The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that 16 specialty crop projects have received more than $2.9 million in USDA grants in 2021.
Projects included new research on reusing old greenhouse structures for strawberry production, how to limit insecticide usage that can harm pollinators, addressing health and safety concerns for farmworkers, and consumer awareness campaigns to increase consumption of specialty crops.
“In addition to regular USDA funding, we are fortunate to get the additional one-time federal monies in response to COVID-19 that will benefit specialty crops growers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “These projects are slated to begin in January 2022.”
NCDA&CS administers the statewide program with project funding coming from over $1.2 million from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and over $1.6 million in one-time funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
North Carolina’s specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, turfgrass and sod, Christmas trees and nursery and greenhouse crops. Grant proposals were submitted by nonprofit organizations, commodity groups, government agencies and universities.
Following are 2021 grant recipients and projects through the USDA Specialty Crop Black Grant funds:
- Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project – Specialty Crops in Early Childhood Education-$125,000;
- N.C. State University (multiple grants):
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Bio-surveillance of Cucurbit Downy Mildew, $77,850;
- Precise Indoor Vine Conditioning of Grapevines, $85,840;
- Mitigating Soilborne Diseases in Floriculture Crops, $125,000;
- Greenhouse Production of Strawberries in NC, $54,190;
- Extending Shelf Life of Muscadine Grapes in New Markets, $100,000;
- Genetic Understanding of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Susceptibility in Hemlocks, $125,000;
- Management of Sweet Potato Bacterial Postharvest Disease, $81,439;
- Improved Christmas Tree Health Through Genomics, $150,000;
- Protecting Pollinators in Ornamental Plant Production, $100,000;
- N.C. SweetPotato Commission – Controlling Guava Root-Knot Nematode in Sweet Potato Packing Facilities, $166,763.
Following are 2021 grant recipients and projects through the USDA Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 funds:
- East Carolina University/NC Agromedicine Institute – Health and Safety for Specialty Crops, $400,000;
- N.C. Agri-Tourism Networking Association – Visit NC Farms App’s COVID Response, $398,682;
- N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – North Carolina Horticultural Promotion Project, $400,000
- N.C. FFA Association Inc. – Fruit and Flowers for FFA, $200,000;
- University of Mount Olive – Overcoming COVID-19 Specialty Crop Access Challenges, $223,775.
For more information on the program, go to www.ncagr.gov/research/scgrant/.