How May Funds Be Used
- RISE grant funds can be used to:
- Build or support a business incubator facility
- Provide worker training to assist in the creation of new jobs
- Train the existing workforce with skills for higher-paying jobs
- Develop a base of skilled workers and improve their opportunities to obtain high-wage jobs in new or existing local industries
Federal State Marketing Improvement Program
This matching grant program, also known as FSMIP, provides matching funds to State Departments of Agriculture and other appropriate State agencies to assist in exploring new market opportunities for food and agricultural products, and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of the marketing system.
Grants To Provide Technical Assistance For Rural Transportation Systems
USDA is inviting applications for grants to provide Technical Assistance for passenger Rural Transportation systems under the Rural Business Development Grant program and the terms for such funding. Federal Register Notice Application Dates Open Date: January 14, 2022Close Date: April 14, 2022, 4:30 p.m. local time
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Beginning Farmer And Rancher Development Program
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program provides grants to organizations for education, mentoring, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers. According to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Services most recent Ag Census data, the number of young people entering farming continues to decline, but the number of new farmers and ranchers over the age of 35 as well as the number of smaller farms and ranches nationwide continue to rise. Ensuring there will be a new generation of beginning farmers and ranchers regardless of age or production choice is especially important to the continuation of agricultural production in the United States.
Opportunities exist within farming and ranching, but beginning farmers and ranchers have unique educational, training, technical assistance, and outreach needs. Capital access, land access, and access to knowledge and information to assist in ensuring profitability and sustainability are vital to those just entering agriculture and in their first ten years of operation.
Release & Contact Info
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is accepting applications for $100 million in grants to increase the sale and use of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products.
USDA is making the funding available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program . This program seeks to market higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by sharing the costs to build and retrofit biofuel-related infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers and storage tanks.
The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that rural America is the key to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and giving Americans cleaner, more affordable options at the pump, Vilsack said. Biofuels are homegrown fuels. Expanding the availability of higher-blend fuels is a win for American farmers, the rural economy and hardworking Americans who pay the price here at home when we depend on volatile fuel sources overseas.
This additional funding follows an April investment of $5.6 million through HBIIP that is expected to increase the availability of biofuels by 59.5 million gallons per year in California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and South Dakota.
In June, USDA also announced that it had provided $700 million in relief funding to more than 100 biofuel producers in 25 states who experienced market losses due to the pandemic.
Background
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Talk To A Rural Usda Expert
USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies.
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Check a home, town or service location to verify eligibility for Rural Programs
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You can create an account and manage your current loan through the Customer Service Center portal. You can also contact the CSC at
What Does This Program Do
Who may apply for this program?
- Rural cooperatives .
What is an eligible area?What kind of funding is available?How may funds be used?
- Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
- Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way construction, conversion, renovation of buildings plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads parking areas and utilities.
- Pollution control and abatement.
- The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
- Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
- Rural transportation improvement.
- Feasibility studies and business plans.
- Leadership and entrepreneur training.
- Community economic development.
- Feasibility studies and business plans.
- Leadership and entrepreneur training.
- Evidence showing job creation at local businesses.
- Percent of non-federal funding committed to the project.
- Economic need in the area to be served.
- Consistency with local economic development priorities.
- Experience of the grantee with similar efforts.
How do we get started?What law governs this program?
- Basic Program 7 CFR Part 4280, Subpart E. This program is authorized by the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act .
- This program was authorized by the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act .
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Rural Development Loan And Grant Assistance
USDA Rural Development forges partnerships with rural communities, funding projects that bring housing, community facilities, business guarantees, utilities and other services to rural America. USDA provides technical assistance and financial backing for rural businesses and cooperatives to create quality jobs in rural areas. Rural Development promotes the President’s National Energy Policy and ultimately the nation’s energy security by engaging the entrepreneurial spirit of rural America in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Rural Development works with low-income individuals, State, local and Indian tribal governments, as well as private and nonprofit organizations and user-owned cooperatives.
What Is The Rural Development Broadband Reconnect Program
The ReConnect Loan and Grant Program furnishes loans and grants to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. The application window is now OPEN. Follow one of the links below to learn more about the program.
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How Do I Know What Applications Will Have These Priority Points
Priority points will be awarded in key RD programs to projects that support these priorities. These priority points will be incorporated into funding announcements and published in the Federal Register. For the list of programs that include priority points download the Priority Points Program Chart.
Creating More And Better Markets
Assisting rural communities to recover economically through more and better market opportunities through improved infrastructure.
Priority Points: Applicants receive priority points if the project is located in or serving one of the top 10% of counties or county equivalents based upon county risk score in the United States. Please use the Economic Risk Assessment Dashboard to determine if the county your project serves qualifies for priority points. The top 10% of counties or county equivalents are highlighted in red on the dashboard.
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Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations Webinar For State Animal Health Officials
This webinar will be a panel discussion of best practices and lessons learned from NIFA staff and select State Animal Health Officials for how veterinary shortage situation areas are identified. Additionally, NIFA staff will discuss how the nominations are used by both applicants and awardees of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program and the Veterinary Services Grant Program .
Addressing Climate Change And Environmental Justice
Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.
Priority will be given to proposals that address climate crisis through projects that:
- reduce climate pollution promote energy efficiency and clean transportation increase renewable energy production revitalize recreation economies and the economies of coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities increase resilience to the impacts of climate change protect the public and conserve our lands, waters, and biodiversity or
- spur well-paying union jobs and economic growth, especially through innovation, commercialization, deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure or
- advance environmental justice in historically marginalized and other communities overburdened by pollution where economic hurdles include underinvestment in housing, transportation, water, wastewater, and clean energy infrastructure, as well as workforce development and health care needs.
Priority Points: Applicant can receive priority points through one of two options listed below:
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Why Does Usda Rural Development Do This
The RISE Grant Program meets a recognized need for federal support of jobs accelerator partnerships for the promotion of private investment in regional economies. The flexible use of funds by RISE grant recipients allows a region to leverage their community assets by assisting new and existing industry, establish and operate innovation centers for job development and training, including through the use of new or improved broadband service by jobs accelerators. The RISE program will improve the ability of rural communities to create high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of rural businesses, and strengthen regional economies.
What Is An Eligible Area
The RISE project must serve a rural region small enough to allow close collaboration among partners. It also must include important elements of the regions prioritized industry cluster .
The RBCS Administrator may award points to projects that will advance the key priorities, learn more at Rural Developments Key Priorities.
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Beginning Farmers And Ranchers
USDA, through the Farm Service Agency, provides direct and guaranteed loans to beginning farmers and ranchers who are unable to obtain financing from commercial credit sources. Each fiscal year, the Agency targets a portion of its direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loan funds to beginning farmers and ranchers.
What Are Priority Points
Priority Points, also referred to as discretionary points, are additional points added to an established scoring criterion that USDA Rural Development uses to help determine which projects qualify for funding. Awarding extra points raises a projects score, which in turn improves the chances of a project being scored high enough to warrant a funding award. The flexibility related to these kinds of points varies, depending on regulations language.
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Freeze Drying Lessens A Farmers Financial Risk Plus More
Rachael Ryan is a life-long farmer from southern New Mexico. Over the years shes seen the ups and downs of her farming business called Back Yard Farms. –And she especially knows about the downs that come as an ag producer. She loves farming, but she knows farmers are at the mercy of mother nature, because she says youre one hailstorm or drought away from sending your profits into a tailspin.