Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
Forecasted
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program supports Kentucky specialty crop growers and the wider industry by funding research and other projects that improve competitiveness and deliver measurable public benefits.
Funder: Office of Agricultural Marketing
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Kentucky concept proposal) | June 2027 (state application to USDA)
Funding Amounts: Kentucky’s 2026 allocation was $413,908.66; the 2026 federal award period was three years
Summary: Supports projects that measurably strengthen the competitiveness of Kentucky specialty crops.
Key Information: Beginning in FY2027, subawards require a 25% non-federal cost share.
Description
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) administers Kentucky’s share of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through an annual competitive process. It seeks projects that enhance the competitiveness of Kentucky-grown specialty crops in domestic or foreign markets and produce measurable benefits for the specialty crop industry or the public, beyond a single applicant.
Specialty crops include cultivated fruits, vegetables, culinary herbs, tree nuts, Christmas trees, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Kentucky’s 2026 priorities were pest and disease control; specialty crop research, including conservation and environmental outcomes; more efficient, lower-cost distribution; and food safety. KDA’s Plant Division administers the state’s grant funds.
