Specialty Crop Block Grant Recipients for Fiscal Year 2024

The following projects were awarded grant funding for 2024:

  1. Stone Hill Wine Co. – Examining Pre-Prohibition Grape Cultivars for Vineyard and Wine Production Viability - Study the viability of Pre-Prohibition grape cultivars by establishing an experimental vineyard, tracking development, comparing to sentinel varieties, and disseminating the results through grower outreach - $50,000
  2. Kansas City Community Gardens – Increasing Specialty Crop Consumption and Knowledge through School and Community Gardens - Increase knowledge and consumption of specialty crops among children and adults by establishing, expanding and improving school and community gardens - $49,924
  3. Boonville Farmers Market – Advertising Billboard to Promote Specialty Crops in Boonville Missouri - Promote specialty crop consumption and purchases with a billboard located on Highway B in Boonville Missouri - $6,216
  4. University of Missouri – DNA Fingerprint Development for Identification of Elderberry Cultivars - Sequence the genomes of diverse elderberry accessions and develop a set of DNA markers, or a fingerprint, that will enable differentiation among elderberry cultivars, supporting industry growth - $49,957
  5. Missouri State University – Viticultural Evaluation of ‘Chambourcin’ Derived Hybrids Grown for Wine Production - Evaluate the potential of 'Chambourcin' derived hybrid grape varieties with the focus on their suitability for wine production and disseminate the analysis of these hybrids to viticulturists and winemakers - $49,849
  6. Missouri Department of Agriculture, ABD, Missouri Grown – Promoting Specialty Crops in Missouri Schools and Early Childhood Education - Provide stipends to registered Missouri Schools and Early Childhood Education (ECE) facilities to purchase consumable specialty crops from Missouri farmers - $44,698.32
  7. Missouri State University – Deficit Irrigation Impact on Canopy Vigor and Fruit Acidity in ‘Norton’ Grapevines - Identify an irrigation strategy through in-field research to control canopy vigor, reduce fruit acidity, and conserve water in ‘Norton’ wine grape production and will share results through conferences and a publication - $47,039.20
  8. University of Missouri – Uncoupling the Grape Cultivars ‘Norton’ and ‘’Cynthiana’ - Identify genetic, phenotypic, and wine attributes that differentiate cultivars 'Norton' and 'Cynthiana' thereby providing Cynthiana to the industry for the first time in contemporary history - $41,421
  9. University of Missouri – Sensor-based Irrigation Management System (SIMS) in Grapes and Blueberries - Conduct on-farm research to develop a Sensor-based Irrigation Management System (SIMS) for precision irrigation in specialty crops using information from real-time proximal sensors and remote sensing technology - $49,996