The Utah Department of Agriculture & Food has approved 16 projects to receive more than $260,000 in federal funds to help the fruit and vegetable or specialty crop industry.
The recipients are:
• Utah State University, which received grants for nine projects to improve irrigation, tree nutrition, efficient water use, pest control and reduce the use of hazardous insecticides in commercial and home orchards.
• Brigham Young University to improve the nutritional properties of local jams.
• Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation and Development Council to help Community Supported Agriculture programs.
• Wasatch Community Gardens in Salt Lake City for youth gardening classes.
• South Salt Lake City to increase child and adult nutrition knowledge and assist local producers in improving efficiency of the distribution chain.
• Castleland Resource Conservation and Development Council to develop a test plot for commercial asparagus production in Emery County.
• Cornaby's Farm in Utah County to reduce sun-scald in raspberries.
• RoseRed Wildflowers, LLC to help mitigate impacts of aggressive Africanized honeybees in southern Utah. The firm produces docile European queen bees through insemination and makes them available to local and regional beekeepers.