Idaho ag department gives $2 million in grant funding to specialty crop projects

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

BOISE – The Idaho State Department of Agriculture will award 17 projects a total of more than $2 million in grant funding in fiscal year 2024.

The funding is available through ISDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

The grant money, which is provided through USDA’s national specialty crop block grant program, is used to promote, market and conduct research for the state’s specialty crop industries.

The program is designed to solely benefit specialty crops, which include vegetables, fruits, tree nuts, dried fruits, nursery and horticulture crops.

“We are pleased to provide this opportunity in collaboration with USDA for organizations of all sizes to enhance the competitiveness of Idaho-grown crops,” said ISDA Director Chanel Tewalt. “This year’s specialty crop block grant funding will address several needs for Idaho’s specialty crops including innovative research, market improvement, educational initiatives and more.” 

Since it was created in 2009, the ISDA program has awarded 214 projects a total of $22.36 million.

The funding has been especially important to specialty crop industries with limited resources, such as the Idaho Bean Commission.

“This grant program has allowed the commission to fund several interesting and valuable research projects that otherwise might have been difficult to fund,” said IBC Executive Director Andi Woolf-Weibye. “It has been a real benefit to the state’s approximately 500 bean growers.”

The bean commission received grant funding for two projects this year, including $85,000 for a project that will evaluate the suitability of using biochar to suppress soil-borne diseases in beans.

Biochar is produced by burning various materials, usually wood, at a high temperature and low oxygen, and resembles charcoal.

The commission will work with University of Idaho researchers to determine the effects of biochar being incorporated into bean soils.

The IBC also received a $60,000 grant for a project to develop onsite and confirmatory tests for pathogens of beans.

The project seeks to develop four new isothermal detection methods for key bean diseases.

Idaho ranks No. 1 in the nation in dry bean seed production and sixth in total dry bean production.

“The research funded by these type of grants has helped address several key challenges in the bean world and we are very thankful for the opportunity to help advance the industry,” Woolf-Weibye said.

The ISDA also awarded an $87,000 grant to a project led by the College of Southern Idaho to enhance educational opportunities for students by building an apple orchard with an irrigation system and incorporating trellises.

According to a project summary, “By actively involving students in the project, a pool of future professionals equipped with hands-on experience in trellised apple cultivation will be created. Graduates with this specialized knowledge will be valuable assets to the apple industry….”

The Idaho Apple Commission received a $70,000 grant to increase exposure and sales of Idaho apples through in-store, social media and website promotions.

The Idaho Cherry Commission received a $20,000 grant to do the same thing for Idaho cherries.

ISDA awarded an $86,000 grant to the Idaho Hop Growers Commission to increase awareness of and demand for Idaho hops through the use of social media, radio advertising and international and domestic tours.

The Idaho Mint Growers Association received a $19,000 grant to create awareness and foster education about Idaho mint.

Idaho is the nation’s top peppermint-producing state.

According to the project summary, “This grant proposal aims to address critical needs within our industry, focusing on raising awareness of Idaho mint, fostering education at various levels, and providing opportunities for open dialogue between growers, consumers, and most importantly end user corporations.”

Three grants totaling $415,000 in funding will seek to help Idaho’s potato industry.

The Idaho Potato Commission received a $200,000 grant to help continue a marketing program in Taiwan.

“Idaho potatoes have only begun to scratch the surface of the potential opportunity that exists in this important market,” the project summary states.

University of Idaho received a $100,000 grant for a project that seeks to develop a novel strategy to achieve pale cyst nematode resistance in Idaho potatoes.

PCN can cause up to 80 percent yield loss in potatoes.

According to the project summary, “Developing an environmentally friendly and effective approach for PCN disease management for Idaho growers is urgently needed.”

U of I also received a $115,000 grant for a project to improve the marketing potential of Idaho seed potatoes.

The Idaho Wine Commission received a $222,000 grant for a project designed to reach Idaho consumers with the story of Idaho wine.

According to the project summary, “Despite the great success and growth Idaho’s wine industry has seen, consumers, especially those who have relocated to Idaho, are still unaware it is a wine producing state … This project will target the local population with the goal of getting people to realize great wine is within minutes from their homes….”

The Sunnyslope Wine Trail, a group of 20 wineries, received a $125,000 grant to increase public awareness of the Sunnyslope wine region.

“Through local advertising, we will increase foot traffic to all local wineries by a minimum of 30 percent, which will impact visitors to other local specialty crop growers and businesses in this area as well,” the project summary states.

ISDA awarded the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee a $120,000 grant to promote Idaho-East Oregon onions and increase demand through tours, trade shows and trade missions.

The Idaho Nursery and Landscape Association received a $135,000 grant to evaluate and develop an existing pool of native plant species and determine their medicinal potential.

ISDA’s Idaho Preferred program received a $295,000 grant to continue to promote Idaho specialty crops.

“The projected outcome is a targeted increase in specialty crop sales to $42.5 million, reflecting a 5 percent growth over the previous year,” the project summary states.

ISDA’s Bureau of Food Safety, Hemp and Hops received a $125,000 grant for a project that seeks to combat challenges within the hop industry.

Northwest Nazarene University received a $66,000 grant to develop a robot operating software platform for robots used in specialty crop production.