Colorado Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The Colorado Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, authorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop growers. It supports state agriculture departments in marketing, promoting, and conducting research on fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural crops. The program addresses challenges faced by producers and expands access to specialty crops, ensuring a robust agricultural landscape in Colorado.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) reauthorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to partner with state departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of growers of fruits, vegetables, and other horticultural crops in areas such as marketing, promotion, education, research, trade and nutrition.
The SCBGP assists State departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by:

• Leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops;
• Assisting producers with research and development related to specialty crops;
• Expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and
• Addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.
• Specialty Crop Definition

For the purposes of this program, the USDA-AMS defines specialty crops as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). A complete list of eligible crops is available on the USDA specialty crop block grant program (SCBGP) website.