USDA Under Secretary Joins Rep. Schrier in Wenatchee to Announce $72.9 Million in Specialty Crop Block Grant, Meet with Local Growers

WENATCHEE, WA – Today Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) was in Wenatchee with USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt to announce the availability of $72.9 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). This program funds innovative projects designed to support the expanding specialty crop sector and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. The 8th District is home to over 4,000 farms.

“I was thrilled to welcome Under Secretary Moffitt to the ‘Apple Capital of the World’ to make this announcement about Specialty Crop Block Grants. The Block Grant program has been crucial to our state’s tree fruit industry,” said Rep. Schrier. “Cutting edge research at Washington State University on sustainable growing practices benefits Washington state and the country. Because specialty crops represent such a large share of Washington state’s economy, I will continue to work with my colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee to ensure robust funding for these research grants every year.”

“These specialty crop block grants will help states and territories target resources locally to increase the competitiveness of the specialty crops sector and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research,” said Under Secretary Moffitt. “Since 2006 when the program began, USDA has invested more than $953 million through these block grants to fund nearly 11,000 projects that increased the long-term success of producers and created new and better markets for specialty crops in the U.S. and abroad.”

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service encourages applications that serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities. For more information about grant eligibility, visit the SCBGP website or contact the SCBGP Team at scbgrants@usda.gov.

Before the announcement, Rep. Schrier and Under Secretary Moffitt visited Washington State University’s Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center to learn about research projects at the Center that have been funded by the SCBGP.

Some WSU research projects in recent years funded by the SCBGP were:

• Apple Precision Crop Load – Stefano Musacchi
• Fireblight and Little Cherry Disease Management – Tianna DuPont
• Little Cherry Disease and Pear Psylla Management – Louie Nottingham
• Decision Support for Managing Climate Risks in Tree-Fruit– Chad Kruger (Rajagopalan, V. Jones, Kalcsits)

After the announcement, Rep. Schrier and Under Secretary Moffitt visited Pybus Market for a roundtable discussion with Washington State Department of Agriculture and growers from Wenatchee to talk about the benefits of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and make sure growers can access the critical research.