The Montana Department of Agriculture is seeking proposals for a share of $248,695 in federally funded grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Montana.

The deadline for submitting proposals to the department is August 5. The state’s plan for spending the money must be submitted to U.S. Department of Agriculture later in August. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, and nursery crops.

Examples of enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops include: research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety and security, plant health programs, education, "buy local" programs, increased innovation, improved efficiency of distribution systems, environmental concerns and conservation, product development, and development cooperatives.

A link to the full announcement can be found on the department’s homepage, http://www.agr.mt.gov. For more information, contact Lee Boyer at (406) 444-2402 or by e-mail at [email protected].