What progress is the USDA making on turning Farm Bill funding into program action?
September 5, 2014
| Jim Lane
Well, plenty. We reported on progress with loan guarantees here and there’s complete info here.
Here’s a recap of the major other activities.
TITLE VI – Rural Development
Biodiesel Fuel Education Program
May 5, 2014: REE announces availability of $960,000 for grants to educate consumers about the benefits of biodiesel fuel use.
Bioenergy:
BioPreferred:
- Aug 6, 2014: USDA Announces Inclusion of Wood Products and Other Materials in BioPreferred Program
- July 14, 2014: USDA’s BioPreferred® program office will host a public meeting on August 1, 2014, for stakeholders to discuss incorporating mature market (wood) products into the BioPreferred program (PDF, 87KB)
Business and Industry Loan Guarantee:
- May 8, 2014: USDA Announces Funds Available for Local Food Enterprises, Historic Investment Will Support Entire Local Food Supply Chain
- May 5, 2014: Rural Development announces availability of funding to provide support for local or regional food producers.
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
- July 31, 2014: USDA Announces Grants to Community Partners to Create Jobs and Strengthen Small Rural Businesses through Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP)
- May 20, 2014: USDA Announces Availability of Loans and Grants to Support Rural Economic Development
Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG):
- August 19, 2014: USDA Announces $25 Million for Agricultural Entrepreneurs to Turn Commodities into Value-Added Products
- March 25, 2014: Rural Development publishes notice in the Federal Register extending the application period for Fiscal Year 2013 and 2014 funding for VAPG, with up to $25.5 million available for these grants.
Bioenergy Research:
- June 13, 2014: Vilsack Announces Farm Bill Funding for Bioenergy Research
TITLE IX – Energy
Biomass Crop Assistance Program:
- July 23, 2014: USDA Selects 36 Energy Facilities to Accept Biomass Deliveries
- June 9, 2014: USDA Announces Funding Availability for Turning Biomass Material into Energy
- May 20, 2014: USDA Announces $25 Million in Support for Renewable Biomass Energy
Rural Energy for America Program:
- May 5, 2014: USDA publishes Notice of Funding Availability announcing the availability of approximately $70 million in funding for loan guarantees and grants.
Category: Policy