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Specialty Crops

Specialty Crops. Tom Bewick. Outline. Definition Other USDA programs SCRI/CDRE Questions. Specialty crops are defined as: fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). Agricultural Marketing Service.

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Specialty Crops

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  1. Specialty Crops Tom Bewick

  2. Outline • Definition • Other USDA programs • SCRI/CDRE • Questions

  3. Specialty crops are defined as: fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture)

  4. Agricultural Marketing Service • Specialty Crop Block Grant Program • Over $63.2 million • Allocated to State Dept. of Ag on formula that considers acreage and value • State contacts and application due dates can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp

  5. Agricultural Marketing Service • Federal-State Market Improvement Program • Provides $1 million in matching funds to State Dept. of Ag , state colleges and universities and other appropriate state agencies • Funds will support research projects that address challenges in marketing, transporting and distributing US agricultural products domestically and internationally.

  6. Agricultural Marketing Service • Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program • $26.6 million – half for each component • FMPP supports projects for direct farmer-to-consumer marketing • LFPP supports intermediary cupply chain activities for local or regional food

  7. Food and Nutrition Service • Farm to School Programs • $6 million • 4 project types • Planning • Implementation to allow schools to expand existing programs • Support service grants – support to get local produce into schools • Training grants

  8. Foreign Agricultural Service • Market Develop Programs – 5 total • Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops • Sanitary, phytosanitary and technical barriers that threaten US export • Industry rather than brand • $500 K/yr for up to 5 yr

  9. SCRI Absolute requirement that all projects address both research and Extension. Some projects are more weighted to Extension than research.

  10. Farm Bill 2014 Changes • USDA labs and institutions eligible for capacity funds (Hatch, Smith-Lever, MacIntire-Stennis, Evans-Allen, etc) and their partners are excepted from matching requirement • A two-tiered review system is required • No longer required to obligate 10% of available funds in each of 5 mandated legislative focus areas.

  11. Two-tiered Review • 1st phase is industry relevance • 7 page pre-application • Must contain a logic model chart • Industry panels determine which pre-apps invited to submit full application

  12. Relevance Criteria • The issues/challenges being addressed are relevant on a state, regional or national scale. • The described research and extension approach will result in impacts/outcomes that are important to the target stakeholders. • Stakeholders were involved in identifying and developing project goals and objectives. • Plans are in place for stakeholders to remain actively engaged in project activities. • Information developed by the project team will be delivered to stakeholders in ways that allow them to implement new and/or improved practices. • Stakeholders will be involved in program evaluation. • Project team has at least some members who have worked with the target stakeholders in the past and have experience with the described research and extension approach

  13. Relevance Review Decision • Panels created so applications are in the same crop group • All panelists review all applications • Conference calls used to discuss pre-apps • Panelists decide which pre-apps to invite

  14. Scientific Merit Review • Standard process • After rating for scientific merit, relevance rankings are combined with scientific merit to place in funding recommendation category

  15. National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture • 80 million US households garden • 3 million community gardens in US • Steering committee formed to draft strategic plan • Academia, NGOs, industry, gov’t • 1st workshop Aug 6 at ASHS meeting

  16. Questions

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