F24AS00298 Cooperative Agriculture

The opportunities associated with this NOFO are for lands protected through the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Floodplain Easement (FPE) component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP). The types of work available through this opportunity fall into three primary categories: 1) restoration of wetland and floodplain easements; 2) stewardship of wetland and floodplain easements, and 3) onsite and offsite assessment of easement conditions.  Component 1) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Restoration.  Awardees will work with NRCS personnel, partners and landowners to develop and implement sound easement restoration plans. These plans may include structural practices, such as levees and water control structures, and/or vegetative establishment practices, such as tree planting. Awardees are expected to complete the following easement restoration activities: (A) Coordination- Accept input on restoration planning from NRCS employees, NRCS partners and easement owners. (B) Investigation- Completion of technical surveys such as topographic, hydrological or habitat inventories. (C) Restoration Design- Combine data collected through coordination and technical surveys to develop functional, yet cost-effective restoration plans. (D) Implementation- Application of the easement restoration design using NRCS provided practice standards and specifications.  NRCS wetland and floodplain easements have varying levels of restoration planning completed by NRCS employees or partners. Awardees will receive all relevant planning information for easements included in this agreement. Awardee must be prepared to complete some or all the listed restoration activities.       Component 2) Wetland and Floodplain Easement Stewardship. Awardees are responsible for completing easement stewardship activities on restored wetland and floodplain easements. Easement stewardship includes repair, maintenance, management, and enhancement of properties.   (A) Repair and Enhancement- Awardee will develop repair or enhancement plans. Repair plans will be prepared when installed conservation practices fail or are damaged. Repairs may include structural and/or vegetative restoration practices, such as a dike damaged by flooding or replanting trees damaged or killed by drought. Enhancement plans are developed to improve specific aspects of a restored easement. (B) Maintenance and Management- Awardee will develop easement maintenance and management plans. These plans identify specific activities that will prolong life and improve the function of installed restoration practices. For example, maintenance plans describe how and when an earthen dike should be mowed to prevent the establishment of woody vegetation.      Component 3) Easement Assessments. The Awardee will complete onsite and offsite easement assessments. Assessments will document the habitat condition of easements and determine their compliance with deed terms and conditions. Awardees will use the data collected to determine the ecological condition of easements and, if necessary, develop repair, enhancement and/or maintenance plans to improve the condition of the assessed easements.

The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible meat and poultry processors expand their capacity, which creates new, better and more processing options for meat and poultry producers. The goal for MPPEP Phase 3 Round 2 is to support Processors of Invasive, Wild-Caught Catfish species by increasing Processing capacity and providing greater opportunity in this sector. Strategies that can fulfill the goal of this NOFO and ensure lasting impacts include projects to increase Processing capacity; increase Processing volume; elevate incomes for both fishers and Processors; and to provide fair wages, and new, stable and safe job opportunities at Processing facilities to increase economic development in rural communities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program (SCMP). The SCMP supports collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded projects. A multi-state partnership is a project that implements activities with measurable outcomes that benefit two or more U.S. States and/or Territories along with non-profit entities. The focus is to address regional or national level specialty crop issues, including, but not limited to, food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announce this funding opportunity to carry out the Plant Protection Act Section 7721 (PPA 7721) National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) program. APHIS will consider project proposals that clearly and directly support the strategic goals and objectives of the National Clean Plant Network as described in the NCPN Strategic Plan . The purpose of the NCPN program is to establish a network of Clean Plant Centers for diagnostic and pathogen elimination services to produce clean propagative plant material and to maintain blocks of pathogen-tested plant material in sites located throughout the United States. The NCPN provides propagative plant material free of targeted plant pathogens to protect the environment and ensure the global competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers. Program priorities align with the goals specified in the NCPN Strategic Plan and include: 1) Optimizing the production, maintenance, and distribution of clean plants, 2) Advancing special initiatives by optimizing the adaptation and implementation of novel technologies and new ideas while increasing the awareness of the importance, availability, and use of clean plants, and 3) Optimizing network resources. Applicants should refer to the NCPN Request for Proposals on the USDA APHIS NCPN website for additional details. APHIS is providing at least $10 million in funding for the Plant Protection Act (PPA) National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) program under Section 420 of the PPA (7 USC § 7721). The purpose of the NCPN program is to establish a network of Clean Plant Centers for diagnostic and pathogen elimination services to produce clean propagative plant material and to maintain blocks of pathogen-tested plant material in sites located throughout the United States. Additional details about the program are available on the USDA APHIS NCPN website. Program Goals: The National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) was established under The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) Title X, Sec 10202. Its purpose is to support a network of clean plant centers in the United States for specialty crops to provide reliable sources of propagative material that are free of targeted propagative-borne pathogens. Network clean plant centers conduct diagnostic and pathogen elimination services and establish foundation blocks (nuclear stock) to provide pathogen-tested plant materials to nurseries, growers, and to state certification programs.  Expected Outcomes: Projects funded under this announcement are expected to support programs that provide propagative plant material free of targeted plant pathogens to protect the environment and ensure the global competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers. Funding Priorities: APHIS will consider project proposals that clearly and directly support the strategic goals and objectives of the National Clean Plant Network. Program priorities align with the goals specified in the NCPN Strategic Plan and include: 1) Optimizing the production, maintenance, and distribution of clean plants, 2) Advancing special initiatives by optimizing the adaptation and implementation of novel technologies and new ideas while increasing the awareness of the importance, availability, and use of clean plants, and 3) Optimizing network resources. Projects that support one of the current crop groups in NCPN and show coordination with the appropriate NCPN specialty crop governing body are prioritized for funding. Existing Federal or State facilities with demonstrated capacity to provide clean plant material are also prioritized for funding. Applicants can find all application materials on the ezFedGrants website or the Grants.gov website by searching Assistance Listing number 10.031 . Application materials and additional i nformation are also available on the USDA APHIS NCPN website . All application materials are compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for accessibility.

The primary objective of the program is to provide grants to Agriculture Innovation Centers that will provide technical assistance to agricultural producers to market value-added agricultural products.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and solicits Research Project (R01) grant applications from institutions or organizations that propose to develop or support the development of designated new animal drugs intended for minor uses in major species or for use in minor species (MUMS).  The FDA is authorized to provide grants to assist in defraying the costs of qualified safety and effectiveness testing that could be used to satisfy the requirements for FDA approval of MUMS-designated drugs. Only entities developing drugs for veterinary use or parties working as research partners with such entities are eligible for grants. The organization (or applicant) seeking approval of the new animal drug under investigation must have opened an Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) file with FDA/CVM and must hold a minor use or minor species "designation" granted by FDA/CVM's Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS) for that drug for a specified intended use, in accordance with the provisions of section 573 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360ccc-2) and 21 CFR part 516. FDA/CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation (ONADE) must have reviewed and concurred with the proposed study protocol before an applicant can submit a grant application.

First awarded in fiscal year (FY) 2001, Recovery Land Acquisition grants promote State and Federal cooperation in listed species conservation by leveraging funds to acquire specific parcels of land, through fee simple or conservation easement, in support of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)-approved recovery plans and outlines. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) conveys the importance of recovery plans as a central organizing tool for guiding the recovery process by requiring their development for every listed species.

Established by Congress in fiscal year (FY) 1997, the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land Acquisition Grant program was designed to reduce conflicts between the conservation of listed species and competing land uses on specific parcels of land associated with approved and permitted HCPs. Under this program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) provides matching grants to State agencies in support of land acquisition projects that will conserve species habitat in perpetuity through fee simple acquisition or the acquisition of permanent conservation easements. FWS considers the use of Federal acquisition dollars by States for habitat protection associated with HCPs to be an important and effective mechanism to promote species recovery, prevent extinction, and preclude the need to list species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the future. All land acquired through these grants complements, but does not replace, the mitigation, minimization, and/or monitoring commitments of the HCP. Thus, this work is additive to the conservation commitments entered into when HCPs are permitted and serves as a meaningful way to leverage non-Federal investment in species recovery and connect conservation lands across the landscape.

The Highlands Conservation Act Program (HCA) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the protection of land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. HCA grants support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to conserve resources of high conservation value.Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region.Funding appropriated under the HCA is typically divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Competitive Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Base Funds. A project may not be proposed for funding in both funding opportunities.More information on the HCA program is available at www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant

The Highlands Conservation Act Program (HCA) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the protection of land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. HCA grants support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to conserve resources of high conservation value.Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region.Funding appropriated under the HCA is typically divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Base Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Competitive Funds. A project may not be proposed for funding in both funding opportunities.More information on the HCA program is available at www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant