- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center is accepting applications for the 2019 Call for Proposals. The Sheep Center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill and was awarded funding by AMS to be used for the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program as part of the 2014 Farm Bill. Grant funding can be used on activities designed to strengthen and enhance the production of marketing of sheep and sheep products in the United States through infrastructure development, business development, production, resource development, and market and environmental research.
Grants must be designed to improve the U.S. sheep industry and must accomplish one or more of the following objectives:
- Strengthen and improve long-term sustainability of the lamb and wool industry's infrastructure by increasing the numbers in production.
- Provide integration of performance and production data from sources that can help enhance the National Sheep Improvement Program.
- Provide leadership training and education to producers and packers within the sheep industry.
- Enhance sheep production by improving infrastructure of the U.S. sheep industry through assistance to all segments of the industry to address sustainable production and marketing of sheep milk, meat, fiber and related services such as grazing for fire management and pasture improvements.
- Promote lamb marketing through an organized method that can measure tangible results.
- Enhance the sheep industry by coordinating information exchange and seeking mutual understanding and marketing within the international industry community.
The Sheep Center will review each proposal, recommend funding and submit final recommendations to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service for approval. Please refer to the Strategic Plan (www.nsiic.org/2019-Strategic-Plan.htm) as well as the Funded Projects List (http://www.nsiic.org/funded_projects.htm) for eligible projects and types of projects the Board is looking to fund. All projects will be reviewed by the Committee.
The program does not have an award amount limit however, the average grant amount over the last four years has been approximately $29,000. All projects will have approximately eighteen months to be completed.
Applications are due by September 15th. The application is available for download at http://www.nsiic.org/Grant-App.htm.
For additional information about the grant program, please contact Program Manager Steve Lee at (207) 236-6567 or stevelee@nsiic.org.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)