WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance the competitiveness of Washington's specialty crops through annual competitive grants funded by the USDA. This program supports various projects including environmental stewardship, pest management, plant health, food safety research, and innovative technologies. By fostering education and marketing initiatives, it seeks to improve the industry's sustainability and productivity, benefiting farmers and consumers alike.

Under the Farm Bill, WSDA receives grant funding from USDA to enhance the competitiveness of Washington's specialty crops. WSDA conducts an annual competitive application process to award grant funds.
Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. Eligible plants must be intensively cultivated and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops.
Funding Categories
Environmental Stewardship, Conservation, and Climate Smart Agriculture
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that enhance soil health, conservation of agricultural land and water, and address specialty crops contribution to adaptation and/or mitigation of climate change, as well as any other projects that demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Pest Management
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address pests that affect the production of Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted to the Pest Management category should include applied research related to the probability and impact of invasive pests, and threats to specialty crops, and research to develop tools to detect, eradicate, and control pests.
Plant Health
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address plant diseases that affect the production of Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted to the Plant Health category should include applied research related to the probability and impact of invasive disease, and weed threats to specialty crops, and research to develop tools to detect, and control plant diseases.
Food Safety Research
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address food safety for specialty crops. Such projects might include applied research projects that address "real world" food safety issues related to food and agricultural practices in the specialty crop industry, the impact of agricultural practices on subsequent specialty crop food processing; sciencebased practical and transferrable research projects that focus on food safety issues related to food-borne pathogen detection
Innovative Technologies
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address any innovative technology that will increase the competitiveness of specialty crops.
Training and Education
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address training and/or education that will increase the competitiveness for Washington’s specialty crop industry. Projects might include food safety education and outreach projects to help compliance with the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Domestic Marketing
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address domestic marketing for Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted can pertain to any type of domestic marketing project.
International Marketing
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that will enhance or increase the opportunity for the exports of Washington’s specialty crops to foreign markets, increasing the competitiveness of specialty crops.
Small Farm/Regional Marketing
In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that enhance and develop small farm/regional markets for Washington’s specialty crop industry.