Kentucky Agriculture
Commissioner Jonathan Shell
Contact Us
AgNet
  • About the KDA
      KDA Offices, News & Grant information
      • Offices
      • Office of Commissioner
      • Office of Administrative Services
      • Office of Agricultural Marketing
      • Office of Agricultural Policy
      • Office of Communications
      • Office for Consumer & Environmental Protection
      • Offices
      • Office of Legal Services
      • Office of State Veterinarian
      • KDA Executive Staff
      • KDA Internship Program
      • Request an Official Appearance
      • News
      • Kentucky Agricultural News
      • Press Releases
      • News Archive
      • KY AGNEWS Sign Up
      • KDA Grants
      • All KDA Grants
      • All Current KDA Grants And Funding Opportunities
  • Ag Policy
      Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF)
      • Administrators
      • Applicants
      • Applicant Reporting
      • County Agricultural Development Councils
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Board
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation (KAFC)
      • Application Deadlines
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation Board
      • Lender & Mentor
      • Loan Programs
      • Kentucky Agricultural Policy Publications
      • Annual Report 2019
      • Annual Report 2020
      • Annual Report 2021
      • Annual Report 2022
      • Annual Report 2023
      • Annual Report 2024
      • Kentucky Agricultural Economic Development Division (KAED)
      • Kentucky Agricultural Economic Development Division (KAED)
  • Animal
      Animal Health & Marketing Programs
      • Animal Health
      • Animal Disposal and Rendering
      • Animal Welfare and Complaints
      • Beekeeping
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Disease Prevention
      • Animal Health
      • Emergency Management
      • Equine
      • Farmed Cervids
      • Livestock
      • Movement and Identification
      • Online Permitting System
      • Animal Health
      • Pollinator Protection Registration System
      • Poultry
      • State Veterinarian
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
      • Animal Marketing Programs
      • Aquaculture
      • Livestock
      • Market News
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Shows and Fairs
  • Online Services
      KDA Online Services
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Ag Businesses Directory
      • Ag Ringtones
      • ARD Inspector Search
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Hay for Sale
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • KDA Calendar of Events
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Licensing and Certification Log In Portal
      • Licensing and Certification Registration Portal
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Online Permitting System
      • Pest Control Company Directory
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pollinator Protection Registration System
      • Product Registration and Renewal System
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Service Agency
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Pesticides
      Environmental Servies & Training and Testing
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Pest Control Company Directory
      • Pest Control - Agriculture
      • Pest Control - Structural
      • Pesticide Product Registration
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
      • Public Pest and Recycling Assistance
      • Pesticide License Renewal Portal Login
      • Pesticide Registration and Renewal
      • Training and Testing
      • Training and Testing
      • Product Registration
      • Product Registration
  • Plant
      Plant Marketing Programs
      • Plant Marketing
      • Plant Marketing
      • Farmers Markets
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • GAP-Good Agriculture Practices
      • Ginseng
      • Grape and Wine
      • Hemp
      • Hemp Licensing Portal (login required)
      • Horticulture
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Organic
      • Produce Safety Program
      • Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
  • Promotional
      Promotional & Marketing Programs
      • Ag Businesses
      • Ag Education
      • Agritourism
      • Appalachia Proud
      • Buy Local
      • CSA - Community Supported Agriculture
      • Emergency Management
      • Farm License Plate
      • Farm Safety
      • Farm to Fork
      • Farm to School
      • Farmers Markets Directory
      • Farmland Preservation/PACE
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Good Agricultural Practices - GAP
      • Marketing Grants
      • Homegrown By Heroes
      • International Trade
      • Junior Chef
      • KDA Grants
      • Kentucky Proud
      • Kentucky Wine
      • Livestock Tag
      • Local Food Purchase Assistance Grant
      • Market News
      • Mobile Science Activity Center
      • Promotion and Development
      • Raising Hope
      • Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure
      • Shows and Fairs
      • Woodlands
  • Regulatory
      Regulatory, Food, Environmental & Other Programs
      • Food Programs
      • Farm to School
      • Chefs in Schools
      • Local Food Purchase Assistance Grant
      • National School Lunch Programs
      • Senior Farmers' Market
      • Supplemental Programs
      • Regulation & Inspection
      • Aerial Recreational Devices
      • Amusement Ride Inspections
      • Egg Licensing
      • Grain Licensing and Regulation
      • Grain Licensing Search
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Teen & Tobacco
      • Weights and Measures
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
      • Environmental Services
      • Pest Control - Agriculture
      • Pest Control - Structural
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pesticide Product Registration
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
      • Public Pest and Recycling Assistance
      • Other
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Market News
      • Organic Program
      • Rendering
      • Stockyards and Dealers
  • AGNET
  • Contact Us

OCT 03

Kentucky Department of Agriculture awarded more than $345,000 for specialty crop program

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2025) – The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has been awarded $345,544.81 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) as part of a $79.2 million investment to increase opportunities for farmers, ranchers and other growers across the country.

This USDA grant helps the Kentucky Department of Agriculture fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state and support specialty crop growers through marketing, education, and research.

“Specialty crops make up a significant part of Kentucky’s agricultural economy and through these grants the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is pleased to be able to provide assistance to our producers to grow that production,” said Kentucky Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell. “The specialty crop program is intended to help make Kentucky specialty crops more competitive in both domestic and foreign markets. These funds will allow new and unique opportunities for Kentucky farm families.”

Through the SCBGP, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is funding six projects. 

The projects funded include:

• $62,000 - Kentucky Horticulture Council will lead a collaborative effort with Kentucky Fresh Harvest to launch the Appalachian Protected Agriculture Alliance — a multi-state nonprofit coalition supporting greenhouse and vertical farm specialty crop producers across the 13-state Appalachian region.

• $62,000 – Awarded to the Southern Kentucky Floral Exchange to increase awareness and consumption of Kentucky grown specialty cut flowers in the region to expand cut flower production, sales and distribution through consumer education, networking and marketing initiatives.

• $53,000 – This project allows the University of Kentucky Specialty Crops Team to develop advanced disease management tools to help growers transition to organic production or to incorporate biological/biorational products into their conventional pest management systems.

• $53,000 – Awarded to the University of Kentucky to evaluate and develop seed production recommendations for perennial cut flower crops that can be grown commercially in the mid-South.

• $44,000 – This project is a partnership between Need More Acres Farm, the Allen County Health Department Board of Health, and the Barren River District Health Department. The project aims to address health concerns in South Central Kentucky by promoting the consumption of Kentucky-grown specialty crops among individuals at risk of developing diabetes.

• $44,000 – Awarded to the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) for marketing and promoting of specialty crops to new customers by enhancing OAK’s Find-A-Farm Directory and launching a strategic marketing campaign to increase awareness of and demand for local and organic produce.

The funding for the SCBGP grants is authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill. Since 2006, USDA has invested more than $1 billion through the SCBGP to fund more than 13,000 projects that have increased the long-term successes of producers and enhanced marketing opportunities for U.S. specialty crops products.

For more information on the grants, visit the USDA's website.

Press Release Sign-up

    In the News

  • 8/19/25 - Madisonville North Hopkins wins first salsa challenge at Kentucky State Fair
  • 8/18/25 – ‘Ag Tag’ donations set another record in 2025
  • 8/18/25 – Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approves more than $500,000 for projects across the Commonwealth
  • 8/11/25 – Kentucky businesses receive grants to secure food supply chain
  • 8/07/25 – Hart County farmers honored with conservation award
  • View All Press Releases...

    Agriculture Links

  • Kentucky Farm Bureau Newsroom
  • Cromwell Ag Network
  • Morning Ag Report - WKDZ 106.5 FM
ABOUT KDA AGNET CONTACT US REQUEST AN APPEARANCE
KY Department of Agriculture |Phone: (502) 573-0282 |Fax: (502) 564-2133 |1-800-327-6568 |Disclaimer |Ag links
© Kentucky Agriculture Department. All rights reserved.
Kentucky Proud