The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline to Jan. 6, 2023, for submission of the Regional Food Business Centers Request for Applications (RFA). USDA previously announced changes to the RFA relating to the indirect cost rate. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.414(c)(1), USDA is required to accept the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) from those entities that have one.
Regional Food Business Centers will provide coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building to help farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses access new markets and navigate federal, state and local resources, thereby closing the gaps or barriers to success. The Regional Food Business Centers will assist small and mid-sized producers and food and farm businesses with the goal of creating a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system.
Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 6, 2023. Applicants may contact us at RegionalFoodCenters@usda.gov with any questions and can view the updated FAQ page to find answers to common questions. For additional information, visit the Regional Food Business Centers Program webpage or join our weekly “office hours” every Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET.
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Each month, the Local & Regional Foods Division, within the AMS Transportation & Marketing Program, publishes this newsletter to highlight USDA opportunities and efforts to promote local and regional food systems. To show how this work fits within the broader Agency, we are highlighting the breadth of work conducted under USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and its programs.
 AMS is the agency primarily responsible for developing international and domestic marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS works to achieve this by:
- Representing U.S. interests on international standards boards
- Collecting, analyzing, and sharing commodity market data
- Tracking and analyzing agricultural transportation costs and trends
- Administering grant programs that support local and regional food systems.
The program areas listed above include around 4,479 employees with nearly 130 field office work locations. The Transportation & Marketing Program supports the transportation of agricultural products, local and regional food systems, and increasing consumer access to fresh, healthy foods throughout the U.S. – an essential part to achieving our Food Systems Transformation goal of building a more resilient supply chain.
Important resources for AMS local and regional food system work include:
To stay up to date on AMS news and programs, sign up for email updates on their website or follow @USDA_AMS on Twitter.
This fall, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service awarded over $64 million for 185 grant projects to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products. The funding will be distributed through the Local Agriculture Market Program’s (LAMP) Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) and the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program.
- The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) funds projects that support producer-to-consumer markets such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs, and online sales. This year, the program is awarding $13 million to 55 projects.
- The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grants support local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing. LFPP is awarding close to $32 million in fiscal year 2022 funding to 94 projects.
- The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program provides funding to partnerships that connect public and private resources in planning and developing local or regional food systems. Through RFSP, $19 million is being awarded to 35 partnerships across 24 states.
LAMP and its accompanying grant programs are funded through the 2018 Farm Bill and fiscal year 2022 annual appropriations. In March, USDA announced it received additional funding through the American Rescue Plan to fund competitive grant programs to support local and regional food systems. The additional funding was allocated to fiscal year 2022 LFPP and RFSP grant awards. Visit this website for a comprehensive list of AMS grant programs.
Each month, we’re highlighting the work of Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grant recipients.
 Dakota College at Bottineau
Dakota College at Bottineau is a public state college with an Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture that provides technical support to small farms and specialty crop farmers in topics ranging from marketing to production practices. After noticing potential in their region to increase vendor access to customers and diversify small rural farmers markets, they applied for and received the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant in 2016 to increase the capacity of North Dakota farmers markets. They partnered alongside the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association (NDFMGA) to conduct a market needs assessment, market manager online training course, coordinated marketing materials, a farmers market internship program, and more. Read about how they sought after a more viable and sustainable set of markets in rural communities through the Seeds of Success website link below.
RMA Roadshow In-Person Events RMA is offering workshops for agricultural producers to learn about the latest updates and improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and the Micro Farm crop insurance options.
These workshops are especially important to specialty crop, organic, urban, and direct-market producers. Upcoming in-person events in Florida and Connecticut, and information on past recordings can be found on the RMA Roadshow website. Visit the Risk Management Education Partnership Program website to view 2022 projects and associated organizations.
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Sign up for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production News
A new quarterly newsletter brought to you by USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) is now up and running. Whether you are an urban farmer, community organizer, government official, innovative producer, student or simply interested in urban agriculture and innovative production, this newsletter can help provide information and resources.
UAIP works to help urban and suburban communities grow fresh food, address food loss and waste, and ensure USDA partners with farms of all sizes and in all locations. You can view their first issue here and subscribe for future issues through this sign up link.
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Current Funding Available
RD’s Intermediary Lending Program
Application Due Date: Quarterly (December 31, March 31, June 30)
The Intermediary Lending Program provides 1 percent low-interest loans to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create jobs in rural communities. USDA is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance equity, and combat climate change. Learn more about RD’s Intermediary Lending Program on their webpage.
RD's Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
Application Due Date: Applications accepted until funds are exhausted
The USDA RD Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program is a part of USDA's Build Back Better (BBB) initiative, 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 on the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan program website.
USDA Regional Food Business Centers
Application Due Date: Jan 6, 2022 (*Extended*)
The USDA AMS requests applications for the USDA Regional Food Business Centers (Regional Food Centers). The Regional Food Centers will serve as the cornerstone of USDA’s development of local and regional supply chains. They will offer coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building support to small and mid-sized food and farm businesses, with the goal of creating a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system. AMS will award cooperative agreements to regionally based partners to support USDA’s work on regional food supply chains. Visit their website for more information and updated Request for Application.
Fiscal Year '23 Farm to School Grant
Application Due Date: Jan 6, 2023
Each year $5 million is provided to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support grants, technical assistance, and other activities related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. Additional funding for the Farm to School Program was made available from the FY 2018 through FY 2022 agriculture appropriations acts and, as a result, USDA expects to award approximately $12 million under this solicitation. As mandated by the National School Lunch Act, selected grant projects are limited to no more than $100,000 each. However, in anticipation of authority to provide grants of up to $500,000 in the FY 2023 agriculture appropriations, USDA will consider proposals of up to $500,000 from State agencies or other eligible organizations proposing projects that are multi-state or national in scope. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Community Food Systems Division (CFSD). For more information visit the Resource for Farm to School Grant Applicants page.
Specialty Crop Research Initiative Pre-Applications
Application Due Date: Jan 12, 2023
The purpose of NIFA’s SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Visit the Specialty Crop Research Initiative website for application details.
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