The USDA recently awarded over $2.2 million in Fiscal Year 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding to Michigan.
Through the grant, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development funds projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers.
“With this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, Michigan is investing in innovative projects that will help address the needs of specialty crop producers within the region,” USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in a news release. “The funded projects will also further USDA’s efforts to ensure U.S. specialty crop products remain competitive in markets across the nation and abroad.”
Through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will fund 20 projects. The funding to Michigan is part of a total of $72.9 million in noncompetitive FY 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding awarded to 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, the USDA said.
Selected Michigan Specialty Crop Block Grant awards include, according to the release:
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $158.395) — The program will continue to collaborate with the Cherry Marketing Institute, Michigan Bean Commission, Michigan Apple Committee, the Michigan Blueberry Commission, the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, the Michigan Vegetable Council and the Michigan Potato Industry Commission to promote Michigan specialty crops both domestically and internationally. The purpose of this project is to increase international and domestic marketing and sales opportunities for Michigan specialty crop companies and commodity groups through participation in buyers’ missions and trade shows.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $97.878) — Faculty at Michigan State University will conduct empirical research to understand the factors that affect consumers’ demand for blueberries, utilizing national-level longitudinal data from consumers and retailers. The findings will be disseminated to the industry via a partnership with MBG Marketing, with the goal of assisting growers increase their market competitiveness and resilience.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $100,000) — The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, in cooperation with Michigan State University, seeks to develop decision support tools and mitigation strategies to address critical challenges to asparagus production, profitability and industry competitiveness in the face of changing and extreme weather conditions. This project will develop models to predict asparagus spear emergence and understand temperature and soil moisture thresholds for spear quality reductions during harvest. The board will also pursue research-based practical recommendations for integrated irrigation and nutrient management strategies to limit the negative impacts of high temperatures and drought conditions during all phases of asparagus production.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $98,237) — The Michigan Tree Fruit Commission plans to improve irrigation and fertilizer management in new and established high-density apple orchards, ultimately improving apple quality and production, and increasing the resiliency of apple production to climate change. Michigan apple growers have adopted high-density planting systems, which utilizes dwarfing trees (small and shallow root systems), making irrigation management a necessity for achieving maximum tree growth and yield. The project proposes to evaluate the performance of multiple sensing technologies in monitoring soil moisture levels, tree water stress, canopy temperature, and soil electrical conductivity; determine the optimal irrigation scheduling method and nutrient application strategy to support tree establishment, shoot growth, stub renewal, and fruit quality for high-density apple production; and promote efficient irrigation and fertilizer management to apple growers.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $125,000) — The Michigan Apple Committee is continuing efforts to increase consumer brand awareness and apple consumption through online engagement with its target audience. This grant project is a top priority for the Michigan Apple Committee. MAC proposes to spend $125,000 on a consumer brand awareness campaign using social media marketing tactics to educate consumers and increase demand for Michigan apples. The project will build engagement with consumers to drive a deeper connection to the brand, resulting in increased apple movement in the retail marketplace.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $125,000) — Through a regional marketing campaign, Kids’ Food Basket will promote, market and generate publicity for the expansion of its local specialty crop farm offering food education in West Michigan. Funding from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development specialty crops grant program will support a regional marketing and promotion campaign to increase awareness of the farm expansion and its specialty crops grown.
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Amount funded: $93,795) — The Michigan Potato Industry Commission will work toward providing nutritional education and inspiration on how to best utilize Michigan-produced potatoes to food-insecure and bilingual audiences across Michigan, with a focus on metropolitan Detroit and high Hispanic geographic areas. The goal is to increase awareness of Michigan potatoes as a healthy, nutrient-dense and accessible food while also providing education on how to prepare healthy, budget friendly recipes in English and other languages.
