In August 2001, Congress approved a farm assistance package which included a block grant to states for assistance to specialty crop producers. Congress aimed these resources directly to the states to provide much-needed assistance to farmers and ranchers who are continuing to experience commodity prices which are, in many cases, below their cost of production.

Under Public Law 107-25, the State of California, Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) received approximately $70.32 million in federal and state funds to assist and support activities that promote specialty crop producers. Specialty crops are defined as, "any agricultural crop, except wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, and tobacco." CDFA received these funds in the form of a Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) from the United States Department of Agriculture through the Commodity Credit Corporation in September of 2001.

In October of 2001, CDFA held a series of five listening sessions throughout the state to provide interested parties an opportunity to recommend the best uses for the $70.32 million. Over 300 Californians, including growers, representatives of the agricultural community, state and local officials, conservationists, educators, researchers and consumers, provided comments to help shape the overall plan. The result, as described in this site, is the Buy California Initiative. The initiative marks the first time that significant funding has been designated to promote the specialty crop market.

In August of 2002, CDFA created the Grants Management Program (GMP) to provide fiscal administration of the Buy California Initiative. The GMP plays an essential role in ensuring the success of the initiative. The initiative provides valuable new resources and assistance in a market-generating effort to benefit California specialty crops. To learn more, please click on the grant categories below.