Governor Terry McAuliffe announced on Feb. 6, 2014 that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is accepting applications for USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant funding.  Agricultural associations, industry groups, community-based organizations and producer groups that seek to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops in Virginia are eligible to submit proposals for grants up to $50,000 per project. VDACS anticipates administering nearly $600,000 in funds for the development of specialty crop projects. The deadline for returning applications is March 21, 2014.

Read the Governor’s full press release here.

Guidelines, instructions, and the application for the USDA Specialty Crop Competitive Grants are available here.