Idaho Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

 

The 2024 Farm Bill applications are CLOSED

Specialty crop grant funding is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture and is allocated to the state to be awarded through a competitive grant process. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets and must provide a benefit to more than just the applicant. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.

Funds are available to interested local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit and for-profit organizations, and universities.

 

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

  • Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops 
  • Pest and disease control 
  • Sustainability 
  • Enhancing food safety 
  • Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops 
  • Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems 
  • Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C.  Chapter 27), for example, developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices,” “Good Manufacturing Practices,” and  in  cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems (including USDA GroupGAP) for small  farmers, packers and processors
  • Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes 

 

2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Timeline

EventDate
Request for Proposals ReleasedNovember 2023
Application WebinarNovember 28, 2PM MTN
Applications Due to ISDAFebruary 1, 2024
Applications Reviewed, Scored, and SelectedFebruary - March 2024
Idaho State Plan Submitted to USDAMay 2024
Anticipated USDA ApprovalSeptember 2024
Post-Award WebinarNovember 2024
Disbursement Agreements to GranteesOctober - November 2024
Anticipated Project Start DateNovember - December 2024
Projects Conclude No Later ThanSeptember 29, 2026

The links below provide detailed information on how to apply, as well as the complete set of application documents.

2024 Specialty Crop Grant Application Materials

 

Multi-State Specialty Crop Grants

 

Reporting Requirements, Forms and Resources
(you may need to Right-Click and select Save-As on some documents)

 

Previously Funded Projects

 

Other Grant Opportunities:

Please save the files onto your hard drive before editing the documents.  Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file.

For more information contact:
SCBG@isda.idaho.gov

or call 208-332-8533