The Wyoming Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Wyoming Specialty Crop Grant Program.
Donor Name: Wyoming Department of Agriculture
State: Wyoming
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $5,000-$24,500
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
The goal of the WDA Specialty Crop Program is to substantially enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by:
- leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops;
- assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops;
- expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and
- addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.
Project Types
States are encouraged to develop projects pertaining to the following issues affecting the specialty crop industry:
- Enhancing food safety;
- Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the -requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C. Chapter 27), for example, developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices,” “Good Manufacturing Practices,” and in cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems (including USDA GroupGAP) for small farmers, packers and processors;
- Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes;
- Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crop;
- 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
Funding Information
- This year, the WDA is estimated to receive up to $338,000 from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program contingent on funding availability.
- Minimum & Maximum Amount Funding amount requested is limited to a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $24,500 for one to two year proposals and $100,000 for proposal lasting two to three years.
Length of Project
Proposed projects should start no earlier than January 1, 2024 and end no later than September 1,2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants: State and/or local organizations, government entities, producer associations, academia, community based nonprofit organizations, producers and processors and other specialty crop stakeholders are eligible to apply either as single entities or in combined efforts. While single entities are eligible, a requirement of the USDA specialty crop program is that projects must also benefit more than one organization, or individual.
- Commonly recognized specialty crops are fruits, vegetables, honey, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Eligible plants must be intensively cultivated and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops. Processed products shall constitute greater than 50% of the specialty crop by weight, exclusive of addedwater. The tables below list plants commonly considered fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, as well as nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. There is also a separate list of ineligible commodities. These lists are not intended to be all inclusive, but rather to provide examples of the most common specialty crops.
Disqualifications
The following will result in the disqualification of a project proposal:
- Incomplete proposals: proposals with unanswered questions necessary for administrative or technical review.
- Proposals that include activities outside the grant duration.
- Proposals requesting more than the maximum award amount.
- Proposals with unallowable costs or activities necessary to complete the project objectives.
For more information, visit Specialty Crop Grant Program.
