The Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.
Donor Name: Texas Department of Agriculture
State: Texas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/24/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) is to 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; and
Funding Areas and Priorities
TDA encourages applicants to develop projects to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops pertaining to the following five (5) key focus areas affecting the specialty crop industry:
- Food Safety
TDA will consider projects that assist production of specialty crop agricultural operations in continuing to supply the safest food in the world.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting entities in the specialty crop distribution chain in developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices,” or “Good Manufacturing Practices;”
- Researching new methods to improve food safety; and/or
- Marketing or outreach to specialty crop producers/distributors regarding new or upcoming food safety requirements.
- Nutrition
TDA will consider projects that improve access to and consumption of specialty crops. Ensuring access to healthy foods in underserved, low-income areas of Texas and increasing Texans’ access to and consumption of fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts is a key strategy to improve human health.
All projects must increase the competitiveness of specialty crops and clearly demonstrate a benefit to the specialty crop industry. TDA will consider projects that integrate human health and nutrition into applications that show a direct impact on specialty crops.
- Food Security
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing participation in under-utilized federal nutrition assistance programs;
- Developing innovative projects that support local and regional food systems; and/or
- Improving access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food in ways that foster self-reliance, enhance dignity and assure environmental sustainability.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Healthy Eating
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Plant Health
TDA will consider applications that address pests and diseases that affect the production of Texas’ specialty crops. This includes research related to the probability and impact of invasive pest, disease, and weed threats to specialty crops and research to develop tools to detect, eradicate, and control pests and disease.
- TDA will also consider projects that enhance the conservation or improve the quality of agricultural land, water, habitat, and biodiversity, as well as applications that address specialty crops’ contribution to adaptation and/or mitigation of climate change.
- Plant Health and Pest Challenges
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Enhancing the speed and reliability of detection,
- Developing new tools for eradication,
- Developing plants resistant to pests and disease, and/or
- Evaluating organic and sustainable practices.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Environmental Concerns and Conservation
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Evaluating water use efficiency in regard to current drought conditions and for climate change adaptation;
- Assisting growers to adapt to climate change by conducting research and demonstrating the implementation of strategies where technologies are already available – especially water use efficiency and invasive pest detection, control, and management; and/or
- Accelerating implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP) for water conservation and efficiency, including development of a BMP manual for specific specialty crops.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Value Added and Industry Development
TDA will consider projects that add to the value of specialty crops, or develop new ideas, tools, or information that increase the benefit to the industry.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Providing support for development of value-added processing facilities;
- Strengthening specialty crop agricultural career technical education through establishment of certification programs for critical job training;
- Improvement of distribution methods both domestically and internationally;
- Evaluating industry feasibility or development of a new industry;
- Conducting market research of consumer preference;
- Researching a new tool to improve marketability; and/or
- Developing new and improved specialty crop variety/use, technology advancements and growing season extensions in an effort to diversify and strengthen specialty crop production.
- Marketing
TDA will consider projects that improve consumers’ knowledge and understanding of specialty crops through education and outreach. Additionally, TDA will consider projects that increase or develop long-term sales, consumption, and competitiveness of specialty crop products, including international marketing and trade activities.
- Agriculture Education/Outreach
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Promoting Texas specialty crops and strengthening the connection between specialty crops and agriculture,
- Extending science-based information to specialty crop growers and other key stakeholders,
- Educating consumers about Texas’ specialty crops and agriculture,
- Reconnecting communities with specialty crop production,
- Educating the public about the identity and threat of invasive species to Texas specialty crops, and/or
- Promoting/marketing specialty crop certification and/or education program opportunities that further enhance critical job skills.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Market Enhancement and Promotion
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting statewide promotion and awareness activities of specialty crops;
- Targeting specialty crop marketing concepts on the unique characteristics of local and regional areas such as culture, geography, history, and types of agricultural production;
- Developing cooperative marketing and promotions such as cross-menu promotions of specialty crops;
- Marketing agritourism as it relates to specialty crop; and/or
- Creating innovative consumer/trade promotions in foreign markets.
- Project examples include, but are not limited to:
Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, nursery crops (including floriculture).
Funding Information
SCBGP funds will be made available to Texas from the USDA 2024 fiscal year budget. Although USDA-AMS has not officially released SCBGP funds to the states, TDA anticipates approximately $1.2 million will be available for Texas projects.
Project Period
All approved grant projects will have an anticipated grant term from December 1, 2024 through September 30, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
Responses will be accepted from Texas state agencies, universities, institutions, and producer, industry, or community-based organizations involved with or that promote specialty crops.
- Grant applications must demonstrate that the proposed project(s) will enhance the competitiveness of a Texas specialty crop industry.
- Grant funds may only be used for activities benefiting specialty crops.
- Grant funds must benefit more than one individual, institution, or organization.
- Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual.
For more information, visit Texas Department of Agriculture.
