Eight West Virginia agribusinesses, organizations and agencies have been awarded a total of $301,000 in Fiscal Year 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. This funding, administered through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, aims to bolster the state’s specialty crop industry by supporting marketing, education and research initiatives. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.
“Here in West Virginia, a vast majority of our farms are small, family-owned businesses. Many of them are niche operations that take specialty crops available here in the Mountain State and market them to a wider audience. SCBGs help drive innovation and grow our industry,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt.
Grant Recipients
- West Virginia University ($69,356.00): WVU will lead a project to promote agricultural diversity by evaluating 32 hop varieties to strengthen the state’s specialty crop economy.
- West Virginia University – Parkersburg ($53,254.00): WVU-P’s agriculture department will enhance education on integrated pest management practices to support specialty crop training for agriculturalists.
- JarHead Farms ($14,984.00): The farm will expand fruit production in Southern West Virginia by providing a thermal processing and co-pack facility.
- Mountaineer Beekeepers Association ($14,532.16): The association will develop a community-based honey extraction program with modern equipment strategically placed around the state.
- West Virginia Farmers Market Association ($43,320.18): WVFMA aims to improve agricultural literacy, boost fruit and vegetable consumption and strengthen ties between farmers and consumers through educational summer library programs.
- Patriot Gardens ($45,782.00): This project will focus on edible plant parts to show opportunities for increased profits, particularly blooms, blossoms and leaves.
- Green Thumb Botanicals ($14,920.00): The farm will enhance elderberry cultivation by evaluating disease resistance, pest resilience and yield performance of various elderberry varieties.
- Mountain State Flower Farm ($11,908.96): The farm will research different varieties and cultivars of specialty cut flowers and foliage that can be grown in an unheated high tunnel to bloom for Thanksgiving Day sales.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture received $32,849 to administer the grant program. The USDA funded 524 projects nationwide, providing a total of $72.9 million in non-competitive Fiscal Year 2024 grants to 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
For more information, contact Maggie Blankenship at mblankenship@wvda.us or call 304-558-2210.
