The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets announces the availability of grant funds to enhance the competitiveness of Vermont specialty crops including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, herbs and spices, medicinal plants, honey, hops, maple syrup, mushrooms, nursery crops (including Christmas trees), and floriculture.
Donor Name: Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
State: Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $200,000
Grant Duration: 30 months
Details:
Projects funded through this grant program must benefit more than one specialty crop business, individual, or organization.
The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds 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
- Addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers
Priorities
- Research, development, and dissemination of innovative production practices to enhance farm viability, natural resource conservation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Pest and disease management
- Enhancing food safety and improving the capacity of specialty crop businesses to comply with Food Safety Modernization Act or food safety audit program requirements
- Value chain enhancement—including strengthening relationships between producers, aggregators, processors, distributors, retail businesses, and consumers
- Technical assistance to address efficiency, conservation, climate change, business viability, workforce development, labor issues, succession planning, and challenges facing beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers
- Market access (local, regional, national, or international), marketing, branding, and consumer education
- Producer collaboration—including establishing or strengthening producer associations and cooperatives
- Responding to priority needs relating to COVID-19 impacts
Funding Information
There is no minimum or maximum award; however, they competitively award around $200,000 total each year. Over the past 5 years, they competitively awarded individual projects between $4,000 and $58,000. The average award over this period was around $30,000, and 50% of awarded projects received between $20,000 and $45,000.
Project Period
Projects can be funded for up to 30 months (2 years, 6 months).
Eligibility Criteria
Any entity may apply, but projects must benefit more than one specialty crop business, individual, or organization. Applicants must describe how their project will benefit and produce measurable outcomes for specialty crop industries rather than a single business, organization, or individual.
For more information, visit Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
