The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) program solicitation for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program-Farm Bill (SCBGP-FB) through the United States Department of Agriculture-Ag Marketing Service (USDA-AMS).
State: Michigan
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $100,000 – $125,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program supports projects that enhance the competitiveness of Michigan specialty crops. Grants are awarded to organizations that show potential impact and measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public. Recipients have up to two years to use the funds.
Priorities
- Market Enhancement to promote specialty crops
- Market Expansion, Availability, and Access to Specialty Crops
- Farm to Institution
- Research and Development relevant to specialty crops
- Plant Health & Pest Management
- Farm Sustainability
- Training & Education addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers
- Enhancing Food Safety
- Environmental Sustainability
- Workforce/Labor
Funding Information
The maximum award amount is $100,000 for research proposals and $125,000 for marketing, training, and education proposals per proposal. Only proposals submitted in whole dollar amounts will be considered.
Project Period
Grant period will be approximately October 1, 2023, through September 1, 2025.
Examples of Acceptable Projects
- A State requests funding to contract with a university to conduct research on the feasibility of planting, cultivating, and growing a specialty crop in a particular area, the results of which will be shared with many growers throughout the State during the project.
- A single grower requests funds to demonstrate the viability of organic small fruit production and partners with Cooperative Extension to publicize the working model of diversification to other regional growers.
- A single non-profit organization requests funds to conduct an advertising campaign that will benefit their specialty crop members.
- A single farmer erects high tunnels on his/her property to extend the growing season of tomatoes and lettuce and conducts a field day and farm tour to encourage other small family farmers to adopt the production methods.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible entities include non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, local, state, and federal government entities, including tribal governments. If you are a university applying for funding, your proposal must be submitted by the commodity group or other eligible organization for which the work is being performed. The budget should reflect that the work by the university is contractual with the commodity group.
For more information, visit Specialty Crop Grant.
