More Than a Half Million in Grants Award for Colorado Speciality crops

Eleven grants totaling $549,000 were awarded through the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s 2016 Specialty Crops Program. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Colorado Department of Ag Markets Division Market Specialist Glenda Mostek shares more details about some of those entities that have been award this year’s grants supporting research, promotional activities to increase the sales of specialty crops.
Mostek: “Everything from sod growers — sod is a specialty crop - and we were excited to have an application from the Rocky Mountain Sod Growers this year. To potatoes - projects benefiting potatoes. To the Colorado Fruits and Vegetables Growers Association — which encompasses all Colorado fruits and vegetables. To the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association for greenhouse projects that promote people getting out and planting something. Colorado State University in Fort Collins of course does a lot of agricultural research we have fund going their way to fund everything from the hydroponic hop production to the pungency and nutritional composition of pepper varieties.”
Mostek says that the call for 2017 entries for the specialty crop grant applications will happen soon.
Mostek: “We will publish information for 2017 on our website — Colorado Department of Agriculture website in about December. And the deadline will be March 15th.