Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 172 / Tuesday, September 6, 2011 / Notices 54999 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Doc. No. AMS–NOP–11–0072; NOP–11–13] 

Notice of 2011 National Organic 

Certification Cost-Share Program 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Funds Availability: 

Inviting Applications from State 

Departments of Agriculture for the 

National Organic Certification CostShare Program. 

SUMMARY: This Notice invites all States 

of the United States of America, its 

territories, the District of Columbia, and 

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

(hereinafter collectively called States) to 

submit an Application for Federal 

Assistance (Standard Form 424) and to 

enter into a cooperative agreement with 

the Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS) for the allocation of National 

Organic Certification Cost-Share Funds. 

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2008, the AMS 

allocated $22.0 million for the national 

organic certification cost-share program. 

These funds will be allocated annually 

to States through cooperative 

agreements until exhausted. Funds are 

available to States interested in 

providing cost-share assistance to 

organic producers and handlers certified 

under the USDA Organic Regulations (7 

CFR 205). States interested in obtaining 

cost-share funds must submit an 

Application for Federal Assistance and 

enter into a cooperative agreement with 

AMS for allocation of funds. 

DATES: Completed Applications for 

Federal Assistance and signed 

cooperative agreements must be 

received by the National Organic 

Program (NOP) no later than September 

23, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Applications for federal 

assistance shall be submitted via 

http://www.grants.gov. Paper 

applications will not be accepted. 

Instructions for submitting applications 

are available on the National Organic 

Program’s Web site at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/NOPCostSharing. 

Signed cooperative agreements should 

be sent via express mail to Betsy Rakola, 

Agricultural Marketing Specialist, 

National Organic Program, USDA/AMS/ 

NOP, Room 2646–South, Ag Stop 0268, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0268. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Betsy Rakola, Agricultural Marketing 

Specialist, National Organic Program, 

USDA/AMS/NOP, Room 2646–South, 

Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

0268; Telephone: (202) 720–3252. Email: Betsy.Rakola@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

National Organic Certification CostShare Program is authorized under 7 

U.S.C. 6523, as amended by section 

10301 of the Food, Conservation and 

Energy Act of 2008 (Act). The Act 

authorizes the Department to provide 

certification cost-share assistance to 

producers and handlers of organic 

agricultural products in all States. 

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2008, the AMS 

allocated $22 million for this program to 

be distributed to interested States, until 

funding has been exhausted. The 

Program provides financial assistance to 

organic producers and handlers certified 

to the USDA Organic Regulations (7 

CFR 205). The National Organic 

Program is authorized under the 

Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, 

as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.). 

To participate in the program, 

interested States, through their State 

Department of Agriculture, must 

complete an Application for Federal 

Assistance (Standard Form 424) and 

enter into a written cooperative 

agreement with AMS. State Department 

of Agriculture refers to agencies, 

commissions, or departments of State 

government responsible for 

implementing regulation, policy or 

programs on agriculture within their 

State. The program will provide costshare assistance, through participating 

States, to organic producers and 

handlers receiving certification or 

incurring expenses for the continuation 

of certification by a USDA accredited 

certifying agent during the period of 

October 1, 2011, through September 30, 

2012. Under the Act, cost-share 

assistance payments are limited to 75% 

(seventy-five percent) of an individual 

producer’s or handler’s certification 

costs up to a maximum of $750 (sevenhundred and fifty dollars) per year. To 

receive cost-share assistance, organic 

producers and handlers should contact 

their State Departments of Agriculture. 

Procedures for applying are outlined in 

the program’s policies and procedures 

document at http://1.usa.gov/ 

OrganicCostShare. 

For producers in the states of 

Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, 

Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New 

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, 

Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming, 

cost-share funding is available under the 

Agricultural Management Assistance 

(AMA) Organic Certification Cost-Share 

Program. The AMA program is 

authorized under Section 1524 of the 

Federal Crop Insurance Act, as amended 

(7 U.S.C. 1501–1524). As provided in a 

notice of Funds Availability published 

separately in the Federal Register, 

completed applications for the AMA 

federal assistance program, along with 

signed cooperative agreements, must be 

received by the NOP no later than 

September 23, 2011. Information on the 

AMA program can be found on the 

NOP’s Web site at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/NOPCostSharing. 

How to Submit Applications: To 

receive funds for cost-share assistance, a 

State Department of Agriculture must 

complete an Application for Federal 

Assistance (Standard Form 424) and 

enter into a written cooperative 

agreement with AMS. Interested States 

should submit the Application for 

Federal Assistance, (Standard Form 424) 

electronically via Grants.gov, the 

Federal grants Web site, at http:// 

www.grants.gov. For information on 

how to use Grants.Gov, please consult 

http://www.grants.gov/GetRegistered. 

Applications must be filed by Friday, 

September 23, 2011. Cooperative 

agreements will be sent by the AMS to 

participating State Departments of 

Agriculture via express mail. The 

cooperative agreement must have the 

original signature of an official who has 

authority to apply for Federal 

assistance. The signed cooperative 

agreement must be sent by express mail 

and received by the NOP by September 

23, 2011 at the address specified 

previously. 

The National Organic Certification 

Cost-share Program is listed in the 

‘‘Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance’’ under number 10.171. 

Subject agencies must adhere to Title VI 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which 

bars discrimination in all Federallyassisted programs. Additional 

information on the National Organic 

Certification Cost-share Program can be 

found on the NOP’s Web site at 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/ 

NOPCostSharing. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6523. 

Dated: August 29, 2011. 

Ellen King, 

Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–22611 Filed 9–2–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

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