California received $28.9 million in federal specialty crop funding for 60 projects, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced Oct. 19. The awards include work on robotic table grape harvesting, water and soil challenges in Tribal farming areas, and produce safety research.
The state’s allocation represents about one-third of the approximately $86.6 million awarded nationwide through USDA’s 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The program funds state agriculture departments to support the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including flowers.
Harvesting technology and Tribal conservation
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was awarded $497,404 to combine robotics and artificial intelligence in a mobile platform with custom robotic arms for harvesting table grapes. CDFA described the planned technology development, rather than reporting results from a completed harvesting system.
The Pauma Band of Mission Indians will receive $249,858 for work addressing drought, declining groundwater, inefficient irrigation and poor soil health affecting specialty crop production in Pauma Valley and nearby areas. Those are the project’s stated challenges, not outcomes the award has already achieved.
Farmer assistance and research
The funding also reaches organizations serving limited-resource California farmers and communities. CDFA said five projects received awards through the program’s Additional Assistance Program, which helps those organizations participate in and carry out specialty crop projects.
Other funded work covers grower and operator training, conservation research, pest and disease management, and organic and sustainable production practices. Projects also aim to expand specialty crop markets, improve availability and provide consumer nutrition education, according to CDFA.
For food safety projects, CDFA continued working with the Center for Produce Safety on evaluation and recommendations. The agency described that research as an effort to improve practices and reduce foodborne illness outbreaks.
