2009 PRESS RELEASES

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April 14, 2009
VDACS AWARDS SEVEN SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANTS
Contact: Marion Horsley, 804.225.3820

 Todd P. Haymore, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), has announced funding for seven agriculture-related projects which will promote and enhance the competitiveness of Virginia’s specialty crops.  The projects resulted from the competitive grant process established by the VDACS Division of Marketing for USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant funds.  

Commissioner Haymore commented, “This diverse group of innovative projects will extend the success and profitability of specialty crops in Virginia and help agriculture maintain its status as the largest industry in the Commonwealth.  I congratulate these organizations for advancing ideas that will help growers add value and enhance market opportunities across Virginia.”

The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 authorized the USDA to provide funds to the states to promote specialty crops including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops.  When considering grants for the USDA Specialty Crop Program, VDACS gave priority to projects that included the following activities: assisting farmers in transitioning into specialty, high value agricultural initiatives that address the eligible specialty crops; increasing net farm income through high-value or value-added enterprises; finding new ways to market or to add value to specialty agricultural products; developing pilot and demonstration programs in specialty agriculture that have the potential for transferability within rural Virginia.

            VDACS is awarding grants totaling $123,565.74 for these projects:

1. Sustainable Fresh Market Tomato Nitrogen Fertilization, awarded to Virginia Tech Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, lead Mark Reiter (Painter, VA) – Grant funding will support the development of new fertilizer application practices for fresh market tomato production in Virginia to replace those originally formulated for different growing conditions.  The new practices will be designed to ensure fertilizer efficiency and reduce nutrient losses to the environment, while maintaining productivity and helping farmers remain profitable. 

2. Organic Control of Powdery Mildew in Winter Squash Crops, awarded to the Virginia Association of Biological Farming, lead Gary Scott (Petersburg, VA) – In an effort to meet rising consumer demand and provide information to farmers about reliable organic control of powdery mildew on winter squash, the grant money will fund replicated field trials of four biological control products on six varieties of winter squash at each of six locations across Virginia in 2009 and 2010.

3. High Resolution Vineyard Site Suitability Mapping of Virginia, awarded to Virginia Vineyards Association, lead Tony Wolf (Winchester, VA) The grant funds will be used to improve vineyard site selection, appraisal and development by creating a high-resolution Geographical Information System (GIS) which will be available online to industry end-users and the public.  The vineyard GIS will incorporate digital climate, soil, physical land features and satellite imagery data to assist with high resolution appraisals of site-specific parcels of land.

4. Creating Conditions for a Sustainable Commercial Organic Blueberry Operation, awarded to Eastern Mennonite University, lead Roman Miller (Harrisonburg, VA) – The grant will underwrite the development of a model system of specialty agriculture by determining the economics and best practices of a small, sustainable commercial organic blueberry operation.  The study’s examination of soil preparation, pest management, productivity, selection of cultivars, marketing strategies, drip irrigation and high hoop horticulture will benefit regional farmers, students and horticulturalists.

5. A New Nursery Production and Marketing System, awarded to Virginia Tech, Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, lead Bonnie Appleton (Hampton Roads, VA) – The grant money will support the development of a new approach to producing, holding and marketing landscape-caliber trees. In the new system, bare root trees, grown in inorganic substrate production beds, will be harvested, shipped, and marketed for planting in the landscape.  System developers will test alternative substrate components, materials to prevent root desiccation, and the response of various tree species to bare rooting.

6. Pumpkin Promotions, awarded to Virginia Cooperative Extension, Southwest Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center, lead Allen Straw (Hillsville, VA) – By providing support to implement promotional strategies and to research optimal varieties, crop protectants, cultural practices, fertility and other issues, the grant will help Virginia pumpkin growers increase their already high quality, yield and sales of premium Virginia Grown pumpkins.

7. Enhancing Productivity of Small Beekeepers in Southside Virginia, awarded to Southside Beekeepers Association, lead Cynthia Estienne (Emporia, VA) – The grant funds will help the Southside Beekeepers Association purchase honey processing and bee education equipment in order to achieve its goal of promoting the use of honeybees for pollination, increasing the consumption of honey, educating members and the general public about bees and beekeeping, and facilitating the production of quality honey products by small local producers.