Kansas Wins $383,242 for Specialty Crop Projects
The Kansas Department of Agriculture received the funding through the USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to support six state projects.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Agriculture
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The Kansas Department of Agriculture was awarded $383,242.73 through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Six Kansas specialty crop projects will receive funding from the award.
Why it matters
The grant supports research and education aimed at strengthening specialty crop production across Kansas. Projects cover areas ranging from frost protection to irrigation and year-round farming systems.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture was awarded $383,242.73 across six specialty crop projects through a competitive application process. The extraction does not specify how the funds are divided among the individual projects or when results will be reported.
The players
Kansas Department of Agriculture
The state agency that received the federal grant and selected the six funded projects through a competitive application process, overseeing agricultural programs across Kansas.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
The federal agency that administers the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which funds efforts to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops nationwide.
The details
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service awards Specialty Crop Block Grant funds to enhance the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops. Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom will develop a lesson unit on apple production for third- through fifth-grade teachers, while Kansas State University will develop a year-round production system at the Willow Lake Student Farm.
Timeline
No specific dates were provided in the source extraction for the award or the projects.
Industry Landscape
The Kansas awards operate under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which directs federal funds toward fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and horticulture crops. The projects funded here apply that federal framework to Kansas-specific challenges such as frost damage to vegetables and drought-responsive landscape irrigation.
Kansas specialty crop growers and educators can watch for outcomes from the funded projects, including the anti-frost coating research at Pittsburg State University and the pumpkin variety trials at Allen County Community College. The Willow Lake Student Farm production system may offer local reference points for year-round specialty crop planning.
The takeaway
Federal specialty crop funding is reaching specific Kansas research sites and education programs, from frost protection to elderberry production. Growers and educators in the state can follow these projects as they produce results over the coming seasons.
Further reading
Explore more in Agriculture coverage of Kansas farming and specialty crop programs.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Agroinsurance.
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