Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production News

Farmers.gov sent this bulletin at 01/23/2024 12:46 PM EST

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The newsletter is brought to you by the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

Opportunities

Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program assists producers who incurred on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in calendar years 2023. Application deadline: Jan. 31, 2024.
Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) Whole-Farm Revenue Protection provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on the farm under one policy. Sales closing date vary by county, beginning Jan. 31, 2024.
RMA’s Micro Farm Program provides a risk management safety net for all commodities on a farm under one insurance policy. This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $350,000 in approved revenue. Sales closing date vary by county, beginning Feb. 28, 2024.
USDA Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry 2024 Challenge Cost Share Grant Program. Application deadline: Feb. 29, 2024.
EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants includes both a general competition and Tribes and territories competition. General deadline: April 1, 2024. Tribes and Territories deadline: May 1, 2024.
EPA’s Community Change Grants Program announced $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds for environmental and climate justice activities. Technical assistance for grant preparation is available. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with initial award selections beginning in March 2024. The final application deadline is Nov. 21, 2024.
NRCS Organic Transition Initiative assists producers with conservation practices and education and training related to organic certification. Visit your local USDA Service Center to apply. Deadlines vary by state.
Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program, Renewable Energy Systems, and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants fund renewable energy systems or help make energy efficiency improvements for agricultural producers and rural small businesses. Multiple deadlines.
Federal Funding Tip: Applicants for federal grant and cooperative agreement opportunities may require an active Sam.gov and Grants.gov registration to apply. Register in these systems now so you are ready when the opportunities are open.

Federal Advisory Committee

Congratulations to the newest members of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production:

Ted Fang, Executive Director, Florence Fang Community Farm, San Francisco, CA.
Qiana Mickie, Executive Director, NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture, New York, NY.
Jeffrey Young, Director of Urban Extension, University of Kentucky, Shepherdsville, KY.
Kate Greenberg, Commissioner of Agriculture, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Denver, CO.

NRCS Chief Terry Cosby welcomes the new members and is “excited to learn from their fresh perspectives and to keep the momentum going” in 2024.

The next public meeting of the Advisory Committee will be Jan. 31, 2 PM – 3 PM EST. The public may attend via Zoom with advance registration. The final agenda will be posted on the Federal Advisory Committee website and comments will be accepted via Federal Register Notice. Email UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov with any questions.

USDA Highlights

In January, OUAIP participated in the panel discussion Urban Agriculture: Federal, State and Local Policy Initiatives hosted by Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center. Participants discussed urban agriculture policy, shared ways they support urban and innovative agriculture, and discussed future collaborations.
The new USDA Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide from the Agricultural Marketing Service provides a comprehensive view of USDA programs that support local and regional food systems.
USDA’s 100^th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum will be held in Arlington, VA, 15-16, 2024. Register for virtual or in-person attendance. We encourage you to attend the session “Building Collaborative Urban-Rural Networks for Market Access” scheduled for Feb. 16, 10 AM -11:30 AM EST and stop by the OUAIP booth to chat.

People’s Garden Initiative

Though it was cold and snowy in Washington, D.C., garden managers and volunteers worked in the USDA Headquarters People’s Garden to plant garlic and crocuses. These hardy bulbs will remain dormant through winter and sprout in early spring bringing yummy garlic-scapes and beautiful blooms.

Xerces Society Conservation Spotlight

The People’s Garden is partnering with The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to expand pollinator and beneficial insect outreach and education to gardens nationwide. High school students and faculty of Philadelphia’s U School de-paved a parking lot to expand their food garden and to plant native plants for pollinators. Read more about this project on the Xerces Blog.

If you are interested in planting habitat this year, now is a great time to start planning. Check out Xerces’ Organic Site Prep Guide for methods that might work for you.