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SACRAMENTO, October 19, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced funding for the 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). California received $28.9 million out of approximately $86.6 million awarded nationwide.
The SCBGP provides grants to state departments of agriculture to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) will fund 60 projects.
"California's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program continues to deliver tremendous value for our farmers, communities, and consumers," said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. "As one of the nation's largest recipients, we see firsthand how this funding drives innovation across our food system-from strengthening school nutrition and expanding consumer markets to advancing research that improves food safety. These investments also help us build a more climate-resilient and equitable future for all Californians."
The Buy California Marketing Agreement was awarded $3 million to establish the Growing CA GROWN Gold campaign by designing and implementing educational programs and marketing promotions to increase awareness and consumption of California Grown specialty commodities. This multi-platform digital campaign is designed to generate strong support from the retail and food service trade, as well as the agritourism industry, to increase consumer demand for California specialty crops and specialty crop products.
Among the environmental stewardship and conservation projects funded, the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was awarded $497,404.00 to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence into a mobile robotic platform with custom robotic arms designed for table grape harvesting.
The SCBGP Additional Assistance Program provides a process through which organizations supporting limited-resource California farmers and communities can participate and successfully implement their SCBGP projects. Among the five projects awarded this year, Black Thumb Farm, a non-profit organization, will receive $249,993.00 to support the Kinfolk Kitchen: Cooking with Specialty Crops project, which aims to host 20 community workshops on seasonal consumption of specialty crops that are affordable and locally grown, providing a variety of specialty crops directly from Los Angeles urban farms. Through cooking workshops, the community will be provided with information about local urban farms where they can purchase specialty crops. The Pauma Band of Mission Indians, a Tribal Government, will receive $249,858.00 to address drought, declining groundwater, inefficient irrigation, and poor soil health affecting specialty crop production in Pauma Valley and surrounding areas.
Other projects focus on increasing sales of specialty crops by leveraging the unique qualities of specialty crops grown in California; increasing consumption by expanding the specialty crop consumer market, improving availability, and providing nutritional education for consumers; investing in training for growers, producers, and operators to address current and future challenges; and conducting research on conservation and environmental outcomes, pest control and disease, and organic and sustainable production practices.
In addition, CDFA continued its partnership with the Center for Produce Safety in the evaluation and recommendation of food safety related projects. These projects represent an ongoing effort to address food safety practices and minimize outbreaks of foodborne illness with proactive research.
The 2026 SCBGP project abstracts are available here.
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