State-level
floral industry groups with research or marketing initiatives can
apply for millions of dollars in federal grant money in 2009, thanks to
the recent extension of a 2008 program.

But you need to act now to get your state's share of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Block Grant Program.

Last year, the USDA doled out $49 million to states and has that
same amount allocated for the fiscal 2009 year. The funding helped
support The Two Texas Treasures wine and flower promotion, organized by the Texas State Florists’ Association and state agriculture department. The California Cut Flower Commission got
grant money for transportation research. And the USDA supported
state-level floral industry research in Wisconsin, an initiative headed
by the Wisconsin Commercial Flower Growers Association.

 

As a part of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), SAF lobbied
for the expansion of the program in the most recent Farm Bill that was
passed in 2008.

 

“Block grants are a great way to enhance the competitiveness of your
product and develop other best practices for supporting floriculture,”
said Lin Schmale, SAF’s senior director of government relations.

Each state that applies and has projects accepted is guaranteed $160,000.

The USDA is accepting applications from states’ departments of
agriculture for 2009 grants.  State floral associations need to submit
their application to their respective state department of agriculture,
which will submit a proposal with the proposed projects to the USDA by
Aug. 26.

 Get more information about applying here.