Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $18 million in funding to support new farmer training and education programs at the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. These new grant awards were made available through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) – a federal competitive grants program administered by USDA’s National Institute of […]
Grants and Programs
USDA Awards Fifty-Nine Conservation Innovation Grants
Last week, USDA Secretary Vilsack announced the award of $26 million in Conservation Innovation Grant Program (CIG) funding to 59 projects in 47 states. The CIG program, which is part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, requires that CIG grant funding is matched 1:1 with funding from project sponsors. Water Quality Trading Awards Twelve of […]
Rural Business Enterprise Grant Awards Include Food and Agriculture Development
USDA announced two rounds of funding for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program this summer. On June 26, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced funding for seven projects in two states. The second round of RBEG awards was announced August 21 for 16 grant recipients from 17 states. USDA explains RBEG as a program […]
USDA Announces Awards Targeted at Socially Disadvantaged Producers
On Wednesday, August 8th, USDA announced $19 million in grants that will support outreach and technical assistance projects aimed at socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, including Hispanic, tribal, African-American, and women producers. These grants were awarded through USDA’s Outreach and Technical Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known as the 2501 Outreach […]
USDA Announces Funding Opportunity for Value-Added Producer Grants
On August 15, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced the availability of $14 million in funding for its Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) competitive grants program. The Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) can be found in the August 15, 2012 Federal Register. Applications are due October 15, 2012. Program Basics: VAPG is a competitive grants program that […]
NSAC Comments on FSA Microloan Proposal
On Tuesday, July 24th, the public comment period closed on the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) proposed rule to modify their Farm Operating Loans program to include microloans in order to better address the needs of very small and beginning family farmers. FSA — a USDA agency in charge of federal credit and other agricultural programs — […]
RCDG and RBOG Accepting Applications for Rural Development Grants
On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA’s Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) and Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) programs are accepting applications. Both of these programs seek to spur growth and create jobs in rural communities. Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) USDA may award up to $5.8 million in this FY12 […]
For Immediate Release: NSAC Comments on Proposed USDA Microloan Program
For Immediate Release May 23, 2012 Contact: Juli Obudzinski, 202-547-5754 NSAC Comments on Proposed USDA Microloan Program Washington, DC – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a proposed rule for a new microloan program that would be part of the suite of credit options available to farmers through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The new […]
USDA Announces Funding for SNAP EBT Equipment at Farmers Markets
On Wednesday, May 9, USDA announced $4 million in funding to expand EBT capacity at farmers markets across the U.S. as part of the Agency’s larger mission to improve healthy food access in low-income communities. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, provides benefits to recipients through an Electronic Benefit Transfer […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Research, Education, Extension
Note to Readers — This is the ninth in a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26. The bill that the Senate Agriculture Committee voted out of committee last week now makes its way to the Senate floor and hopefully will be taken up […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Local Food and Rural Development
Note to Readers — This is the eighth in a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26. The Senate Agriculture Committee voted the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act — the proposed name for the 2012 Farm Bill — out of Committee on Thursday, […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Beginning Farmers
Note to Readers — This is the first in what will be a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26. The Senate Agriculture Committee voted the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act — the proposed name for the 2012 Farm Bill — out of […]
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: House Holds Hearing on Rural Development Programs
On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Agriculture Committee held a Rural Development hearing, the first of eight in preparation for the 2012 Farm Bill. Panel witnesses emphasized the importance of continued investment in rural communities and fielded questions concerning consolidation of numerous programs targeting rural development. Both panels touched on the need for investments in water, […]
Request for Applications for Farm to School Grants
On April 17, USDA announced new funding that aims to provide fresh, healthy food for children in schools across America, and to bolster and sustain local farmers and ranchers. The agency said today that $3.5 million in funding will be available to help local school districts organize and implement Farm to School programs. These critical […]
Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program Request for Applications
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), has announced available funds totaling approximately $3 million for the Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program. The Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program is a competitive cooperative partnership agreement program that provides crop insurance education and risk management training. It aims […]
Apply Now for 2012 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
On April 6, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will publish the 2012 Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) in the Federal Register. For 2012, $10 million dollars in competitive grant funds are available for projects that expand direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Grant funds may be used for the establishment […]
Path to the Farm Bill: New Bill Proposes Private Foundation to Fund Agricultural Research
On Thursday, March 29, leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee introduced a bill to expand funding for food and agricultural research through the creation of a private research foundation. The bill (S.2274) was introduced by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS), along with Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), who […]
USDA Report on Rural Energy for America Program Achievements
This week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack released a report entitled The Impact of the Rural Energy for America Program on Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Report summarizes the energy efficiency and renewable energy projects funded by the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) over the last three years, 2009 through 2011. It also […]
Beginning Farmers Tell Their Stories at Hill Briefing
This week, four beginning farmers and ranchers came to Washington, D.C. to participate in a congressional briefing on the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act (S.1850, H.R.3236). The briefing was hosted in the House by Reps. Tim Walz (D-MN-1) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE-1), and in the Senate by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). The farmers came […]
New Environmental Benefits Scores for Conservation Activities within the CSP
Farmers and Ranchers who applied for enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fiscal year (FY) 2012 can now determine how many points the various conservation activities offered under the program will be worth. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which implements the program, uses these point values to determine how each applicant ranks […]
USDA Solicits Stakeholder Input on Agricultural Research
Last week, over 150 people attended a stakeholder listening session to provide feedback on ways to improve the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – USDA’s largest competitive grants program that funds agricultural research, education, and extension projects. The session was hosted in Washington, D.C. at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) – […]
Federal Investments in Local Food Boost Economic Growth — USDA Releases Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Report and Compass
For Immediate Release February 29, 2012 Contact: Helen Dombalis, 202-547-5754 Washington, DC, February 29, 2012 – Today USDA released a comprehensive report on its Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, launched in 2009 to enhance coordination among federal programs that in various ways help to build local and regional farm and food systems. “This […]
2011 Community Food Projects Awardees Named
On Wednesday, February 15, USDA announced the 2011 recipients of the Community Food Projects grants. Community Food Projects, a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) program, seeks to fight hunger and food security through community-driven food systems, specifically in low-income communities. The year’s 27 grants totaled $4.8 million. Projects funded include a teen-run […]
USDA Solicits Applications for Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has announced this year’s request for Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) proposals. FSMIP promotes research projects that advance the marketing, distribution, and transportation of U.S. agricultural products both domestically and internationally. Under this program, USDA matches grant funds for qualified state agencies such as state departments of agriculture and state agricultural […]