Nevada Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The Agriculture Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) authorized the USDA to partner with state departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of growers of fruits, vegetables and other horticultural crops in areas such as marketing, promotion, education, research, trade and nutrition. A state department of agriculture is the agency, commission or department of a state government responsible for agriculture within the state. Examples of initiatives that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops include:

1. Leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops (not a business but crops themselves) with multiple project beneficiaries.

2. Assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops that will enhance the industry.

3. Expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and

4. Addressing local, regional and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.

Specialty crops are broadly defined as:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Tree nuts

• Dried fruits

• Nursery crops (including floriculture)

All entities, organizations or individuals must be in good standing in order to receive funds. Debarred or suspended organizations are not eligible. Poor performance from previous SCBGP awards may also impact eligibility. Additional eligibility information includes the following: • Applications will be accepted from non-profits, tribal organizations, minority groups, disadvantaged farmers, agricultural associations, industry groups, community-based organizations, individual producers (cannot be for the benefit of a sole individual business or entity), and academia that seek to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops in Nevada.

• Applicants must be in good standing with all grant funds and required reports associated with the NDA to be eligible to apply.

• Any individual/organization that has been disbarred or had funding revoked with any state/federal entity will not be considered.

• Applicant projects must benefit more than one individual or organization.

Note: Previous sub-grantees with poor performance may not be considered for funding. The review committee will be provided background sheets on previously funded projects by program management which allows a collective determination to be made on whether the project should be considered for funding. Poor performance may include late/incomplete reports, failure to respond to correspondence from SCBGP management staff in a timely manner, mismanagement of SCBGP funds, among other activities.

All projects must be completed by September 29, 2027. Projects can last up to three years with the anticipated award period starting on October 1, 2024, and ending September 29, 2027. Projects that are anticipated to be finished in less than the full award period are still eligible to apply. All project leads/coordinators will be required to submit annual progress reports and a final report. The final report is to be submitted no more than 30 days after the completion of the project. The expenditure of grant funds must occur within the authorized subgrant period. Failure to fulfill reporting requirements may be cause for withholding funding, withdrawal of funding or possible rejection of future applications.

Request for Application

The NDA will not accept any submission of incomplete applications. Deadline extensions will not be provided to applicants that miss the posted application deadline. Any applicant that fails to satisfy the deadline requirements will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this announcement.

Letters of Intent (LOI) are due by December 15, 2023, and should be submitted to Nevada Specialty Crop block Grant Program via email at NevadaSC@agri.nv.gov with a subject line beginning with “2024 Letter of Intent”.

Applications are by invitation only and are due February 1, 2024. An electronic copy is required and must be submitted to Nevada Specialty Crop block Grant Program via email at NevadaSC@agri.nv.gov with a subject line beginning with “2024 SCBGP Application”.

Eligible Specialty Crops