Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced the availability of large-project orchard grants also know as the North Dakota Community Orchard Project funded through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Communities and schools are eligible to apply for grants of $5,000 – $20,000, these grants are available on a competitive basis.
Goehring says due to the current health crisis, we realize it may be impossible to organize volunteers to install an orchard in a timely manner, so we are allowing funds to be used for professional installation of the orchard.
Grant funds are for new projects and not the continuation of existing projects, the funds can be used for plants, trees, planting supplies, soil amendments, irrigation and fencing supplies.
The funds cannot be used to purchase land, permanent structures or for capital expenditures.
Application forms for the grants and a publication about starting a community orchard are available on the NDDA website at https://www.nd.gov/ndda/orchardproject. Applications are due by Friday, May 29, 2020.
Questions about the grant program or requests for assistance filling out the application should be directed to Jamie Good, local foods marketing specialist at (701) 328-2659 or jgood@nd.gov.
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