ISDA Announces Second Round Of Specialty Block Grant Funding

The Specialty crop industry in Idaho will have a little more grant money to use this year. The Idaho state Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month that it will accept applications for an additional $2.8 million in grant money available through the specialty crop block grant program. Those applications will be accepted starting in December.

That will mark the second time in 2021 the ISDA accepted applications for the annual block grant funding. The dollars can be used by growers for promotion, research and more. Specialty crops in Idaho include vegetables, fruits, tree nuts, dried nuts, nursery and horticulture crops.

The recently announced $2.8 million is in addition to a separate pot of $2 million the ISDA received earlier this year through USDA for the program. ISDA plans to announce the winners of that $2 million grant program by the end of this month.

Since the specialty crop block grant program was created in 2009, ISDA has awarded $17 million to 163 projects designed to benefit specialty crop farmers in Idaho.

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