By Gina Clithero, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets - January 2022
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announces two funding opportunities for specialty crops organizations. Specialty crops are fruits and tree nuts; vegetables; culinary herbs, spices, and horticulture medicinal plants; nursery, floriculture, horticulture, and Christmas trees; honey; hops; maple syrup; and mushrooms.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets will release two funding opportunities on January 18, 2022:
- 2022 Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant Program: Any entity may apply, but projects must benefit more than one specialty crop business, individual, or organization. Applicants should describe how a project will benefit a specialty crop industry, a group of producers or businesses, or the public, rather than a single business or organization.
- Specialty Crop Producer Association Grant: This grant opportunity will support producer associations that serve specialty crop businesses. Eligible applicants are producer associations, cooperatives, and groups of producers/businesses. Service providers that serve producer associations, cooperatives, and groups of producers are also eligible. This grant is possible thanks to additional federal funding from a COVID-19 related stimulus bill.
The deadline to apply for both opportunities will be February 25, 2022, at 11:59 PM. Learn more and apply at agriculture.vermont.gov/grants/specialtycrop.
Please contact AGR.SpecialtyCrops@vermont.gov or 802-585-6225 with any questions.