The north carolina department of agriculture will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and…

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) received a $1,679,971 Specialty Crop Block Grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill (CFDA #10.170) to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in North Carolina from September 2021 through September 2025. As the awardee, NCDA&CS will leverage efforts to market and promote specialty crops, assist producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops, and expand availability and access to specialty crops. Activities will also address local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers through various projects with grant recipients. The funding will prioritize projects responding to COVID-19 impacts and benefit residents across North Carolina. Measurable outcomes are required to demonstrate performance.

The north carolina department of agriculture will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers through a variety of activities/projects with their grant recipients. The H.R. 133 stimulus funding encourages states to prioritize projects that respond to covid-19 impacts. Beneficiaries include the residents of all 50 states, 5 territories, and the district of columbia. Performance evidence in the form of measurable outcomes is required.