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The USDA has announced that it is now accepting applications for this year’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), with a total of $133 million available in competitive grant funds to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products.
 The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program supports public-private partnerships that focus on increasing the availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products and alleviating unnecessary administrative and technical barriers. The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) supports producer-to-consumer markets such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs (CSA), and online sales. The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grants support local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing. This year’s program includes a new option in FMPP and LFPP to apply for Turnkey Marketing and Promotion grants using a simplified application for a set of common FMLFPP activities.
For application information, eligibility, and deadlines, visit the links below or contact grant specialists at the emails provided. There is also a 2023 LAMP Stakeholder Toolkit available to help share information with potential applicants.
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation (NASDA) has added a Stakeholder Toolkit to be used in conjunction with the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Grower Toolkit announced last month.
The Stakeholder Toolkit was created as a guide for helping individuals implement their GAP education and outreach programs. It contains templates for marketing and promotion, grower meeting materials, sample presentations, and contact lists to help develop partnerships between state departments of agriculture, cooperative extension, and non-government organizations. This toolkit is intended to complement the Grower Toolkit by focusing on partnership, resource management, and implementation. It serves as a guide to presenting effective GAP education and outreach to underserved growers, addressing barriers to USDA GAP audit programs.
The Stakeholder Toolkit is now available online and in PDF form for printing and sharing in future trainings. NASDA’s website also lists a section devoted to stakeholder resources including a video recording of the stakeholder training at NASDA’s Annual Meeting.
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Last month, USDA announced the availability of $72.9 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to fund innovative projects designed to support the expanding specialty crop sector and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products.
 The SCBGP issues noncompetitive grants to state departments of agriculture or equivalent to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and support growers through marketing, education, and research. Visit the SCBGP webpage for a list of FY 2022 announced awards from each state and territory and check out the SCBGP Description of Funds to see what projects were funded last year in your state. Interested in SCBGP? Contact your state department of agriculture for more information on sub-award applications. State contacts are listed at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/state-contacts.
The USDA has announced partner organizations that farmers can contact to learn more about transitioning to organic. These organizations are also entry points for existing organic farmers wanting to serve as paid mentors to help establish the next generation of organic farmers. This work is part of the Organic Transition Initiative (OTI), which supports transitioning and recently transitioned producers who face technical, cultural, and market shifts during the first few years of organic certification.
 OTI was launched in August 2022 as part of USDA’s food system transformation effort to support local and regional food systems, expand access to markets to more producers and increase the affordable food supply for more Americans, while promoting climate-smart agriculture and ensuring equity for all producers. To help identify the partner organizations, USDA is also providing a state-by-state map listing of the organizations, which can be found on their webpage under Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
For more information, contacts, and details on ways to get involved, visit their page on USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service website.
Each month, we’re highlighting the work of Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grant recipients.
 National Center for Frontier Communities
National Center for Frontier Communities (NCFC) is a non-profit organization that addresses equity resource issues to build a healthy, resilient, and thriving frontier by amplifying the voices of remote, frontier communities in southwestern New Mexico. NCFC initially noticed a lack in a strong local food economy with most of their locally grown products being exported outside of the state. They conducted a feasibility study through a Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) planning grant in 2014 and found a strong demand for local produce among buyers, as well as a need for increased market access for growers. To find an innovative solution, NCFC applied for and received an LFPP implementation grant in 2016 for $320,243 with the goal of creating a new standard for local food connection in southwest New Mexico through education, marketing, and aggregation focused on the needs of growers, buyers, and other stakeholders. Learn more about NCFC’s journey through their new Seeds of Success story.
Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture
USDA encourages urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders to virtually attend the second public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on Feb. 23 from 3:30-6pm ET.
This Committee will discuss recommendations it intends to submit to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to remove barriers to urban and innovative producers and increase access of urban and innovative producers to USDA programs and services. Learn more, submit a comment, or register to attend.
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Registration Open for the Agricultural Outlook Forum
 USDA’s 99th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), will be held in-person at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. on Feb. 23-24, 2023, and all sessions will be livestreamed on a virtual platform. Check out their Program At A Glance and Session Details for more information. Sign up to attend in person or virtually through this registration link.
You can also follow the conversation at #AgOutlook23 on USDA’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
CSA Week
Celebrate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) during CSA week from Feb. 20 – 26, 2023. Visit the CSA Innovation Network website for a list of CSA week participants and access to digital toolkits to help promote your farm or organization.
The CSA Innovation Network will also be hosting an upcoming Ideas Lab zoom on Feb. 28 from 2-3 PM CST. It will feature speakers from Black Soil KY & the Fresno Farm Box program to share their experiences with running multi-farm CSA programs through a cooperative model. Register here today!
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Current Funding Available
Rural Development’s Intermediary Lending Program
Application Due Date: Quarterly (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.
Rural Development'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 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.
Agriculture Innovation Center Grant Program
Application Due Date: March 6, 2023
The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. For more information, visit the USDA Rural Development page on the Agriculture Innovation Center Program.
TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grant
Application Due Date: March 6, 2023
As the country rebounds from the pandemic, food banks, food pantries, and other community organizations have stepped up to meet demands and ensure staff and recipient health and safety. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency grants through USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service provide state agencies with an opportunity to re-envision how they can work with currently participating organizations and/or new partner organizations to meet this objective in remote, rural, tribal, or low-income areas. Visit the Grants.gov page on the TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grant for more details on the program and how to apply.
FY2023 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program (UAIP)
Application Due Date: March 27, 2023
The competitive grants will support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects through two categories, Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. A pre-recorded webinar on Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants | USDA provides an overview of the grants’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. Visit the UAIP grant program webpage for more information.
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program
Application Due Date: March 31, 2023
This competitive grant program through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is intended to promote and strengthen the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences. Programs aim to attract outstanding students and produce graduates capable of enhancing the nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work force. Visit their grants.gov page for a synopsis and application.
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
Application Due Date: May 1, 2023
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to award grants to eligible state departments of agriculture to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. More information on this grant program can be found on the Specialty Crops Block Grant Program website, or through their grants.gov application page.
Local Agricultural Market Program (LAMP) Grants
Application Due Date: May 2, 2023
LAMP supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products. It encompasses the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP), and Value-Added Producer Grants Program (VAPG). LAMP funding is divided between these grant programs and USDA is now accepting applications. A Local Agriculture Market Programs Stakeholder Toolkit is available to help amplify the RFSP open application period among LRFS stakeholders. For more information on applications and eligibility, visit the LAMP webpage.
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