Specialty Crops Get Boost

Tuesday Oct 2nd, 2012 15 Views Fruit Grower Report

Specialty Crops Get Boost. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Specialty crops have been getting a good boost recently from the updated school lunch programs calling for more fruit and veggies. Yesterday, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $101 million in grants to support America's specialty crops producers.

VILSACK: Encouraging more and better sustainable practices, support for beginning farmers, marketing assistance and also helping to finance processing facilities as well as storage a distribution facilities. $2 1/2 million dollars announced today will go into new and beginning farmer programs. $5 million will be provided throughout the states to encourage better agricultural practices and good handling practices and up to $7 million will be used for direct marketing.

Washington State is being awarded a little over $3,327,000 for 26 projects including partnerships with Pear Bureau Northwest, WSU, the Washington Apple Commission and more.

VILSACK: We are also announcing the Specialty Crop Research Initiative grants. There are 14 grants all told roughly $46 million in new or continuing grants for research projects involving specialty crops. The unfortunate circumstance is that for both of these programs are part of the programs that are not going to be able to be continued absent passage by Congress of a Food, Farms and Jobs bill. October 1st is the start of a new fiscal year.

More tomorrow.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.