COLUMBIA – In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $603,000 in funding awarded to South Carolina through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Through this program, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture funds projects that strengthen South Carolina’s specialty crop industry through marketing, education, and research. Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery crops.

“Each year, we find new ways to use the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to help South Carolina farmers thrive,” said South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. “These grants encourage growers to expand their markets, take informed risks, and grow more local crops. Supporting farmers is what it’s all about.”

The funded projects include:

• Establishment of an online marketplace coupled with a statewide logistics system for the South Carolina Cut Flower Growers Marketing Co-op.
• A South Carolina State University study on chickpeas as a fall cover crop/spring cash crop.
• Clemson University research projects to detect bacterial blight in brassica crops, breed peaches more resistant to bacterial canker, improve fungicide application in strawberries, and develop a pricing tool for use by farmers and buyers.
• Development of an AI-based agricultural database and dashboard by Advent Innovations Limited Company to monitor crop health and growth, control soil health, mitigate specialty crop loss, and predict yield through data collection, storage and processing.
• A study of flower selection using honey samples by Elgie Deberry Apiaries on Daufuskie Island.

A full project list is available at ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp.

For more information about Specialty Crop Block Grants in South Carolina, visit agriculture.sc.gov/grants.