Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that more than $557,600 in federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding has been awarded to eight agricultural projects in Virginia to help promote and enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in the state.
"I applaud each of these awardees for their ingenuity and innovation in research and development initiatives that enhance the competitiveness of Virginia's specialty crops. Not only will these projects help boost economic development in the Commonwealth, but they will enhance and expand new market opportunities for agricultural producers," said Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The purpose of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, by funding research and development initiatives that are developing improvements for the sector. Agricultural associations, industry and producer groups, localities, community-based organizations, educational institutions, and non-profits are eligible for this grant opportunity. The competitive grant process established by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) gave priority to projects that included the following activities:
- Assist farmers transitioning into specialty, high-value agricultural initiatives that address the eligible specialty crops.
- Increase net farm income through high-value or value-added enterprises.
- Find new ways to market or add value to specialty agricultural products.
- Develop pilot and demonstration programs in specialty agriculture that have the potential for transferability within rural Virginia.
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr said: "By supporting strategic research that helps to increase success for Virginia producers, these grant awards help to further our efforts of encouraging economic growth in rural areas through the use of agriculture. Congratulations to each of the awardees for their innovative research and programs that will help improve the competitiveness of Virginia's specialty crops, strengthen food safety and resiliency, and help our producers access new markets."
Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Among this round of specialty crop grant awards are projects that advance research with different crop varieties and disease management, while also improving economic resilience, food safety, and market access. For more information, please visit the Virginia's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program website.
During this grant round, the following recipients and projects received funding:
1. New disease management approaches to improve the quality of fresh market snap beans
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) Painter, Va., Dr. Douglas Higgins
2. New blackberry varieties: Yield, post-harvest traits, and antioxidant capacity determination
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., Dr. Dennis Cladis
3. Protecting Virginia vegetable crops from pests through novel biofumigation approaches
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., Dr. Steven Rideout
4. Do floating row cover types influence yield and disease carry-over potential in strawberry crops?
- Virginia Tech, Hampton Roads AREC, Virginia Beach, Va., Dr. Jayesh Samtani
5. Profitable faba bean production and marketing in Central and Southeastern Virginia
- Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va., Dr. Shahram Torabian
6. Increasing access to diverse markets for specialty crop farmers with pathways to food safety training and certification
- Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), Duffield, Va., Robin Robbins
7. ASD and its partners will conduct food safety classroom training, provide individual technical assistance, and conduct mock audits to increase the competitiveness of Virginia specialty crop producers.
8. Assessing and mitigating food safety risks associated with using freeze dryers to enhance the competitiveness of value-added specialty crops
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., Dr. Alexis Hamilton
9. Farm2Food Accelerator: Energizing growth for Virginia's small-scale specialty crop producers
- National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Foundation, Arlington, Va., Chris Jones
Source Governor of Virginia.