Nineteen potato-specific projects will share nearly $2.32 million in the latest round of the US Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), the National Potato Council (NPC) reported this week. The grants are part of a broader $86.6 million package for 609 projects across 56 states and territories that USDA announced on Tuesday.
The potato projects span research, pest and disease management, post-harvest handling, new varieties, consumer education and nutrition, according to NPC’s breakdown of the awards. One line of work examines how potatoes fit into diets for people taking GLP-1 medications — a question that has gained urgency as use of these weight-loss drugs reshapes American eating habits.
“The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program continues to be an incredible way for our state potato organization, university, and state ag department partners to target programs of specific interest in their own states,” said Dean Gibson, NPC First Vice President and Vice President of Legislative Affairs. He noted that NPC and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance keep pressing Congress to sustain the program as work on a bipartisan Farm Bill advances.
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NPC Chief Executive Kam Quarles told RFD-TV that the design of the program sets it apart: each state directs funding toward the needs of its own specialty crop industries. “Those projects look materially different if you’re in Pennsylvania or Idaho or Montana,” Quarles said, pointing to work on emerging pests, new varieties that keep US growers competitive in export markets, and nutrition research.
The $86.6 million round, announced by USDA, funds projects that develop new markets, raise the competitiveness of specialty crops and improve consumer access. For the potato industry, the awards reach from the field — disease and pest studies — through storage and quality to the plate, including efforts to reposition the potato in changing dietary trends.
Grant outcomes rarely show up quickly. Quarles cautioned that the benefits of research funding often become visible only “two, three, four years down the line,” as trials conclude and results reach growers. He also flagged that Congress has already provided additional money for future rounds, which could push annual investments toward the $100 million range.
The awards land while US potato supplies are tight: the 2026 crop is projected as the smallest in years, and processors have been securing raw material earlier than usual. Research into storage, varieties and resilience therefore carries extra weight for the season ahead.
Sources: Potato Country / NPC; RFD-TV; Midland Reporter-Telegram / USDA.
