USDA invests nearly $121m in specialty crops research and organic agriculture production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an investment of nearly $121 million to advance research and Extension activities that aim to solve key challenges facing specialty crop and organic agriculture producers. The investment includes $70.4 million to support specialty crop production research across the United States and $50.5 million to support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber and organic products.

Specialty crops are defined in the Farm Bill as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Specialty Crop Research Initiative.

″We know specialty and organic crops add nutrition to our diets and value to sustainable agriculture systems,″ said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. ″These crops also play a vital role preserving cultural heritage and enhancing economic opportunities across local, regional and global food systems, making them great competitive funding investments that target some of the most difficult challenges facing specialty crop and organic producers nationwide.″

NIFA's specialty crops production investment today builds on USDA’s recently announced $82.3 million in grant funding through the Agricultural Marketing Service to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support the industry’s producers. The funding was awarded through USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and the Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant (SCMP) Program. From market development to consumer education to research, these programs expand markets and increase competitiveness of the specialty crop industry and increase access to specialty crops for consumers.

Examples of the 17 projects funded by NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative include:

• North Carolina State University: Manual labor costs are significant in horticulture, including nursery crop production. A team of researchers will develop sustainable solutions for labor, efficiency, automation and production in the nursery industry. ($9.8 million)

• Washington State University: Apple and pear crops are increasingly susceptible to devastating losses due to extreme temperatures driven by climate change. To address this challenge, researchers will develop mitigation strategies for current cultivars and knowledge to quickly assess new cultivars’ suitability for future climate conditions. ($6.7 million)

NIFA’s $50.5 million investment in 30 organic agriculture projects is part of NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Program, which includes the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program. OREI projects fund research, education and Extension projects to improve yields, quality and profitability for producers and processors who have adopted organic standards. NIFA-funded Organic Transitions Program projects focus on research, education and Extension efforts to help existing and transitioning organic livestock and crop producers adopt organic practices and improve their market competitiveness.

″Organic agriculture plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable and healthy food systems that benefit people and the planet,″ said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. ″NIFA’s investments in organic research and Extension programs help ensure farmers can meet growing demand for organic products, which provide valuable economic opportunities for growers and more choices for consumers.″

Examples of the 23 projects funded by NIFA’s OREI grants include:

• Pennsylvania State University: Understanding the links between integrated crop management practices and certain food- and feed-quality endpoints is necessary for identifying market constraints and opportunities for small grain sequences within reduced-tillage organic grain systems. This integrated research and Extension project aims to improve the productivity and market potential of spring- and fall-sown organic small grains to increase ecological and economic resilience of organic grain production systems within Pennsylvania and the Northeast United States. ($1.9 million)

• The Organic Center for Education and Promotion: There is a critical lack of racial diversity across the agricultural sector and the organic industry, especially apparent in the population of organic certifiers, organic inspectors, and in organizations and universities staffs who provide much of the nation's technical assistance and educational programming in agriculture. This workforce development project focuses on jumpstarting participation and motivation for a diverse representation in future organic leadership that helps make the organic sector more inclusive, equitable and just. ($705,000)

Examples of the 7 projects funded under NIFA’s Organic Transitions Program include:

• University of Wisconsin: Transitioning to organic farming in Wisconsin requires developing tailored soil health management practices guidelines to help organic farmers improve nutrient-use efficiency, increase crop-yield potential and mitigate climate-change impacts like drought. This research project seeks to leverage a statewide soil health dataset, enhanced by new field observations, remote sensing data and advanced machine learning models, to create a web tool offering region- and field-specific guidelines to assist organic grain farmers manage soil health and support climate-resilient farming. ($997,000)

• Michigan State University: Organic tree fruit production east of the Mississippi river will not be sustainable without effective management of bacterial diseases including fire blight, bacterial canker and bacterial spot. Bacteriophages (phages) represent a promising tool for managing bacterial plant diseases; however, phages have not been commercially developed mainly due to reduced and inconsistent efficacy. Scientists will investigate the phage-disease dynamics on apple and cherry flowers for fire blight on apple trees and bacterial canker on cherry trees. ($1 million)