FY2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant
Forecasted
FY2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant supports West Virginia specialty crop stakeholders through marketing, education, and research projects that strengthen the industry’s competitiveness and expand access.
Funder: West Virginia Department of Agriculture
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: FY2026 tiers: $1,000–$75,000 per award; approximately $300,000 anticipated total funding; two-year projects
Summary: USDA-funded grants support marketing, education, and research that enhance the competitiveness of West Virginia specialty crops.
Key Information: Projects must benefit more than one commercial product, organization, or individual—not individual-farm start-up or scale-up.
Description
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is funded by USDA and administered by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). It supports marketing, education, and research that strengthen West Virginia’s specialty crop industry. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Projects should address industry challenges, expand availability and access, or develop research and resources with shared benefits.
West Virginia priorities include farmer education, specialty crop research, infrastructure planning and support, and consumer education connecting farmers and consumers. The program also prioritizes broadband supporting specialty crop education and marketing, agritourism or farm-based education benefiting multiple growers, and measurable increases in beginning farmers, farm or commodity income, or agricultural employment.
