KDA receives nearly $238,000 in Special Crop Grants from USDA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, October 16, 2009

For more information contact:

Bill Clary

(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Agriculture was awarded a $237,590 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of Kentucky specialty crops.

"This grant will help Kentucky Proud producers add, expand and market their specialty crops," Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “These crops create new direct marketing opportunities for producers while promoting new types of fresh, locally-grown food."

The grant will fund five KDA projects that are among 745 approved in 55 USDA grants totaling $49 million. They include:

· $61,997.73 to hire a marketing specialist for two years to focus on the promotion and development of specialty crops for sale through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) producers and farmers’ markets. This project has the potential to positively affect up to 100 producers and 5,000 consumers. Its goal is to increase farmers’ market sales by 5 percent by 2011 and encourage the start of several new CSAs in Kentucky.

· $80,000 to develop and execute four research projects to control pests on organic specialty crops. Kentucky also has large Amish and Mennonite communities which largely adhere to organic principles. Effective and economical organic crop protection strategies would allow Kentucky producers to increase their acreage.

· $40,000 for the KDA to partner with an educational institution to create or modify recipes for specialty crops. The project aims to increase the awareness of the availability and nutritional value of Kentucky specialty crops through new recipes, increase specialty crop sales across the state and to provide those that do food demonstrations around the state with healthy recipe cards that promote local products.

· $40,000 to develop and implement a series of Healthy Living Through Food forums to connect Kentucky specialty crop producers or their products with larger scale buyers in educational institutions or corporations for use in cafeterias and restaurants. The project hopes to affect at least 30 Kentucky specialty crop producers by solidifying relationships with at least two organizations that have large institutional buying capabilities.

· $15,000 for the KDA and Kentucky State University to educate at least 200 socially-disadvantaged, small or beginning farmers on growing blackberries, currents, edamame, gooseberries, grapes, kale, lettuce, okra, pawpaws, sweet corn, spinach and tomatoes.

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