Lt. Governor Crouch appoints Indiana Grown Commission members

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch?has announced the appointments for the?Indiana Grown?Initiative Commission. These 12 members will provide guidance and direction to the staff of the?Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA)?who will be responsible for connecting businesses that use or sell agricultural products such as restaurants, grocers, wholesalers, processors and farmers markets with Indiana-based producers of meat, fruits, vegetables, wine and forest products.

The director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture will chair the commission and will?be joined by a representative from Purdue University.?

Click below to read more and find a list of commission?members.

Cover Crop Premium Discount Program available

in White River Region Counties

The?Indiana State Department of Agriculture,?The Nature Conservancy?and the?United States Department of Agriculture?s Risk Management Agency?have joined forces to implement the Cover Crop Premium Discount Program for the third year in a row.

This program rewards farmers who plant cover crops by providing a reduced premium on their crop insurance. The discount program was designed to promote planting additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives.?

Over the last year, this program has had great success with 55 farmers participating, translating to more than 15,000 acres of cover crops on Indiana farmland in the watershed.?

This program will provide farmers with a unique opportunity to receive financial incentives for implementing cover crops on their operation. Farmers who plant cover crops on owned or rented acres will receive a $5 per acre crop insurance premium discount.?Farmers who planted cover crops in the fall of 2022 are eligible to apply.?

Qualifying counties in the White River area include?Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Floyd, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Tipton and Washington.

Click below to read more about the program.

Specialty Crop Block Grant funds administered to selected projects

Annually, Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) are available to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, governments, public or private colleges and universities for up to a three-year project term and will fund specialty crop research, education and market development. To qualify, projects must aim to benefit the industry as a whole, rather than one product, individual or organization.

This year, the?Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA)?awarded projects through both the annual SCBG funds as well as?additional grant funding to provide specialty crop grants to specifically address COVID-19 impacts to the food system.

Click below to read each of the press release and find information on the awarded projects.?

Funding available to Western Lake Erie Basin farmers to

improve water quality

Funding is now available from?USDA?s Natural Resources Conservation Service?(NRCS) in Indiana to help Western Lake Erie Basin producers implement conservation practices on their land. This funding is provided through the?Regional Conservation Partnership Program?(RCPP) and will assist farmers in implementing practices designed to keep nutrients on fields and improve their watershed.

The RCPP funding comes from a 2021 agreement totaling $7.8 million. Indiana, Michigan and Ohio each receive a portion of the funding to assist producers in implementing best management practices in an effort to reduce downstream runoff and ultimately decrease harmful algal blooms and phosphorus levels. The Tri-State RCPP promotes the coordination between NRCS and ISDA partners to implement conservation to landowners in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Counties in the Western Lake Erie Basin include parts of Adams, Allen, Dekalb, Noble, Steuben and Wells.

Click below to read more about this funding.

Woodland owners honored for their stewardship by Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association

Four Indiana families were recently recognized with the 2022 Charles Deam Forest Stewardship award by the Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association. The Deam award honors outstanding Indiana woodland owners who demonstrate good forest stewardship. Charles Deam, Indiana?s first state forester, was a pioneer in recognizing the need for protecting woodlands and managing our forests.

Click below?to read more.

Dec. 2: Cover Crop Premium Discount Program available in White River Region counties
Find the full release?here

Dec. 2:?ISDA announces specialty crop projects received funding
Find the full release?here

Dec. 15:?Auxiliary specialty crop funding announcement for selected projects
Find the full release?here

Dec. 20: Funding available to Western Lake Erie Basin farmers to improve water quality
Find the full release?here

Dec. 20: Lt. Governor Crouch appoints Indiana Grown Commission Members
Find the full release?here

To learn more, click?here.

FEDERAL FUNDING:

USDA Regional Food Business Centers Program
Find more information?here

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) COVID-19 Small Business Funding Portal
Find more information here

USDA-NIFA Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grant Program
Find more information here

STATE FUNDING:

Indiana State Trade and Export Promotion (IN-STEP)
Find more information here

Manufacturing Readiness Grant
Find more information here

GENERAL FUNDING:

Food Export Midwest?
Find more information here

Nutrient Stewardship Program Manager?|?Indianapolis, IN
Find more information here

ISDA Grain Buyers?Summer Intern |?Indianapolis, IN
Find more information here

Jan. 17-19, 2023 | Fort Wayne Farm Show
Find more information here

Jan.?18, 2023 | Seymour Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives Workshop
Find more information and RSVP?here

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