NCDA&CS announces recipients of specialty-crop block grants

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently announced that nine North Carolina-based organizations have been selected to receive 13 specialty-crop block grants in 2015.

“I’m pleased to announce that we were able to award more than $1 million in grants this year,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “These grants will help a variety of North Carolina specialty crops and ensure that the state’s $76 billion agriculture industry remains competitive in the United States and internationally.”

North Carolina’s specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, Christmas trees, turfgrass and sod, and nursery and greenhouse crops. Grant proposals were submitted by nonprofit organizations, commodity groups, government agencies and universities. The selected projects ranged from establishing wild-simulated ginseng cultivation to managing black rot in sweet potatoes.

Following are the grant recipients: Carolina Farm Stewardship Association; N.C. Nursery and Landscape Association; N.C. Potato Association; N.C. Strawberry Association; N.C. SweetPotato Commission; N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; N.C. State University; Preserve Heritage Agriculture & Regional Markets Now; and the Rural Advancement Foundation International.

The program is administered by the department and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the 2014 farm bill.

For more information on the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, go to www.NCSpecialtyCropGrant.org.