BISMARCK, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced that $30,000 is available to help North Dakota communities and schools plant orchards and gardens in 2020.

Communities and schools are eligible to apply for grants of $500 to $7,500. The grants are available on a competitive basis.

Grant funds can be used for plants, trees, planting supplies, soil amendments, irrigation and fencing supplies. Grant funds cannot be used to purchase land, permanent structures or for capital expenditures. Grant funds are for new projects and not the continuation of existing projects.

Application forms for the grants and a publication about starting a community orchard are available on the NDDA website at https://www.nd.gov/ndda/orchardproject.

Applications are due by Friday, Dec. 6, 2019.

Questions about the grant program should be directed to Jamie Good, local foods marketing specialist at (701) 328-2659 or jgood@nd.gov.

The North Dakota Community Orchard Project is funded through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.