11/07/05 Specialty Crop grant funding

Many in Northwest agriculture, especially those whose livelihoods are connected to specialty crops like tree fruits and berries, were celebrating when news came out that Congress had agreed to put money into next fiscal year's federal agriculture appropriations bill for a long sought after program. FOSTER: They included $7 million dollars for new block grants to each of the fifty states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. And this is a block grant program that was actually set up under the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act that was enacted late last year. But it was not funded. So this is the first time that this round of block grants has been funded. And Nancy Foster of the U.S. Apple Association says the Specialty Crop Block Grants, coupled with funding from other components of the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act, means the Act now has full funding. The Act is designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Foster says the Act was written to be very broad, both in how states are allowed to award block grants, and in its definition of competitiveness. FOSTER: It could development of new technology or new process to perfect a product. It could enhance exports in some way. It could even look at operations on the farm in terms of ways to look at the production and the ability to produce competitively.