The pennsylvania 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 Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture $1,016,971.39 under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CFDA 10.170) on September 30, 2025, to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through marketing and promotion, research and development assistance, and access expansion for producers.

The award funds six research projects, one marketing project, and three cross-focus projects targeting potatoes, mushrooms, grapes, saffron, and maple syrup across Pennsylvania. Performance runs through September 29, 2028, with work conducted statewide in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture passed funding to sub-recipients including Pa Co-Operative Potato Growers (awarded June 11, 2026) and The Rodale Institute (awarded April 10, 2026), which deliver research, producer support, and technical assistance on specialty crop production. Additional sub-awards to Strategic Contracting Inc. (awarded June 11, 2026) and one other recipient (awarded April 10, 2026) round out the pass-through structure, though their specific deliverables are not detailed in the source.

The pennsylvania 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 state's sub-awards include 6 research projects, 1 marketing project, and 3 projects that cross more than one focus area to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops including potatoes, mushrooms, grapes, saffron, and maple syrup throughout the state of pennsylvania.