Come On Down To The…USDA!
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan wants to be the “matchmaker” between the Obama administration and USDA program administrators. She recently sent out a memo, “Harnessing USDA rural development programs to support local and regional food systems,” (pdf) to her staff and interested third parties. It details how those programs can cash in on the USDA programs in line with the food policy plans Ms. Obama is developing with her Food Initiative team.
The beginning of each memo section is filled with wondrous ideas of what could be if there were more emphasis on local and regional food systems.  And, what if there were more emphasis on home cooking with classes that teach us everything our grandmothers knew? How about money for setting up farmers markets or getting local foods into schools? Her memo tackles and disseminates three important programs that help address these issues and more:
Community Facilities Program (CF) – Imagine USDA funds being used to build a community kitchen, to build an open-sided structure for a farmers market, or to construct a cold storage facility to help schools retrofit the cafeteria to buy produce directly from farmers. CF supports the success of rural communities by providing loans and grants for the construction, acquisition, or renovation of community facilities or for the purchase of equipment for community projects.
Businesss and Industry (B&I) Guarentee Loan Program- Imagine USDA funds being used to aggregate local farm products to better serve institutions, to fund a mobile slaughterhouse to support local free-range poultry growers, or to help food processors add equipment and storage to handle organic certification. The B&I program helps new and existing businesses in rural areas to gain access to affordable capital with favorable interests rates and terms.
Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) – Imagine USDA funds being used to conduct a feasibility study of providing local food in schools, to help farmers with direct marketing of pasture-raised meat in restaurants, or to help farmers with marketing sustainably grown or raised food. The VAPG grants provide funding to agricultural producers who add value to their raw products through processing or marketing, thereby increasing farm income.
Each section clearly defines who is eligible for funds and exactly where and how to apply, with helpful web links and everything.
When good intentions come together with funding, great things can happen. I look forward to it!
August 31, 2009
Tags: agriculture, education, farmers, food event, policy, USDA Posted in: Health, Politics
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