Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program

Citation85 FR 48149
Record Number2020-17385
Published date10 August 2020
SectionNotices
CourtAgriculture Department,Commodity Credit Corporation,Farm Service Agency
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 154 (Monday, August 10, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 154 (Monday, August 10, 2020)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 48149-48150]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2020-17385]
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                DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
                Farm Service Agency
                Commodity Credit Corporation
                [Docket ID CCC-2016-0004]
                Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the Organic Certification
                Cost Share Program
                AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency, USDA.
                ACTION: Notice.
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                SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity
                Credit Corporation (CCC), is announcing changes to the availability of
                funding and payment calculation for certified organic operations, which
                are required based on expected participation levels and limited
                funding, under the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).
                FSA is also announcing the opportunity for State Agencies to apply for
                grant agreements to administer the OCCSP program in fiscal year (FY)
                2020.
                DATES: Applications for State Agency Agreements: FSA will accept
                applications from State Agencies for funds for FY 2020 cost share
                assistance between the period of August 10, 2020, and September 9,
                2020.
                 Producer and Handler Applications: FSA county offices will accept
                applications for OCCSP payments from producers and handlers for FY 2020
                until October 31, 2020. For FY 2021 through 2023, FSA will accept
                applications from October 1 of the applicable FY through October 31 of
                the following FY.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tona Huggins, Program Policy Branch
                Chief, (202) 720-6825, [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                Background
                 OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of
                agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic
                certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). Funding for
                OCCSP is provided through two authorizations: (1) National Organic
                Certification Cost Share Program (National OCCSP)
                [[Page 48150]]
                funds \1\ and (2) Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) funds.\2\
                Section 10105 of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm
                Bill, Pub. L. 115-334) amended section 10606(d) of the Farm Security
                and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523(d)), authorizing $2
                million from CCC to be used for National OCCSP for each of FYs 2019 and
                2020, $4 million for FY 2021, and $8 million for each of FYs 2022 and
                2023, to remain available until expended. In addition, approximately $4
                million in National funding remains available from previous FYs and
                will be used to fund OCCSP in 2020. An additional $1 million in AMA
                funding is authorized in 7 U.S.C. 1524 for each FY.
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                 \1\ National OCCSP funds provide assistance for organic
                producers and handlers in in the 50 United States, the District of
                Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the
                U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
                Islands. The funds can be used for cost share payments for the four
                categories, or ``scopes,'' recognized under the USDA organic
                regulations (crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling), and for
                the additional scope of State organic program fees.
                 \2\ AMA funds provide assistance for producers in the following
                States: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts,
                Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
                Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The funds
                can be used for cost share payments for the three scopes of crops,
                wild crops, and livestock.
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                 The purpose of this NOFA is to announce changes to the funding
                availability and payment calculation provisions for FY 2020 through
                2023 and to notify State Agencies of the opportunity to apply to
                administer OCCSP in their State for FY 2020. On April 29, 2019, FSA
                published a NOFA in the Federal Register announcing general eligibility
                and administrative provisions for OCCSP for FY 2019 through 2023 (84 FR
                17997). The 2019 NOFA provided that eligible certified organic
                operations could receive reimbursement of 75 percent of their eligible
                costs to obtain or maintain their organic certification, up to a
                maximum payment of $750 per scope, which is the maximum payment allowed
                by law. In FY 2019 and prior years, funds were available to cover all
                applications; however, the amount of funding available will not cover
                expected participation levels in FY 2020.
                 For FY 2020 through 2023, FSA is revising the reimbursement amount
                to 50 percent of the certified organic operation's eligible expenses,
                up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This change is due to the limited
                amount of funding available and will allow a larger number of certified
                organic operations to receive assistance. If additional funding is
                authorized at a later time, FSA may provide additional assistance to
                certified operations that have applied for OCCSP, not to exceed 75
                percent of their eligible costs, up to $750 per scope.
                 The changes to the payment calculation and maximum payment amount
                are applicable to all certified organic operations, regardless of
                whether they apply through an FSA county office or a participating
                State Agency. Due to the changes, State Agencies that are interested in
                overseeing reimbursements to producers and handlers in their States
                must establish new agreements with FSA for FY 2020. FY 2020 agreements
                will include provisions that allow FSA to extend the agreements to
                provide additional funds and allow State Agencies to continue to
                administer OCCSP for future years. FSA has not yet determined whether
                an additional application period will be announced for later years for
                State Agencies that choose not to participate in FY 2020; State
                Agencies that would like to administer OCCSP for future years are
                encouraged to establish an agreement for FY 2020 to ensure that they
                will be able to continue to participate. If additional funds are
                authorized for OCCSP for FY 2020, FSA and State Agencies may amend the
                grant agreements to provide additional funds and increase the payment
                amount that a certified organic operation may receive.
                 To provide cost share assistance for FY 2020, State Agencies must
                complete an Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 and
                424B) and enter into a grant agreement with FSA. State Agencies must
                submit the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 and
                424B) electronically via Grants.gov, the Federal grants website, at
                http://www.grants.gov. For information on how to use Grants.Gov, please
                consult http://www.grants.gov/GetRegistered. State Agencies intending
                to utilize subgrantees must refer to the FY 2020 Full Notice of Funding
                Opportunity Announcement on Grants.Gov for additional application
                requirements. FSA will accept applications from State Agencies for
                funds for FY 2020 cost share assistance between the period of August
                10, 2020, and September 9, 2020.
                Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
                 There are no changes to the information collection request for
                OCCSP that has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget
                (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB control number for the
                approval is 0560-0289.
                Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
                 The title and number of the Federal assistance program in the
                Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance to which this NOFA applies is
                10.171, Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).
                Environmental Review
                 The environmental impacts of this NOFA have been considered in a
                manner consistent with the provisions of the National Environmental
                Policy Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), the regulations of the Council
                on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the FSA
                regulations for compliance with NEPA (7 CFR part 799). The purpose of
                OCCSP is to provide cost share assistance to producers and handlers of
                agricultural products in obtaining organic certification. This NOFA
                merely announces funding availability and changes to general
                eligibility and administrative provisions for FY 2020 through 2023. FSA
                is not making substantive changes to OCCSP. As such, the Categorical
                Exclusions found at 7 CFR part 799.31 apply, specifically 7 CFR
                799.31(b)(6)(iii) (that is, financial assistance to supplement income).
                No Extraordinary Circumstances (7 CFR 799.33) exist. As such, FSA has
                determined that this NOFA does not constitute a major Federal action
                that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment,
                individually or cumulatively. Therefore, FSA will not prepare an
                environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for this
                administrative action and this NOFA serves as documentation of the
                programmatic environmental compliance decision.
                Steven Peterson,
                Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
                Robert Stephenson,
                Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
                [FR Doc. 2020-17385 Filed 8-7-20; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 3410-05-P
                

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