The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries has been awarded $519,000 to fund projects aimed at boosting the state’s specialty crop industry, according to a news release from the USDA.

The funding comes through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which supports marketing, education and research initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop growers.

“Since I became Commissioner in 2019, the specialty crop industry including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops has grown tremendously,” said Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate in the release. “We’re proud of the success of these programs and the positive impact they’ve had on our farmers and communities. ADAI is eager to help farmers accomplish their goals of increased production and market expansion of specialty crops. I encourage more people to apply and take advantage of these significant opportunities.”

The $519,000 awarded to Alabama is part of a total $72.9 million in non-competitive FY 2025 funding distributed to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands through the program.

Per the release, 14 projects in Alabama will receive funding, targeting improvements in crop production, disease management, sustainable farming practices and market access for small and underserved growers.

Projects include:

Protected Culture Production of Strawberry Plant Materials - Developing new methods for producing and propagating strawberry plants in Alabama to ensure high-quality plant material is available at planting time. Budget: $40,000.

Sustainable Sweet Potato Farming - Improving nematode management and using AI-based crop monitoring to support small-scale sweet potato farmers. Budget: $33,699.60.

Tackling Strawberry Shelf-Life Issues for Alabama Schools - Testing relative humidity exposure to extend shelf-life of strawberries, which currently lasts three to five days. Budget: $22,751.

Alternative Disease Resistant Specialty Crop - Assessing novel bunch grape cultivars resistant to Pierce’s disease for sustainable family farming. Budget: $40,000.

AI-Based Precision Weed Management - Using AI tools to improve weed control in vegetable crops and boost yields. Budget: $40,000.

Nano-Enabled Herbicides for Pecans and Peaches - Developing slow-release herbicides to reduce rising weed control costs in pecan and peach production, industries that contribute to Alabama’s $49 million fruit and nut economy. Budget: $40,000.

Enhancing Specialty Crop Sustainability - Offering training and outreach to help small growers adopt best practices in sustainable agriculture. Budget: $39,000.

Introduce Disease-Tolerant Strawberry Cultivars - Identifying strawberry varieties resistant to Neo-P fruit and leaf rot and providing free disease testing for growers. Budget: $40,000.

Alabama Seed-to-Table Specialty Crops for Young Learners - Expanding student access to specialty crops through school garden programs. Budget: $25,000.

Integrated Management of Nematodes and Fungal Diseases in Sweet Corn - Promoting crop rotation, resistant varieties and educational outreach to enhance sweet corn resilience. Budget: $39,337.

Assessing Tomato and Pepper Varieties - Testing resistance to foliar diseases and nematodes, and evaluating biochar as part of integrated pest management. Budget: $39,860.

UAV Chemical Applications for Labor Savings - Demonstrating drone-based chemical application to reduce labor costs in nurseries, orchards and Christmas tree farms, which generate $536 million annually. Budget: $40,000.

Efficient Propagation and Growing Practices for Kiwifruit - Supporting cultivation of patented gold-fleshed kiwifruit with high market value. Budget: $40,000.

Increasing GAP/GHP Audit Participation - Offering financial assistance to help growers obtain food safety certifications and gain access to wholesale markets. Budget: $40,000.

Per the release, additional information is available by contacting Johnny Blackmon at (334) 240-7257 or johnny.blackmon@agi.alabama.gov.