Four projects submitted by California were selected for funding for the 2019 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP). The SCMP is a federal grant program offered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. SCMP strengthens food safety; seeks new ways to address plant pests, disease, and other crop-specific issues; and increases marketing opportunities for fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and dried fruits to horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Funding is awarded competitively to state departments of agriculture that partner with stakeholder organizations in two or more states.
Funded projects include "Enhancing Pepper Production, Profitability, and Seed in the Southwest U.S." and "Improving Lettuce Cultivars against Bacterial Leaf Spot (BLS) through Breeding, Genetics, and Study of the BLS‐Lettuce".
A complete list of funded projects is available here. Additional information about the SCMP can be found on the USDA and CDFA SCMP websites.
