Baton Rouge, La. –
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) is now accepting
applications for the 2016 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP),
Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., announced on March 31.
Applications must be received no later
than close of business (4:30 p.m.) May 9, 2016.
The LDAF will
administer the grant program funded through the United States Department of
Agriculture – Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS). The USDA
allocated $314,385.77 to fund Louisiana projects. For full detail, visit Louisiana
Department of Agriculture and Forestry at http://bit.ly/1TwQxNA
The grants are to be
used for projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of Louisiana-grown
specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture,
Christmas trees, turf grass/sod, nursery and greenhouse crops.
Individual farms are
not eligible to apply; however, producer associations, state and/or local
organizations, state or local governments, qualified educational institutions,
non-profits and other specialty crop stakeholders are eligible recipients.
Applicants must reside in or their business or educational affiliation must be
in Louisiana.
All applicants are
required to obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and include
that number on their application. LDAF will accept grant applications with a
yearly budget value of up to $100,000. Grants can be awarded for projects
lasting up to two years and 11 months. All LDAF approved projects will be
incorporated into one state grant request, which will be submitted to the USDA.
LDAF has prepared a
Request for Applications (RFA) document detailing application instructions,
scoring criteria, federal forms, project format examples and other helpful
information from the USDA. The document may be found at http://bit.ly/1PQI9Si.
A complete list of eligible
specialty crops is available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSc1.o/scbgdefinitions.
For more information,
contact Michelle Estay, director of Commodity Promotion and Research at
985-345-9483.
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