Fruits and Vegetable Programs
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Fruits and Vegetable Programs Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Description of Funded Projects Fiscal Year 2007 The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) was authorized on December 21, 2004, by Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004. The Act authorized the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants to states to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The agency, commission, or department responsible for agriculture within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for grant funds directly to the USDA. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Fifty-two U.S. States and Territories were awarded Fiscal Year 2007 funds. All the elibigible states submitted their applications by the established deadline of April 11, 2008. The approved awards are listed alphabetically. Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries Amount Funded: 108,926.78 Number of Projects: 2 • The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries assisted specialty crop producers in direct marketing efforts and general promotions. ADAI was able to provide support for a State Logo – A+ Program focused on increasing local sales of local produce. The Alabamian public responded by purchasing locally-grown specialty crops and specialty crop producers benefitted from these sales. This program has been a starting point for Alabama’s participation in the USDA initiative “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.” • The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries partnered with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Tuskegee University and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives to assist specialty crop producers who wanted to diversify their crops and increase production. The original goal was to increase production to the point that producers could supply produce to local schools through the Farm to School program, but production was not sufficiently large or diverse to meet the needs of the program. As a result, the project was scaled back and 10 specialty crop farmers were selected to use plasticulture in producing collard greens. Through this project, ADAI offered farmers a new opportunity to be profitable, exposed the local community to the benefits of plasticulture production, and created an opportunity for economic growth in rural Alabama. Alaska Division of Agriculture Amount Funded: 100,520.67 Number of Projects: 8 • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture provided travel stipends to specialty crop producers, allowing them to travel to educational events at a reduced cost. This effort was in response to the specialty crop producers themselves, who have indicated that a barrier to successful production in Alaska is the lack of grower workshops. As a result of the project, 12 specialty crop producers attended workshops and conferences outside of Alaska. All participants then returned to Alaska where they spoke at various conferences to more than 400 specialty crop producers, sharing what they learned on their respective trips. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture enhanced the competitiveness of specialty crops in Alaska by providing training on Good Handling/Good Agricultural Practices (GHP/GAP) to state inspectors and providing audit stipends to specialty crop producers, allowing them to complete GHP/GAP audits at a reduced price. Through the program, one state inspector completed the GHP/GAP certification training and was able to conduct audits for Alaska Grown specialty crop producers and two specialty crop producers were audited. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture provided a minigrant to the Kodiak Future Farmers of America to build a greenhouse and develop corresponding curriculum and outreach to students and community members. More than 100 students benefited from the curriculum and learned about Alaska Grown specialty crops, growing practices, greenhouse design concepts and community outreach. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture encouraged consumers and restaurant owners to purchase more Alaska Grown specialty crops by launching the Eat Local Challenge (ELC), a week long campaign of targeted advertising and coordinated promotional events. The Division created a promotional tool kit that was distributed to 50 restaurants and created a 30-second TV spot that directed consumers to a special website to complete a survey. Seventy- five percent of respondents indicated that the Eat Local Challenge gave them new ideas on how to buy and eat Alaska Grown produce. As a result of this campaign, 17 Alaska Grown specialty crop producers reported increased sales. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture hosted three new specialty crop meetings to meet the needs of the growing Alaska Grown specialty crops industry. Because potatoes represent 14% of the total sales of Alaska Grown specialty crops and one of the only products available year round, a Potato Field Day was developed to address topics of interest including new potato varieties and advances in potato-related technologies. At the same time, direct marketing was identified as a topic of interest because it is the primary form of sales in Alaska, so a Direct Marketing conference was held to introduce growers to new ideas in marketing. The final event, a farm tour, was held to help producers outreach to potential new customers. More than 130 specialty crop producers participated in the three events and all benefitted greatly from the introduction to new ideas, technologies and marketing techniques. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture created the 2008 Food and Farm Products Directory (FFPD) and launched a new promotional item – Alaska Grown key chains – to help raise awareness of the availability of Alaska Grown specialty crops. The FFPD is the only statewide listing of Alaska farmers and ranchers and has become an invaluable resource for members of the public who are interested in sourcing Alaska Grown specialty crops. Thirty-five hundred copies of the FFPD were produced and distributed to the public. The FFPD was also posted to the Division website at www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag. In addition, 11,000 key chains were distributed throughout the state. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture established a Specialty Crop Innovation Grants program, designed to encourage specialty crop producers to invest in new technologies that will extend the growing season and increase crop productivity. Given Alaska’s short growing season and cold climates, producers have a limited production window and new technologies are vital to maximizing production. The seven minigrants funded through this project allowed individual producers to develop methods for season extension and increased crop productivity as well as to access technologies such as a water wheel transplanter, high tunnels, a solar greenhouse, a heated irrigation system and soil blocks. Minigrant recipients also presented their findings and shared their experiences with other growers throughout the state, reaching an estimated audience of 950 specialty crop producers. • The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture designed a Farmers Market Manual to address the growing need for information about creation of new markets. In 2005, only 13 markets existed in Alaska. In 2011, that number has more than doubled to 30 markets. At the end of the project, the Manual was under final review and it will be distributed state-wide immediately following approval. Arizona Department of Agriculture Amount Funded: 133,290.44 Number of Projects: 12 • The Arizona Department of Agriculture (ADA) produced and printed 5,000 copies of the Arizona Specialty Crop Guide. The guide was designed to educate consumers about where our food comes from and the benefits of buying Arizona-grown produce. The guides have been distributed to libraries, educational institutions, farmers’ markets, and conferences with a link posted to the ADA website, www.azda.gov. ADA conducted a survey to determine the efficacy of the guide in educating consumers. Thirty-three percent of the respondents said they had changed their shopping habits or consumption practices since reading the Arizona Specialty Crop Guide. The most common change for respondents was that they now try to make more “locally grown” purchases. Sixty percent of respondents reported having shared information from the Arizona Specialty Crop Guide with 1-3 people and 7 percent reported having shared information with four or more people. ADA estimated that, by the end of the grant, the guide had already reached approximately 12,500 consumers and a second printing of the guide was already scheduled. • The Arizona Department of Agriculture (ADA) partnered with the Community Food Bank, Community Food Security Center, to make and distribute an educational marketing video that raises awareness of the personal health and community benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The project was carried out by Community Food Resource Center (CFRC) staff, who collaborated with local farmers, market managers and local food enthusiasts in designing a script. A local video company then created the video in English with Spanish subtitles. The video was distributed through a variety of outlets in Tucson, including the Community Food Bank (CFB) website