Indiana specialty crop growers are receiving more than $635,000 in federal grant funding to improve production practices, expand market access and extend the selling season for fruits, vegetables and cut flowers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the funding through its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, awarding $635,414.60 to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) for four projects designed to strengthen the competitiveness of specialty crops across the state.
The Indiana projects will support research, education and outreach, and marketing initiatives involving vegetable production, apples, peaches, pears and high-value cut flowers, including snapdragons, ranunculus, lisianthus and dahlias.
The awards are part of a nationwide investment of $86.6 million supporting approximately 609 projects across 56 states and territories. The funding targets challenges facing specialty crop producers, including food safety requirements, pest and disease management, production efficiency, research and development, and access to new markets.
“Putting farmers first will continue to drive economic growth and strengthen the fabric of rural communities across America,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in announcing the awards.
Rollins said the investments reflect the administration’s commitment to innovation, marketing and research to help specialty crop businesses compete in markets around the world.
Four Indiana projects target production, markets and profitability
Indiana’s four awards address different points in the specialty crop supply chain, from improving production techniques to helping growers meet food safety requirements and keep fruit marketable for longer periods.
Blue Family Farms: Advancing Indiana cut flower production
Blue Family Farms in Rolling Prairie will receive $137,561.80 to demonstrate improved production, irrigation efficiency, season extension and post-harvest handling practices for Indiana cut flower growers.
The project will focus on high-value flowers such as snapdragons, ranunculus, lisianthus and dahlias. Its goal is to develop practical, field-tested production systems that can improve profitability, sustainability and market access.
Findings and educational resources will be made publicly available, allowing other growers to apply the results to their own operations.
Indiana Grown: Expanding market access and food safety support
Indiana Grown in Indianapolis will receive $175,000 for an initiative combining produce safety training, third-party certification support and participation in high-value regional and national trade shows.
The project is designed to help Indiana specialty crop producers strengthen food safety compliance while increasing their visibility among potential buyers.
By pairing certification assistance with coordinated marketing opportunities, the initiative aims to help growers become more market-ready and reach additional customers beyond their existing sales channels.
Purdue University: Improving transplant production
Purdue University in West Lafayette will receive $104,001.36 to investigate transplant production challenges facing Indiana’s small-scale specialty crop growers, including vegetable and cut flower producers.
The project will conduct replicated indoor propagation experiments using tomatoes and snapdragons as representative crops for vegetable and cut flower production systems.
The research will address growers’ need for reliable transplant production practices, with the potential to improve crop establishment and provide small-scale producers with better information for their operations.
Slaughter Orchard & Cidery: Extending the fruit marketing season
Slaughter Orchard & Cidery in Bloomington will receive $168,017.84 to evaluate modular controlled-atmosphere storage systems for apples, peaches and pears.
The research will examine whether these storage systems can maintain fruit quality longer, allowing growers to extend their sales seasons and increase the window for value-added processing.
Trials will run for 16 weeks, with fruit evaluated weekly for firmness, storage diseases, the percentage of fruit suitable for sale and taste.
The results will help determine how long different fruit varieties can be stored while maintaining marketable quality. Findings will also be shared with other orchards and vineyards through demonstration days and industry events.
Longer storage windows could give growers greater flexibility in when they sell their crops, potentially helping them reach customers later in the season and make better use of their harvest.
National investment supports specialty crop competitiveness
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is investing the $86.6 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, with state departments of agriculture distributing funding to selected projects.
Eligible specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticultural products and nursery crops. Unlike commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, these products often depend on specialized production, handling, storage and marketing systems to preserve quality and reach consumers.
The federally supported projects are intended to strengthen the entire specialty crop distribution chain. Activities can include food safety improvements, research into new and improved varieties, pest and disease management, consumer education about healthy eating, and efforts to make specialty crops more accessible and affordable.
Indiana’s awards are part of a broader national effort to help specialty crop businesses respond to changing market demands and overcome barriers to growth.
Other Midwestern states also received funding. Michigan will use more than $2.64 million to support specialty crops including apples, asparagus, beans, blueberries, Christmas trees, herbs, mushrooms and grapes. Ohio will receive more than $800,000 for projects involving apples, leafy greens, brassicas, herbs, maple syrup, honey and nuts.
Elsewhere, Florida will receive more than $4.3 million for projects supporting mangoes, blueberries, sweet corn and muscadine grapes. Texas will use more than $2 million to improve the competitiveness of grapes, watermelons, pecans, onions and spinach. Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are among the other states receiving funding for research, outreach and marketing initiatives.
Turning research into opportunities for growers
For Indiana producers, the four funded projects offer a combination of hands-on production research and practical business support.
Cut flower growers will gain access to demonstrations aimed at improving production and irrigation. Small-scale vegetable and flower producers will benefit from transplant research, while specialty crop businesses seeking new customers will receive support for food safety compliance and marketing. Fruit growers will have new research examining whether controlled-atmosphere storage can extend the period in which their crops remain suitable for sale.
The projects reflect a common challenge for specialty crop producers: increasing the value of what they grow often requires more than improving yields. Storage, food safety, product quality and access to buyers can all influence whether a crop reaches the market profitably.
USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is intended to help address those challenges through state-led investments in research, education, outreach and marketing.
More information, including the complete list of funded projects, is available through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program webpage.
