California Ag Network

Tag: RFA

  • $19 Million Available To Support Beginning Farmers And Ranchers In 2022

    Being new to farming can come with challenges and many beginning farmers find themselves having higher debt-to-asset ratios and having to rely on off-farm income than more established farmers. They also have trouble gaining access to land, capital, and markets and are less likely to receive government support. This has been exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), created over a decade ago, supports training the next generation of farmers. BFRDP is a federal grant program administered by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The program provides grants to organizations working with beginning farmers and ranchers to help improve success in their farming operations. BFRDP is pivotal to reducing traditional barriers to entry by funding new farmer training programs and projects across the country.

    Last week, USDA announced the availability of $19 million for the BFRDP in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Request for Application (RFA). Applicants have until May 19, 2022, to apply for this year’s round of grants.

    Program Details

    Priority funding is given to nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations that have experience educating and training beginning farmers. Supported programs include workshops, educational teams, training, educational outreach curricula, and technical assistance programs to assist beginning farmers and ranchers with entering, establishing, building, and managing successful farm and ranch enterprises.

    BFRDP grants may support projects that address a variety of topics including livestock and crop farming practices; land transfer strategies; business, financial, and risk management training; curriculum development; mentoring and apprenticeships; agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans; and farm safety. A portion of BFRDP funding is set aside to specifically support projects serving historically underserved and veteran farmers.

    BFRDP grants are structured into three types:

    • Standard Grants,
    • Educational Team Grants, and
    • Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse Grants

    Standard BFRDP projects support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers and ranchers, and the maximum award is limited to $250,000 per year, for up to three years.

    Educational Enhancement Team grants are expected to assemble a team of experts to support the development of curricula and conduct educational programs and workshops, provide training and technical assistance initiatives, or support trainers and service providers that work with beginning farmers or ranchers. These grants are limited to $250,000 per year, for up to three years.

    The Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse grants make available educational curricula and training materials and programs, which may include online courses, through collaboration and coordination with other BFRDP programs. These grants are aimed at maintaining and enhancing an online library for education, training, mentoring, and outreach materials produced from projects funded through the BFRDP program and through other sources. It will also maintain a national “one-stop” source of beginning farmer and rancher education that includes training materials and information that can be accessed online, as well as enhancing outcome-based reporting. These grants are also limited to $250,000 per year, for up to three years.

    Program Funding

    In the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress created an umbrella program – the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO) program – to streamline and coordinate USDA resources for beginning and other underserved farmers. In creating FOTO, Congress provided permanent funding for BFRDP, but in doing so, cut annual program funding over a couple of years post the Farm Bill. However, for FY 2022 the program has $20 million in mandated funding which will increase to $25 million in FY 2023.

    BFRDP has a match requirement and awardees must provide a 25 percent match from non-federal sources to the funds provided by the grant. However, NIFA may waive the matching funds requirement if it determines the project will effectively reach an underserved area or population.

    How to Apply

    To apply, organizations must submit an electronic application through Grants.gov after carefully reviewing the FY 2022 Request for Application (RFA). The deadline to complete and submit applications is May 19, 2022.

    For more on BFRDP, visit NSAC’s Grassroots Guide. — By the National Sustainable Agricultural Coalition

  • $92.2 Million in Grants for Local Ag Markets & Food Systems

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $92.2 million in competitive grant funding under the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). These grants support the development, coordination and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and enterprises, and value-added agricultural products.

    The LAMP grants are funded through the Farmers Market program as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative. USDA launched this initiative in March to address shortfalls and disparities in how assistance was distributed in previous COVID-19 assistance packages, with a specific focus on strengthening outreach to underserved producers and communities and small and medium agricultural operations.

    “We have an opportunity to transform our nation’s food system with a greater focus on resilient, local and regional food systems,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These grants will help maximize opportunities for economic growth and ingenuity in local and regional food systems to kickstart this transformation. LAMP grants have a history of generating new income sources for small, beginning, veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers and creating new market opportunities for value-added and niche products.”

    USDA encourages projects that assist underserved local and regional agricultural businesses, producer networks and associations, and local and tribal government in responding to COVID-19 disruptions and impacts. Funding is not contingent upon applicants directly addressing these issues.

    Increasing Local Food Access Through Direct and Intermediary Producer-to-Consumer Markets

    USDA will award $76.9 million ($22.5 million in the 2018 Farm Bill, $47 million provided as emergency funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and $7.4 in annual appropriations) to FMLFPP. Projects under the Farmers Market Promotion Program support direct-to-consumer markets like farmers markets and CSAs. Projects under the Local Food Promotion Program supports indirect-to-consumer markets like food hubs and value-added product incubators.

    Buildng Robust and Resilient Local and Regional Food Economies

    USDA will award $15.3 million ($5 million in the 2018 Farm Bill and $10.3 provided as emergency funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021) to RFSP to fund public-private partnerships that build and strengthen viability and resilience of local or regional food economies. Projects focus on increase the availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products and alleviating unnecessary administrative and technical barriers. Projects can cover the planning and design of a local and regional food economy as well as implementing or expanding an existing one.

    The deadline to submit an application for the Local Agriculture Market Program is June 21, 2021. The deadline for the Regional Food System Partnership Program is July 6, 2021.

    Application and Grant Eligibility

    Applications undergo external expert peer review and the process is highly competitive. All grants require matching funds from community partners or stakeholders. The amounts and match amounts vary by program and are specified in the RFAs.

    Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due dates established in the respective Request for Applications (RFA’s). Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. Read more in AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy (PDF, 431 KB).

    For more information about grant eligibility and previously funded projects, visit the FMPP webpage, LFPP webpage or RFSP webpage or contact the USDA at USDAFMPPQuestions@usda.gov, USDALFPPQuestions@usda.gov,or IPPGrants@usda.gov.