FY2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant
Forecasted
The FY2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant supports West Virginia specialty crop stakeholders through research, education, and marketing projects that strengthen the industry and benefit multiple growers.
Funder: West Virginia Department of Agriculture
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: FY2026 awards: $1,000–$75,000 across three tiers; projects run up to two years
Summary: USDA-funded grants support projects that strengthen West Virginia’s specialty crop industry through research, education, and marketing.
Key Information: Projects must benefit more than one commercial product, organization, or individual—not a single farm’s business needs.
Description
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is funded by USDA and administered in West Virginia by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). It supports projects that make the state’s specialty crops more competitive through research, education, marketing, and expanded access. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.
West Virginia priorities include farmer education, specialty crop research, infrastructure planning, consumer education, and broadband technology for crop education and marketing. The program also considers agritourism or farm-based education projects that can benefit multiple growers, and projects with measurable effects on farm income, employment, or the number of beginning farmers. It is not intended to fund start-up or scale-up needs for individual farms.
