The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has awarded over $1.3 million in 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding to Wisconsin.
This USDA grant will help DATCP fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education and research.
“USDA applauds Wisconsin’s continued commitment to supporting our nation’s producers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program,” says USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The projects funded will foster innovative research and new market opportunities within the specialty crop sector, while furthering USDA’s goals of creating a more fair and equitable food system and supporting local and regional producers.”
Through the SCBGP, DATCP will fund 14 projects.
Among the projects, is a partnership between Hundred Acre, Feeding America, Sendik’s, Marquette University, and Sodexo to increase the availability and demand for specialty crops across Milwaukee, with a focus on underserved communities. The partners will co-market distribution and add access points to end consumers throughout the city. Lastly, the project will offer hands-on education and training in urban agriculture.
Additional funded projects focus in areas such as vocational education, farm to school programs, and research: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SCBGPDescriptionofFunds2022.pdf
The funding to Wisconsin is part of a total of $72.9 million awarded to 55 states, territories and the District of Columbia. Dollars come from the 2018 Farm Bill. Funding is awarded for a three-year period beginning Sept. 30. Since 2006, USDA has invested more than $953 million through the SCBGP to fund 11,331 projects.
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