Specialty Crop Block Grant workshops offered

Completing a grant application can be daunting.

To ease the process, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is offering workshops across the state to assist non-profit organizations, producer groups, government agencies, universities and other agricultural entities in completing the Specialty Crop Block Grant application.

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funds assist with research, industry improvements and consumer education that will increase the demand, supply and consumption of specialty crops. Projects should benefit the specialty crop industry as a whole and not provide direct profit to a specific organization, institution or individual.

Dates and locations for the 2012 SCBG workshops are:

• Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 2:30-4:30 p.m., DATCP Board Room, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison;

• Tuesday, March 6, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Mead Wildlife Visitor Center, S2148 County S, Milladore; and

• Thursday, March 8, from 7-9 p.m., NWTC, 2740 West Mason Street, Green Bay.

Juli Speck, DATCP's grant specialist, will walk participants through each step of the grant writing process, offer suggestions for writing strong proposals, and offer feedback on project proposal ideas.

To register for the workshops, contact Speck at 608-224-5134 or juli.speck@wi.gov.

Specialty crops are defined in law as: fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

Applications for SCBGs are due to DATCP by 4:30 p.m. on April 2. For the grant manual and application, visit http://datcp.wi.gov and search "specialty crop." Or connect with DATCP on Twitter at twitter.com/widatcp or Facebook at facebook.com/widatcp.