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Courtesy of NAA: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced partnering with the Urban School Food Alliance to provide trainings and tools to school districts that will help them purchase high quality foods, while keeping costs low. This initiative will support schools with school meals procurement, including the development of tools and training. There are two new grant opportunities opening to support school meals:
As the second phase of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, these sub-grants will fund projects promoting innovation in the school meals marketplace through collaboration between schools food producers and suppliers, including local producers and small and disadvantaged businesses. Partnership with Urban School Food Alliance The Urban School Food Alliance currently consists of 18 large school districts that share best practices about purchasing school foods, based on their experiences and procurement data they have gathered and analyzed beginning in school year 2017-2018. Through its new partnership agreement with USDA, the Urban School Food Alliance will:
Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative – School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants Two of the four organizations leading the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants will open applications in November 2023:
Applications for sub-grants managed by two other organizations – Full Plates Full Potential and Illinois Public Health Institute – will open in early 2024. Collectively, the four organizations were awarded $50 million to administer these sub-grants. The grants will support collaboration between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners to stimulate a resilient, equitable, and nutritious school food system. Eligible organizations are encouraged to check the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives website for updates and sign up for bi-monthly newsletter at the bottom right of the USDA Team Nutrition website. The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, also known as the Farm to School Program, helps child nutrition programs incorporate local foods into school breakfast and lunch; summer meals; and meals served at child care centers. The program offers a variety of resources, from research, technical assistance, and grants to help build and grow farm to school programs. Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program are now open through January 12, 2024. To receive updates about the grants application and other farm to school news, subscribe to The Dirt, program’s monthly e-newsletter. Related Resources:
USDA School Meals Child Nutrition Success Stories USDA Support for Schools To learn more about the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), visit www.fns.usda.gov.
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Courtesy of NOAA:
NOAA is pleased to welcome Teri King to the West Coast Region of NOAA Fisheries. Teri will be serving as the new Oregon/Washington Aquaculture Coordinator. Teri comes to us from Washington Sea Grant, where she worked as an Aquaculture and Water Quality Specialist for over three decades, providing technical assistance and outreach to aquaculture producers, government decision makers, and communities and conducted applied research. Prior to working for Washington Sea Grant, she worked for the University of Washington on various shellfish, finfish, and seaweed projects as a culturist and chemist in Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska. She received her Bachelor of Science in fisheries and her master’s degree in seafood science from the University of Washington. As a Washington native, Teri enjoys the bounty of natural resources and scenic places the state offers. Her favorite place is on the water, and she enjoys assisting people explore at low tide, helping them to understand their role in the ecosystem. As a life-long Girl Scout, she is committed to helping young people see the possibility of careers in natural resources. You can connect with Teri King, OR/WA Aquaculture Coordinator at [email protected]. Courtesy of NAA:
National Agricultural Law Center's third webinar in a series is taking a look at the crucial Clean Water Act term “waters of the United States,” commonly referred to as WOTUS. The previous two webinars in this series gave an overview of WOTUS, examined both the 2023 WOTUS rule and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA, and went over why WOTUS matters to agriculture. The third will look at subsequent events and consider the long-term effects of the ruling. Since the Sackett decision, EPA has stated that it will be interpreting WOTUS consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling. EPA has also announced its intention to revise its current WOTUS definition by September 1 to bring the regulatory language up to date with the ruling in Sackett. This webinar will discuss the anticipated rule. While Sackett has limited what waters may be included in EPA’s definition of WOTUS, it did not limit the actions that states may take to regulate waterbodies within their boundaries. This webinar will also take a look at some of the different ways that states have acted to regulate wetlands and interstate waters. Grown on the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska and on the East Coast in parts of New England, kelp has been harvested on a large scale in the United States since World War I, when the vegetation was used as a source of potash to make gunpowder. During that time, the harvest was unregulated and destructive to the surrounding habitats. Nowadays, the harvest of kelp is more sustainable due to harvesters only removing the upper portion of the canopy of the algae.
Today, the primary resource derived from kelp for human use is algin, a product used as a gelling agent in foods, pharmaceuticals, waterproof and fireproofing fabrics, a component in fertilizers, and an ingredient in food. In addition to this array of uses, kelp has been identified as a potential alternative energy source, according to NOAA Fisheries... Read more Courtesy of NAA:
October 18, 2023 12 - 1pm EST An upcoming webinar sponsored by the National Agricultural Law Center will provide a general framework to understand the wide-ranging implications of PFAS and focus on the aspects of regulation and risk specifically relevant to agriculture and the food industry. Attendees will hear from a panel of leading legal, environmental, and economic experts with a deep understanding of PFAS and the potential impacts on agriculture and food processing industries:
Click here to learn more about PFAS and the webinar presenters and moderators. Small nonfarm businesses in 21 Oregon counties and neighboring counties in Idaho and Washington now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced Director Jeffrey Lusk of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center‑West. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began Aug. 1.
Primary Oregon counties: Clatsop, Lincoln, Morrow, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Washington and Yamhill; Neighboring Oregon counties: Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Columbia, Gilliam, Grant, Lane, Linn, Marion, Multnomah and Wheeler; Neighboring Idaho counties: Adams, Idaho and Nez Perce; Neighboring Washington counties: Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Garfield, Klickitat, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Walla Walla. “SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Lusk said. Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred. “Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4 percent for businesses and 2.375 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Lusk said. Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the initial disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement. By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The Secretary declared this disaster on Sept. 25. Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. The deadline to apply for economic injury is May 28, 2024. A shutdown of the U.S. federal government was narrowly avoided with a last-minute spending measure passed by Congress.
The stopgap spending bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and signed by U.S. President Joe Biden just hours before the 1 October deadline to avoid a shutdown. The federal government entered a partial shutdown last week after Congress failed to pass new funding that would keep the government running beyond fiscal year 2023, which ended Saturday night. But in a reversal, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) introduced a bill that spurned demands from the far right of his party and gained support from House Democrats. The bill passed on a 335-91 vote, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it. The legislation passed the Senate by an 88-9 margin, and Biden signed the bill soon after... Read more Below is a brief list of grant opportunities. Please contact OAA with questions or application assistance.
NOAA Small Business Innovation Research Phase I To conduct research and development (R&D) and to commercialize the results of that R&D Due: December 20, 2023 Learn more National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship To provide an educational and employment opportunity for current and recent graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Due: February 15, 2024 Learn more Coastal Program To restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. Due: September 30, 2024 Learn more Partners for Fish and Wildlife To restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. Due: September 30, 2024 Learn more Courtesy of NAA:
The USDA Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program (FLSP) will award up to $65 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide support for agricultural employers in implementing robust labor standards to promote a safe, healthy work environment for both U.S. workers and workers hired from northern Central American countries under the seasonal H-2A visa program. The program is funded by the Farm Service Agency and will be administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center. The 2023 FLSP grant application period closes November 28, 2023.
Purpose The purpose of the FLSP program is to improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by addressing challenges agricultural employers face with labor shortages and instability. The FLSP Program seeks to advance the following Administration priorities:
Allowable Costs:
FSA Pilot Development – FSA gathered input to help shape the new grant program. As part of gathering input, FSA held virtual listening sessions and commissioned a research brief on the pilot’s concept. Learn more about the FSA listening sessions, research brief, and other material. H-2A Visa Program – Are you a farmer who needs seasonal or temporary workers for planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops but domestic workers are in short supply? Learn more about the H2A Visa Program. Additional Information NOAA Fisheries is publishing the Proposed List of Fisheries for 2024 per our responsibilities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The List of Fisheries reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals.
NOAA is requesting public comments by October 13, 2023. Public comments can be submitted via the Federal Register notice. Request for Public Input on Aquaculture Fishery Descriptions As information on risks to marine mammals from aquaculture remains limited, NMFS is soliciting public comment to inform how we evaluate the potential risk to marine mammals from aquaculture operations for future LOFs. Specifically, NOAA is requesting information on the following in both state and Federal waters in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific:
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