WA Ag Department Opens Application for Specialty Crop Program

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is now accepting applications for the specialty crop multi-state grant program.

The USDA’s Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) competitively awards funds to state departments of agriculture to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address the following regional or national level specialty crop issues: food safety; plant pests and disease; research; crop-specific projects addressing common issues; and marketing and promotion.

For 2023, the SCMP will award approximately $10 million to projects that help develop solutions to problems affecting the specialty crop industry across state boundaries. Grant amounts range from $250,000 to $1 million.

Projects must be completed within a three-year period.  It is acceptable to complete a project before the scheduled ending date. The project start date will be September 30, 2024, and the projects must be completed by September 29, 2027.

Applications are due December 22, 2023, by 2 p.m. PST.

WSDA will screen all applications to ensure they meet all requirements outlined by USDA and will submit the screened applications to USDA by January 29th, 2024.

Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture