News Release

March 28, 2011

Contact:
Mary Geiger
Communications Director
Kansas Department of Agriculture
(785) 296-2653 phone
Mary.Geiger@kda.ks.gov

KDA Accepting Applications for Specialty Crop Grants

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) is accepting applications for the 2011 Specialty Crop Block Grant program. Funds for the program are awarded to the agency by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The funds are in turn granted to projects and organizations that promote the competitiveness of specialty crops.

The purpose of the specialty crop program is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.”

Each state that submits an application that is reviewed and approved by the Agricultural Marketing Service is to receive at least an amount that is equal to the higher of $100,000, or 1/3 of 1 percent of the total amount of funding made available for that fiscal year. In addition, the Agricultural Marketing Service will allocate the remainder of the grant funds based on the value of specialty crop production in each state in relation to the national value of specialty crop production using the latest available cash receipt data.

In 2010, Kansas received $282,828 for the grant program.

The exact amount of funds available and final dates for application are unclear for the 2011 grant cycle, as Congress has not yet appropriated the funds for the block grant. The KDA will work to keep stakeholders informed through its Specialty Crop e-mail list, as well as through other outlets, of any news as it becomes available.

Applications will be evaluated by a team of reviewers assembled by the agency. The team will rate proposals on their ability to successfully promote specialty crops in Kansas, and submit those recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture, who will make the final awards.

Applications are due to KDA no later than May 27, 2011. For more information, please download the 2011 application from ../../kansas_agriculture/content/281.

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