Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) 2010 Request for Applications (RFA) Now Available

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.311. DATES: Applications must be received by close of business (COB) on April 6, 2010 (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding. Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. STAKEHOLDER INPUT: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is requesting comments regarding this RFA from any interested party. These comments will be considered in the development of the next RFA for the program, if applicable, and will be used to meet the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2)). This section requires the Secretary to solicit and consider input on a current RFA from persons who conduct or use agricultural research, education and extension for use in formulating future RFAs for competitive programs. Written stakeholder comments on this RFA should be submitted in accordance with the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this Notice. Written stakeholder comments should be submitted by mail to: Policy and Oversight Branch; Office of Extramural Programs; National Institute of Food and Agriculture; USDA; STOP 2299; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20250-2299; or via e-mail to: RFP-OEP@nifa.usda.gov. (This e-mail address is intended only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program RFA. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA announces the availability of funds and requests applications for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) for fiscal year (FY) 2010.  The BFRDP provides resources to support the development of educational outreach curricula, workshops, educational teams, training, and technical assistance programs to assist beginning farmers and ranchers (includes beginning forest landowners, hereafter) in the United States and its territories with entering, establishing, building and managing successful farm and ranch enterprises.  The estimated amount available for support of this program in FY 2010 is $18,240,000. This notice identifies the objectives for BFRDP projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a BFRDP award. NIFA additionally requests stakeholder input from any interested party for use in the development of the next RFA for this program. For more information visit: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2010news/02171_beg_farmers.html

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1. The establishment of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Institute) at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is mandated in section 251(f) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971(f)) as added by section 7511(a)(4) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246). All programs and authorities delegated to CSREES have transferred to the Institute on October 1, 2009.

1. In FY 2010, the Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse project type will not be offered.  Applications are solicited for the following project types:  (i) Standard Grants; and (ii) Educational Enhancement Teams.  In FY 2010, a limited number of Educational Enhancement Team grants will be awarded.

1. In FY 2010, a new project type called Development Grants are made available to assist organizations: (i) that have not previously been successful in obtaining competitive grants from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (or the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension System); (ii) to sustain and enhance important collaborations and innovative activities with the goal of enhancing beginning farmer and rancher programs; and (iii) with future program success or success in obtaining other grants for beginning farmer and rancher education.

In FY 2010, Standard BFRDP Project applications that are considered meritorious, but rank below the funding line during the peer review process will be considered for a Development Grant. Please note the additional eligibility requirements under Project Types in Part II.C.  Applicants may not apply directly for Development Grants. In FY 2010, a limited number of Development Grants will be awarded.  Applicants should indicate in the first line of the abstract whether the organization wants the application to be also considered for a Development Grants.

1. Applicants are discouraged from submitting projects with similar objectives to those currently funded by other programs at NIFA.  Such submissions should be disclosed in the Current and Pending Support Form.  If projects are recommended for funding, changes in the budget and project objectives will be required before the projects can be funded.

1. Applications that seek to develop coursework for credit at Colleges and Universities offering 4-year degree programs are discouraged.

1. 6. As required by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246), priority will continue to be given to partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) with expertise in beginning agricultural producer training and outreach. Partnerships should be clearly identified in the abstract, management plans, supporting letters and reflected in the budget.  Applications with a minimum of 25% of the budget allocated to partner organizations will be given priority consideration for funding.