ISDA seeks project proposals from specialty crop sector
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The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is seeking project proposals from Indiana’s specialty crop sector to receive a share of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
This year, Indiana’s allocation is $484,966, according to the ISDA.
The ISDA says it is specifically seeking projects that meet one of the following objectives: increasing consumption and consumer purchasing, increasing access and distribution, increasing food safety knowledge and processing, developing new seed varieties and improving environmental sustainably.
“Specialty crops are big business in Indiana,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This unique sector is quite large in Indiana, after all 80% of our state is farmland and forests. We are excited to use this federal funding to bolster our large specialty crop sector and research initiatives.”
The ISDA says eligible projects must “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Indiana, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops.” Projects that benefit a particular commercial product, or provide a profit to a single organization, institution or individual, will not be considered.
Applications open on Feb. 15 and must be submitted by 12 p.m. on March 10.
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