Kentucky Announces Funding for Specialty Crop Projects

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has been awarded $332,336.26 from USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. This USDA grant will help KDA fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research. KDA will fund eight projects, including one on using abandoned coal mine infrastructure for sustainable mushroom cultivation and one that will develop curriculum that addresses the needs of beginning and historically underserved farmers for long-term sustainability of fruits, vegetables, and culinary herb crops. Other projects will research disease-resistant Ribes, test natural microbial products for produce preservation, and provide farm shares to families facing food insecurity.