Submitted April 16, 2015

 

BISMARCK – The application deadline for the 2015 Specialty Crop Grants is less than two weeks away.

“North Dakota has been granted $2.3 million to promote the production, processing and use of specialty crops,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. “Individuals, organizations and institutions are invited to submit proposals, either on their own or in partnerships.”

The funding from USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service can only be used for projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and benefit the specialty crop industry as a whole. Projects must benefit more than one commercial product, organization, institution or individual.

Specialty crops are defined as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.” Specialty crops grown commercially in North Dakota include dry beans, dry peas, lentils, confection sunflowers, potatoes, grapes, honey and various vegetables.

An information manual with application instructions, scoring criteria and an application template can be found on the North Dakota Department of Agriculture website atwww.nd.gov/ndda/program/specialty-crop-block-grant-program.

Applications must be submitted in electronic form by 4 p.m. CDT, Thursday, April 30. An external review committee will review and score the applications and submit them to the Agriculture Commissioner for approval. They will then be forwarded to USDA for final approval. The grants will be awarded in late fall or early winter.