Notice2024-10172
Notice of Funds Availability; Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
Primary source
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Published
May 9, 2024
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentCommodity Credit Corporation
Abstract
The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, is issuing this notice to announce the availability of cost share assistance through OCCSP for fiscal year (FY) 2024. FSA is giving the opportunity for State Agencies to apply for grant agreements to administrator the OCCSP program to establish agreements to provide cost share assistance to eligible producers and handlers and for producers and handlers to apply for OCCSP payment at FSA county office.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39579-39580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10172]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 91 / Thursday, May 9, 2024 /
Notices
[[Page 39579]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
[Docket ID FSA-2024-0003]
Notice of Funds Availability; Organic Certification Cost Share
Program (OCCSP)
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency, USDA.
ACTION: Notification of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity
Credit Corporation, is issuing this notice to announce the availability
of cost share assistance through OCCSP for fiscal year (FY) 2024. FSA
is giving the opportunity for State Agencies to apply for grant
agreements to administrator the OCCSP program to establish agreements
to provide cost share assistance to eligible producers and handlers and
for producers and handlers to apply for OCCSP payment at FSA county
office.
DATES: Applications for State Agency Agreements: FSA will accept
applications from State Agencies to administer OCCSP for FY 2024
between the period of May 13, 2024, and October 31, 2024.
Producer and Handler Applications: FSA county offices will accept
applications for OCCSP from producers and handlers for FY 2024 until
October 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Vazquez; telephone: (202) 923-
1585; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80e3e8f2e9f3f4eff0e8e5f2aef6e1faf1f5e5fac0f5f3e4e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e18289938892958e91898493cf97809b9094849ba194928580cf868e97">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who require
alternative means for communication should contact the USDA Target
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or dial 711
for Telecommunications Relay service (both voice and text telephone
users can initiate this call from any telephone).
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).\1\ The purpose
of this NOFA is to announce the funding availability and application
periods for FY 2024.
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\1\ USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers the
NOP, which was established under the Organic Foods Production Act of
1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501-6524). Information about organic standards, the
certification process, and additional resources for organic
producers is available at <a href="https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/organic">https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/organic</a>. More information about OCCSP is available at <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp/index">https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp/index</a>.
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OCCSP is funded through two authorizations: (1) National Organic
Certification Cost Share Program (National OCCSP) funds, and (2)
Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) funds. Section 102 of the
Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Pub.
L. 118-22) amended the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
(7 U.S.C. 6523(d)(1)(C)) to provide $8 million \2\ in National OCCSP
funding for FY 2024. In addition, approximately $1.5 million in
National OCCSP funding remains available from prior years. An
additional $1 million \3\ in AMA funding is authorized for each FY. (7
U.S.C. 1524).
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\2\ After sequestration of 5.7 percent, $7,544,000 in National
OCCSP funding is available for FY 2024.
\3\ After sequestration of 5.7 percent, $943,000 in AMA funding
is available for FY 2024.
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On April 29, 2019, FSA published a notice in the Federal Register
announcing general eligibility and administrative provisions for OCCSP
for FY 2019 through 2023 (84 FR 17997-17999). For FY 2024, FSA will
administer OCCSP according to the provisions that were applicable for
FY 2019 through 2023, providing cost share assistance for 75 percent of
an applicant's eligible expenses, up to $750 per scope, which is the
maximum amount allowed by law.\4\ Cost share assistance is provided on
a first come, first served basis, until all available funds are
obligated.
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\4\ On August 10, 2020, FSA announced in the Federal Register
that the maximum amount of cost share for FY 2020 through 2023 would
be 50 percent of an applicant's eligible expenses, up to $500 per
scope, due to the limited amount of funding available and expected
participation rates. (85 FR 48149-48150). For FY 2020 through 2022,
FSA also provided cost share for eligible organic and transitional
certification and education expenses through the Organic and
Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) in response
to economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic that made
obtaining and renewing USDA organic certification financially
challenging for many operations. On May 10, 2023, FSA announced that
OCCSP funding was available for FY 2023 to increase the amount of
cost share to 75 percent of eligible costs, up to $750 per scope.
(See <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/05/10/usda-announces-new-steps-enhance-organic-markets-and-support">https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/05/10/usda-announces-new-steps-enhance-organic-markets-and-support</a>.)
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As in previous years, FSA will accept applications through FSA
county offices and also partner with participating State agencies to
administer the program through grant agreements.
Application Period for State Agencies and How To Submit an Application
FSA will accept applications from State Agencies from May 13, 2024,
through October 31. 2024. To administer OCCSP for FY 2024, State
Agencies must submit an Application for Federal Assistance (Standard
Form 424 and 424A) electronically via <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> (<a href="https://www.grants.gov">https://www.grants.gov</a>) and enter into a grant agreement with FSA. State
Agencies will refer to the Fiscal Year 2024 Full Notice of Funding
Opportunity Announcement on <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> for additional application
requirements. For information on how to use <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>, please access
<a href="https://www.grants.gov/applicants">https://www.grants.gov/applicants</a>.
Application Period for Producers and Handlers and How To Submit an
Application
Producers and handlers may submit applications for eligible costs
incurred in FY 2024 (the period of October 1, 2023, through September
30, 2024) to their FSA county office until October 31, 2024. The FSA
county office locator is available in the ``Find Your Local Service
Center'' section on <a href="https://www.farmers.gov">https://www.farmers.gov</a>.
Participating State Agencies will establish their own application
process and deadlines, as specified in their grant agreements, and
producers and handlers must submit an application package according to
the instructions provided by the State Agency. A list of participating
State Agencies will be available at <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp">https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/occsp</a> after their agreements with FSA are finalized.
[[Page 39580]]
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.
Environmental Review
The environmental impacts 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 regulation
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 program deadlines for the 2024 program year.
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.
Federal Assistance Programs
The title and number of the Federal assistance program, as found in
the Assistance Listings, to which this document applies are 10.171,
Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).
USDA Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, USDA, its
Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including
gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital
status, family or parental status, income derived from a public
assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for
prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or
funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and
complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Individuals who require alternative means of communication for
program information (for example, braille, large print, audiotape,
American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or
the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone
(TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service (both voice and
text telephone users can initiate this call from any telephone).
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages
other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint">https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint</a> and
at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in
the letter all the information requested in the form. To request a copy
of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form
or letter to USDA by: (1) mail to: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3)
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b9c9cbd6decbd8d497d0d7cdd8d2dcf9cccaddd897ded6cf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2353514c4451424e0d4a4d5742484663565047420d444c55">[email protected]</span></a>.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Zach Ducheneaux,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency and Executive Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2024-10172 Filed 5-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-E2-P
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