California accepting proposals for 2016 specialty crop grants

Oct 29, 2015

Grants can be worth up to $450,000

Only weeks after announcing it will receive nearly $20 million in specialty crop funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, California is already accepting proposals for next year’s round of specialty crop grants.

“Specialty crops define much of California agriculture,” said California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) secretary Karen Ross in an earlier press release. “This grant funding is an important piece of our partnership with the USDA as we work together to promote and protect a part of the food supply that is relied upon in California, across the country, and around the world.”

Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and floriculture.

Those interested in applying for specialty crop funding must follow a two-phase approach:

Phase one includes submitting a concept proposal that is subject to review by the CDFA and a panel of volunteers who are experts in related fields. Successful proposals will be invited to participate in phase two, which consists of a detailed grant proposal.

The CDFA will be holding a series of workshops and webinars to assist applicants with the process:

Workshop	When	Where	Time
Orange County	Tuesday, November 3rd	OC Fair and Event Center	9:30 - 11:30AM
Fresno County	Wednesday, November 4th	Fresno County Farm Bureau	9:30 - 11:30AM
Sacramento County	Tuesday, November 10	University of Phoenix	9:30 - 11:30AM

Webinars are scheduled for Thursday, November 5th from 1:30 - 3:30PM and Thursday, November 12th from 9:30 - 11:30AM

Concept proposals need to be submitted Friday, December 4^th, by 5pm PST. Invitations to participate in phase two will be sent out in February 2016 and award announcements will be made in October 2016.

Join the discussion and tell us about any ideas you have for specialty crops in California. Would you consider applying for a grant?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.