Applicants who apply for the reimbursement will be required to attend the conference and to complete surveys before, immediately after, and six months post-conference prior to payment being issued. Conferences not eligible will include those within the state of Kansas and the Great Plains Growers Conference. KDA will reimburse Kansas specialty crop growers up to $850 each in order to offset the cost of their conference registration, mileage/flights, hotel, meals, etc. The award is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for application is December 15, 2019.

Examples of conferences that may be eligible for applicants to attend include, but are not limited to:

• North American Strawberry Growers Association Conference; January 19-22, 2020; San Antonio, Texas
• North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association Conference; March 3-6, 2020; St. Louis, Missouri
• Great Lakes Expo Fruit, Vegetable, & Farm Market Conference; December 10-12, 2019; Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention; February 28-30, 2020; Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference; January 9-12, 2020; Savannah, Georgia

This program is made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG). The SCBG makes funds available to state departments of agriculture solely to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. According to USDA, specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.”

This grant fits KDA’s mission to provide an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. For application details, go to the KDA website at www.agriculture.ks.gov/grants. Questions should be directed to Lexi Wright, From the Land of Kansas Program Coordinator, at 785-564-6755 or [email protected].