialty Crop Grants now available

Funding opportunities to enhance the specialty crop industry within Oklahoma are now available through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The program is made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Marketing Services. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, local, state, and federal government entities, for-profit organizations, and colleges and universities.

To be eligible, projects must:

•Enhance the competitiveness of an Oklahoma specialty crop

•Show how the project impacts and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry, or

•Show how the project impacts and produces measurable outcomes for the public Applications that only benefit an individual grower or business are not eligible.

Projects involving the following specialty crops are eligible:

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Tree Nuts

• Culinary Herbs and Spices

•Nursery, Floriculture and Horticulture Crops Proposals may be for, but not limited to research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, food safety and security, education, increased knowledge and consumption, improved efficiency and reduced costs of distribution systems, conservation, product development, food agricultural practices, good handling practices and good manufacturing practices.

Completed grant applications must be emailed as a word document to Jason.harvey@ag.ok.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 to be eligible for consideration. For more information on the program, and to apply for a Specialty Crop Block Grant, visit https://ag.ok. gov/ economic- development- andagriculture- markets/.