1890s Institutions Charging Forth on Specialty Crop Projects through USDA Support

Sep 22, 2023

With last month’s announcement of the 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant awards, the program has reached a milestone of over $1 billion invested into projects to support the U.S. specialty crop industry. Since the program’s inception in 2006, 1890s land-grant universities throughout the country have been using USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to address key specialty crop challenges in their states. SCBGP supports these historically Black colleges and universities, and others nationwide, by funding a variety of grant projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

South Carolina State University’s 1890s Research and Extension Program is one example. The university is currently using funds awarded in 2021 for a project to evaluate the economic potential of producing chickpeas in the sandy soils of South Carolina’s Midlands. Over the next year, the project will conduct field research for six growing varieties and create a chickpea production manual specific to South Carolina. The project team sees many benefits to introducing chickpeas to the state, including creating more crop diversity and improving resilience to the state’s increasingly variable climate. We are eager to see how this project unfolds!

Two other projects recently wrapped up their work and provided the knowledge base to boost production for in-demand crops in their states. In 2019, Fort Valley State University in Georgia received SCBGP funding to explore production of turmeric, a rapidly emerging new crop within the state. Through the project, over 500 people were educated on turmeric production and the growing consumer interest in the commodity. Likewise, Missouri’s Lincoln University’s SCBGP project determined Jade Cross brussels sprouts were the best variety for growing in Missouri with ideal growing season beginning in May. The information was shared with 400 growers through extensive outreach.

USDA is proud to support the impact these institutions are making in enhancing production, access, and knowledge of specialty crops for a safe and healthy food supply.

Administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service, SCBGP is just one way USDA engages with our 1890s partners in their role as critical leaders, innovators, and change makers for higher education in underserved communities.

Source : usda.gov

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.