MDA Awards 2021 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grants

Grantee Organization Name

Principle Investigator/ Project Coordinator

Federal Award Amount

Project Summary

University of Minnesota

Gary Muehlbauer

$148,566

Develop, evaluate, and preserve powdery mildew resistant germplasm for hop growers in Minnesota.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

AMDD Minnesota Grown Staff

$147,888

This project increases sales and awareness of Minnesota specialty crops with statewide marketing, through a two-year statewide earned media public relations campaign.

University of Minnesota

Alan G. Smith

$148,862

Development of a genetic test to identify American highbush cranberry (native, edible fruit, ornamental) from the nearly identical European (non-native, inedible fruit) will increase use of the native, and reduce genetic pollution and invasiveness.

University of Minnesota

Matthew Clark

$131,811

Implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics for early detection of grapevine trunk diseases will provide Minnesota fruit growers and nurseries with insight to improve climate-appropriate management practices and identify sources of disease.

University of Minnesota

William D Hutchison

$149,628

Novel research, via GIS and an "Attract & Kill" strategy will be implemented in commercial grape vineyards to manage Japanese Beetle, a pest of more than 300 host plants, and one of the most damaging, invasive pests of specialty crops in Minnesota. 

University of Minnesota

Jerry D. Cohen

$150,000

New methods to induce rooting in the micropropagation of hybrid hazelnuts will be developed using a chemical biology approach to overcome barriers when working with difficult to root varieties.

Indigenous Peoples Task Force

Michael Neumann

$150,000

The proposed initiative will advance non-seasonal consumption of nutritionally enriched sprouts and microgreens as specialty crops to counter health disparities and co-morbidities in the Native American communities worsened by COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Minnesota

Neil O Anderson

$150,000

The project goal is to test our perennial flax (Linum) selections for cut flower production and postharvest storage conditions that enhance vase life.

University of Minnesota

Nancy Jo Ehlke

$60,000

The integration of an insect (armyworm) monitoring and trapping program coupled with a perennial ryegrass seed production and endophyte survey to improve the profitability of turf grass seed production in northern Minnesota.

Grantee Organization Name

Principle Investigator/ Project Coordinator

Federal Award Amount

Project Summary

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Valerie Gamble

$100,000

This project will help produce growers understand the FSMA Produce Safety Rule by offering multi-lingual continuing education related to the rule, and evaluation of those services for continuous improvement.

University of Minnesota

Cindy Tong

$145,346

We will investigate the extent of swede midge spread in Minnesota; find sustainable, non-pesticidal methods to prevent swede midge damage to broccoli crops; and prepare commercial growers to respond to this emerging pest.

University of Minnesota

Jane Jewett

$117,194

Comprehensive wholesale readiness training will prepare produce farmers who have been direct marketing to consumers to make the leap to wholesale, diversifying their marketing mix and increasing produce availability in local food systems.

The Good Acre

Anna Richardson

$146,258

This project will connect BIPOC growers in Minnesota with markets where they have historically been excluded, expanding the diversity of producers represented in these markets and increasing consumer access to high-quality, locally grown produce.

Hmong American Farmers Association

Dao Yang, Farm Manager

$36,172

This project focuses on developing a bilingual, bicultural post-harvest training program to build the capacity of small-scale, immigrant Hmong and BIPOC farmers to implement best practices, extend produce shelf life, and expand market opportunities.

University of Minnesota

Alan G. Smith

$76,288

Amur maple is very popular with nurseries and consumers, but it is a non-native invasive plant causing environmental damage, this proposal will select and test seedless Amur maple trees for development of alternative non-invasive cultivars.

The Food Group

Laura Mirafuentes

$149,485

Through its Big River Farms training program and organic incubator farm, this project will educate beginning, socially disadvantaged farmers in organic vegetable production, with new curriculum and demonstration plots focused on perennial crops.

Kilimo Minnesota

Moses Momanyi

$72,213

This project focuses on training small-scale, immigrant African farmers on farm management and vegetable production skills, which increases regional availability of produce and improves farmers’ economic livelihood.

University of Minnesota

Linda Kinkel

$149,123.32

Optimizing potato soil microbiomes using soil management practices to better understand the relationship between microbial diversity, function, and biomass as well as soil carbon diversity and potato soil health and productivity.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

AMDD Minnesota Grown Staff

$60,000

This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing, including search engine advertising, promoted social media posts and social media advertising.

University of Minnesota

Julie Grossman

$125,764.50

This project will improve specialty crop producers’ capacity to optimize cover crop productivity as part of their vegetable rotations in cold climates by selecting high nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria for use with the cover crop legume hairy vetch.

North Dakota State University

Andrew Robinson

$114,739

The University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University potato agronomy program will determine how narrow row spacing can improve sustainability of fresh red- and yellow-skinned potato production in Minnesota.

University of Minnesota

Daniel Handeen

$137,885

Project personnel, in partnership with three deep winter greenhouse operators, will develop, prototype, and test thermal curtain materials and deployment mechanisms intended to reduce nighttime heat loss from deep winter greenhouses.

Midwest Elderberry Cooperative

Christopher J Patton

$90,000

This project will increase the production acreage of Minnesota elderberry growers to provide Minnesota food and beverage companies with a dependable supply of native, high quality elderberry ingredients.

University of Minnesota

Laura Shannon

$122,213

We will innovate artificial intelligence methods for predicting potato Nitrogen status using drones and identify high yielding potatoes, with improved quality traits, and reduced nitrogen requirements for potential cultivar release from the University of Minnesota breeding program.