Business & Tech
Napa County Farmworker Program Wins $500K For Wine Industry Pipeline
Napa County Farmworker wine industry pipepine, promoting wine to Texas, sustainability programs, and others will share $24.2 m.
NAPA VALLEY, CA — A federal program aimed at boosting the competitiveness of specialty crops will award $24.2 million in grants to projects across California, the state Department of Food and Agriculture said last week.
The US Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program will fund 50 projects in the state, ranging from promoting the state's homegrown cantaloupe to expanding the number of gardens in schools.
The projects are designed to increase sales of specialty crops, whether by promoting consumption or supporting research on pest control. Grant recipients will work with CDFA to implement the programs.
Find out what's happening in Napa Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops.
Several Bay Area projects were among the winners.
The Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans received $495,950 to promote Monterey County and Santa Lucia Highlands wines to new consumers, with a goal of raising direct-to-consumer sales by 5%.
Find out what's happening in Napa Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The West Sonoma Coast Vintners were awarded $400,702 to promote wines grown in western Sonoma County to consumers in Texas, the nation's fourth-largest wine importer.
In Napa County, the Farmworker Foundation will receive $500,000 to build a pipeline of wine industry workers through training and mentorship programs.
The Concord-based Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association will receive $494,163 to teach farmers' market shoppers how to cook with specialty crops through live demonstrations.
In Mendocino County, the California Land Stewardship Institute was awarded $486,627 to provide outreach to 120 farms on sustainable practices.
San Joaquin County AgVenture was awarded $375,804 to create a program for third graders on healthy eating with specialty crops. The program will reach more than 89,000 students and include field trips to farms and farmers' markets.
Sustainable farming projects also received support.
California State University, Monterey Bay, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, each received nearly $500,000 to improve water systems for farmers.
By Sarah Stierch, Bay City News
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