Minnesota awarded $578,000 in specialty crop block grants

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The State of Minnesota will get a share of $49 million dollars in Specialty Crop Block Grants announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program supports projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

USDA selected Minnesota projects that support local and rural agriculture interests, increase the competitiveness of small producers, and promote or create direct marketing opportunities for specialty crop producers.

"These projects vary in their scope but all are designed to promote healthy eating," says Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson. "They will also help expand the markets for specialty crops and increase consumer access to locally grown food."

Minnesota was awarded $578,008.12 to fund 13 projects:

· Minnesota Grown Promotion Group, Inc., $75,000, to assist Minnesota specialty crop producers by enhancing Minnesota's "buy local" campaign for specialty crops in the Minnesota Grown Program through: development of a new database of fruit and vegetable growers who market to wholesale markets such as grocery stores and restaurants; continuation to improve functionality of the Minnesota Grown Directory; continuation to increase consumer purchases of fruits and vegetables by driving traffic to the Minnesota Grown website through the use of keywords related to specialty crops; and development of new point-of-sale materials to identify and promote Minnesota Grown fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. Because improvements to the online Directory benefit non-specialty crop producers, the Minnesota Grown Promotion Group will provide matching funds to pay for no less than 25% of the project costs.

· University of Minnesota, $40,000, to increase the use of Minnesota-grown produce in school lunches.

· Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, $35,529, to bring more healthy locally grown produce into Minnesota Health Care Institutions by increasing awareness and expanding the purchase and consumption of locally produced specialty crops by hospital patients, employees and visitors.

· Northarvest Bean Growers Association and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, $75,000 to strengthen value-added programs on dry edible beans through: increased communication efforts on the health benefits of dry beans to health professionals; assist the trade and consumers in understanding the health benefits of dry beans; and the expansion of current basic research of the health benefits of dry beans.

· Minnesota Project, Inc., $40,000, to build markets for locally-grown specialty crops by providing technical assistance and training to restaurant and college campus buyers in Minnesota through Heartland Food Network.

· University of Minnesota, $20,000, to design local food supply chains for specialty crops producers in Central Minnesota.

· Organic Tree Fruit Association, $40,000, to make locally grown tree fruit crops more competitive in Minnesota by helping growers take advantage of the increasing interest in local organic products.

· Minnesota Food Association, $30,935, to assist socially disadvantaged and limited resource farms in the Minnesota and the St. Croix River Valley in establishing and growing their organic specialty crop farm enterprises.

· Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), $50,802, to enhance the competitiveness of apples, berries, grapes, fresh market mixed vegetables, pumpkins, and fresh market sweet corn in Minnesota through a specialty crop enterprise management program.

· University of Minnesota, $40,000, to develop native and native-European hybrid hazelnut germplasm and agronomics for Minnesota.

· Minnesota Turf Seed Council, $30,000, to determine the seed production potential of the native prairie junegrass in Minnesota and evaluate the species for use as a low-input, sustainable turf grass.

· Women's Environmental Institute, $40,000, to increase production and consumption of culturally based healthful specialty food crops in Northside & Philips Neighborhoods of Minneapolis by providing opportunities and resources for cross-cultural, cross-neighborhood research, development, and implementation of economic initiatives.

· MDA, $60,742.12, to administrate the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and ensure that all awardees abide by federal and state requirements.

Summaries of all awards can be viewed at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp .