Purpose: The U.S/ Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Farm Service Agency
(FSA) mission is equitably serving all farmers and ranchers through the delivery
of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. However, FSA is
aware that all farmers and ranchers may not be optimally aware of FSA programs.
Therefore, this opportunity is intended to provide additional outreach to SDA
farmers and ranchers in areas and communities where additional outreach would be
beneficial. With the complex nature of some of FSA’s programs, FSA intends this
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to focus additional outreach and education
to producers in areas who could benefit from additional outreach in order to (1)
increase access and participation of SDAs in FSA programs and services and (2)
improve technical assistance related to FSA farm and farm loan
programs.
Specific FSA programs and
services listed in this NOFO are focused on educating socially disadvantaged
farmers and ranchers about one or more of the following programs and increasing
the number of successful program participants: Farm Enrollment for Heirs
Property Operators/Landowners; FSA Relending Program; Highly Fractionated
Indian Land Program; Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program; Emergency
Conservation Program; Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage; Receipt
for Service; FSA County and Urban Committees; Guaranteed Operating and
Ownership Loan Programs; Direct Operating and Ownership Loan Programs;
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2; Organic Certification Cost-Share
Program; Farm Storage Facility Loan; Tree Assistance Program; Livestock Forage
Disaster Program; Emergency Conservation Program; Wildfires and Hurricanes
Indemnity Program Plus; Commodity Loans & Loan Deficiency Program;
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program;
Urban Ag County Committees, and Quality Loss Adjustment Program. Examples
of the type of efforts covered by this NOFO include, but are not limited to:
·
Outreach
– Workshops, online
webinars, in person meetings and other community-level events. Example:
Educating heirs on how to obtain a farm number from FSA. The 2018 Farm Bill
(Pub. L. 115-334; see https://www.usda.gov/farmbill) identified additional alternative ways
for heirs to show control of the land without a deed. Extensive outreach is
needed to educate heirs, particularly those in Uniform Partition of Heirs
Property Act states, of how to obtain a farm number, which is needed to
participate in all USDA programs.
·
Technical
assistance: One-on-one
assistance with farmers and ranchers. Training on programs, forms and electronic
applications. Example: Assisting producer with paperwork to apply to a FSA
program or loan. Example: Developing a phone application for easily applying to
a FSA program.
Note:
Priority will be given
to projects that include focus on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2
(CFAP 2); see section E.1. in the NOFO for
information about the review and selection process. Awards will be made as a
cooperative agreement.
Funding
Amount/ Project Period:
$20,000 to $99,999 for 6 to
12 months.
Link
to Funding Opportunity Announcement
Institutional
Limit: 1
Internal
Competition: To
participate in the university’s selection process,please
submit the following, assembled
into a single PDF file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research
via this
portal, with a copy to your Associate Dean for
Research by April 15, 2021:
·
Names and departments or affiliations of
the Project Director and other key personnel or partners
·
Title of program and/or funding
opportunity announcement number
·
Brief project description (2 pages
maximum)
·
Brief biographical
sketch
A committee
will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation. For questions
or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited submission
mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu), or call 257-2861.
Agency
Deadline: May 5,
2021