The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture announced that 15 projects have been selected to receive over $1.16 million in Specialty Crop Block Grant funding. Coordinators say the recipients were chosen from a total of 36 funding requests totaling nearly $1.5 million.
Grants are awarded to projects intended to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop industries through research, education or market development. Recipients are required to provide 25 percent of the grant funds as a matching contribution.
"These grants benefit Wisconsin's specialty crop industries in a variety of ways, from pest and pathogen mitigation to innovation, education, and marketing efforts," said State Agriculture Secretary Randy Romanski. "We are pleased to help support a range of diverse specialty crop initiatives once again."
Funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, which defines specialty crops as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
The recipients of the funded projects include the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, Savanna Institute, Two Onion Farm, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.
Categories: Wisconsin, Crops