USDA Program Funds Specialty Crop Research in North Dakota
In partnership with: North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Michael Wunsch knew that field peas were susceptible to a disease called Aphanomyces that causes the roots to rot. The plant pathogen was so common on North Dakota farms that many growers abandoned production in impacted fields.
Thanks to funds from the Specialty Crop Block Grant program, Wunsch was able to research solutions.
“We found that the root rot was more severe the later the peas were planted,” he explains. “Early planting gave peas a head start and, by the time soils had warmed enough to become favorable for the pathogen, the peas were already pretty large and better able to withstand the disease.”
Specialty Crop Block Grants were designed to fund this kind of solution-based research that can develop new seed varieties and crops, improve pest and disease control, boost consumption of specialty crops, and increase the competitiveness of crops like fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops.
See more: North Dakota Research into Specialty Crops Flourishes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced the program in 2006. The latest investment, authorized through the 2018 Farm Bill, includes $243 million in grants allocated through state departments of agriculture. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture awards $3 million in Specialty Crop Block Grants annually.
“These grants are important because [North Dakota] is one of the largest producers of specialty crops in the country,” says Deanna Gierszewski, Specialty Crop Block Grant Program coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. “Specialty crops account for a significant amount of our exports.”
The grants have funded projects ranging from enhancing rust resistance in confection (non-oil) sunflower production and optimizing the nutritional value of pulses to boosting the profitability of dry bean production and improving the detection and resistance of nematode diseases in potatoes.
Wunsch believes the block grants are instrumental for conducting research that could significantly impact specialty crop production across the state and region.
“We have some pretty devastating production problems that have never been tackled in specialty crops, and it limits acreage of those crops,” he says.
Funding the Future
Project proposals for Specialty Crop Block Grants are due in January. A panel of five anonymous reviewers that includes experts from academia, Extension and production score and rank each one and determine a funding allocation before forwarding them to the state agriculture commissioner, Doug Goehring, and the USDA for final approval.
The committee receives up to 50 applications per year and funds upwards of 50% of the proposals. The grants range from $60,000 to $200,000, according to Gierszewski.
“If it’s a good project, we want to fund it,” she says.
The Specialty Crop Block Grants have already had an impact. For example, Wunsch’s research on Aphanomyces in field peas showed that early planting, coupled with good crop rotation practices and fungicide seed treatment, resulted in “economically viable production” on fields that would have otherwise been abandoned, helping North Dakota farmers plant field peas with confidence.
See more: North Dakota Dairy Processors Churn Out Award-Winning Ice Cream, Gelato and More
Funding also helps nonprofits and schools promote specialty crops and support rural communities. Gierszewski points to grants for a bee exhibit at the North Dakota Zoo and classroom projects that taught students about chickpea production and how to make hummus as examples of public-facing projects that promote local specialty crops.
“It’s not all research,” she says. “It’s a really diverse program that has a big impact.”