The tennessee 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service awarded the Tennessee Department of Agriculture $567,424.31 under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CFDA 10.170) on September 30, 2025, to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through marketing, research, development, and producer support activities.

The recipient will deliver nine research projects, one education and outreach project, and one marketing project focused on specialty crops including mushrooms, hops, lavender, and strawberries throughout Tennessee. These activities address local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers and expand availability and access to specialty crops across the state.

The award recipient is the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Industries, acting as the official state agency administering the grant. The Division will manage sub-awards to grant recipients who execute the underlying research, education, outreach, and marketing projects.

Performance runs from September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2028, with all work performed in Tennessee. The assistance type is a block grant, structured as a three-year award under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program framework.

The tennessee 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 9 research projects, 1 education and outreach project, and 1 marketing project to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops including mushrooms, hops, lavendar, and strawberries throughout the state of tennessee.