Press Release: 10/9/2026

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces over $400,000 in Grants to Promote Specialty Crops

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

10/08/2026

Boston — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $403,500 in Specialty Crop Block Grant awards to six Massachusetts agricultural organizations. Funded through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), these grants help local farms and producers bring more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and plants to market, reach new customers, and grow their businesses across Massachusetts’.

The USDA’s definition of specialty crops includes fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. The newly funded state initiatives will drive commercial growth across these categories through targeted programs, including region-wide cranberry marketing, agricultural enhancements to improve soil productivity, promotional toolkits for the Massachusetts cut flower industry, and school-based programs that establish early consumer demand for local produce.

“Specialty crops set Massachusetts apart and are essential to the state’s agricultural identity,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These grants are aimed at helping our specialty crop producers compete in a crowded marketplace – by funding projects that improve quality, expand marketing and create new opportunities for local businesses.” 

“Specialty crops represent an enormous and essential part of our agricultural economy, and MDAR is committed to providing the resources necessary to scale their production and increase marketplace visibility,” said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. “Through this critical federal-state partnership, we are equipping our growers and commodity associations with the tools needed to drive consumer sales, strengthen supply chains, and secure the long-term economic sustainability of Massachusetts agriculture.”

The following are this year’s grant recipients: 

Cape Cod Cooperative Extension (CCCE) - Barnstable, MA: $51,363.50

Barnstable County Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), will advance the development and adoption of native Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens specialty crops through coordinated research, grower support, and public education to strengthen producer capacity and expand use in managed landscapes.

Massachusetts Flower Growers Association – Statewide, MA: $43,375

The Massachusetts Flower Growers Association will strengthen the state's flower industry by expanding grower education, increasing adoption of cut-your-own (CYO) flower farming, and launching a unified statewide marketing campaign: Pick Local…Flowers. This effort will be anchored by the online Massachusetts Flower Map: Explore the Blossom Byway, a curated guide to CYO flower farms across the state.

Mass Farmers Markets – Westborough, MA: $73,028

Mass Farmers Markets (MFM) will encourage consumers to purchase locally grown produce at farmers markets through a coordinated marketing campaign that emphasizes the benefits of buying local produce. The project will use cohesive branding and visual design, and will include distribution through social media, radio, print, and online advertising. In addition to placing its own advertising, MFM will provide digital collateral to market managers and other food system partners across the state so they can incorporate it in their own marketing efforts.

EcoAg Collaborative, Inc., DBA Momentum Ag – Florence, MA: $82,714

Momentum Ag, in partnership with American Farmland Trust, will advance the use of innovative cover cropping among Massachusetts specialty crop producers through a two‑year peer learning cohort supported by technical assistance, financial assistance, and statewide outreach. The project's primary outcomes are to: 1. Develop advanced, farm‑specific cover cropping strategies for five specialty crop farms using a model that combines peer learning, individualized technical guidance, and financial support, and 2. Broaden adoption of effective cover crop systems statewide by sharing cohort learning through field walks, a winter farmer symposium, a farmer‑facing report, and presentations at major agricultural conferences.

University of Massachusetts, Amherst – Amherst, MA: $79,684

University of Massachusetts Amherst, under Professor Lynn Adler, will work with rural growers to strengthen the greenhouse tomato industry in Massachusetts by providing a formal experimental assessment of the efficacy of one established and one novel insectary plant (crops grown to support beneficial insects) on biocontrol agents and pollinators, by assessing the value of insectary plants in both rural and urban farm settings, and by developing and delivering extension materials about the costs and benefits of insectary plants in greenhouse tomato production, supplying information that stakeholders can use to make informed management decisions.

University of Massachusetts, Amherst – Amherst, MA: $73,355.48

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Cranberry Station (UMCS) will conduct research to quantify off-target pesticide drift from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) applications. The data generated from the research project will be used to inform cranberry and specialty crop growers of risks associated with off-target drift from aerial UAS pesticide applications, and shared with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Division of Crop and Pest Services, to help develop a regulatory framework for UAS applications for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This will benefit other specialty crop producers in the Commonwealth interested in adopting UAS technology into their agricultural operations.

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