Secretary Naig Awards 13 Grants to Support Specialty Crop Production in Iowa

What this means

DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 14, 2026) - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded 13 Specialty Crop Block Grants to support education and outreach, research, and market development that benefits Iowa’s specialty crop producers, including Choose Iowa members. Annual funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grants is authorized by the Farm Bill and provided through a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

Official release

Source material from Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

Secretary Naig Awards 13 Grants to Support Specialty Crop Production in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 14, 2026) - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded 13 Specialty Crop Block Grants to support education and outreach, research, and market development that benefits Iowa’s specialty crop producers, including Choose Iowa members.

“Specialty crop producers are finding new ways to grow, diversify and create value right here in Iowa, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship wants to help continue that momentum,” said Secretary Naig. “These Specialty Crop Block Grants support research, education and outreach that spur innovation and help Iowa’s specialty crop producers tap into new markets. Not only do these investments strengthen our state’s agriculture-based economy, but they also provide more opportunities for consumers to buy Iowa-grown, Iowa-made and Iowa-raised food, beverage and horticultural products.”

Annual funding for the Specialty Crop Block Grants is authorized by the Farm Bill and provided through a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). This year, Iowa received more than $435,000 through the federal grant program, and the funding will be distributed to the following grant recipients:

Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association*

2027 Iowa Specialty Producers Conference

Iowa State University

Managing Soil pH for Iowa Specialty Crops

Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development

Alternative Farm Food Safety Assessments for Wholesale Customers

Iowa State University

Viral Threats to Iowa Apple Production: A Comprehensive Virome Survey of Malus Domestica

Iowa State University

New Shrubs for Iowa's Nursery Industry to Diversify the Landscape in the Upper Midwest

Iowa State University

Optimizing Fermentation of Iowa Specialty Fruits to Expand Value-added Opportunities

Practical Farmers of Iowa*

Cover Crops for Weed Suppression in Specialty Crop Systems

Iowa Wine Growers Association

Iowa Wine Growers Association Annual Conference

Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation

The Buzz About Bees: Pollinators and Specialty Crop Connections

Lutheran Services in Iowa*

Expanding Iowa's Access to Naturally Grown Vegetables and Farmer Market Opportunities

Iowa State University

Effects of Pre-harvest Conditioning on Sod Establishment under Deficit Irrigation

Iowa State University

Supporting Producers in Navigating Loans, Grants, and Funding Opportunities: Cultivating Capital, Train the Trainer and Producer Trainings

Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Choose Iowa Grown Specialty Crop Products Campaign to Increase Consumer Awareness and Consumption of Local Iowa Agricultural Products

A complete list of Specialty Crop Block Grant recipients, and more details about each project, is available on the USDA AMS website.

*Choose Iowa member

Release text attributed to Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.