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

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded the Utah Department of Agriculture $378,953.46 under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CFDA 10.170) on September 30, 2025, to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops throughout Utah via four research projects and one education project.

The awarded funds support activities to market and promote specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, honey, and syrup; assist producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; and expand availability and access to specialty crops. The Utah Department of Agriculture passes funds to sub-recipients selected through competitive merit review to deliver these projects and address local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.

The award obligates $378,953.46 with a period of performance from September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2028. Place of performance is Utah. The assistance type is a block grant, characteristic of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which awards three-year grants to state departments of agriculture to strengthen specialty crop sectors within their jurisdictions.

The utah department of agriculture and food 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 4 research projects and 1 education project to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, honey, and syrup, throughout the state of utah.