A total of $1.1 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture is being offered to further the research, safety and promotion of speciality crops in New York state.
The Speciality Crop Block Grant program, administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, includes fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, hops and nursery crops, and works to enhance the competitiveness of New York farms by forming new partnerships to create innovations in agriculture that benefit the state's economy.
"New York's agricultural sector offers a diverse array of specialty crops as part of an already robust and thriving industry that has grown continually over the past three years," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "This $1.1 million will help local farmers across the state expand and provide valuable information to benefit our ever evolving agro-food industry, and spread the word on New York products nationwide."
Funding
is being provided through the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of
2004 (amended under the federal 2014 Farm Bill), which authorizes the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide state assistance for
specialty crop competitiveness programs.
The
state Department of Agriculture and Markets is soliciting proposals
that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and
benefit the greatest number of beneficiaries in one of three priority
areas. These include research and grower education, food safety,
marketing and promotion.
Acting
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “Farmers are
some of the greatest innovators in the entire world, but many of
these innovations cannot be brought to light without strong research
behind them. As a farmer of specialty crops, I know firsthand how
invaluable the Specialty Crop Block Grant program is in helping
farmers enhance their operations.”
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