ORRVILLE, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) are now accepting applications for the 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. In Ohio alone, grant awards will range from $25,000-$150,000.

In Ohio, the grants must be used to support projects that raise awareness about and increase demand for specialty crops grown in the state. Eligible specialty crops include fresh fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

Growing specialty crops is an ideal way to turn gardening skills and knowledge into extra income. Specialty crops are not widely grown and bring higher prices for growers. It’s not unusual to find growers earning as much as $60,000 per acre with these unique cash crops.

According to the USDA, atop the list of top 10 most profitable specialty crops is lavender. Lavender farming can produce above-average profits for small growers, as it is a versatile crop. These flowers can be sold in bundles or used for lavender oil. The flowers are also easy to dry, for sales to florists and crafters to make wreaths and floral arrangements. Lavender is also used to make value-added products such as sachets, herbal pillows, aromatherapy products and skin care products like soap.

One couple, Jim and Amy Duxbury, of Orrville, have discovered the joy and profits associated with growing lavender.

Two years ago, the Duxburys, now owners of Lavender Trails, started their venture with lavender in 2018. The couple leased a plot of land next to the Orrville Industrial Park on the city’s north end. That land was once a dumping ground for concrete and rebar. Remnants of the previous tenant are still visible.

The Dusburys cleared the land the first year, planted the lavender in 2019, and opened the four-acre fields to the public for the first time last summer. They call their specialty crop Lavender Trails.

Eight species of lavender (purple, white and pink shades) fill two acres. The majority of the flowers are French lavender but Amy insisted on planting the light pink shade of English lavender. She also made a small garden featuring her daylilies.

“It helps me feel grounded,” Amy said of coming to the fields. “There’s something about coming out here, even in the middle of this pandemic. It helps you figure out your place in the big scheme of things.”

The Duxburys sell pre-cut lavender bundles and they make and sell small lavender wreaths and lavender-filled sachets. “Lavender can be used to make potpourri, inside oil lamps, sewn into stuffed animals or pillowcases, or simply to make the house or call smell better,” Amy said.

Their property has a garden trail, a pollinator garden that attracts a variety of butterflies, moths, bees, dragonflies and praying mantis. Visitors will find themselves amidst thousands of colorful, sweet plants with a calming scent lightly adrift.

The couple (both teachers at nearby Orrville High School) had planned to open the fields for a two-day festival with vendors and food trucks, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic made it too risky to hold such a large gathering.

The Duxburys’ Lavender Trails will be open June 25. The site will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled throughout July so patrons can walk among the thousands of lavender plants, buy lavender or purchase whole plants. Lavender Trails of Wayne County is located at 356 Collins Blvd., in Orrville.

In Ohio, the deadline for grant proposal submissions is April 15, 2021, at 5 p.m. EST. For more information on the 2021 program and to obtain necessary forms, visit www.agri.ohio.gov.

In Indiana, the deadline for grant proposal submissions is March 25. For more information about Indiana’s submission requirements visit www.in.gov/isda/grants.