CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Eight West Virginia agribusinesses, organizations, and agencies will share in $301,000 in FY 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). The monies will help fund projects that strengthen West Virginia’s specialty crop industry through marketing, education, and research. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

“Here in West Virginia, a vast majority of our farms are small, family-owned businesses. Many of them are niche operations that take specialty crops available here in the Mountain State and market them to a wider audience. SCBG help drive innovation and grow our industry,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt.

The Specialty Crop Block Grants were awarded to:

• West Virginia University ($69,356.00) WVU will spearhead an initiative to promote agricultural diversity and the economy of specialty crops in West Virginia. A team from the Davis College of Agriculture and Extension will evaluate 32 hop varieties.
• West Virginia University – Parkersburg ($53,254.00) WVU-P agriculture department and partners will increase agriculture educational capacity to establish specialty crop trainings to agriculturalists, specifically focusing on integrated pest management practices.
• JarHead Farms ($14,984.00) The farm will provide the thermal processing, co-pack facility that is necessary to expand fruit production in Southern West Virginia.
• Mountaineer Beekeepers Association ($14,532.16) The Association will establish a community-based honey extraction program by placing much needed modern honey extraction supplies strategically around the state.
• West Virginia Farmers Market Association ($43,320.18) The WVFMA aims to improve agricultural literacy, boost fruit and vegetable consumption, and strengthen the connection between local farmers and consumers through educational summer library programs.
• Patriot Gardens ($45,782.00) Patriot Gardens will focus on edible plants parts, particularly on blooms/blossoms and leaves, in an effort to show opportunities for increased profits.
• Green Thumb Botanicals ($14,920.00) The farm aims to transform local elderberry cultivation by evaluating disease resistance, insect pest resilience, and yield performance of various elderberry varieties in West Virginia.
• Mountain State Flower Farm ($11,908.96) The farm will research different varieties and cultivars of specialty cut flowers and foliage that can be grown in an unheated high tunnel to bloom in time for Thanksgiving Day sales.

The WVDA received $32,849 to administer the grant program.

The USDA funded 524 projects for a total of $72.9 million in non-competitive FY 2024 grants to 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia through the SCBGP.

For more information, contact Maggie Blankenship, mblankenship@wvda.us or 304-558-2210.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials who sits on the Board of Public Works.