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Montana Projects Selected for Specialty Crop Grants

Specialty crop block grants announced this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture included seven Montana projects that range in scope from educating growers and processors about safe food production and handling procedures to research that will broaden options for Montana growers.

A total of $296,702 was awarded to the Montana Department of Agriculture for projects to accomplish those aims. The Montana organizations and the projects they will conduct are:

— Lake County Community Development Food and Agriculture Center and the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center will help Montana’s specialty crop producers who are supplying food to local institutions such as schools, colleges and hospitals, and to other large markets meet national and global food safety standards.

— The Montana Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Food and Agricultural Development Center Network, will provide training on good agricultural and produce handling practices for crop producers. The sessions also may be of interest to county health departments, food service directors and others. The project will conduct follow-up training to help growers develop food safety plans for their farms and, when buyers require it, help them prepare for food safety audits.

— Montana State University’s Seed Potato Certification Program will develop a garden seed directory for distribution to all nurseries, garden centers, and produce distributors in Montana, obtain four new specialty varieties to expand the selection available to gardeners, and conduct an educational campaign to inform the public of the importance of growing Montana seed potatoes.

— The USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council will improve market access to and develop pulse crops (dry edible peas, lentils, chickpeas, and beans) as meal ingredients through training and a hands-on product/menu development and a course targeting executive chefs, food manufacturers and food service entities from around the world.

— Montana State University Extension will conduct cold hardy grape variety trials in western Montana to help small acreage and commercial grape growers and wineries determine ways to develop and grow the wine industry in Montana.

— Montana State University will identify low glycemic index potato cultivars that may be adapted for production in Montana as a value-added crop, and develop and provide a range of pest and disease diagnostic services for commercial and amateur beekeepers to support the honey bee industry in Montana.

New products and markets and job creation are among the goals of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service program, which was created by the 2008 Farm Bill, says Lee Boyer, Rural Development Bureau chief for the Montana Department of Agriculture. The grants are designed to help strengthen markets and farm opportunities for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

For more information about the Specialty Crop Block Grant program, contact Boyer at (406) 444-2402 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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