USDA Awards $86.6 Million in Specialty Crop Block Grants for Fruits and Vegetables
The Morning Harvest: Farm and Food News
No. 008 | Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Today in 30 seconds
USDA announced $86.6 million in Specialty Crop Block Grants on Tuesday, October 13: 609 projects in 56 states and territories, up from $72.9 million and 586 projects last year. Farmers apply through their state, not USDA, and the next window opens in spring.
No new food recalls were posted October 10 to 13. Virginia closed part of the Little Wicomico River to oyster and clam harvest after at least five Salmonella cases in Pennsylvania.
Honeycrisp apples are $2.12 a pound at retail while Gala is $1.26, and a Washington State University study shows why Honeycrisp growers still lose money at today’s packing house prices.
In season: Hass avocados at $1.09 each, broccoli at $3.03 a bunch, and butternut squash at $1.09 a pound.
Could you grow strawberries? About one quart per plant, 25 plants for a family, and planting season starts now in Texas and next month in the Carolinas.
Garden State minute: New Jersey’s apple season after the April 19 to 22 freeze, with Mood’s Farm in Mullica Hill and Russo’s Farm in Tabernacle.
What are USDA Specialty Crop Block Grants, and who gets the $86.6 million?
On Tuesday, October 13, 2026, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced $86.6 million in Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding. “Specialty crops” is the legal term for fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including flowers. The money will fund about 609 projects in 56 states and territories. The fiscal year 2025 round, announced September 23, 2025, was $72.9 million for 586 projects, so this year’s total is up about 19 percent and adds 23 projects.
The program is a block grant, which means USDA does not fund farms directly. Each state or territory’s department of agriculture applies to USDA, receives a share, and runs its own competition to pick projects. Funded work includes food safety, research, new seed varieties, pest and disease control, nutrition education, and marketing.
State examples from the USDA release:
Florida: more than $4.3 million for mangoes, blueberries, sweet corn, and muscadine grapes.
Michigan: more than $2.64 million for apples, asparagus, beans, blueberries, Christmas trees, herbs, mushrooms, and grapes.
Texas: more than $2 million for grapes, watermelons, pecans, onions, and spinach.
Georgia: more than $1.7 million for 13 projects covering pecans, blueberries, peppers, strawberries, peaches, apples, Vidalia onions, and citrus.
North Carolina: more than $1.5 million for sweet potatoes, fir trees, tomatoes, blueberries, and apples.
Pennsylvania: more than $1.1 million for mushrooms, potatoes, and apples.
Ohio: more than $800,000 for apples, leafy greens, brassicas, herbs, maple syrup, honey, and nuts.
New Jersey: the state Department of Agriculture’s 2026 request for proposals listed $1,023,883.78 in program funding, with a $40,000 maximum per project and no match required (applications ran from late April to May 14, 2026).
Why it matters: this is the money behind variety trials, pest surveys, and food safety training that reach growers through universities and state programs. For a landowner thinking about an orchard or berry planting, the research these grants fund is usually published free by extension services.
What a farmer can do with this:
Find your state’s Specialty Crop Block Grant page now and sign up for its notices. In New Jersey, the 2026 call opened in late April and closed May 14, with awards capped at $40,000 and no matching money required. USDA runs the program on an annual cycle, so plan on the next state window opening in spring 2027.
Do not plan to apply alone. The rules require projects that benefit the specialty crop industry or the public, not a single business. The realistic path is to bring a project to a grower association, commodity board, cooperative, or your university extension office and be the farm that hosts the trial, the demonstration, or the marketing pilot.
Pick a problem the program already funds: a pest or disease survey, a variety trial, a food safety training, or a new market or branding effort. A one page written idea with a cost estimate puts you ahead of most applicants when the request for proposals opens.
Use what was just funded. The 2026 awards pay for research and training that extension services publish free, so ask your extension office which projects in your state received money this round and how to take part.
Sources: USDA press release, October 13, 2026; USDA AMS, Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; USDA AMS, FY2025 awards, September 23, 2025; NJDA 2026 SCBGP request for proposals; Rutgers, 2026 SCBGP applications open through May 14
Is there a food recall this week? Virginia oyster and clam harvest closed after Salmonella illnesses
FDA and USDA posted no new food recalls from Friday, October 10 through Tuesday, October 13, based on the FDA recall list and daily recall trackers. The most significant current food safety action is a shellfish closure.
On Friday, October 9, 2026, the Virginia Department of Health issued an emergency closure of the downstream portion of the Little Wicomico River in Northumberland County, Virginia, to oyster and clam harvesting, effective October 9 through November 7, 2026.
The closure follows a Salmonella outbreak in Pennsylvania that health officials linked to oysters harvested from that area. News reports citing VDH put the count at at least five illnesses. No hospitalizations have been reported publicly.
A second emergency closure covers parts of Lower Machodoc Creek in Westmoreland County through October 29. VDH has not publicly tied it to the Pennsylvania cases.
Crabs and finfish are not affected, drinking water is not affected, and no product recall or FDA advisory had been posted as of this writing.
How it happens: oysters and clams are filter feeders. They pump water through their bodies to eat, and bacteria in that water concentrate in the animal. Raw or lightly cooked shellfish carry whatever was in the harvest water.
What to do: if you ate raw oysters or clams in the past week and have diarrhea, cramps, or fever (Salmonella symptoms usually start 12 to 72 hours after eating), see a doctor and mention the shellfish. Restaurants and markets keep a harvest tag with every bag of shellfish, so you can ask where your oysters came from.
Sources: Virginia Department of Health, October 9, 2026; Food Safety News, October 10, 2026; FDA recalls list
Why do Honeycrisp apples cost $2.12 a pound when Gala is $1.26?
The USDA National Retail Report for Friday, October 9, 2026 shows Honeycrisp advertised at a national average of $2.12 a pound, up from $2.00 last week and down from $2.16 a year ago. Gala was $1.26 a pound, Fuji $1.23, and Granny Smith $1.33. Per standard 40 pound box, that is about $85 of Honeycrisp versus about $50 of Gala at the register.
At the shipping point, USDA’s National FOB Review for October 9, 2026 lists Washington (Yakima Valley and Wenatchee district) Honeycrisp, U.S. Extra Fancy, 80 count tray pack cartons, at mostly $34.95 to $37.95 per carton, with the best looking fruit (“fine appearance”) mostly $40.95 to $46.95. Gala in the same pack was mostly $29.95 to $32.95. Demand was moderate and the market steady. Washington matters because it produced about 7.16 billion of the nation’s 10.72 billion pounds of apples in 2025, roughly two thirds (USDA NASS, May 2026).
The gap comes from the orchard, not the store markup. Washington State University’s 2024 apple cost study (presented August 2025 by economists Karina Gallardo and Suzette Galinato) found:
Honeycrisp operating costs run 35 to 40 percent higher than Gala, Granny Smith, or Cosmic Crisp.
Only about 72 percent of Honeycrisp fruit packs out as marketable, versus about 80 percent for the other varieties.
Labor is 60 to 65 percent of in-field costs, and harvest is the largest labor expense.
A grower needs about $44 per 40 pound box to cover cash costs plus depreciation on Honeycrisp. For Gala and Granny Smith, Gallardo said a price below $30 is not sustainable.
So at $35 to $38 a box, standard Washington Honeycrisp is selling below the WSU cost line right now, while Gala at $30 to $33 is barely above its own. USDA’s August 2026 estimate put the 2026 national apple crop down 7 percent from 2025, which is why last week’s retail prices were not falling with the harvest.
Sources: USDA National Retail Report, October 9, 2026; USDA National FOB Review, October 9, 2026; WSU 2024 Production Costs and Returns of WA Grown Apples; Good Fruit Grower, break-even analysis; USDA NASS Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts, May 1, 2026; The Packer, August 22, 2026
What produce is in season in mid October? Avocados, broccoli, and butternut squash
All retail prices are national average advertised prices from the USDA National Retail Report dated October 9, 2026. Shipping point prices are from the USDA National FOB Review of the same date.
Hass avocados: $1.09 each, up from $0.97 last week and $1.02 a year ago. Supply is crossing from Mexico through Texas, where 48 count two layer cartons were mostly $22.25 to $24.25. Tip from the California Avocado Commission: a ripe avocado yields to gentle pressure and springs back; a ripe one keeps 2 to 3 days on the counter or up to a week in the refrigerator, and a hard one ripens on the counter in about 3 days.
Broccoli: $3.03 a bunch, versus $2.99 last week and $2.98 a year ago. Salinas-Watsonville, California, bunched 14s were mostly $28.45 to $31.75 a carton with supply fairly light; Santa Maria was lower at mostly $14.55 to $16.55. Tip from Mississippi State Extension: choose tight, dark green florets and firm stems, skip yellowing or open buds, store unwashed in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Broccoli is a cool season crop that fits a fall or spring garden.
Butternut squash: $1.09 a pound, versus $1.06 last week and $1.11 a year ago; acorn was $1.08 and spaghetti $1.11. Tip from Iowa State University Extension: store at 50 to 55 degrees in a dry, ventilated spot, away from apples and pears, which give off ethylene gas. Butternut keeps 2 to 3 months, acorn 5 to 8 weeks, Hubbard 5 to 6 months. Winter squash grows in almost any backyard garden with full sun.
Sources: USDA National Retail Report, October 9, 2026; USDA National FOB Review, October 9, 2026; California Avocado Commission, storing avocados; Mississippi State Extension, broccoli fact sheet; Iowa State University Extension, harvesting and storing winter squash
Could you grow strawberries? Yield, spacing, and when to plant by region
Strawberries are the fastest fruit crop a landowner can start, and planting season is opening across the South. The figures below come from North Carolina State, Ohio State, and Texas A&M extension guides.
Yield: about 1 quart per plant. NC State’s home garden leaflet puts 25 plants and their runners at about 25 quarts; Ohio State says up to 1 quart per plant in the first fruiting year of a matted row.
How many: 25 plants normally supply an average sized family (Ohio State).
Spacing: June bearing plants 12 to 24 inches apart in rows 36 to 40 inches apart; day neutral plants 8 to 12 inches apart with 30 to 36 inches between rows (Ohio State). Texas A&M’s rule of thumb is about one plant per square foot.
Sun and soil: full sun. Soil pH 5.5 to 6.0 (NC State) or 5.8 to 6.5 (Ohio State); Texas A&M says below 7 in sandy soil. Soil test first.
First harvest: June bearing types fruit in their second year (remove first year blossoms); everbearing and day neutral types fruit the first year (Ohio State).
Varieties: Sweet Charlie for the Southeast coastal plain and Piedmont, Earliglow and Tribute for cooler areas (NC State); Allstar, Jewel, Earliglow, and day neutral Seascape and Tribute for the Midwest (Ohio State).
By region: In Texas, October is the prime month to plant so roots establish in cool weather, with harvest from February to early June (Texas A&M). In eastern North Carolina, plants go in from November to March and harvest starts in late April (NC State). From the Mid Atlantic north, plant in early spring; Ohio State says fall planting is not recommended there. What to do this month: Southern growers plant now. Northern growers soil test the bed, adjust pH, and order plants for March or April delivery.
A berry patch like this is exactly the kind of planting we design for landowners, and the site visit and soil test are always step one: Turn your yard into a producing orchard.
Sources: NC State Extension, Strawberries in the Home Garden (HIL 8205); Ohio State University Extension, HYG-1424; Texas A&M AgriLife, plant strawberries now
Garden State minute: how is New Jersey’s apple season after the April freeze?
New Jersey’s pick your own apple season is running on a fraction of a normal crop. After an early April heat wave pushed trees into bloom, a four day freeze on April 19 to 22, 2026 dropped temperatures into the low 20s across the state. Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency in all 21 counties, the state estimated damage could top $300 million, and a federal disaster designation issued in June opened emergency loans to farms. USDA found catastrophic perennial crop damage in 13 states from Virginia to Michigan.
What it looks like now:
Mood’s Farm in Mullica Hill (Gloucester County) told 6abc on September 15 that its pick your own trees hold a couple of apples each where they would normally be full. The farm is bringing in apples from other farms so children can still pick, running weekend hayrides, and expanding its farm store to make up for lower orchard traffic.
Russo’s Farm in Tabernacle (Burlington County) lost its entire peach crop and has no apples for picking this year.
Earlier in the season, Giamarese Farm in East Brunswick reported losing about 90 percent of its apples, and John Melick’s 90 acre apple orchard in Oldwick (Hunterdon County) expected its largest crop insurance claim ever.
New Jersey had 487 farms growing apples on 2,481 acres in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, up from 2,232 acres in 2017, plus 324 peach farms on 3,323 acres.
Why it matters beyond New Jersey: the same bloom then freeze pattern hit orchards in 13 states this spring, and federal crop insurance payouts are capped at $325,000 per operation, which growers say does not cover a large orchard. For anyone planning fruit trees, this is the argument for site selection (cold air drains downhill, so plant on slopes, not in low pockets), later blooming varieties, and a frost plan. Farmers also ask that visitors call ahead before driving to an orchard this fall.
Sources: New Jersey Monitor, May 22, 2026; 6abc Philadelphia, September 15, 2026; USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, New Jersey
From the farm
This week we are continuing to build out a weather protection structure for our well. Protecting the equipment from the sun and rain is key to Maintaining your expensive equipment.
Own land? Stop mowing grass and start growing fruit
If you own land anywhere in the country and want to turn it into a producing orchard, vineyard, or berry planting, Curated Nature can help. We design, install, and optionally maintain backyard orchards, vineyards, berry plantings, and gardens, starting with a site assessment and soil test, then a design with climate appropriate varieties, installation with irrigation and trellising, optional ongoing maintenance, and harvest support. Berries typically begin producing in their second year, grapes in their third, and tree fruit in years three to five. Full service installation and ongoing management are offered locally in Southern New Jersey; remote consulting and design only plans are available to landowners nationwide. Every job is custom quoted.
Turn your yard into a producing orchard
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