UI specialty crop grants fund work on irrigation, disease, production gains

University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences researchers were awarded a combined $579,000 in federal grants for specialty crop studies. Funding comes through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant program, designed to help specialty crop growers compete in domestic and international markets. State departments of agriculture apply directly for funding and then award grants. USDA approved $86.6 million nationwide for fiscal year 2026. Irrigation UI Extension plant pathology specialist James Woodhall and UI Extension plant pathology specialist Emily Bedwell received $80,000 through the Idaho Bean Commission’s application to conduct trials in Kimberly and Parma examining how irrigation strategies effect bean yield and quality. Using advanced soil-moisture monitoring technology, they will also investigate how irrigation affects disease development and bean quality, according to a news release from the university.

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