North Dakota Opens 2026 Specialty Crop Grants

By Scout Nelson

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring announces that applications for the 2026 Specialty Crop Grants are now open. These grants support projects that improve the strength and competitiveness of specialty crops grown across the state. The goal is to help specialty crop producers succeed through research, education, and innovation.

Specialty crop grants are available to organizations, institutions, and individuals. Applicants may work alone or in partnerships. While the state has not yet received its official funding amount from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, North Dakota expects to receive the allocation within the next few months. Once received, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture will distribute funds through a competitive review process.

Eligible project areas include pest and disease control, the development of new seed varieties, improvements in specialty crop production, and research that supports conservation and environmental benefits.

Projects that help increase knowledge about nutrition and promote the consumption of specialty crops are also eligible. However, projects that directly benefit a single business or product are not allowed.

The USDA defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture crops, and nursery crops. In North Dakota, major specialty crops include dry beans, dry peas, lentils, potatoes, confection sunflowers, grapes, honey, and several types of vegetables.

To support applicants, an information manual is available on the North Dakota Department of Agriculture website. The manual includes instructions, scoring criteria, and a project application template.

Applications must be submitted electronically by 4 p.m. CST on Monday, January 12, 2026. After submission, the proposals will be reviewed, scored, and ranked. Commissioner Goehring will then select which projects move forward to USDA for final approval in May 2026.

Goehring said an information manual with application instructions, scoring criteria and an application template can be found on NDDA’s website: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/scbgp.

Projects chosen for funding will begin on October 1, 2026, and must be completed by September 30, 2028.

Anyone needing more information may contact Waldemar Garcia at the at (701) 328-2191 or scbg@nd.gov.

Photo Credit: istock-martijnvandernat