The USDA announced it is initiating a new effort to further support the U.S. specialty crops sector and increase the competitiveness of its products.

“We all count on America’s specialty crops for reliable access to nutritious, fresh foods,” says USDA deputy secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Specialty crop producers are hard at work to keep operations profitable while implementing sustainable practices, and President Biden is proud to invest in innovation within the industry to remain competitive domestically and in markets across the world.”

As part of this new effort, USDA conducted a department-wide review of its current services and programs that support the specialty crops industry and compiled the information into a Specialty Crops Resource Directory. 

The directory, being launched today, is a one-stop shop for the sector and contains a comprehensive snapshot of USDA’s resources and services for specialty crop producers and businesses in one convenient location.

Additionally, over the next several months, USDA leadership will engage directly with the specialty crop industry and producers to gain feedback on how USDA can better address gaps in services and better meet the industry’s needs. Dates and locations of roundtables and other live opportunities for stakeholder feedback are to be announced.

USDA is also encouraging U.S. specialty crops stakeholders to submit comments on how USDA can better support and meet the needs of the industry. To submit a comment, visit the Request for Information posted in the Federal Register. Comments are due by March 8, 2024.

 A new specialty crops-dedicated webpage designed to provide information on the initiative is available at www.usda.gov/specialty-crops.

Specialty crop research initiative

In addition, USDA announced that it is investing $70.2 million in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to support 21 research and Extension projects that address key challenges of national, regional, and multistate importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems.

The grant program, administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), prioritizes projects that improve crop characteristics; manage threats from pests and diseases; improve production efficiency, profitability, and technological innovation; and mitigate food safety hazards.