Those with farm jobs in Atlanta and throughout the State of Georgia will soon be able to apply for funding.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture recently announced that nearly $1 million in federal funds will be up for grabs in the form of competitive grants that promote the marketing and enhancement of specialty crops throughout the state. The funds are being distributed under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, which was part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

About $909,576.22 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be awarded on a competitive basis for developmental projects that support and enhance the competitiveness of Georgia Specialty Crops. Awards will be presented for projects that can successfully measure the greatest return on investment of the federal dollars. Grants of $10,000 to $150,000 will be awarded for up to three years.

The Georgia Specialty Crops eligible for the competitive grants include: fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, Christmas trees and turfgrass or sod, as well as nursery and greenhouse crops.

Organizations eligible to apply include non-profit organizations, corporations, commodity associations, state and local governments, colleges and universities. Applicants must live, conduct business or have an educational affiliation in Georgia.  The application deadline is July 17.

Grants will not be awarded for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution or individual. Single organizations, institutions and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 5:58 pm and is filed under jobs, Agriculture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.