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Local Food Systems: Selected Farm Bill and
Other Federal Programs
Renée Johnson
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Tadlock Cowan
Analyst in Natural Resources and Rural Development
March 20, 2015
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
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Summary
Sales of locally produced foods comprise a small but growing part of U.S. agricultural sales.
Estimates vary but indicate that local food sales total from $4 billion to $9 billion annually. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that local food sales totaled $6.1 billion in
2012, reflecting sales from nearly 164,000 farmers selling locally marketed foods. This represents
8% of U.S. farms, and an estimated 1.5% of the value of total U.S. agricultural production. Most
(85%) of all local-food farms are smaller in size, with gross revenues under $75,000.
Local and regional food systems generally refer to agricultural production and marketing that
occurs within a certain geographic proximity (between farmer and consumer) or that involves
certain social or supply chain characteristics in producing food (such as small family farms, urban
gardens, or farms using sustainable agriculture practices). Some perceive locally sourced foods as
fresher and higher in quality compared to some other readily available foods and also believe that
purchasing local foods helps support local farm economies and/or farmers that may use certain
production practices that are perceived to be more environmentally sustainable.
Many existing federal programs benefiting U.S. agricultural producers may also provide support
and assistance for local food systems. With few exceptions, these programs are not limited or
targeted to local or regional food systems but are generally available to provide support to all U.S.
farms and ranchers. These include farm support and grant programs administered by USDA,
among other federal agencies. Programs administered by USDA may be grouped into several
broad program categories: marketing and promotion; business assistance and agricultural
research; rural and community development; nutrition and education; and farmland conservation.
Examples include USDA’s farmers’ market programs, rural cooperative grants, and child nutrition
programs, among myriad other grant and loan programs, as well as USDA’s research and
cooperative extension service.
In recent years funding for local and regional food systems has increased. Funding for these and
other USDA programs were authorized in 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, Agricultural Act of 2014).
Other programs and program funding were authorized in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of
2010 (P.L. 111-296). For 2014-2015, USDA has announced it was awarding nearly $40 million in
grants to support local food systems across several programs. In addition, nearly $50 million in
loans is available to support local and regional food enterprises. Other USDA programs often also
support local and regional food systems; however, the share of available total spending
attributable to local foods is not known.
In addition, the Obama Administration has also implemented departmental initiatives intended to
support local food systems, including the so-called “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food”
(KYF2) Initiative and the Regional Innovation Initiative, among other USDA activities.
Only a few cases exist where there is a statutory requirement within a USDA or other federal
program supporting local food production exclusively. In most cases, available funding for most
programs supporting local food systems is part of funding for programs generally available to all
U.S. farming operations and food distribution systems, regardless of size and location from
market. Information is not available to determine share of available total funding for U.S. farm
programs used to support local and regional food systems only, compared to all other types of
farming systems. For many of these programs, most indications are that the share used to support
local food systems is very small.
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Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Overview of Selected Federal Programs.......................................................................................... 6
Marketing and Promotion .......................................................................................................... 7
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program .................................................................................. 7
Farmers’ Market and Local Food Promotion Program ........................................................ 8
Federal State Marketing Improvement Program ............................................................... 10
Business Assistance and Research ........................................................................................... 11
Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants ..................................... 11
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program ................................................... 11
USDA Microloan Program ................................................................................................ 12
Small Business Innovation Research ................................................................................ 13
Agricultural Management Assistance ................................................................................ 13
Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program .............................................. 14
Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers .................... 14
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education .............................................................. 15
Rural and Community Development Programs ....................................................................... 16
Rural Cooperative Development Grant ............................................................................. 16
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program ............................................................ 16
Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program .................................................... 17
Rural Business Development Grants ................................................................................. 18
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program .................................................................. 19
Nutrition Assistance Programs ................................................................................................ 19
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs ................................................................................ 19
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at Farmers’ Markets ...................... 20
Farm to School Grant Program ......................................................................................... 21
School and Community Garden Projects .......................................................................... 22
Commodity Procurement Through “DoD Fresh”.............................................................. 23
Healthy Food Financing Initiative ..................................................................................... 24
Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program .................................................. 25
Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program ......................................................... 25
Tables
Table 1. Selected USDA Programs That Potentially Support Local and Regional Food
Systems ....................................................................................................................................... 26
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ales of locally produced foods comprise a small but growing part of U.S. agricultural sales.
Estimates vary but they indicate that local food sales total between $4 billion and $9 billion
S annually.1 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that local food sales
totaled $6.1 billion in 2012, reflecting sales from nearly 164,000 farmers selling locally marketed
foods.2 This represents 8% of U.S. farms, and an estimated 1.5% of the value of total U.S.
agricultural production. Most (85%) of all local-food farms are smaller in size, with gross
revenues under $75,000.
There is no established definition of what constitutes a “local food.” Local and regional food
systems generally refer to agricultural production and marketing that occurs within a certain
geographic proximity (between farmer and consumer) or that involves certain social or supply
chain characteristics in producing food (such as small family farms, urban gardens, or farms using
sustainable agriculture practices). Some perceive locally sourced foods as fresher and higher in
quality compared to some other readily available foods and also believe that purchasing local
foods helps support local farm economies and/or farmers that use certain production practices that
are perceived to be more environmentally sustainable. However, no such standards or practices
are required under federal programs that support local foods.
Many federal programs that support local foods generally define “local” based on the geographic
distance between food production and sales based on the number of miles the food may be
transported and requires that food be sold within the state where it is produced to be considered
local. The most widely used definition is from the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246, Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008), which defined a “locally or regionally produced
agricultural food product” as it pertains to eligibility under the Business and Industry (B&I)
Guaranteed Loan Program, a USDA loan program.3 Under the definition, “locally or regionally
produced agricultural food product” means “any agricultural food product that is raised,
produced, and distributed in ... the locality or region in which the final product is marketed, so
that the total distance that the product is transported is less than 400 miles from the origin of the
product”; or “any agricultural food product that is raised, produced, and distributed in ... the State
in which the product is produced.”4 This report describes some of the federal programs that
support local and regional food production.
A wide range of farm businesses may be considered to be engaged in local foods. These include
direct-to-consumer marketing, farmers’ markets, farm-to-school programs, community-supported
agriculture, community gardens, school gardens, food hubs and market aggregators, kitchen
incubators, and mobile slaughter units. Other types of operations include on-farm sales/stores,
internet marketing, food cooperatives and buying clubs, pick-your-own or “U-Pick” operations,
roadside farm stands, urban farms (and rooftop farms and gardens), community kitchens, small-
1 Estimates cited in S. A. Low, et al., Trends in U.S. Local and Regional Food Systems: Report to Congress, AP-068,
January 2015, and ATKearney, Ripe for Grocers: The Local Food Movement, 2014, http://www.atkearney.com/.
2 S. A. Low, et al., Trends in U.S. Local and Regional Food Systems: Report to Congress, AP-068, January 2015. The
report was requested as part of the FY2014 agriculture appropriations in H.Rept. 113-116, directing “ERS to coordinate
USDA’s agencies involved in data collection, analysis, and research to make available the best data related to the
production, pricing, distribution, and marketing of locally and regionally produced agricultural products and to identify
data gaps” and to “provide a report that assesses the scope and trends in local and regional food systems and to make
that report publically available on the agency’s website.”
3 7 U.S.C §1932(g). §310B of the ConAct, as amended by P.L. 104-127 (§747) and P.L. 107-171 (§6017).
4 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, P.L. 110-246, §6015. Italics added for emphasis.
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scale food processing and decentralized root cellars, and some agritourism or other types of on-
farm recreational activities.
More background information on the role of local and regional food systems in the United States
is available in CRS Report R42155, The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy.
Introduction
Many existing federal programs benefiting U.S. agricultural producers provide support and
assistance for local and regional food systems.5 With few exceptions, these programs are not
limited or targeted to local or regional food systems, but are generally available to provide
support to all U.S. farms and ranchers. These include farm support and grant programs
administered by USDA as well as programs within other federal agencies, such as the
Departments of Commerce; Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; and
the Treasury.
Programs administered by USDA may be grouped into several broad program categories:
marketing and promotion; business assistance and agricultural research; rural and community
development; nutrition and education; and farmland conservation. Examples include USDA’s
farmers’ market programs, rural cooperative grants, and child nutrition programs, among myriad
other grant and loan programs, as well as USDA’s research and cooperative extension service.
(See text box on page 4.) This listing does not include broad-based conservation and research and
cooperative extension programs that also provide benefits to a range of agricultural producers,
including producers engaged in local food production systems, either directly or indirectly.
In recent years funding for local and regional food systems has increased. USDA has announced
it was awarding nearly $40 million in grants to support local food systems across five programs.
These included:6
• $26.6 million in competitive grants to be equally divided between two grant programs.
The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) supports projects for direct farmer-to-
consumer marketing projects such as farmers’ markets and other businesses. The Local
Food Marketing Promotion Program (LFPP) supports projects that support intermediary
supply chain activities for businesses that process, distribute, aggregate, and store locally-
or regionally-produced food products;
5 For the purposes of this report, “local and regional food systems” refers to systems in which foods are marketed
directly to the consumer, or in which the identity of the farm where the food is produced is preserved in some way
(often referred to “farm identity-preserved marketing”). USDA definitions of “direct-to-consumer” sales and “direct”
sales to consumers are not strictly equivalent: direct-to-consumer sales are defined as the value of agricultural products
sold directly to individuals for human consumption (e.g., from roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and U-pick sites), but
exclude agricultural products sold through their own processing and marketing operations (e.g., catalog or internet
sales) and nonedible products, which may be included as part of “direct” sales.
6 USDA, “USDA Awards Over $52 Million in Grants to Grow Organic and Local Food Economies,” Release No.
0216.14, September 29, 2014; and USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy
Food, Support Rural Economies,” Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015.
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• $4.8 million in Community Food Projects Competitive Grants to address basic food
access for low-income families and individuals;
• $1 million in matching Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) grants to
state departments of agriculture and state colleges and universities to support research
addressing marketing and distribution of U.S. agricultural products; and
• $6 million in funding for different types of USDA Farm to School grants.
USDA also claims that nearly $50 million is available for loans to support local and regional food
enterprises under its Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program.7
In addition, USDA notes that projects funded as part of USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant
Program (SCBGP) often also fund local and regional food projects.8 Available total funding for
the SCBGP is expected to reach more than $63 million in FY2014; however, the share
attributable to local and regional food systems is not known. Other USDA programs likely also
fund local food systems but aggregate spending for local foods is also not reported.
In March 2015, USDA reported that in FY2013-FY2014, USDA made over “500 infrastructure
investments that create new markets for local food—including food hubs, scale-appropriate
processing, and distribution networks—that are connecting farmers and ranchers with new
sources of revenue and creating jobs.”9 USDA also reported that since 2012, the Farm to School
program has funded 221 projects across the United States, and that schools spent over $385
million on local food purchases during the 2011-2012 school year. USDA also reported more than
5,000 farmers’ markets now accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) technology in order to
redeem Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program)
benefits. SNAP redemption at farmers’ markets nationwide totaled $18 million in 2014, up from
$4 million in 2009.10
Although additional funding in support of local and regional food systems is available through
other programs, information is not available to determine the share of available total funding for
U.S. farm programs used to support local and regional food systems only. In only a few cases
statutory requirements governing USDA or other federal programs limit support to local food
production exclusively. In most cases, available funding for most programs supporting local food
systems is part of funding for programs generally available to all U.S. farming operations and
food distribution systems, regardless of size and location from market. For many of these
programs, most indications are that the overall share of total funding used to support local food
systems is very small.
7 USDA, “USDA Announces $78 Million Available for Local Food Enterprises Historic Investment Will Support
Entire Local Food Supply Chain,” Release No. 0084.14, May 8, 2014.
8 Since the program is administered through state block grants, and most local food definitions generally include
markets within a state, it could be argued that this constitutes funding for local foods. However, the program was
originally authorized to provide support for specialty crops (such as fruits and vegetables and tree nuts); also local
production includes foods other than specialty crops, including grains, dairy, and meat and poultry products.
9 USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy Food, Support Rural Economies,”
Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015.
10 USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy Food, Support Rural Economies,”
Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015.
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Overview of Selected Federal Programs
Many existing federal programs benefiting U.S. agricultural producers may also provide support and
assistance for local food systems, including:
Marketing and Promotion
• Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
• Local Food Promotion Program
• Federal State Marketing Improvement Program
Business Assistance and Research
• Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
• USDA Microloan Program
• Small Business Innovation Research
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
• Agricultural Management Assistance
• Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program
• Outreach/Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers/Ranchers
Rural and Community Development Programs
• Rural Cooperative Development Grants
• Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program
• Community Facilities Loans and Grants
• Rural Business Development Grants
• Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
Nutrition Assistance Programs
• Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at Farmers’ Markets
• Farm to School Program
• Federal programs supporting school gardens and community gardens
• Commodity Procurement Through “DoD Fresh”
• Healthy Food Financing Initiative
• Community Food Projects
• Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants
For more information, see also USDA: “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food”
(www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer) and “Know Your Farmer Compass” (www.usda.gov/kyfcompass).
Available funding to support local and regional food systems has been authorized within periodic
farm bills and within the most recent reauthorization of the child nutrition programs.
Omnibus farm bills enacted in both 2008 and 2014 included a few provisions that directly support
local and regional food systems, and reauthorized several programs that benefit all U.S.
agricultural producers, including local and regional food producers. The 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-
246, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) contained a few program provisions that
directly support local and regional food systems. The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, Agricultural
Act of 2014) reauthorized and expanded many of these provisions. In the run-up to the 2014 farm
bill, several bills were introduced in Congress broadly addressing local food systems. Some of
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these bills were comprehensive “marker bills” addressing provisions across multiple farm bill
titles and recommending changes that would have provided additional directed support for local
and regional food systems. Other introduced legislation addressed specific issues. Some
provisions from these bills were incorporated into the enacted 2014 farm bill. Although recent
farm bills have authorized some specific programs that directly support local and regional food
systems, the local impact of new and existing programs ultimately depends on appropriated
funding and the nature of implementation.
Provisions supporting local food systems are also contained within certain child nutrition
programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC), which together provide cash, commodity, and other assistance under three major federal
laws: the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (originally enacted as the National
School Lunch Act in 1946), the Child Nutrition Act (originally enacted in 1966), and Section 32
of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. §612c). Congress periodically reviews and reauthorizes
expiring authorities under these laws. The most recent reauthorization of the child nutrition
programs was the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-296). Many expect the 114th
Congress to consider child nutrition reauthorization.
Other introduced legislation in previous Congresses would further expand upon these types of
existing programs to create additional opportunities for local food systems. These include
proposals providing targeted support for nontraditional and beginning farmers, focused at the
farm production level, as well as proposals focused on nutrition and enhanced access to food.
Aside from established federal programs, the Obama Administration has implemented
departmental initiatives intended to support local food systems. These include the “Know Your
Farmer, Know Your Food” (KYF2) Initiative; Regional Innovation Initiative; and People’s
Garden Initiative; and other USDA activities. In general, these initiatives are intended to leverage
existing USDA activities and programs by eliminating organizational barriers among existing
USDA programs and promoting enhanced collaboration among staff. KYF2, for example, acts to
coordinate USDA’s support for local and regional food systems. These initiatives are not stand-
alone programs, are not connected to a specific office or agency, and do not have separate
operating budgets.11
Despite gains in federal support for local food systems in recent years, some Members of
Congress, as well as many community and farm advocacy groups, continue to argue that such
food systems should play a larger role in U.S. farm policy and that the laws supporting agriculture
should be revised to reflect broader, more equitable policies across a range of production systems,
including local food systems. Those supporting the expansion of such policies often advocate for
the creation of programs specifically targeting support for local food systems, as well as
increasing funding for federal farm programs that support local foods. However, others in
Congress oppose extending farm support programs to local food systems, which traditionally
have not been a major constituency among other long-standing U.S. agricultural interests.
Those supporting an increased role for local food systems within U.S. farm policy cite the
increasing popularity of local foods and a general belief that purchasing local foods helps support
local farm economies and/or farmers that use certain production practices that may be considered
more environmentally sustainable. Those opposed to extending farm bill benefits to local food
11 For more information see CRS Report R42155, The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy.
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systems cite concerns about overall limited financial resources to support U.S. agricultural
producers as well as concerns that the local food systems might not provide for the most efficient
and productive use of natural resources be employed for producing food, among other criticisms.
Additional information is available in CRS Report R42155, The Role of Local Food Systems in
U.S. Farm Policy.
Overview of Selected Federal Programs
Following are descriptions of generally available federal farm support and grant programs that
may provide technical and financial support and assistance to local and regional food production
systems. Except as noted, these programs are not limited or targeted to local or regional food
systems. These federal programs are grouped into the following broad program categories
(grouped by type of support and not intended to indicate any rank or importance):
• marketing and promotion;
• business assistance;
• rural and community development;12 and
• nutrition and education.
These programs are summarized in Table 1 at the end of this report. Many of the programs
reviewed below are highlighted as part of the Administration’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your
Food” initiative, among other USDA documentation.13 Other programs have been identified by
the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) in its Guide to USDA Funding for Local
and Regional Food Systems, as well as various state or regional initiatives that are listed in the
appendix of NSAC’s report.14 A primary source of information on these selected programs is the
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.15
The following is not a comprehensive listing of all possible USDA programs that might benefit
local and regional food systems. Instead, it focuses on selected USDA grant and loan programs
administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the Rural Development (RD)
agencies, and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Although this list provides information on a few programs administered by other USDA agencies,
it does not review many of the broad-based conservation and research programs that provide
benefits to a range of agricultural producers, including producers engaged in local and regional
food production systems, either directly or indirectly.16 These programs are authorized by the
12 For more information, see CRS Report RL31837, An Overview of USDA Rural Development Programs. USDA links
to state or local office information are at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html. For most programs, “rural areas”
are defined as any area except a city or town where the population exceeds 50,000, or any urbanized area contiguous or
adjacent to a town with more than 50,000 people (7 U.S.C. §1991(a)(13)(A)).
13 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support” (http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS).
14 NSAC’s report lists partnerships and university programs located in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and other states.
15 CFDA has detailed program descriptions for more than 2,000 federal assistance programs (https://www.cfda.gov).
16 For more information, see CRS Report R40763, Agricultural Conservation: A Guide to Programs and CRS Report
(continued...)
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periodic omnibus farm bill. USDA’s conservation programs are administered by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and provide
financial and technical assistance, as well as competitive grants, as part of a range of programs
administered by these USDA agencies. USDA’s research and extension programs are
administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) or the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) and provide funding to states and local partners through various mechanisms,
such as formula funds, competitive grants, and other programs.17
The funding levels reported for these selected programs are those available, in some cases, for all
U.S. farming operations and food distribution systems, regardless of size and location from
market. Data are not available to determine the share of program funding used to support local
and regional food systems, compared to all other types of farming systems. In only a few cases
statutory requirements target assistance supporting local production. These include the Local
Food Marketing Promotion Program (LFPP) and the Farmers Market Promotion Program
(FMPP), a 5% set-aside of total Business and Industry (B&I) loans, and the option to make local
purchases under USDA’s Farm to School program. While most other programs discussed in this
report are available to support local and regional food systems, often the share of total available
funding used to support local food systems is very small overall.
Marketing and Promotion
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), administered by AMS, was authorized in the
Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-465) and further amended by the 2008
farm bill.18 Under the program, USDA provides block grants to the state departments of
agriculture within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to enhance the
competitiveness of specialty crops. The program is funded through USDA’s Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC)19 and is therefore mandatory, available without an annual (or discretionary)
appropriation. Total available program funding is $375 million over the FY2014-FY2018 period:
$72.5 million annually (FY2014-2017) and $85 million for FY2018 and each year thereafter. Of
this, funding for multistate project grants will increase from $1 million (FY2014) to $5 million
(FY2018) and be available until expended.
(...continued)
R40819, USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area: Issues and Background. Information on
how these programs contribute to local and regional food systems are outlined in memos from USDA Deputy Secretary
Kathleen A. Merrigan “Harnessing USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Programs to Support Local and
Regional Food Systems,” January 21, 2011, http://www.usda.gov/documents/nrcs-memo.pdf; and “USDA Research,
Education, and Economics Support for Local and Regional Food Systems,” October 27, 2009, http://www.usda.gov/
documents/KnowYourFarmerandREE.pdf.
17 USDA’s Current Research Information System (CRIS) is the agency’s documentation and reporting system for
ongoing and recently completed research and education projects. See http://cris.csrees.usda.gov/.
18 P.L. 110-246, §10109; 7 U.S.C. §1621 note (CFDA# 10.170). “Specialty crop” is defined as “fruits and vegetables,
tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture).” See also “USDA Definition of
Specialty Crop” (http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5082113).
19 USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation is a government-owned corporation that is authorized to borrow up to $30
billion at any one time from the U.S. Treasury. The CCC mainly is a financing mechanism for farm bill programs such
as commodity price and income supports, agricultural conservation, export assistance, and other authorizations.
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Under the program, each state receives a base grant plus additional funds based on the state’s
share of the total value of U.S. specialty crop production.20 California, Florida, and Washington
have been the three largest recipients under this program, accounting for nearly one-half of all
available funds. Although the statute identifies broad categories of eligible uses, how each state
spends its allocation depends on its stated priorities. In FY2014, a total of 839 projects were
funded covering marketing and promotion (24% of projects), education (22%), research (22%),
pest and plant health (13%), food safety (7%), and production (6%), among other types of
projects (6%).21 USDA’s annual report describes the funded projects across all states.22 Among
the types of projects funded by the program are school and community gardens; farm-to-school
programs; certification and training for farmers; facilities that support the processing,
aggregation, and distribution of locally grown specialty crops; and improved access to specialty
crops in underserved communities.23 A report by the National Farm to School Network indicates
that many states have funded farm-to-school programs using these program funds.24
Farmers’ Market and Local Food Promotion Program
USDA’s farmers’ market and various other direct-to-consumer marketing programs provide for
market access and assistance to small and medium-size farmers, including fruit and vegetable
growers. The intent of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-463) was
to promote the “development and expansion of direct marketing of agricultural commodities from
farmers to consumers” through a range of marketing channels including farmers’ markets, farm
stands, and roadside stands, community-supported agriculture (CSA), “pick-your-own” farms,
Internet marketing, and other types of niche markets. The act originally authorized the Farmers’
Market Promotion Program (FMPP), administered by AMS, which was amended in subsequent
farm bills.25 The 2014 farm bill reauthorized and expanded the program to include local and
regional food enterprises that process, distribute, aggregate, store, and market locally or
regionally produced food products, also renaming it the Farmers’ Market and Local Food
Promotion Program. Under the reauthorized program, two competitive grant programs are
available: FMPP and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).
The 2014 farm bill increased mandatory funding from previous funding levels of about $10
million annually to $30 million annually (FY2014-FY2018) and separately authorized
appropriations of $10 million each year. Each program receives half of available funding.
Other USDA-administered farmers’ market programs geared more toward nutrition assistance are
highlighted in the sections of the report titled “Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs” and also
“Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at Farmers’ Markets.”
20 The minimum base grant each state is eligible to receive is equal to the higher of $100,000 or 1/3 of 1% of the total
amount of funding made available for that year. The base grant portion is about $180,000 per state. The additional
allocation is based on the value and acreage of specialty crop production in each state relative to national production.
21 AMS, “Funded Projects,” http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5109130.
22 Ibid. USDA’s report provides a full listing of all program recipients by state, applicant name, and grant amount.
23 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
24 Farm to School Network, “Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Funded Projects Project SubType - Farm to School.”
The summary covers the FY2006-2009 period.
25 P.L. 94-463, as amended; 7 U.S.C. §3005 (CFDA# 10.168).
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Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP)
FMPP provides more than $13 million in annual mandatory funding plus authorized
appropriations for marketing support for farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer outlets.
Under FMPP, USDA provides grants to establish, improve, and promote farmers’ markets and
other direct marketing activities such as roadside stands, community supported agriculture
(CSAs),26 pick-your-own farms, agritourism, direct sales to schools, and other direct marketing
activities. Activities may include promotion, outreach, and advertising; education for farmers and
growers in marketing and business planning; and infrastructure purchases, such as refrigerated
trucks, or equipment for a commercial kitchen for value-added products.27 Grants are also
available to bring local farm products into federal nutrition programs through electronic benefits
transfer (EBT) technology at direct-market outlets in order to accept Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) benefits. In addition to SNAP,
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers two other related programs: the WIC
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (WIC-FMNP)28 and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition
Program (SFMNP).29 These two programs—discussed later in the section “Nutrition Assistance
Programs”—allow for farmers’ market purchases by low-income WIC applicants and recipients
and also low-income seniors, usually through the use of redeemable coupons.
Eligible entities include farmer cooperatives, grower associations, nonprofit/public benefit
corporations, local governments, economic development corporations, and regional farmers’
market authorities, among others. Grant awards are limited to $100,000, with a minimum award
of $15,000. Matching funds are not required. A listing of previous awards is at USDA’s website.30
Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
LFPP provides more than $13 million in annual mandatory funding plus authorized
appropriations for marketing and promotional support specifically for local food businesses,
including food hubs, delivery and aggregation businesses, and processing and storage facilities
along the local food supply chain. Two types of project applications are accepted under LFPP:
planning grants and implementation grants. Applicants can apply for either project but will
receive only one type of grant per cycle.
• LFPP Planning Grants are used for the planning stages of establishing or
expanding a local and regional food business enterprise. Activities may include
market research, feasibility studies, and business planning. A minimum of $5,000
and a maximum of $25,000 may be awarded per proposal, and the grants must be
completed within a 12-month period; extension cannot exceed an additional 6
months.
26 As is discussed in CRS Report R42155, The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy, a CSA provides a way
for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farm by pledging to support that farm’s costs and risks at the
beginning of each year in return for a share of that farm’s annual production.
27 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
28 FNS, “Grant Levels by State, FY 2006-2011,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/FMNPgrantlevels.htm.
29 FNS, “SFMNP Grant Levels, FY 2006-2011,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/SFMNPgrantlevels.htm.
30 AMS, http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/fmpp.
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• LFPP Implementation Grants are intended to support the establishment of a new
local and regional food business enterprise, or to improve or expand an existing
local or regional food business enterprise. Activities may include training and
technical assistance for the business enterprise and/or for producers working with
the business enterprise; outreach and marketing to buyers and consumers;
working capital; and non-construction infrastructure improvements to business
enterprise facilities or information technology systems. A minimum of $25,000
and a maximum of $100,000 may be awarded per proposal, and the grants must
be completed within a 24-month grant period; extension cannot exceed an
additional 6 months.
Eligible entities include those entities that “support local and regional food business enterprises
that process, distribute, aggregate, or store locally or regionally produced food products.”31 Such
entities may include agricultural businesses, agricultural cooperatives, producer networks,
producer associations, community-supported agriculture networks, community-supported
agriculture associations, and other agricultural business entities (for-profit groups); nonprofit
corporations; public benefit corporations; economic development corporations; regional farmers’
market authorities; and local and tribal governments. Grant funds require a 25% match.
Federal State Marketing Improvement Program
The Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) was authorized in the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946.32 Administered by AMS, the program provides matching funds to state
departments of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations, and other appropriate state
agencies to provide new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to
encourage research and innovation to improve the efficiency and performance of the marketing
system. Matching funds are required. In addition to the projects that are geared toward developing
and improving production and marketing of agricultural products, FSMIP specifically encourages
state agencies to submit proposals to enhance rural communities by developing local and regional
food systems and value-added agriculture, as well as direct marketing opportunities for producers
or producer groups. Eligible projects may include determining market demand for local products;
building online marketing tools;33 developing protocols for harvesting excess crops for local food
banks; and developing business plans for food hubs.34 A list of previously funded projects is at
USDA’s website.35 In recent years, FSMIP grants have ranged from $21,000 to $135,000 each.
USDA has received about $1.3 million annually in appropriated funding for the program, which
has been used to fund 20-25 projects, averaging approximately $50,000 each.
31 AMS, http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/lfpp.
32 7 U.S.C. §1621-1627 (CFDA# 10.156). See USDA, AMS, http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FSMIP.
33 Examples include MarketMaker, a national partnership of land grant institutions and State Departments of
Agriculture. For more information, see http://foodmarketmaker.com/.
34 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS. Also
see AMS, “FY2011 FSMIP Guidelines,” http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FSMIP.
35 USDA AMS, “FSMIP Projects: 1990-Present,” http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FSMIP.
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Business Assistance and Research
Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants
The Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants was originally authorized as
the Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program in the Agricultural Risk Act of 2000 and
amended by subsequent farm bills.36 The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §6203) renamed the
program and expanded its scope and available funding.
The program, administered by USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service, provides grants to
eligible entities, such as independent agricultural commodity producers, agricultural producer
groups, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based businesses, to
develop strategies and business plans to further refine, enhance, or otherwise add value to their
products. Grants may be used for planning activities (such as development of feasibility studies,
business plans, and marketing strategies) and for working capital to implement a marketing
strategy for value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy. The
maximum grant amount of a planning grant is $100,000 and of a working capital grant is
$300,000. Grant funds may be used to pay up to 50% of a project’s costs, with the applicant
contributing at least 50% in cash or in-kind contributions. Value-added producer grants offer
another potential resource for local and regional food production systems to engage in market and
product development, as well as to finance various value-added activities, such as further
processing and packaging of raw agricultural commodities. In addition, the program provides
priority funding for projects that contribute to opportunities for beginning farmers or ranchers,
socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, and operators of small- and medium-sized family
farms and ranches. The 2014 farm bill expanded eligibility to include veteran farmers and
ranchers.
Available funding is both mandatory and subject to annual appropriations. The 2014 farm bill
provided mandatory annual funding of $63 million, which is available until expended.
Discretionary funding is authorized at $40 million annually from FY2012 to FY2018. Since the
program began in 2001, the total amount of grant funding provided has ranged from about $15
million to more than $20 million annually. A full listing of previous program recipients by state,
applicant name, and grant amount is available at USDA’s website.37
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), administered by USDA’s
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), was authorized in the 2002 farm bill.38 The
program provides competitive grants to new and established local and regional training,
education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives that address the needs of beginning
farmers and ranchers. Grants are awarded to state, tribal, local, or regional networks or
partnerships of public and private entities. Eligible project areas include production and land
management strategies that enhance land stewardship; business management and decision support
36 P.L. 106-224, §6202; 7 U.S.C. §1621 note (CFDA# 10.352).
37 USDA’s website, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_VAPG.html.
38 P.L. 107-171, §7405; 7 U.S.C. §3319f (CFDA# 10.311). See USDA, “Plan for Beginning Farmer and Rancher
Development Program,” March 6, 2014; and USDA’s website: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/bfrdp/bfrdp.html.
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strategies that improve financial viability; marketing strategies for increased competitiveness; and
legal strategies that assist with farm or land acquisition and transfer. The maximum amount of a
grant is $250,000 per year and is limited to three years, with a 25% match in resources.
The program provides three types of grants. These include (1) standard grants for initiatives that
directly serve beginning farmers and ranchers, each up to $250,000 per year for a maximum of
three years; (2) educational enhancements grants to develop resources and provide coordination
and support to standard grants for a particular topic or region;39 and (3) a clearinghouse grant for
a national site to house curricula, training materials, and other information for new farmers and
ranchers and organizations that work with them. The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §7409)
expanded mandatory funding to $20 million per year (FY2014-FY2018), to be available until
expended, and extended authority to appropriate $30 million annually through FY2018. Not less
than 5% of available funds are to be used to support beginning farmers who are military veterans.
USDA Microloan Program
In January 2013, USDA created a new microloan program within the existing direct farm
operating loan program of FSA, using its statutory authority to “better serve the unique financial
operating needs of beginning, niche and the smallest of family farm operations.”40
FSA had found that small farm operations—including nontraditional farms, specialty crop
producers, and operators of community-supported agriculture—had unique needs and limited
financing options. FSA found these farms could face unintended barriers when applying for
USDA operating loans, often because of experience requirements and pledging collateral. The
microloan program simplifies and expedites the application process, and adds flexibility for
meeting loan eligibility and security requirements. Microloans can be used for all approved
operating expenses as authorized by the FSA Operating Loan Program, including initial start-up
expenses; annual expenses (seed, fertilizer, utilities, land rents); marketing and distribution
expenses; family living expenses; purchase of livestock, equipment, and other materials essential
to farm operations; minor farm improvements such as wells and coolers; hoop houses to extend
the growing season; essential tools; irrigation; and delivery vehicles. The maximum microloan
size is $35,000. As of March 2014, USDA had issued more than 4,900 microloans totaling $97
million.41
The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §5106) authorized a similar program to allow USDA to contract
with community-based, state entities or other intermediaries to make or guarantee loans or to
provide related services.
39 Previous topics have included environmental stewardship, financial management, farm safety, “farm beginnings”
curriculum, and individual development accounts.
40 Farm and Rural Development Act, as amended, P.L. 92-419, 7 U.S.C. 1942 (CFDA# 10.406). FSA, “Microloan Fact
Sheet,” January 2013. Also see 78 Federal Register 12: 3828-3836, January 17, 2013. A proposed rule was issued in
May 2012. For other information see CRS Report RS21977, Agricultural Credit: Institutions and Issues.
41 USDA, “Microloan Gets Getting Growing,” March 25, 2014.
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Small Business Innovation Research
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program originated as part of the Small
Business Innovation Development Act of 1982, as amended.42 The program, administered by
NIFA, provides grants to qualified small businesses to stimulate technological innovations in the
private sector; strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting federal research and
development needs; increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from
USDA-supported research and development efforts; and foster and encourage participation by
women-owned and socially and economically disadvantaged small business firms in
technological innovations. Eligible applicants include small businesses with fewer than 500
employees. Grant amounts are limited to $100,000 or $500,000 per project and limited to eight
months or to two years, respectively, depending on the type and phase of the project. Previously,
grants have been awarded to small and mid-size farms and ranches that sell to local markets and
to implement a CSA model to bring their locally grown food to inner-city households and
schools, among other types of projects.43 A summary of funded projects is at USDA’s website. In
recent years, program funding has totaled more than $20 million.44
Agricultural Management Assistance
The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program was authorized in the Agricultural
Risk Protection Act of 200045 and amended by subsequent farm bills. AMA is managed by three
USDA agencies—NRCS, AMS, and the Risk Management Agency (RMA). The program
provides assistance for producers in states traditionally underserved by federal crop insurance46 to
mitigate financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation
practices. AMA provides mandatory funding through the CCC at $15 million annually from
FY2008 to FY2014, and the funding is allocated in statute as follows: NRCS (50%), RMA (40%),
and AMS (10%).47 The NRCS portion provides financial and technical assistance to farmers to
voluntarily address issues, such as water management, water quality, and erosion control, by
incorporating conservation into their farming operations.48 The program provides technical and
financial assistance of up to 75% of the cost of installing certain conservation practices. The
RMA portion provides assistance to farmers to mitigate financial risk through production or
marketing diversification, including support for direct marketing and value-added processing, and
the development of new risk management approaches. RMA historically used AMA to provide
assistance to producers for the purchase of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) insurance but has
recently been used to increase participation for buy-up insurance coverage.49 The AMS portion
42 P.L. 97-219; 15 U.S.C. §638 (CFDA# 10.212).
43 USDA’s website: http://business.usa.gov/program/usda-small-business-innovation-research-grant-program-small-
and-mid-size-farms.
44 See USDA’s explanatory notes for NIFA, http://www.obpa.usda.gov/explan_notes.html.
45 P.L. 106-224, §524b; 7 U.S.C. §1524 (CFDA# 10.917).
46 States include Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
47 P.L. 110-246, §2801.
48 USDA’s website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/ama.
49 The AGR provides a guaranteed revenue level for the whole farm and rewards more diversified farmers with higher
coverage levels and smaller insurance premiums. Buy-up insurance provides higher coverage on crops and lower
deductibles. The AMA funding used for buy-up purchases is referred to as the Financial Assistance Program. For more
information, see CRS Report R40532, Federal Crop Insurance: Background.
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provides support for transition to organic farming through organic certification cost-share
assistance. Total AMA payments from all three agencies cannot exceed $50,000 per participant
for any fiscal year.
Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program
The Community Outreach and Assistance Partnership Program (COAPP), administered by RMA,
is intended to ensure that women, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and other traditionally
underserved producers of “priority commodities” are provided information and training necessary
to use financial management, crop insurance, marketing contracts, and other existing and
emerging risk management tools.50 For purposes of this program, “priority commodities” are
defined as:51 (1) agricultural commodities covered by (7 U.S.C. 7333) that are not covered by
catastrophic risk protection crop insurance, are used for food or fiber (except livestock), and
specifically include, but are not limited to, floricultural, ornamental nursery, Christmas trees, turf
grass sod, aquaculture (including ornamental fish), and industrial crops; (2) specialty crops that
may or may not be covered under a federal crop insurance plan and include, but are not limited to,
fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, syrups, honey, roots, herbs, and highly specialized varieties of
traditional crops, and (3) underserved commodities that include commodities and livestock that
are covered by a federal crop insurance plan but where participation in an area is below the
national average; and commodity and livestock producers with inadequate crop insurance
coverage produced by limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and other traditionally
underserved producers.
The program provides education, community outreach, and assistance in 47 states to help small
and underserved producers get crop insurance education to effectively manage their risk and
remain productive. Eligible applicants include educational institutions, community-based
organizations, associations of farmers and ranchers, state departments of agriculture, and other
nonprofit organizations. Assistance is through a cooperative agreement, ranging from $20,000 to
$100,000 per agreement. No matching funds are required. In 2013, RMA awarded cooperative
agreements totaling nearly $10 million from two RMA programs, the Targeted States Program
and the Risk Management Education Partnership Program.52
Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
The Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR)
program was first authorized in the 1990 farm bill, as amended.53 Also referred to as the “Section
2501 program,” it requires USDA to provide outreach and technical assistance to socially
disadvantaged producers, defined as members of a group that has been subjected to racial or
ethnic prejudice. The program provides competitive grants to land grant institutions (1862, 1890,
or 1994), tribal governments and organizations, Latino-serving institutions, veterans, state-
50 Federal Crop Insurance Act (P.L. 96-365), as amended; 7 U.S.C. §1522(d) (CFDA# 10.455). USDA’s website:
http://www.rma.usda.gov/aboutrma/civilrights/outreach.html.
51 73 Federal Register 241: 75990-75996, December 15, 2008.
52 “USDA Invests to Help Small and Underserved Producers Manage Risk and Remain Productive,” October 2013.
53 P.L. 101-624, §2501; 7 U.S.C. 2279 (CFDA# 10.443), as amended in the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246, §14004).
USDA’s website: http://www.outreach.usda.gov/sdfr/index.htm. See also CRS Report RS20430, The Pigford Cases:
USDA Settlement of Discrimination Suits by Black Farmers.
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controlled institutions, and community-based organizations and nonprofits to provide outreach,
training, education, financial assistance, and technical assistance, in order to encourage and assist
socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to own and operate farms,
ranches and non-industrial forest lands. OASDFR supports a range of outreach and assistance
activities, including farm and financial management, marketing, and application and bidding
procedures. Grants range from $100,000 to $400,000 per year for up to three years, with no
matching requirements. The program is administered by USDA’s new Office of Outreach and
Advocacy.
Section 2501 was authorized at $25 million a year in the 2002 farm bill; however, the program
had not received a congressional appropriation of more than $6 million in any year. The 2014
farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §12001) expanded funding for the program to provide $10 million per year
in mandatory funding (FY2014-FY2018), plus authorized appropriations of $20 million annually
through FY2018.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is managed by NIFA, originated in the
research provisions in the 1985 farm bill, is aimed at enhancing low-input farming systems, and
was expanded and renamed in the 1990 farm bill.54 SARE provides a range of research and
education grants in the areas of renewable energy, pest and weed management, pastured livestock
and rotational grazing, no-till and conservation tillage, nutrient management, agroforestry,
marketing, sustainable communities, systems research, and crop and livestock diversity, among
others. Since 1988, SARE has funded nearly 5,000 projects with grants for farmers, ranchers,
extension agents and university educators, researchers, nonprofits, students, and communities.
Research and education grants, generally ranging from $60,000 to $150,000, fund projects that
usually are interdisciplinary and involve scientists, producers, and others. Professional
development grants, generally ranging from $20,000 to $90,000, offer educational opportunities
for extension and NRCS, and for other agricultural professionals. Producer grants, typically
between $1,000 and $15,000, go to farmers and ranchers who “test innovative ideas and share the
results with their neighbors.”55 No individual organization matching funds are required. Program
funds also support the dissemination of information on sustainable agriculture through
clearinghouses such as the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center at USDA’s National
Agricultural Library and also the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a coalition of leading non-
profit conservation groups located in America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
The program originated with a $3.9 million appropriation in FY1988. In recent years, funding for
project grants has totaled nearly $23 million.56 State-by-state summaries and profiles of the SARE
grants portfolio are available at SARE’s website.57
54 P.L. 101-624, §§1619-1624; 7 U.S.C. §5801 and 7 U.S.C §5812 (CFDA# 10.215). Originally part of P.L. 99-198,
Subtitle C (Agricultural Productivity Research). Previously referred to as “Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture” (LISA).
55 SARE’s website: http://www.sare.org/Grants.
56 See USDA’s explanatory notes for NIFA, http://www.obpa.usda.gov/explan_notes.html.
57 SARE, “Grant Summaries by State,” http://www.sare.org/Grants/Grant-Summaries-by-State. SARE’s searchable
database is at http://www.sare.org/Project-Reports/Search-the-Database.
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Rural and Community Development Programs
Rural Cooperative Development Grant
The Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program was originally authorized in the
1990 farm bill, amending the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (ConAct);58 it was
further amended in the 1996 and 2002 farm bills, and extended in subsequent farm bills.
Administered by USDA’s Rural Development (RD) office, the program provides project grants to
nonprofit institutions, including universities, to establish and operate new or existing centers for
rural cooperative development, value-added processing, and rural businesses, especially
cooperatives.59 Some eligible uses of funds include providing technical assistance, training, and
educating existing cooperatives; conducting feasibility studies and providing organizational
guidance to new cooperatives; and assessing the need and evaluating the potential support base
for newly developing cooperatives.60 The RCDG program has been used to support local food
systems by establishing linkages with local food hubs, through the development and distribution
of best practices and through training and technical assistance to farmer cooperatives or any
enterprises where multiple farmers collaborate thus providing for “scaling up” opportunities.61
This grant program has a generally matching fund requirement of 25% of the total project cost for
most eligible entities, but it varies in some cases. Funding is discretionary, with authorized
appropriations of $40 million annually (FY2014-FY2018); however, actual appropriated amounts
have been lower than authorized levels.
Under the RCDG program, funds may be used for applications that focus on assistance to small,
minority producers through their cooperative businesses. The Small Socially-Disadvantaged
Producer Grant (SSDPG) is administered under the RCDG program.62 SSDPG provides technical
assistance to small, socially disadvantaged agricultural producers through eligible cooperatives
and associations of cooperatives. Total program funding is estimated at about $3.5 million. The
maximum award amount per grant is $200,000. No matching funds are required.
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program
The Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program was authorized as part of the
ConAct, as amended in the 1996 and 2002 farm bills.63 Administered by RD, the program
provides guaranteed loans to help new and existing businesses in rural areas gain access to
affordable capital. By issuing a guarantee to a private lender, USDA essentially co-signs the loan
58 P.L. 101-624, §2347; ConAct §310B(e), 7 U.S.C. §1932 (CFDA# 10.771), P.L. 110-246, §6013. Formerly known as
the Rural Technology and Cooperative Development Grant Program (RTCDG). USDA’s website:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_RCDG.html.
59 Cooperative development centers must primarily serve “rural areas,” defined as any area except a city or town where
the population exceeds 50,000, or any urbanized area contiguous or adjacent to a town with more than 50,000 people.
60 USDA’s website: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_RCDG.html.
61 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
Also, CRS communication with University of Illinois staff, September 15, 2011.
62 USDA, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_SSDPG.html. Formerly the Small, Minority Producer Grant Program.
63 7 U.S.C §1932(g). §310B of the ConAct, as amended by P.L. 104-127 (§747) and P.L. 107-171 (§6017) (CFDA#
10.768). USDA’s website: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/b&i_gar.htm.
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to a business owner, promising to pay a portion of any loss that might result if the business owner
is unable to repay the loan. Having the guarantee reduces the lender’s risk, allowing more
favorable interest rates and terms. An eligible borrower may be an individual, a cooperative
organization, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity (both for profit and nonprofit), or a
federally recognized tribal group. Loans may be used to cover business and industrial acquisitions
to prevent the business from closing; prevent the loss of employment opportunities or provide
expanded job opportunities; provide for business conversion, enlargement, repair, modernization,
or development; purchase and develop land, easements, rights-of-way, buildings, or facilities; and
purchase equipment, leasehold improvements, machinery, supplies, or inventory.
Additionally, USDA may guarantee loans go up to $10 million, with some special exceptions for
loans up to $25 million. USDA may approve guaranteed loans up to $40 million for rural
cooperative organizations that process value-added agricultural commodities. The maximum
repayment for loans on real estate is not to exceed 30 years; machinery and equipment repayment
is not to exceed the useful life of the machinery and equipment purchased with loan funds or 15
years, whichever is less; and working capital repayment is not to exceed seven years. Available
program obligations are approximately $1.6 billion.64 Funds are allocated to states based on the
proportion of their rural population, and funding for any local food initiatives would occur at the
state level.
The 2008 farm bill further amended the B&I program to provide that at least 5% of available B&I
program funding from FY2008 to FY2012 be used to support local and regional food production.
This allocation of available funding is to:
make or guarantee loans to individuals, cooperatives, cooperative organizations, businesses, and
other entities to establish and facilitate enterprises that process, distribute, aggregate, store, and
market locally or regionally produced agricultural food products to support community
development and farm and ranch income. [emphasis added]
An eligible “locally or regionally produced agricultural food product” is “any agricultural food
product that is raised, produced, and distributed in ... the locality or region in which the final
product is marketed, so that the total distance that the product is transported is less than 400 miles
from the origin of the product; or ... the State in which the product is produced.”65 Nearly $50
million is available for local and regional food enterprises.66 An example of a local enterprise
using B&I funds is Prairieland Foods in Nebraska, which received a $650,000 loan to purchase a
new processing facility to produce dairy products using locally sourced milk.67
Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program
Community Facilities loans and grants were authorized in the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act, as amended.68 Administered by RD, the program provides direct loans,
guaranteed/insured loans, and project grants for the construction, acquisition, or renovation of
64 USDA, “Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program,” http://www.rd.usda.gov/recovery/business.html.
65 P.L. 110-246, §6015.
66 USDA, “USDA Announces $78 Million Available for Local Food Enterprises Historic Investment Will Support
Entire Local Food Supply Chain,” Release No. 0084.14, May 8, 2014.
67 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
68 P.L. 92-419, §306; 7 U.S.C. §1926 (CFDA#10.766). USDA’s website: http://www.rd.usda.gov/HCF_CF.html.
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community facilities or for the purchase of equipment for community facilities for public use in
rural areas. Examples include but are not limited to water and environmental projects, including
water systems, waste systems, solid waste, and storm drainage facilities, as well as hospitals, fire
protection, safety, and other community-based initiatives. Matching funds are not required. The
size of the award varies by project, applicant’s financial feasibility, and community size. Direct
loans range from $5,000 to $9 million; guaranteed loans range from $26,000 to $20 million; and
project grants range from $300 to $400,000. Eligible applicants include public and nonprofit
organizations, and federally recognized Indian tribes. The proposed community facilities must be
in rural areas, defined as areas with no more than 20,000 residents. In recent years, funding for
project grants has totaled more than $20 million.69
An example of a project financed under the program is a $100,000 grant that was awarded to a
medical center within an island community in Alaska to purchase two greenhouses for a
community garden. Other types of local and regional projects that may qualify for CF funding
include farmers’ markets (e.g., structures); school and community kitchens; food banks, including
refrigerators; community gardens (e.g., purchase land; water source access) and noncommercial
greenhouses; and refrigerated trucks.70
Rural Business Development Grants
The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §6012) consolidated two previous USDA grant programs: the
Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG)71 and the Rural Business Opportunity Grants
(RBOG)72 programs into a new Rural Business Development Grants program. Both programs
were authorized under the ConAct, as amended, and reauthorized in the 2008 farm bill and
administered by USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Both provided competitive grants
to finance and facilitate a broad range of rural projects and promote sustainable economic
development in rural communities. Eligible entities include rural public bodies, rural nonprofit
corporations, rural Indian tribes, and cooperatives. The 2014 farm bill authorized appropriations
of $65 million annually (FY2014-FY2018) to remain available until expended.
Details of the new consolidated program will likely be subject to USDA rulemaking. Previously
grants generally ranged from $10,000 to $150,000, with no matching requirements. Examples of
past funding under the two previous programs are as follows. RBEG provided funding for the
development of small and emerging rural businesses, and employment-related adult education
programs, and also provided funding to acquire and develop land and construct buildings, plants,
equipment, access, parking areas, and utility and service extensions, among other activities. A
specific example of RBEG funds supporting local food systems involve a project grant to develop
a mobile livestock unit in New York to provide local ranchers access to slaughter and processing
equipment and local markets.73 RBOG funding has covered regional economic planning focused
on food system development; market development and feasibility studies; business training,
including leadership development and technical assistance for entrepreneurs; and establishing
69 USDA’s explanatory notes for Rural Development, http://www.obpa.usda.gov/explan_notes.html.
70 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
71 7 U.S.C. §1932(c)(2). §306 of the ConAct, as amended (CFDA#10.769).
72 P.L. 104-127, §741, amending §306 of the ConAct, as amended; 7 U.S.C. §1926(a)(19)(C)(ii) (CFDA#10.773).
73 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
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business incubators, including commercial kitchens.74 An example of RBOG funds supporting
local food systems involve a project grant to create FoodHub, an online marketplace based in
Oregon that allows large-scale purchasers of food to connect with nearby growers.75
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) was authorized in the 2008 farm
bill.76 Administered by RD, the program provides direct loans and project grants to a
Microenterprise Development Organization (MDO), which may be a nonprofit organization,
Indian tribe, or public institution of higher education that serves rural areas. An MDO may
borrow $50,000 to $500,000 for a single loan in any given fiscal year. Loans can be used to
provide working capital, equipment purchases, debt refinancing, business acquisitions, and
purchase or lease of real estate that is already improved (construction of any type is strictly
prohibited). Grants are awarded up to $130,000, with matching requirements. Technical
assistance grants can be used to provide training, education, operational support, business
planning, market development assistance, and other related services to rural microentrepreneurs.
Funding can cover financing a facility or equipment, business planning, and marketing, including
coordinating and training necessary for a food hub or commercial kitchen incubator.77 Mandatory
funding through the CCC, which remains available until expended, is $3 million annually
(FY2014-FY2018). In addition, appropriations are authorized at $40 million annually (FY2014-
FY2018). However, in recent years no funds have been appropriated, and the program has
received mandatory funding for some years only.
Nutrition Assistance Programs78
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers two programs that provide benefits
redeemable only at farmers’ markets—the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (WIC-
FMNP), and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). FNS provides grants to
state agencies, such as state health, agriculture, and other agencies and Indian Tribal
Organizations (ITOs), in nearly all states.79 Participating state agencies must submit a plan
describing how the agency intends to implement, operate, and administer the program. Grant
payments are made by a letter of credit, and state agencies may withdraw funds only as needed.
The WIC-FMNP was first established in 1992 under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program
for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to provide fresh, locally grown produce to low-income
74 A kitchen incubator refers to a business that provides for early-stage catering, retail and wholesale food businesses to
a new small business where it can produce a food product. See databases at culinaryIncubator.com.
75 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
76 P.L. 110-246, §6022, amending §306 of the ConAct; 7 U.S.C. §1926(a)(19)(C)(ii) (CFDA#10.870). USDA,
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_rmap.html.
77 USDA, “Grants, Loans, and Support,” http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_GRANTS.
78 For more direct assistance on programs targeting nutrition assistance, contact Randy Alison Aussenberg, CRS
Specialist in Nutrition Assistance Policy (raussenberg@crs.loc.gov; 7-8641), who covers many of the programs
discussed in this section.
79 A map of participating states is at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SFMNP-FMNP-Map.pdf.
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WIC applicants and recipients and to expand their use of farmers’ markets. The program allows
farmers’ markets and roadside stands to accept WIC-FMNP benefits (usually through coupons).80
Participating state agencies must provide program income or state, local, or private funds for the
program in an amount that is equal to at least 30% of the administrative cost of the program, with
some exceptions for tribal agencies. In FY2013, the program covered an estimated 1.56 million
recipients and about 17,700 farmers, 3,300 farmers’ markets, and 2,800 roadside stands. Coupons
redeemed through the program resulted in an estimated $13.2 million in revenue to farmers for
FY2013. Total WIC-FMNP grant funding ranged from $19 million to $23 million per year
between FY2010 and FY2013; grant amounts for individual states are at USDA’s website.81
Appropriated funding for the WIC-FMNP totaled $16.5 million in FY2014.
The SFMNP was authorized in the 2002 farm bill and reauthorized in the 2008 farm bill, to
provide fruits, vegetables, herbs, and honey from farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and CSA
programs to low-income seniors, by allowing farmers’ markets and roadside stands to accept
FMNP coupons.82 The SFMNP awards grants to states, territories, and ITOs to provide low-
income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods at farmers’ markets,
roadside stands, and CSAs. Funding in FY2013 covered an estimated 836,000 participants and
about 20,600 farmers, 4,200 farmers’ markets, 3,100 roadside stands, and 190 CSAs. The 2014
farm bill extended the annual mandatory funding, provided by a transfer from the CCC, of $20.6
million annually through FY2018. State-by-state allocations of funds are at USDA’s website.83
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at Farmers’ Markets
Benefits under the FNS-administered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
formerly food stamps) similarly provide additional resources to patronize and support farmers
markets.84 SNAP participants receive benefits on an electronic benefit transfer card that they may
redeem at an authorized retailer for most foods. SNAP benefits may also be used to purchase
seeds or plants to grow food.85 Farmers’ markets may become SNAP-licensed retailers. In March
2015, USDA reported more than 5,000 farmers’ markets now accept EBT and SNAP redemption
at farmers’ markets nationwide totaled $18 million in 2014, up from $4 million in 2009.86 Most
direct-from-farm authorized retailers are in located in California, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
80 42 U.S.C. 1786, amending the Child Nutrition Act (CFDA# 10.572). FNS, http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/fmnp/
fmnpfaqs.htm.
81 FNS, “WIC FMNP Profiles – Grants and Participation,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-fmnp-profiles-grants-and-
participation.
82 P.L. 107-171; §4402; 7 U.S.C. 3007 (CFDA# 10.576). USDA, http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/
SFMNPmenu.htm.
83 FNS, “SFMNP Profiles – Grants and Participation,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfmnp/sfmnp-profiles-grants-and-
participation.
84 SNAP statutory provisions, however, do not require that benefits be redeemed at local establishments or in farm-to-
consumer settings.
85 The 1973 farm bill (Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973, P.L. 93-86, 7 U.S.C. §2012(b)) included an
amendment to the Food Stamp Act stating that “the term ‘food’... shall also include seeds and plants for use in gardens
to produce food for the personal consumption of the eligible household.” For information, see FNS, “SNAP: Eligible
Foods,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items and SNAPGardens.org, http://www.snapgardens.org/.
86 USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy Food, Support Rural Economies,”
Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015. See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/ebt/learn-about-snap-benefits-
farmers-markets.
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The 2014 farm bill provided for SNAP Bonus Incentive Projects and other related grants. Some
states, localities, and farmers’ market networks have created SNAP bonus incentive programs to
target the redemption of benefits at farmers’ markets. These allow SNAP participants to redeem
their benefits for more than “money on the dollar.” For example, a participant may exchange $3
of benefits for a $6 voucher to redeem at the market. In the past, FNS required that the bonus
funds be non-federal dollars; however, the 2014 farm bill creates a competitive grant program that
provides some funding for bonus incentives (see “Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant
Program”). Previously, markets had to apply to FNS for a waiver of the rules through the state
SNAP agency. Beginning in 2010, FNS allowed farmers’ markets that secured non-federal bonus
incentive funding to be eligible through a blanket waiver; markets now just inform an FNS field
office that they are conducting a bonus incentive program.
Farm to School Grant Program
USDA’s Farm to School program was authorized in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,
which amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA).87 The 2010 law
included $5 million annually in mandatory funding for the program and also allows for additional
discretionary funding. Its goals are geared toward increasing fruit and vegetable consumption
among students, supporting local farmers and rural communities, and providing nutrition and
agriculture education to school districts and farmers.88 The program is administered by FNS.
The Farm to School program provides competitive grants and technical assistance to eligible
schools,89 state and local agencies, ITOs, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural
producers, and nonprofit entities to implement farm-to-school programs that improve access to
local foods in eligible schools. Grants may be used for training, supporting operations, planning,
purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing
farm-to-school programs. Schools and communities may initiate and support a variety of eligible
activities, including nutrition education, agriculture-related lessons and curriculum, school or
community gardens, farm tours, taste testing, and parent/community educational sessions.90 The
enacting language further ensured that “geographical diversity” and “equitable treatment of
urban, rural, and tribal communities” be considered when USDA awards grants under the
program. The statute also includes criteria for selection, including making local food products
available on the menu, serving a high proportion of students who receive free and reduced-price
meals, incorporating nutrition education, demonstrating collaboration between schools and other
community partners, and evaluating the results. Grant amounts are not to exceed $100,000 per
recipient, and the federal share is not to exceed 75% of the total project cost.
USDA’s grant program provides about $6 million annually in available funding.91 Four different
types of grants are available: planning grants help schools get started; implementation grants to
87 P.L. 111-296, §243, 42 U.S.C. §1769 (CFDA# 10.579). See also USDA, “Legislative History Related to Farm to
School,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/F2Sleg_history.pdf.
88 See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school. See also CRS Report R43783, School
Meals Programs and Other USDA Child Nutrition Programs: A Primer, by Randy Alison Aussenberg.
89 An “eligible school” means a school or institution that participates in a program under this act or the school breakfast
program established under §4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773).
90 See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school. See also USDA’s fact sheets,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/fact-sheets.
91 USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy Food, Support Rural Economies,”
(continued...)
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enable schools to expand existing programs; support service grants to allow community partners
to provide support to schools; and training grants to disseminate best practices and strategies.92
In March 2015, USDA reported that, since the program began in 2012, the program has funded
221 projects in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands.93 USDA also reported
that schools spent over $385 million on local food purchases during the 2011-2012 school year.
Other information on farm-to-school programs is available through the National Farm to School
Network, highlighting activities in each state.94
School and Community Garden Projects
The 2008 farm bill amended the Richard B. Russell NSLA by authorizing a pilot program of
grants for high-poverty schools to promote healthy food education and hands-on gardening in the
school curriculum.95 The pilot program, administered by FNS, was part of USDA’s child nutrition
discretionary grants, and its goals are geared toward increasing fruit and vegetable consumption
among students, supporting local farmers and rural communities, and providing nutrition and
agriculture education to school districts and farmers. The 2008 law authorized a pilot program in
not more than five states for either school-based programs or community-based summer programs
that is part of, or coordinated with, a summer enrichment program at two or more eligible
schools. Specifically, the pilot program provided for applications to enter into a:
cooperative agreement for the purposes of developing and running community gardens at eligible
high-poverty schools; teaching students involved in the gardens about agriculture production
practices, diet, and nutrition; contributing produce to supplement food provided at eligible
schools, student households, local food banks, or senior center nutrition programs; and
conducting an evaluation of funded projects to learn more about the impacts of school gardens.96
In 2011, USDA awarded a single grant to Washington State University (WSU) to serve an
estimated 2,800 students attending 70 elementary schools in Washington, New York, Iowa, and
Arkansas.97 WSU extension is the lead institution on the project—called the “Healthy Gardens,
Healthy Youth” pilot project—along with the cooperative extension services of Iowa State
University, Cornell University, and the University of Arkansas.98 The project was funded at
(...continued)
Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015.
92 See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school-grant-program.
93 USDA, “USDA Announces $97 Million Available to Expand Access to Healthy Food, Support Rural Economies,”
Release No. 0064.15, March 16, 2015. Other more updated information is available at USDA’s website:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/map.
94 National Farm to School Network, http://www.farmtoschool.org/.
95 P.L. 110-246, §4303, 42 U.S.C. §1769 (CFDA# 10.579). The term “eligible school” means a public school where at
least 50% of the students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
96 FNS, “People’s Garden School Pilot Overview,” October 14, 2010, webinar.
97 USDA, “USDA Announces Funding to Expand School Community Gardens and Garden-Based Learning
Opportunities,” August 25, 2010; and USDA, “USDA Announces People’s Garden School Pilot Program to Promote
Garden-Based Learning Opportunities,” April 7, 2011.
98 WSU, “$1 Million Grant Funds WSU Extension ‘Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth’ Project,” April 7, 2011.
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$1 million in FY2010 under the agency’s People’s Garden School Pilot Program as part of the
USDA People’s Garden Initiative to establish community and school gardens nationwide.99
The 2008 farm bill authorized appropriations to carry out the program through FY2012. The 2010
reauthorization of the child nutrition programs (P.L. 111-296) further amended this section of the
NSLA and extended the authority for appropriations to FY2015.
In previous years USDA has utilized available funding to continue a range of related activities.
For example, for FY2011, USDA provided approximately $725,000 in grants for its People’s
Garden Grant Program, administered by NIFA.100 Activities under this program were authorized
in the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act to facilitate the initial
investment needed to create produce, recreation, and/or wildlife gardens in urban and rural areas,
and to provide opportunities for science-based non-formal education.101 The program funded ten
projects in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, and
Ohio.102 Many of these projects include school gardens. Funding for “Visitor Center/People’s
Garden” is approximately $0.9 million annually.103
Commodity Procurement Through “DoD Fresh”
The Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (DoD Fresh) is a mechanism
created by USDA to increase fresh produce offerings to schools. DoD Fresh, which uses the
logistical capacity of the United States military to deliver food to U.S. military bases across the
country and world, as well as other schools nationwide. States are able to allocate a portion of
their commodity entitlement funds for school meals toward procurement of fresh produce through
the DoD Fresh program. The DoD Fresh program began as a USDA pilot project in 1996, with
eight states participating by allocating a portion of their commodity entitlement funds toward the
program.104 In 1996-1997, DoD Fresh delivered produce valued at about $3.2 million to schools
in eight states. DoD Fresh delivers produce valued at about $70 million to schools in all 50 states.
The 2008 farm bill amended and further authorized policies governing USDA’s purchase of fresh
fruits and vegetables through DoD Fresh.105 Specifically, the 2008 farm bill amended the NSLA
to “allow institutions ..., including the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program,
to use a geographic preference for the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products, both
locally grown and locally raised” (emphasis added) and “encourage institutions ... to purchase
unprocessed agricultural products, both locally grown and locally raised, to the maximum extent
99 USDA’s budget justification for FY2011, http://www.obpa.usda.gov/30fns2011notes.pdf. See p. 30-10.
100 USDA, “USDA Expands People’s Garden Initiative to Sow Seeds for Community-Based Agriculture across the
Country,” November 10, 2011.
101 P.L. 95-113, 7 U.S.C 3318 (b); CFDA# 10.325.
102 Some limited information is available at CFDA, “People’s Garden Grant Program,” CFDA#10.325,
http://www.cfda.gov.
103 See, for example, USDA’s budget justification for FY2015, http://www.obpa.usda.gov/04da2015notes.pdf, p. 4-3.
104 The program followed discussions between USDA’s FNS and the Department of Defense “to enter into a pilot
project to supply fresh fruit and vegetables directly to schools along with their deliveries to military installations or
other sites in the United States,” leading to a formal agreement in August 1995 authorizing the program. For more
information, see USDA, “Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program,” http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/
default/files/DOD_FreshFruitandVegetableProgram2011.pdf
105 See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/dod-fresh-fruit-and-vegetable-program.
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practicable and appropriate.”106 While the 2008 farm bill provision did not specifically define
“locally grown and locally raised,” FNS and DoD have generally applied the definition of
“locally or regionally produced agricultural food products” established elsewhere in the farm
bill,107 specifically, “any agricultural food product that is raised, produced, and distributed in ...
the locality or region in which the final product is marketed, so that the total distance that the
product is transported is less than 400 miles from the origin of the product; or ... the state in
which the product is produced.”108 As a condition allowing for a preference, DoD Fresh does not
require states and school food authorities to purchase local products.
Section 4202 of the 2014 farm bill established a separate pilot program for up to eight states to
explore procurement alternatives—including local procurement—for unprocessed fruits and
vegetables, in place of those commodity purchases offered through DoD. USDA’s website has
additional information on how this provision is being implemented.109
Healthy Food Financing Initiative
Prior to the 2014 farm bill, the Administration administered a Healthy Food Financing Initiative
(HFFI) by requesting appropriations for several existing statutory authorities in order to provide
grants and tax credits to support development of food retailers in underserved communities. Since
2010, the Administration has operated related programs at USDA, Health and Human Services
(HHS), and/or the U.S. Treasury.110
The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79, §4206) created a legislatively mandated HFFI at USDA,
modeled after existing HFFI programs at HHS and the U.S. Treasury, to expand access to healthy,
fresh foods in low-income, under-served communities, among other objectives. The law
established a new authority by the same name, Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The purpose of
the initiative is to enhance USDA authorities to:111
support efforts to provide access to healthy food by establishing an initiative to improve
access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to
revitalize low-income communities by providing loans and grants to eligible fresh, healthy
food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas.
USDA is authorized to approve a community development financial institution as “national fund
manager” that would administer these funds by supporting food retail projects that would
“expand or preserve access to staple foods” (as defined within this section) and accept SNAP
benefits. The law authorized up to $125 million to be appropriated for a “Healthy Food Financing
Initiative” to remain available until expended.
The Administration’s FY2016 budget request would provide $13 million for loans and grants to
support increased access to healthy foods in underserved areas under the agency’s portion of the
106 NSLA, §9(j); 42 U.S.C. 1758(j)) amended in 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-246, §4302). Covers also non-DoD schools.
107 CRS communication with FNS staff, September 12, 2011.
108 P.L. 110-246, §6015.
109 See USDA’s website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pilot-project-procurement-unprocessed-fruits-and-vegetables.
110 For more information, see CRS Report R42155, The Role of Local Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy.
111 P.L. 113-79, §4206. Amended Title II, Subtitle D of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7
U.S.C. §§6951 et seq.).
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HFFI, by providing “financial and technical assistance to support market planning and promotion
efforts as well as infrastructure and operational improvements designed to enhance marketing and
retail outlets for farm products, and increase the availability of locally and regionally produced
foods.”112 USDA has not yet announced which agency will oversee the Department’s HFFI
activities. USDA’s efforts will be coordinated with activities at the U.S. Treasury through the
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program
The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (also known as the Community Food
Projects program) was created in the 1996 and further amended in the 2008 and 2014 farm
bills.113 Administered by NIFA, the program provides grants to support projects that meet the food
needs of low-income people; increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own
needs; and promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. For
example, projects linking low-income populations to fresher foods through farmers’ markets have
previously qualified as activities. The 2008 farm bill reauthorized the competitive grants and
funded them at $5 million for FY2008 and each fiscal year thereafter. Activities supported by this
program are a wide range of community-based projects and initiatives, including urban
agriculture and targeted markets to address food desert communities. Grants are awarded for
community food projects, planning projects, and training and technical assistance projects. The
range of grant awards and their duration depend on the type of project, but all three types require
a match in resources.114 The 2014 farm bill increased funds for this program by $4 million to a
total of $9 million in FY2015 and each fiscal year thereafter. The 2014 law also included new
types of eligible grantees, for example, “gleaners.”115
Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program
The 2014 farm bill significantly amended what had been the “hunger-free community grants” to
“incentive grants” for projects that incentivize SNAP participants to buy fruits and vegetables,
and renamed the incentive grant program the “Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive.”116 The
federal cost share under the program is limited to 50%. The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive
(FINI) Grant Program supports three categories of projects: (1) FINI Pilot Projects (awards not to
exceed $100,000 over one year); (2) Multi-year, community-based FINI Projects (awards not to
exceed $500,000 over no more than four years); and (3) Multi-year, FINI Large-Scale Projects
(awards of $500,000 or more over no more than four years).117 The 2014 farm bill provided $100
million in mandatory funding (FY2014-FY2018), plus discretionary authority of $5 million per
year. Available grant funding is estimated to total up to $31.5 million (FY2014-FY2015). The
program is administered by NIFA.
112 USDA, “FY2016 Budget Summary and Annual Performance Plan,” February 2015, p. 43.
113 P.L. 110-246, §4402, 7 U.S.C 2034 (CFDA# 10.225), amending the Food Stamp Act of 1977. See USDA’s website:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/program/community-food-projects-competitive-grant-program-cfpcgp.
114 FY2012 Request for Applications: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/pdfs/12_community_food.pdf.
115 Refers to the collection of leftover crops from farmers’ fields after harvest or crops that are not economically
profitable to harvest. It also refers to the collection of foods from supermarkets that might otherwise be thrown away.
116 P.L. 113-79, §4208.
117 USDA’s website: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/program/food-insecurity-nutrition-incentive-fini-grant-program.
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Table 1. Selected USDA Programs That Potentially Support Local and Regional Food Systems
USDA
Program Name /
Program
agency
CFDA#
Type
Eligible Applicants
Assistance Amount
Total Funding Type/Amount
AMS
Specialty Crop Block
Formula
State departments of
Varies by state. Base grant (about $180,000
Mandatory, $72.5 million annually
Grant Program
grants
agriculture, in partnership
per state), plus additional funds based on the
(FY2014-2017) and $85 million (FY2018
(SCBGP), 10.170.
with organizations.
state’s share of the total value and acreage of and each year thereafter). Funding for
U.S. specialty crop production. In FY2013,
multistate project grants: $1 million
grants ranged from $180,000 to $18 million.
(FY2014) reaching to $5 million (FY2018).
Also provides multistate project grants.
Local share: Unknown.
AMS
Farmers’ Market and
Project
Farmer coops, associations,
Limited to $100,000, with a minimum award
Mandatory, $30 million annually
Local Food Promotion
grants
nonprofit/public benefit
of $5,000. Individual grants have averaged
(FY2014-FY2018), plus authorized
Program, 10.168.
corporations, local authorities, about $50,000.
appropriations of $10 million each year.
regional farmers’ markets.
Local share: Unknown.
AMS
Federal State Marketing
Project
State agriculture departments
Grants have ranged from $21,000 to
Discretionary, about $1.3 million annually.
Improvement Program
grants
and experiment stations,
$135,000, averaging $51,385. Matching funds
Local share: Unknown.
(FSMIP), 10.156.
other state agencies.
required.
RD Value-Added Project
Individual farmers, agriculture
Maximum grant amounts: $100,000 (planning
Mandatory, $63 million, available until
Agricultural Product
grants
producer groups, farmer and
grant) and $300,000 (working capital grant).
expended, plus authorized appropriations
Market Development
rancher cooperatives, and
Grant funds may be used to pay up to 50% of of $40 million annually (FY2012-2018).
Grants, 10.352.
majority-controlled producer-
a project’s costs. Applicant must contribute
Local share: Unknown.
based businesses, and
at least 50% in cash or in-kind contributions.
veterans.
NIFA
Beginning Farmer and
Project
State, tribal, local, or
Up to $250,000 per year for up to 3 years.
Mandatory, $20 million annually
Rancher Development
grants
regionally based
Matching funds are required.
(FY2014-FY2018), plus authorized annual
Program (BFRDP),
networks/partnerships of
appropriations of $40 million through
10.311.
public and private entities. At
FY2018). Local share: Unknown.
least 5% funds for veterans.
FSA
Microloan Program
Loans
Beginning, niche, and smaller
Up to $35,000. Repayment term may vary
Administered through FSA’s Operating
family farm operations.
and may not exceed seven years.
Loan Program (CFDA# 10.406). Local
share: Unknown.
NIFA Small
Business
Project
Small businesses (fewer than
Grant limited to $100,000 and $500,000, and Discretionary. Funding ranges from about
Innovation Research
grants
500 employees).
limited to 8 months and 2 years, depending
$15 million to $20 million annually. Local
(SBIR), 10.212.
on the type and phase of the project.
share: Unknown.
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USDA
Program Name /
Program
agency
CFDA#
Type
Eligible Applicants
Assistance Amount
Total Funding Type/Amount
RMA,
Agricultural Management Direct
Agricultural producers who
Provides technical and financial assistance of
Mandatory, $15 million annually
NRCS, AMS
Assistance (AMA),
payments
voluntarily address certain
up to 75% of the cost of installing certain
(FY2014-FY2018), allocated to NRCS
10.917.
for specified farmland conservation issues.
practices. Total AMA payments shall not
(50%), RMA (40%), and AMS (10%). Local
use
exceed $50,000 per participant per year.
share: Unknown.
RMA Community
Outreach
Disseminate Educational institutions, state
Assistance is through a cooperative
Approximately $10 million is awarded
and Assistance
technical
ag departments, community
agreement, ranging from $20,000 to
annual y through two RMA programs.
Partnership Program
information; organizations, farmer/rancher
$100,000 per agreement. No matching funds
Local share: Unknown.
(COAPP), 10.455.
training
associations, nonprofits.
are required.
USDA,
Outreach and Assistance Project
Land grant institutions, state-
Grants range from $100,000 to $400,000 per Mandatory/discretionary. Mandatory
Office of
to Socially
grants
controlled institutions, Indian
year for up to 3 years, with no matching
funds of $10 million per year (FY2014-
Outreach
Disadvantaged Farmers
tribes, veterans, Latino-serving requirements.
FY2018), authorized appropriations of
and
and Ranchers
institutions, nonprofits,
$20 million annually through FY2018.
Advocacy
(OASDFR), 10.443.
community organizations.
Local share: Unknown.
RD Rural
Cooperative
Project
Nonprofit corporations
1-year grants up to $225,000, with matching
Discretionary. Appropriations authorized
Development Grant
grants
including universities.
requirements. Maximum award amount per
$40 million annually (FY2014-FY2018).
(RCDG), 10.771.
Small Socially-Disadvantaged Producer Grant
Local share: Unknown.
is $200,000.
RD Business
and
Industry
Direct and
Individual, nonprofits,
Guaranteed loans up to $10 million, with
Obligations of about $1.2 billion annually.
(B&I) Guaranteed Loans,
guaranteed
business.
special exceptions for loans up to $25
Local share: At least 5% by law (estimated
10.768.
loans
mil ion. The Secretary may approve
at about $50 million annually).
guaranteed loans up to $40 million, for rural
cooperative organizations that process value-
added agricultural commodities.
RD Community
Facilities
Direct and
Public and nonprofit
Direct loans range from $5,000 to $9 million
Direct and Guaranteed Loans: About
(CF), 10.766.
guaranteed
organizations, and Indian
(average: $828,407); guaranteed loans range
$500 million annually. Project Grants:
loans;
tribes.
from $26,000 to $20 million (average: $2.8
About $30 million annually. Local share:
project
mil ion); and project grants range from $300
Unknown.
grants
to $0.4 million. No matching requirements.
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USDA
Program Name /
Program
agency
CFDA#
Type
Eligible Applicants
Assistance Amount
Total Funding Type/Amount
RD Rural
Business Project
Rural public entities (towns,
Details of new consolidated program subject
Authorized appropriations of $65 million
Development Grants
grants.
communities, state agencies,
to USDA rulemaking. Previously grants
annual y (FY2014-FY2018) to remain
program (consolidating
and authorities), rural
general y ranged from $10,000 up to
available until expended. Local share:
Rural Business
nonprofit corporations, rural
$150,000, with no matching requirements.
Unknown.
Enterprise Grants and
Indian tribes, and
Rural Business
cooperatives.
Opportunity Grants)
RD Rural
Loans and
Microenterprise Development
Loans range from a minimum of $50,000 to a Mandatory. $3 million annually
Microentrepreneur
technical
Organizations (MDOs), or
maximum of $500,000 for a single loan in any (FY2014-FY2018), plus authorized
Assistance Program
assistance
other nonprofit, Indian tribe
given fiscal year. Grants are awarded up to
appropriations of $40 million annually
(RMAP), 10-870.
grants.
or public institution of higher
$130,000, with matching requirements.
(FY2014-FY2018). Local share: Unknown.
education serving rural areas.
NIFA Sustainable
Agriculture
Project
Individual farmers/ranchers,
Varies depending on the type of grant and
Discretionary. Funding of about $20
Research and Education
grants.
extension agents and
the region, ranging from $1,000 for a
million annually. Local share: Unknown.
(SARE), 10.215.
university educators,
producer grant or $350 for a research grant.
researchers, nonprofits, and
communities.
FNS
WIC Farmers’ Market
Formula
State health, agriculture and
Varies by state. In FY2013, grants ranged
Discretionary. Funding of about $16
Nutrition Program
grants.
other agencies and Indian
from $6,300 to $3.1 million.
million. Local share: Unknown.
(WIC-FMNP), 10.572.
tribes.
FNS
Senior Farmers' Market
Project
State health, agriculture and
Varies by state. In FY2013, grants ranged
Mandatory, $20.6 million annually through
Nutrition Program
grants.
other agencies and Indian
from $9,900 to $1.8 million.
FY2018. Local share: Unknown.
(SFMNP), 10.576.
tribes.
NIFA Food
Insecurity Project
State health, agriculture and
Three project categories: (1) Pilot Projects
Mandatory, $100 million (FY2014-2018),
Nutrition Incentive
grants.
other agencies and Indian
(awards <$100,000 over 1 year); (2) Multi-
plus discretionary authority of $5 million
(FINI) Grant Proram
tribes.
year, Community-based Projects (awards
per year. Local share: Unknown.
<$500,000 over <4 years); and (3) Multi-
year, Large-Scale Projects (awards >500,000
over <4 years).
FNS
Farm to School, 10.579.
Project
Eligible schools, state and local Maximum grant amount shal not exceed
Mandatory funding set at $5 million
grants.
agencies, Indian tribes,
$100,000, and the federal share may not
starting on October 1, 2012, and each
agricultural producers/groups,
exceed 75% of the total project cost.
year thereafter, plus appropriations “such
nonprofits organizations.
sums as necessary” (FY2011-FY2015).
Local share: Unknown.
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USDA
Program Name /
Program
agency
CFDA#
Type
Eligible Applicants
Assistance Amount
Total Funding Type/Amount
FNS
School Gardens, 10.579.
Project
The pilot shall target not
USDA's People's Garden School Pilot
The 2008 farm bill did not authorize
grants.
more than five states (either a
Program was awarded to Washington State
appropriations to carry out the provision,
school-based or a community-
University and will serve students attending
but USDA allocated $1 million to the
based summer program).
70 elementary schools (WA, NY, IA, AR).
Peoples' Garden School Pilot Program.
FNS
Provision within
Allows
Eligible schools, state and local Provision is structured as a preference and
The 2008 farm bill did not authorize
commodity procurement geographic
agencies.
does not require states and school food
appropriations to carrying out this
through “DoD Fresh”
preference
authorities to include geographic preference
provision. The 2014 farm bill requires
program
regarding
in their procurement.
USDA to pilot up to 8 states using local
purchases.
sourcing instead of DoD Fresh.
(TBD)
Healthy Food Financing
Loans,
Partnerships involving
To be determined.
The 2014 farm bill authorizes
Initiative (as authorized
grants, tech. regional, state, or local public-
appropriations up to $125 million, to
in the 2014 farm bill)
assistance.
private partnership.
remain available until expended.
NIFA Community
Food Project
Private non-profit entities.
Amount and duration vary depending on
Mandatory, $9 million in FY2015 and each
Projects (CFP), 10.225.
grants.
type of grant all require a match in
year thereafter.
resources. (Separate grant for a healthy
urban food enterprise development center.)
Source: Compiled by CRS. Funding levels shown are those available for all U.S. farming operations and food distribution systems, regardless of size and distance from
market. Data are not available to determine share of available funding for the highlighted program used to support local and regional food systems. Program groupings
are not intended to indicate any rank or importance.
Notes: “Mandatory” means funding is available without an annual appropriation and usual y funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). “Discretionary”
requires an annual appropriation by Congress. Where the funding source could not be readily determined, available data on obligations/awards are provided. USDA
agencies include Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Rural Development (RD), Risk Management Agency (RMA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),
Farm Service Agency (FSA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
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Local Foods: Selected Federal Programs
Author Contact Information
Renée Johnson
Tadlock Cowan
Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Analyst in Natural Resources and Rural
rjohnson@crs.loc.gov, 7-9588
Development
tcowan@crs.loc.gov, 7-7600
Congressional Research Service
30
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