From studying disease resistance in baby leaf salad greens to finding sustainable ways to use the byproducts of olive oil production, the college was awarded more than $850,000 in 2022 through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – allowing faculty and students to do increased research in areas that have a direct impact on California and beyond. On Jan. 21, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal, and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta visited Cal Poly to announce $72.9 million of grant funding is available in 2023 through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Assistant Professor Shunping Ding and graduate student Reilly Blair presented their related research on baby leaf salad greens. Read more about the grant funding here.