Mississippi’s two land-grant universities and the state’s agriculture department will use a nearly $420,000 grant on projects aimed at enhancing the state’s specialty crop growth industry.
According to Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, the funds were made available by the federal government’s Agricultural Marketing Service through its specialty crop block grant program.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is funded by United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the program is to enhance the competitiveness of the specialty crop industry by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops, while assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops.
Grant funding also goes toward expanding availability and access to specialty crops and addressing local, regional and national challenges confronting producers. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture crops, and nursery crops.
“Specialty crops are a vital part of Mississippi’s agriculture industry, accounting for more than $197 million impact in 2024,” Gipson said. “Through this grant program, our state will be able to continue to research, promote and further enhance the state’s specialty crop industry.”
With the money, Alcorn State University will be tasked with training small scale farmers and woodland owners in Mississippi to utilize conifer wood waste for cultivating oyster mushrooms through hands-on workshops.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State University will research to investigate the optimal time of day based on climate and soil conditions for transplanting sweet potato slips and determine if transplant water influences sweet potato slip survivability and root initiation.
Mississippi State will further enhance the competitiveness of state-grown leafy green specialty crops by optimizing hydroponic production and identifying the most effective hydroponic systems, customize nutrient solutions to maximize nutritional value, and develop cost-efficient temperature management strategies to improve yield and crop quality.
Scientists at the Starkville university will investigate the feasibility of producing disease-free strawberry plugs by investigating strawberry propagation ratio or efficacy of major cultivars as affected by environmental factors. Assess the feasibility of growing kiwifruit as a high‐value alternative crop in Mississippi. Investigate best management practices in sweetcorn production to meet critical needs in knowledge gaps among commercial sweetcorn growers in Mississippi.
Mississippi State will assess watermelon production through improved plant health management by evaluating a range of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides in watermelon fields under Mississippi growing conditions. Identify and develop superior tea cultivars adapted to the state’s unique climate through a combined genotypic and phenotypic approach.
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will provide financial and educational assistance for growers obtaining Good Agricultural Practice and Good Handling Practices food safety certification. The department will also expand its “Freshly Picked” educational program to further increase knowledge, awareness, and value of Mississippi grown specialty crops by highlighting their seasonal availability, preparation methods, nutritional benefits, and local accessibility.
