The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today awarded over $1.2 million in Fiscal Year 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to New York. With this grant, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers.
“With this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, New York is investing in innovative projects that will help address the needs of specialty crop producers within the region,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The funded projects will also further USDA’s efforts to ensure U.S. specialty crop products remain competitive in markets across the nation and abroad.”
Through the SCBGP, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will fund 11 projects. Among the department’s projects, is a program to encourage producers to obtain a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit for food safety by reimbursing producers up to $2,000 to cover costs associated with the certification. Additional funded projects focus in areas such as research on methods to reduce fungicides, research on storability of emerging apple varieties, and increasing sales of New York grown specialty crops through marketing.
Source: usda.gov
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Categories: New York, Business, Crops, Government & Policy