83 FR 24968 - Solicitation of Commodity Board Topics and Contribution of Funding Under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 105 (May 31, 2018)
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 105 (May 31, 2018)
| Page Range | 24968-24969 | |
| FR Document | 2018-11634 |
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 105 (Thursday, May 31, 2018)] [Notices] [Pages 24968-24969] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2018-11634] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE National Institute of Food and Agriculture Solicitation of Commodity Board Topics and Contribution of Funding Under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA. ACTION: Notice of opportunity for commodity boards to submit topics and contribute funding under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: NIFA is soliciting topics from eligible commodity board entities (Federal and State- level commodity boards, as defined below) that the entities are willing to co-fund equally with NIFA. To be considered for inclusion in future Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program Requests for Applications (RFAs), topics must relate to the established priority areas of AFRI. Commodity boards are those entities established under a commodity promotion law, as such term is defined under the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, or a State commodity board or other equivalent State entity. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Notice under the heading ``Eligibility for Submitting Topics'' for further information. If, after NIFA's evaluation, proposed topics are accepted for inclusion, they will be incorporated into AFRI competitive grants program RFAs. As a condition of funding grants pertaining to a topic, NIFA will require an agreement with the commodity board to provide funds equal to the amount NIFA is contributing under the agreed upon topic. This Notice invites topic submissions from commodity boards as defined above, outlines the process NIFA will use to evaluate the appropriateness of these topics for inclusion in AFRI RFAs, and describes the commitment required of commodity boards for NIFA to jointly fund competitively selected AFRI awards within a topic area submitted by the commodity boards. DATES: Commodity boards may submit topics at any time; however, all topics received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30, 2018 will be considered for the fiscal year 2019 AFRI RFAs. Topics submitted by eligible commodity board entities after this date are not guaranteed review for fiscal year 2019, but will be considered for RFAs to be issued in future years. Frequently asked questions about commodity board topics are available on the NIFA Website (https://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards-frequently-asked-questions). ADDRESSES: You may submit topics by the following method: Website: https://nifa.usda.gov/webform/commodity-board-topic-submission/ Instructions: The topic submission must be through the website form; emailed topics will not be accepted. Required fields are marked. Topics submitted through this form will not be posted to a public site. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Mirando; Phone: (202) 401-4336, or Email: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background and Purpose This Notice begins the fourth topic submission cycle to implement section 2(b)(4)(F) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(4)(F)), as added by section 7404 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79, which requires NIFA to ``establish procedures, including timelines, under which an entity established under a commodity promotion law (as such term is defined under section 501(a) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7401(a))) or a State commodity board (or other equivalent State entity) may directly submit to [NIFA] for consideration proposals for requests for applications'' within the AFRI Program. Stakeholder feedback gathered in previous years informed this Notice and the process NIFA is using to implement section 7404. This Notice invites entities established under a commodity promotion law or State commodity boards (or other equivalent State entities) to submit topics they are proposing for inclusion in fiscal year 2019 AFRI RFAs. Topics must relate to the established AFRI priority areas, which were authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR 3430.309 as: Plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities. The AFRI priorities are subject to change based on future Farm Bills, and any changes will be reflected on the NIFA website. A summary statement on AFRI is included below. To learn more about AFRI programs, including program priorities, typical award budget amounts, and examples of RFAs, please visit: http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/. AFRI Program Overview The AFRI program is the largest agricultural competitive grants program in the United States and a primary funding source for research, education, and extension projects that bring practical solutions to some of today's most critical societal challenges. AFRI programs impact all components of agriculture, including farm and ranch efficiency and profitability, bioenergy, forestry, aquaculture, rural communities, human nutrition, food safety, biotechnology, and genetic improvement of plants and animals. In FY 2019, NIFA plans to solicit applications for AFRI funding opportunities in the AFRI priority areas authorized in the Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR 3430.309. It is anticipated these will include the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program RFA and the AFRI Education and Workforce Development RFA. The annual AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program RFA solicits grant applications focused predominately, but not exclusively, on fundamental scientific research addressing statutory priorities. The AFRI Education and Workforce Development RFA solicits grant applications for training K-14 teachers and administrators, [[Page 24969]] undergraduate research and extension experiential learning fellowships, and pre- and post-doctoral fellowships. Any additional AFRI RFAs made available in FY 2019 may be included in this solicitation. Eligibility for Submitting Topics Eligible commodity board entities are those established under a commodity promotion law, as such term is defined under 7 U.S.C. 7401(a), or a State commodity board (or other equivalent State entity). Language in 7 U.S.C. 7401(a) defines a ``commodity promotion law'' as ``a Federal law that provides for the establishment and operation of a promotion program regarding an agricultural commodity that includes a combination of promotion, research, industry information, or consumer information activities, is funded by mandatory assessments on producers or processors, and is designed to maintain or expand markets and uses for the commodity (as determined by the Secretary).'' 7 U.S.C. 7401(a) includes a list of such Federal laws. A current list of approved entities is maintained at (http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/). Additionally, entities eligible to submit topics include State commodity boards (or other equivalent State entities). This includes commodity boards authorized by State law; commodity boards that are not authorized by State law, but are organized and operate within a State and meet the requirements of their authorizing statute; and commodity boards that are authorized by a State and operate within the State for commodities that have no Federal program or oversight. Topic Submission Guidance and Procedures Topics may be submitted at any time and will be evaluated by NIFA on an annual basis. However, to guarantee consideration for the proposed fiscal year 2019 AFRI RFAs, topics must be received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30, 2018. Each topic proposed must be submitted using the online topic submission form provided at: https://nifa.usda.gov/webform/commodity-board-topic-submission/. Commodity boards may propose support for multiple awards for each topic proposed. For each topic the commodity board proposes to support, the minimum amount contributed by the commodity board must align with budget guidance for each AFRI area (http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/) and comply with the maximum amount of $2.5 million allowed per topic. NIFA does not intend to match funding from a single commodity board in excess of $10 million in any year. Commodity boards should only submit topics that have a strong economic impact on their industry and U.S. agriculture, as a whole. Examples of topics typically supported by AFRI can be found at http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/. If topics are accepted for funding, they will be incorporated into AFRI RFAs, and grants supporting the topic area may be awarded to AFRI eligible entities based on a competitive peer review process. As a condition of funding grants in a topic, NIFA will require an agreement by the commodity board to provide funds in an amount equal to the amount NIFA is contributing under the agreed upon topic. If a topic is selected for inclusion in an RFA, the commodity board submitting the topic will be required to maintain the confidentiality of the topic until the RFA is issued by NIFA. All commodity board funds and NIFA funds must be available at the time projects are selected for funding; awards are fully funded at the beginning of the award. Applications submitted under topics provided by commodity boards will be required to include a letter of support for co-funding from the the commodity board that proposed the topic. Evaluation and Notification Process NIFA will screen proposed research topics to ensure eligibility of the submitting commodity boards. NIFA will also consult with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to determine that submissions and proposed financial contributions are consistent with commodity promotion laws and commodity boards' charters, as applicable. Commodity board topics are reviewed by an internal panel based on evaluation criteria developed using stakeholder input from commodity boards and other stakeholders from government, industry, and academe. Each topic will be evaluated based on alignment with one or more of the statutory AFRI priority areas (AFRI priority areas authorized in the Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR 3430.309); alignment with the President's budget proposal for NIFA, as identified in the Department of Agriculture's annual budget submission; and alignment with the priority areas in the AFRI RFAs to be released by NIFA during the fiscal year for which the commodity board is proposing a topic for funding (for example, within the AFRI Foundational and Applied Science RFA, the AFRI Animal Health and Production and Animal Products' ``Animal Reproduction'' priority area). From those topics received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30, 2018, NIFA will select the topic(s) that were evaluated favorably for inclusion in the appropriate FY 2019 AFRI RFA. NIFA will notify commodity boards as to whether their topics will be included by August 29, 2018. Based on the evaluation, NIFA reserves the right to negotiate with commodity boards should changes be required to accept topics and funding amounts. Any changes to topics and funding amounts will be reviewed by USDA's AMS to determine if such changes are consistent with applicable commodity promotion laws. NIFA will evaluate topics submitted after the July 30, 2018 deadline on an annual basis and notify commodity boards whether their topics will be included in subsequent RFAs within two weeks following the meeting of the internal evaluation panel, the date of which will be published on NIFA's Commodity Boards web page at (http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/). Done at Washington, DC, on May 21, 2018. Thomas Shanower, Acting Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. [FR Doc. 2018-11634 Filed 5-30-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-22-P
![24968 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 105 / Thursday, May 31, 2018 / Notices
information is necessary for the proper this Notice under the heading commodity board (or other equivalent
performance of the functions of the ‘‘Eligibility for Submitting Topics’’ for State entity) may directly submit to
Agency, including whether the further information. [NIFA] for consideration proposals for
information will have a practical utility; If, after NIFA’s evaluation, proposed requests for applications’’ within the
(b) the accuracy of the Agency’s topics are accepted for inclusion, they AFRI Program.
estimate of the burden of the proposed will be incorporated into AFRI Stakeholder feedback gathered in
collection of information including the competitive grants program RFAs. As a previous years informed this Notice and
validity of the methodology and condition of funding grants pertaining the process NIFA is using to implement
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance to a topic, NIFA will require an section 7404. This Notice invites
the quality, utility, and clarity of the agreement with the commodity board to entities established under a commodity
information to be collected; and (d) provide funds equal to the amount NIFA promotion law or State commodity
ways to minimize the burden of the is contributing under the agreed upon boards (or other equivalent State
collection of information on those who topic. entities) to submit topics they are
are to respond, such as through the use This Notice invites topic submissions proposing for inclusion in fiscal year
of appropriate automated, electronic, from commodity boards as defined 2019 AFRI RFAs. Topics must relate to
mechanical, or other technological above, outlines the process NIFA will the established AFRI priority areas,
collection techniques. Comments may use to evaluate the appropriateness of which were authorized in the 2014
be sent to Kay Derr at the address listed these topics for inclusion in AFRI RFAs, Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR
above within 60 days of the date of and describes the commitment required 3430.309 as: Plant health and
publication. All responses to this notice of commodity boards for NIFA to jointly production and plant products; animal
will be summarized and included in the fund competitively selected AFRI health and production and animal
request for OMB approval. All awards within a topic area submitted by products; food safety, nutrition, and
comments will also become a matter of the commodity boards. health; bioenergy, natural resources, and
public record. DATES: Commodity boards may submit environment; agriculture systems and
topics at any time; however, all topics technology; and agriculture economics
Dated: May 17, 2018. and rural communities. The AFRI
Chavonda Jacobs-Young,
received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30,
2018 will be considered for the fiscal priorities are subject to change based on
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service. future Farm Bills, and any changes will
year 2019 AFRI RFAs. Topics submitted
[FR Doc. 2018–11582 Filed 5–30–18; 8:45 am]
by eligible commodity board entities be reflected on the NIFA website. A
BILLING CODE 3410–03–P after this date are not guaranteed review summary statement on AFRI is included
for fiscal year 2019, but will be below. To learn more about AFRI
considered for RFAs to be issued in programs, including program priorities,
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE typical award budget amounts, and
future years. Frequently asked questions
about commodity board topics are examples of RFAs, please visit: http://
National Institute of Food and nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/.
Agriculture available on the NIFA Website (https://
nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards- AFRI Program Overview
Solicitation of Commodity Board frequently-asked-questions).
The AFRI program is the largest
Topics and Contribution of Funding ADDRESSES: You may submit topics by agricultural competitive grants program
Under the Agriculture and Food the following method: Website: https:// in the United States and a primary
Research Initiative Competitive Grants nifa.usda.gov/webform/commodity- funding source for research, education,
Program board-topic-submission/ Instructions: and extension projects that bring
The topic submission must be through practical solutions to some of today’s
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and
the website form; emailed topics will most critical societal challenges. AFRI
Agriculture, USDA.
not be accepted. programs impact all components of
ACTION: Notice of opportunity for Required fields are marked. Topics
commodity boards to submit topics and agriculture, including farm and ranch
submitted through this form will not be efficiency and profitability, bioenergy,
contribute funding under the posted to a public site.
Agriculture and Food Research forestry, aquaculture, rural
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: communities, human nutrition, food
Initiative Competitive Grants Program. Mark Mirando; Phone: (202) 401-4336, safety, biotechnology, and genetic
SUMMARY: NIFA is soliciting topics from or Email: commodityboards@ improvement of plants and animals.
eligible commodity board entities nifa.usda.gov. In FY 2019, NIFA plans to solicit
(Federal and State- level commodity SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: applications for AFRI funding
boards, as defined below) that the opportunities in the AFRI priority areas
entities are willing to co-fund equally Background and Purpose authorized in the Farm Bill and
with NIFA. To be considered for This Notice begins the fourth topic described in 7 CFR 3430.309. It is
inclusion in future Agriculture and submission cycle to implement section anticipated these will include the AFRI
Food Research Initiative (AFRI) 2(b)(4)(F) of the Competitive, Special, Foundational and Applied Science
competitive grants program Requests for and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 Program RFA and the AFRI Education
Applications (RFAs), topics must relate U.S.C. 3157(b)(4)(F)), as added by and Workforce Development RFA. The
to the established priority areas of AFRI. section 7404 of the Agricultural Act of annual AFRI Foundational and Applied
Commodity boards are those entities 2014, Public Law 113–79, which Science Program RFA solicits grant
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
established under a commodity requires NIFA to ‘‘establish procedures, applications focused predominately, but
promotion law, as such term is defined including timelines, under which an not exclusively, on fundamental
under the Federal Agriculture entity established under a commodity scientific research addressing statutory
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, promotion law (as such term is defined priorities. The AFRI Education and
or a State commodity board or other under section 501(a) of the Federal Workforce Development RFA solicits
equivalent State entity. See the Agriculture Improvement and Reform grant applications for training K–14
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7401(a))) or a State teachers and administrators,
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![Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 105 / Thursday, May 31, 2018 / Notices 24969
undergraduate research and extension amount of $2.5 million allowed per Science RFA, the AFRI Animal Health
experiential learning fellowships, and topic. NIFA does not intend to match and Production and Animal Products’
pre- and post-doctoral fellowships. Any funding from a single commodity board ‘‘Animal Reproduction’’ priority area).
additional AFRI RFAs made available in in excess of $10 million in any year. From those topics received by 5:00
FY 2019 may be included in this Commodity boards should only submit p.m. EDT on July 30, 2018, NIFA will
solicitation. topics that have a strong economic select the topic(s) that were evaluated
impact on their industry and U.S. favorably for inclusion in the
Eligibility for Submitting Topics
agriculture, as a whole. Examples of appropriate FY 2019 AFRI RFA. NIFA
Eligible commodity board entities are topics typically supported by AFRI can will notify commodity boards as to
those established under a commodity be found at http://nifa.usda.gov/ whether their topics will be included by
promotion law, as such term is defined commodity-boards/. August 29, 2018. Based on the
under 7 U.S.C. 7401(a), or a State If topics are accepted for funding, evaluation, NIFA reserves the right to
commodity board (or other equivalent they will be incorporated into AFRI negotiate with commodity boards
State entity). Language in 7 U.S.C. RFAs, and grants supporting the topic should changes be required to accept
7401(a) defines a ‘‘commodity area may be awarded to AFRI eligible topics and funding amounts. Any
promotion law’’ as ‘‘a Federal law that entities based on a competitive peer changes to topics and funding amounts
provides for the establishment and review process. As a condition of will be reviewed by USDA’s AMS to
operation of a promotion program funding grants in a topic, NIFA will determine if such changes are consistent
regarding an agricultural commodity require an agreement by the commodity with applicable commodity promotion
that includes a combination of board to provide funds in an amount laws.
promotion, research, industry equal to the amount NIFA is NIFA will evaluate topics submitted
information, or consumer information contributing under the agreed upon after the July 30, 2018 deadline on an
activities, is funded by mandatory topic. If a topic is selected for inclusion annual basis and notify commodity
assessments on producers or processors, in an RFA, the commodity board boards whether their topics will be
and is designed to maintain or expand submitting the topic will be required to included in subsequent RFAs within
markets and uses for the commodity (as maintain the confidentiality of the topic two weeks following the meeting of the
determined by the Secretary).’’ 7 U.S.C. until the RFA is issued by NIFA. All internal evaluation panel, the date of
7401(a) includes a list of such Federal commodity board funds and NIFA funds which will be published on NIFA’s
laws. must be available at the time projects Commodity Boards web page at (http://
A current list of approved entities is are selected for funding; awards are nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/).
maintained at (http://nifa.usda.gov/ fully funded at the beginning of the
commodity-boards/). Additionally, award. Applications submitted under Done at Washington, DC, on May 21, 2018.
entities eligible to submit topics include topics provided by commodity boards Thomas Shanower,
State commodity boards (or other will be required to include a letter of Acting Director, National Institute of Food
equivalent State entities). This includes support for co-funding from the the and Agriculture.
commodity boards authorized by State commodity board that proposed the [FR Doc. 2018–11634 Filed 5–30–18; 8:45 am]
law; commodity boards that are not topic. BILLING CODE 3410–22–P
authorized by State law, but are
organized and operate within a State Evaluation and Notification Process
and meet the requirements of their NIFA will screen proposed research
authorizing statute; and commodity topics to ensure eligibility of the COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS
boards that are authorized by a State submitting commodity boards. NIFA
and operate within the State for will also consult with USDA’s Notice of Public Meeting of the West
commodities that have no Federal Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to Virginia Advisory Committee
program or oversight. determine that submissions and AGENCY: Commission on Civil Rights.
proposed financial contributions are
Topic Submission Guidance and consistent with commodity promotion ACTION: Announcement of meeting.
Procedures laws and commodity boards’ charters, as SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given,
Topics may be submitted at any time applicable. pursuant to the provisions of the rules
and will be evaluated by NIFA on an Commodity board topics are reviewed and regulations of the U.S. Commission
annual basis. However, to guarantee by an internal panel based on evaluation on Civil Rights (Commission), and the
consideration for the proposed fiscal criteria developed using stakeholder Federal Advisory Committee Act
year 2019 AFRI RFAs, topics must be input from commodity boards and other (FACA) that a meeting of the West
received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30, stakeholders from government, industry, Virginia Advisory Committee to the
2018. and academe. Each topic will be Commission will convene by conference
Each topic proposed must be evaluated based on alignment with one call at 12:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday, June
submitted using the online topic or more of the statutory AFRI priority 1, 2018. The purpose of the meeting is
submission form provided at: https:// areas (AFRI priority areas authorized in to discuss the upcoming SAC briefing to
nifa.usda.gov/webform/commodity- the Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR be held in July 2018.
board-topic-submission/. Commodity 3430.309); alignment with the
DATES: Friday, June 1, 2018, at 12:00
boards may propose support for President’s budget proposal for NIFA, as
multiple awards for each topic identified in the Department of p.m. EST.
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
proposed. For each topic the commodity Agriculture’s annual budget submission; Public Call-In Information:
board proposes to support, the and alignment with the priority areas in Conference call-in number: 1–800–474–
minimum amount contributed by the the AFRI RFAs to be released by NIFA 8920 and conference call ID number:
commodity board must align with during the fiscal year for which the 8310490.
budget guidance for each AFRI area commodity board is proposing a topic FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ivy
(http://nifa.usda.gov/commodity- for funding (for example, within the Davis at ero@usccr.gov or by phone at
boards/) and comply with the maximum AFRI Foundational and Applied 202–376–7533.
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Document Created: 2018-05-31 00:49:24
Document Modified: 2018-05-31 00:49:24
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of opportunity for commodity boards to submit topics and contribute funding under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program. | |
| Dates | Commodity boards may submit topics at any time; however, all topics received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 30, 2018 will be considered for the fiscal year 2019 AFRI RFAs. Topics submitted by eligible commodity board entities after this date are not guaranteed review for fiscal year 2019, but will be considered for RFAs to be issued in future years. Frequently asked questions about commodity board topics are available on the NIFA Website (https://nifa.usda.gov/commodity- boards-frequently-asked-questions). | |
| Contact | Mark Mirando; Phone: (202) 401-4336, or Email: [email protected] | |
| FR Citation | 83 FR 24968 |
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