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The USDA recently launched their new Food Systems story,
 Available on the USDA website, with interactive images and videos, the story presents the goals and investments that will deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen and transform our food system. Below the story are links to the Build Back Better page and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion pages. This is a great resource to help stakeholders learn about the USDA’s work in these areas in an easy-to-navigate platform. You can also share this public link with anyone looking to learn more about the USDA’s current efforts.
Each year, farmers markets across the nation continue to provide diverse spaces for local food commerce, while also fostering a stronger connection to our food sources. This year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack proclaimed the week of August 7-13 as National Farmers Market Week in order to champion the producers, market managers, and customers that make neighborhoods come alive during market days.
 As we saw last month at the USDA Farmers Market’s Pollinator Festival, these spaces also engage community members in a multitude of other areas like education, youth activities, and discourse surrounding the importance of resilient ecosystem services that support our food growers.
The USDA Farmers Market Team has partnered with the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), a non-profit dedicated to working with farmers market operators to strengthen markets across the U.S., in a two part project to increase access to produce within local communities while educating consumers about the benefits. In the first part of the project, FMC will assists AMS in identifying two to three universities to develop a farmers market on or around their campuses that will be run by student groups as a way to engage the communities in local food consumption and purchasing. The second part aims to increase access to fruit and vegetable education for farmers market consumers by co-assisting in the development of a VegU styled education program with urban, rural, and suburban farmers.
The Farmers Market Coalition has their own set of resources to help equip market managers and farmers with tools necessary to run successful markets. They recently released several toolkits that can be great guides to share with stakeholders or your own local market managers.
In USDA’s Food System Transformation framework, recently launched by Secretary Vilsack, farmers markets can play a critical role by connecting producers and consumers while contributing to a fair, competitive, nutritious, and resilient food system. To find a market, Community Supported Agriculture groups, or food hub near you in preparation for National Farmers Market Week, check out the USDA Local Food Directories today!
This year’s summit will be held from October 23-25 in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Sessions topics include equitable and inclusive food markets, marketing and business innovation, building partnerships and community collaboration, market research, trends, and impact, and successful approaches to managing marketing risk. Click here to register, review the current schedule, propose a discussion section topic, and for more information.
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Each month, we’re highlighting the work of Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grant recipients.
 The Yellowstone City-County Health Department, also known as Riverstone Health, was founded in 1974 to provide medical care to thousands of Montanans a year, many of whom are uninsured or low-income. With support from two Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) awards in 2012 and 2015, Riverstone Health was able to further establish and promote their Healthy by Design Gardeners Market to improve access to nutritious and affordable produce. Riverstone Health applied for a third FMPP grant after they received the results of a community health survey that showed increased access in every demographic except seniors. The 2018 FMPP funds allowed Riverstone Health to establish Direct SEED (Senior Engagement for Enhanced Demand) programming to promote senior participation in the Gardeners Market. In 2021, customers in the 65-74-year-old range became the single largest age group to attend the market representing 30% of total customers (compared to roughly 15% in 2018).
Don Guerra, the founder of Barrio Bread and Barrio Grains in Tucson, Arizona, and the recipient of three LFPP grants in 2015, 2019, and 2021, recently won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker. This highly competitive award is only given to one individual each year. Guerra partners with local farmers to source heritage grains for his bread.
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This past June signified a total of 85 years celebrating National Dairy Month in the U.S. Did you know…
- On June 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $80 million in grant awards to support processing capacity expansion, on-farm improvements, and technical assistance services to producers under the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI). The awards were made possible by supplemental funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Click here to learn more about the grant opportunities within the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI).
- USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Jenny Lester Moffitt visited Crave Brothers in Waterloo, Wisconsin, to see how they make their award-winning cheeses. Crave Brothers received funding through the Wisconsin Dairy Business Initiative Alliance (DBIA), one of the four Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBIs) located in different regions of the U.S. Through this federal support they installed a water circulation system that allows them to use less water to cool cheese and recycles the water from their farm. This innovation also uses the recirculated cold water and air to finish the cooling process, saving money and resources. Read her blog post here.
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) highlighted dairy research projects being conducted at land-grant universities, including the environmental benefits of cow manure double cropping and seaweed diets for improving milk quality and animal health. Read their full article here.
Funding for a variety of eligible entities
National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Application Due Date: July 28, 2022
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Sustainable Agricultural Systems supports approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach for projects that are expected to significantly improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. Learn more.
Placemaking Cooperative Agreements to Spur Economic Growth and Community Development in Rural America
Application Due Date: August 5, 2022
The funds are being made available through the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC). USDA is increasing RPIC funding to up to $4 million to assist more rural communities’ access to placemaking assistance. The previous funding level was $3 million. USDA is inviting eligible entities to apply for up to $250,000 to help rural and tribal communities create plans to enhance capacity for high-speed internet access; preserve cultural and historic structures; and support development in transportation, housing and recreational spaces.
FY 2022 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program
Application Due Date: August 2, 2022
The USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), under the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (OUAIP), is soliciting applications from eligible entities to host the UAIP Competitive Grants pilot project. The primary goal of the UAIP pilot project is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. The two types of UAIP grants being made available for application under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. Planning Projects are for supporting the development of projects that will either initiate, build upon, or expand the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Implementation Projects are for accelerating existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as traditional or indigenous, agricultural practices. Learn more.
1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building
Grants (CBG) Program
Application Due Date: August 31, 2022
The 1890 CBG is intended to strengthen teaching, research and Extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences by building the institutional capacities of the 1890 Land-grant Institutions, including Tuskegee University, West Virginia State University, and Central State University. CBG supports teaching projects in the food and agricultural sciences in the areas of curriculum design, materials development, faculty development, and others. CBG strengthens research and Extension programs in need areas of studies and experimentation, program development support systems, and more. CBG applications must address at least one of the following National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) strategic goals: sustainable bioenergy; food security; childhood obesity prevention; or food safety.
FY 2022 Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) Pilot Project
Application Due Date: September 1, 2022
The USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), under the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (OUAIP), is soliciting applications from eligible applicants to host a CFWR pilot project for fiscal year 2022. A webinar has been pre-recorded and is available at https://youtu.be/61kOKn2rzUw and the presentation and supporting information are posted in the “Related Documents” tab of this opportunity. The recorded webinar is also available on https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban/coop-agreements.
Learn more.
Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture Grant
Application Due Date: September 22, 2022
The Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture (UIE) program supports research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, and national importance that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural systems. The program includes food value chain stages: production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets. Learn more.
2022 Organic Certification Cost Share & OTECP
Application Due Date: October 31, 2022
Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Learn more.
Funding for qualified lenders
Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
Application Due Date: Applications accepted until funds are exhausted
The USDA Rural Development Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program authorized by the American Rescue Plan. This program guarantees loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders to finance food systems projects, specifically for the start-up or expansion of activities in the middle of the food supply chain. The program will support new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution. Learn more.
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