Specialty Crop Multi-State Program

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CALIFORNIA AWARDED MORE THAN $1.4 MILLION TO SUPPORT THE SPECIALTY CROP INDUSTRY THROUGH MULTI-STATE INITIATIVES

SACRAMENTO, August 23, 2024 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is pleased to announce that two projects submitted by California were selected for funding for the 2023 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP). The SCMP is a federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. SCMP strengthens food safety; seeks new ways to address plant pests, disease, and other crop-specific issues; and increases marketing opportunities for fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and dried fruits to horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Funding is awarded competitively to state departments of agriculture that partner with stakeholder organizations in two or more states.

CDFA will partner with:

The University of California, Davis and Ohio State University to mine pepper landraces collected from semi-arid regions in the center of genetic diversity, Mexico, to identify, characterize, and breed sweet peppers tolerant to water-stress and heat stress for United States markets. Awarded $998,941.00.
The University of California, Santa Cruz and Oregon State University will evaluate the physiological traits and environmental conditions associated with successful dry-farmed tomato production. Awarded $414,801.49.

A complete list of funded projects is available. Additional information about the SCMP can be found on the USDA and CDFA SCMP websites.

About The Program

The SCMP is a federal grant program offered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The purpose of the SCMP is to competitively award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address regional or national level specialty crop issues, including food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).

Funding And Duration

Grant awards will range from $250,000 to $1 million per project and projects may last for up to three years.

Eligibility And Exclusions

Specialty crop producer associations and groups, other state agencies, Tribal government entities, universities, nonprofits, and other stakeholder groups and organizations are eligible to apply. All SCMP proposals must include at least two organizations (referred to as "multi-state partners") with substantive involvement in the project, and the multi-state partners must be located in two different states to qualify for the program.

Questions

Prospective applicants may contact CDFA’s Office of Grants Administration at grants@cdfa.ca.gov for additional information. Please stipulate in the subject line that your question is specific to the SCMP program.