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$260,000 in Specialty Crop Grants Awarded

 

Date: July 10, 2012

The Utah Department of Agriculture & Food has approved 16 projects to receive a total of $260,151 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Specialty Crop Block Grant funds. Twenty seven applications were submitted which requested a total of $600,000 in funding. The selected projects demonstrated a measurable benefit for the specialty crop industry and are expected to assist more than just a single producer. Recipients were selected based on USDA requirements that projects enhance the competitiveness of other Utah specialty crop producers.

Project awarded are:

  1. RoseRed Wildflowers, LLC – Pamela Cantrell, Ph.D – Mitigating the Effects of Africanized Honeybees (AHB) in Southern Utah.  Utilizes an efficient method for producing AHB-free queens through instrumental insemination and make them available to local and regional beekeepers at a cost effective price.
  2. Brigham Young University, Tory Parker – Utah red raspberry jam specialty market: Utilizing the waste stream to improve the nutritional properties of local jam.
  3. Utah State University, Brent Black – Adapting high density orchard management strategies to Utah’s fruit industry.
  4. South Salt Lake City, Glenn Smith – South Salt Lake Community Connection to Agriculture Project is designed to increase child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of fruits and vegetables, and to assist residents and local producers in improving efficiency of the distribution chain.
  5. Utah State University, Dr. Bruce Bugbee – Precision irrigation management in Utah tart cherry and apple orchards using continuous recording infrared temperature sensors.
  6. Utah State University, Jennifer Reeve – Developing reduced input conventional orchard floor management options for improved tree nutrition, pests and efficient water use.
  7. Castleland RC&D Council, Melissa Swasey  – Develop a test plot for commercial asparagus operation in Emery County and to determine feasibility of further expansion of this crop in the region.
  8. Utah State University, Roger Kjelgren – Jujube: a new fruit crop for Utah production and low water landscapes. 
  9. Utah State University, Daniel Drost – Optimal production approaches for bell peppers: Early season survival, nitrogen needs and high tunnels.
  10. Utah State University, Diane Alston – Implementation of cherry fruit fly killing stations to reduce the use of hazardous insecticides in commercial and home orchards. 
  11. Utah State University, Marion Murray – Using mobile devices to enhance fruit pest information delivery.
  12. Utah State University, Marion Murray – Workshop to educate fruit growers on two invasives: Spotted wing drosophila and brown marmorated stink bug. 
  13. Wasatch Community Gardens, Lindsay Oswald Smith – Young gardening program: City roots classes and growing greens field trips.
  14. Great Salt Lake RC&D, Therese Meyer – Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Utah promotion program support.
  15. Utah State University, Dr. Roslynn Brain – Farm-Chef-Fork: Establishing enhanced farm to restaurant communication and sourcing across Utah.
  16. Cornaby’s Farm, David Cornaby – Sunscald reduction in primocane raspberries.  

 

For expanded descriptions of the projects contact:
Larry Lewis – UDAF Public Information Officer                                                                                        
801-538-7104
or:
Project coordinator
David Bailey
Specialty Crop Block Grant
Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food
1-435-851-4900

 

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Posted July 10, 2012