News Release from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.



ISDA
________________________________________________________________________



*NEWS RELEASE
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
?

*Federal grant funds available for specialty crop industry*

?

*INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 15, 2024)* ?The Indiana State Department of Agriculture [ [link removed] ] (ISDA), is seeking project proposals from Indiana?s specialty crop sector for funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program [ [link removed] ].

?Beyond traditional row crops and livestock agriculture, Indiana is home to a robust specialty crop sector,? said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. ?I look forward to seeing what projects are selected for this year?s funding allocation as we continue to support this impressive sector of our agricultural economy.?

The USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program offers federal funding annually to state departments of agriculture to support their specialty crop industries. This year, Indiana will be allocating $471,000.00 to selected projects.

Eligible projects must enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Indiana, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops.?

Funding will not be awarded to projects that benefit a particular commercial product, or provide a profit to a single organization, institution or individual. Each project must identify at least one of the USDA performance measures [ [link removed] ] that specifically demonstrate the project?s impact on enhancing the competitiveness of eligible specialty crops.

ISDA is seeking projects that have objectives such as: increasing consumption and consumer purchasing, increasing access and distribution, increasing food safety knowledge and processing, developing new seed varieties and improving environmental sustainably, among other things.

ISDA and USDA encourage applications that benefit smaller farms, new and beginning farmers, underserved producers, veteran producers and underserved communities.

Applications open on Feb. 22, 2024 and are due by 12:00 p.m. ET on March 22, 2024. Proposals must be submitted online through the Indiana State Department of Agriculture?s Grants Management System [ [link removed] ]. Indiana Specialty Crop Block Grant application resources are located on?ISDA?s?Grants and Funding Opportunities [ [link removed] ]?website.

For more information, click here [ [link removed] ]. For a full list of eligible specialty crops please click here [ [link removed] ].

###

________________________________________________________________________



*"ABOUT ISDA"* "The?""Indiana State Department of Agriculture" [ [link removed] ]"?(ISDA) reports to?""Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch" [ [link removed] ]", Indiana?s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development."" Major responsibilities include advocacy for Indiana agriculture at the local, state and federal level, managing soil conservation programs, promoting economic development and agricultural innovation, serving as a regulatory ombudsman for agricultural businesses, and licensing grain firms throughout the state."

________________________________________________________________________





Facebook [ [link removed] ]Twitter [ [link removed] ]Instagram [ [link removed] ]


*Media Contact:?
*Regan Herr
Phone: 317.552.9281
Email: [email protected]




ISDA




SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]??|??Delete Profile [ [link removed] ]??|??Help [ [link removed] ]?|?View as Webpage [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: State of Indiana ? 402 Washington Street? ? Indianapolis, IN ?46204?? 800.457.8283 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;}