Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 10113 

Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the 

public interest to so license this 

invention as Hepalife Technologies, Inc. 

of Boston, Massachusetts has submitted 

a complete and sufficient application for 

a license. The prospective exclusive 

license will be royalty-bearing and will 

comply with the terms and conditions 

of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The 

prospective exclusive license may be 

granted unless, within thirty (30) days 

from the date of this published Notice, 

the Agricultural Research Service 

receives written evidence and argument 

which establishes that the grant of the 

license would not be consistent with the 

requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 

CFR 404.7. 

Richard J. Brenner, 

Assistant Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E7–3935 Filed 3–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Federal Crop Insurance Corporation 

Commodity Partnerships for Risk 

Management Education (Commodity 

Partnerships Program) 

Announcement Type: Availability of 

Funds and Request for Application for 

Competitive Cooperative Partnership 

Agreements. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.457. 

Dates: Applications are due 5 p.m. 

EDT, April 23, 2007. 

Summary: The Federal Crop 

Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating 

through the Risk Management Agency 

(RMA), announces the availability of 

approximately $5.0 million for 

Commodity Partnerships for Risk 

Management Education (the Commodity 

Partnerships Program). The purpose of 

this cooperative partnership agreement 

program is to deliver training and 

information in the management of 

production, marketing, and financial 

risk to U.S. agricultural producers. The 

program gives priority to educating 

producers of crops currently not insured 

under Federal crop insurance, specialty 

crops, and underserved commodities, 

including livestock and forage. A 

maximum of 50 cooperative partnership 

agreements will be funded, with no 

more than five in each of the ten 

designated RMA Regions. The 

maximum award for any of the 50 

cooperative partnership agreements will 

be $100,000. Applicants must 

demonstrate non-financial benefits from 

a cooperative partnership agreement 

and must agree to the substantial 

involvement of RMA in the project. 

This Announcement Consists of Eight 

Sections: 

Section I—Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Legislative Authority 

B. Background 

C. Definition of Priority Commodities 

D. Project Goal 

E. Purpose 

F. Objectives 

Section II—Award Information 

A. Type of Award 

B. Funding Availability 

C. Location and Target Audience 

D. Maximum Award 

E. Project Period 

F. Awardee Tasks 

G. RMA Activities 

H. Other Tasks 

Section III—Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

C. Other—Non-Financial Benefits 

Section IV—Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Address to Submit an Application 

Package 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

C. Submission Dates and Times 

D. Funding Restrictions 

E. Limitation on Use of Project Funds for 

Salaries and Benefits 

F. Indirect Cost Rates 

G. Other Submission Requirements 

H. Electronic submissions 

I. Acknowledgement of Applications 

Section V—Application Review Process 

A. Criteria 

B. Selection and Review Process 

Section VI—Award Administration 

A. Award Notices 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Requirement to Use Program Logo 

2. Requirement to Provide Project 

Information to an RMA-selected 

Representative 

3. Private Crop Insurance Organizations 

and Potential Conflict of Interest 

4. Access to Panel Review Information 

5. Confidential Aspects of Applications 

and Awards 

6. Audit Requirements 

7. Prohibitions and Requirements 

Regarding Lobbying 

8. Applicable OMB Circulars 

9. Requirement to Assure Compliance with 

Federal Civil Rights Laws 

10. Requirement to Participate in a Post 

Award Conference 

11. Requirement to Submit Educational 

Materials to the National AgRisk 

Education Library 

C. Reporting Requirements 

Section VII—Agency Contact 

Section VIII—Additional Information 

A. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) 

B. Required Registration with the Central 

Contract Registry for Submission of 

Proposals 

C. Related Programs 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Legislative Authority 

The Commodity Partnerships Program 

is authorized under section 522(d)(3)(F) 

of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (Act) 

(7 U.S.C. 1522(d)(3)(F)). 

B. Background 

RMA promotes and regulates sound 

risk management solutions to improve 

the economic stability of American 

agriculture. On behalf of FCIC, RMA 

does this by offering Federal crop 

insurance products through a network 

of private-sector partners, overseeing the 

creation of new risk management 

products, seeking enhancements in 

existing products, ensuring the integrity 

of crop insurance programs, offering 

outreach programs aimed at equal 

access and participation of underserved 

communities, and providing risk 

management education and information. 

One of RMA’s strategic goals is to 

ensure that its customers are well 

informed as to the risk management 

solutions available. This educational 

goal is supported by section 522(d)(3)(F) 

of the Act, which authorizes FCIC 

funding for risk management training 

and informational efforts for agricultural 

producers through the formation of 

partnerships with public and private 

organizations. With respect to such 

partnerships, priority is to be given to 

reaching producers of Priority 

Commodities, as defined below. 

C. Definition of Priority Commodities 

For purposes of this program, Priority 

Commodities are defined as: 

• Agricultural commodities covered 

by (7 U.S.C. 7333). Commodities in this 

group are commercial crops 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. 

• Specialty crops. Commodities in 

this group 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. 

• Underserved commodities. This 

group includes: (a) commodities, 

including livestock and forage, that are 

covered by a Federal crop insurance 

plan but for which participation in an 

area is below the national average; and 

(b) commodities, including livestock 

and forage, with inadequate crop 

insurance coverage. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
10114 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 

A project is considered as giving 

priority to Priority Commodities if the 

majority of the educational activities of 

the project are directed to producers of 

any of the three classes of commodities 

listed above or any combination of the 

three classes. 

D. Project Goal 

The goal of this program is to ensure 

that ‘‘* * * producers will be better able 

to use financial management, crop 

insurance, marketing contracts, and 

other existing and emerging risk 

management tools.’’

E. Purpose 

The purpose of the Commodity 

Partnership Program is to provide U.S. 

farmers and ranchers with training and 

informational opportunities to be able to 

understand: 

• The kinds of risks addressed by 

existing and emerging risk management 

tools; 

• the features and appropriate use of 

existing and emerging risk management 

tools; and 

• how to make sound risk 

management decisions. 

F. Objectives 

For 2007, the FCIC Board of Directors 

and the FCIC Manager are seeking 

projects with priorities that include the 

project objectives listed below which 

highlight the educational priorities 

within each RMA Region. The 

objectives are listed in priority order, 

with the most important objective 

designated as 1, the second most 

important designated as 2, etc. The 

order of priority will be considered in 

making awards. Applicants may 

propose other topics within any project 

objective but justification for those 

topics must be provided. RMA 

encourages applications that address 

multiple objectives, but each 

application must specify a single 

primary objective for funding purposes 

in an RMA Region. Applications that do 

not clearly specify a single primary 

objective for funding purposes in an 

RMA Region will be rejected. 

‘‘Unrestricted Risk Management Topics’’

are topics that address the Commodity 

Partnership Program purpose as listed 

above in Section I E. In order of priority, 

the project objectives are: 

Billings, MT Region: (MT, ND, SD, and 

WY) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)-Lite 

Insurance Tools (MT, WY) 

3. Pasture Rangeland and Forage (PRF) 

Rainfall Index Insurance Tools (ND) 

4. PRF Vegetative Index Insurance Tools 

(SD) 

Davis, CA Region: (AZ, CA, HI, NV, and 

UT) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR (CA) and AGR-Lite Insurance 

Tools (AZ, HI, NV, UT) 

3. Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) 

Insurance Tools (CA, NV, UT) 

4. Hawaii Tropical Fruit Tree Insurance 

Tools (HI) 

Jackson, MS Region: (AR, KY, LA, MS, 

and TN) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. Record Keeping Requirements for 

AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (TN) 

3. LRP Insurance Tools, PRF Rainfall 

Index and the PRF Vegetation Index 

Insurance Tools (AR, KY, LA, MS, 

and TN) 

4. Nursery Price Endorsement Crop 

Insurance Tool (AR, KY, LA, MS, and 

TN) 

Oklahoma City, OK Region: (NM, OK, 

and TX) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (NM) 

3. PRF Rainfall Index (TX) and the PRF 

Vegetation Index (OK) Insurance 

Tools 

4. LRP (OK, TX) Insurance Tools 

Raleigh, NC Region: (CT, DE, MA, MD, 

ME, NC, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, VA, VT, 

and WV) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. Aquaculture (Clams) Insurance 

Tools—(MA, VA) 

3. Nursery Insurance Tools—(CT, DE, 

MA, ME, MD, NC, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, 

VA, VT, and WV) 

4. AGR Insurance Tools—(CT, DE, MA, 

MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, and 

VA) 

AGR-Lite Insurance Tools—(CT, DE, 

MA, ME, MD, NC, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, 

VA, VT, and WV) 

Livestock and LRP Insurance Tools—

(WV) 

PRF Rainfall Index and the PRF 

Vegetation Index Insurance Tools—

(PA) 

Spokane, WA Region: (AK, ID, OR, and 

WA) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (Willamette 

Valley of OR and in Western WA) 

3. PRF Rainfall Index Insurance Tool 

(ID) and PRF Vegetation Index 

Insurance Tool (OR) 

4. LRP Lamb Pilot Insurance Tools (ID 

and OR) 

Springfield, IL Region: (IL, IN, MI, and 

OH) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR (MI), LRP Insurance Tools, PRF 

Rainfall Index and PRF Vegetation 

Index Insurance Tools (IL, IN, MI, 

OH) 

3. Cherry Pilot Insurance Tools (MI) 

4. Grape Insurance Tools (IL, IN, MI, 

OH) 

St. Paul, MN Region: (IA, MN, and WI) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (MN and 

WI) 

3. LRP and Livestock Gross Margin 

(LGM) Insurance Tools 

4. Hybrid Corn Seed Insurance Tools 

(IA, MN, and WI) 

Topeka, KS Region: (CO, KS, MO, and 

NE) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (CO, KS) 

3. PRF Rainfall Index and PRF 

Vegetation Index Insurance Tools 

(CO) 

4. Documentation Requirements for 

Irrigation Availability (CO, KS, NE) 

Valdosta, GA Region: (AL, FL, GA, SC, 

and Puerto Rico) 

1. Unrestricted Risk Management Topics 

(Two funded projects) 

2. PRF Rainfall Index and PRF 

Vegetation Index Insurance Tools (SC) 

3. AGR-Lite Insurance Tools (AL, FL, 

GA and SC) 

4. Avocado Fruit (Dade County, FL) and 

Citrus Insurance Tools (FL) 

II. Award Information 

A. Type of Award 

Cooperative Partnership Agreements, 

which require the substantial 

involvement of RMA. 

B. Funding Availability 

Approximately $5,000,000 is available 

in fiscal year 2007 to fund up to 50 

cooperative partnership agreements. 

The maximum award will be $100,000. 

It is anticipated that a maximum of five 

agreements will be funded for each 

designated RMA Region. Applicants 

should apply for funding under that 

RMA Region where the educational 

activities will be directed. 

In the event that all funds available 

for this program are not obligated after 

the maximum number of agreements are 

awarded or if additional funds become 

available, these funds may, at the 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 10115 

discretion of the Manager of FCIC, be 

used to award additional applications 

that score highly by the technical review 

panel or allocated pro-rata to awardees 

for use in broadening the size or scope 

of awarded projects if agreed to by the 

awardee. In the event that the Manager 

of FCIC determines that available RMA 

resources cannot support the 

administrative and substantial 

involvement requirements of all 

agreements recommended for funding, 

the Manager may elect to fund fewer 

agreements than the available funding 

might otherwise allow. It is expected 

that the awards will be made 

approximately 60 days after the 

application deadline. All awards will be 

made and agreements finalized no later 

than September 30, 2007. 

C. Location and Target Audience 

RMA Regional Offices and the States 

serviced within each Region are listed 

below. Staff from the respective RMA 

Regional Offices will provide 

substantial involvement for projects 

conducted within their Region. 

Billings, MT Regional Office: (MT, ND, 

SD, and WY) 

Davis, CA Regional Office: (AZ, CA, HI, 

NV, and UT) 

Jackson, MS Regional Office: (AR, KY, 

LA, MS, and TN) 

Oklahoma City, OK Regional Office: 

(NM, OK, and TX) 

Raleigh, NC Regional Office: (CT, DE, 

MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, 

VA, VT, and WV) 

Spokane, WA Regional Office: (AK, ID, 

OR, and WA) 

Springfield, IL Regional Office: (IL, IN, 

MI, and OH) 

St. Paul, MN Regional Office: (IA, MN, 

and WI) 

Topeka, KS Regional Office: (CO, KS, 

MO, and NE) 

Valdosta, GA Regional Office: (AL, FL, 

GA, SC, and Puerto Rico) 

Applicants must clearly designate in 

their application narratives the RMA 

Region where educational activities will 

be conducted, the specific groups of 

producers within the region that the 

applicant intends to reach through the 

project, and must clearly designate in 

their application the primary 

educational objective listed in Section I 

(F) that the project will address. Priority 

will be given to producers of Priority 

Commodities. Applicants proposing to 

conduct educational activities in more 

than one RMA Region must submit a 

separate application for each RMA 

Region. Single applications proposing to 

conduct educational activities in more 

than one RMA Region will be rejected. 

D. Maximum Award 

Any application that requests Federal 

funding of more than $100,000 will be 

rejected. RMA also reserves the right to 

fund successful applications at an 

amount less than requested if it is 

judged that the application can be 

implemented at a lower funding level. 

E. Project Period 

Projects will be funded for a period of 

up to one year from the project starting 

date. 

F. Awardee Tasks 

In conducting activities to achieve the 

purpose and goal of this program in a 

designated RMA Region, the awardee 

will be responsible for performing the 

following tasks: 

• Develop and conduct a promotional 

program. This program will include 

activities using media, newsletters, 

publications, or other appropriate 

informational dissemination techniques 

that are designed to: (a) Raise awareness 

for risk management; (b) inform 

producers of the availability of risk 

management tools; and (c) inform 

producers and agribusiness leaders in 

the designated RMA Region of training 

and informational opportunities. 

• Deliver risk management training 

and informational opportunities to 

agricultural producers and agribusiness 

professionals in the designated RMA 

Region. This will include organizing 

and delivering educational activities 

using instructional materials that have 

been assembled to meet the local needs 

of agricultural producers. Activities 

should be directed primarily to 

agricultural producers, but may include 

those agribusiness professionals that 

have frequent opportunities to advise 

producers on risk management tools and 

decisions. 

• Document all educational activities 

conducted under the partnership 

agreement and the results of such 

activities, including criteria and 

indicators used to evaluate the success 

of the program. The awardee may also 

be required to provide information to an 

RMA-selected contractor to evaluate all 

educational activities and advise RMA 

as to the effectiveness of activities. 

G. RMA Activities 

FCIC, working through RMA, will be 

substantially involved during the 

performance of the funded project 

through RMA’s ten Regional Offices. 

Potential types of substantial 

involvement may include, but are not 

limited to the following activities. 

• Assist in the selection of 

subcontractors and project staff. 

• Collaborate with the awardee in 

assembling, reviewing, and approving 

risk management materials for 

producers in the designated RMA 

Region. 

• Collaborate with the awardee in 

reviewing and approving a promotional 

program for raising awareness for risk 

management and for informing 

producers of training and informational 

opportunities in the RMA Region. 

• Collaborate with the awardee on the 

delivery of education to producers and 

agribusiness leaders in the RMA Region. 

This will include: (a) Reviewing and 

approving in advance all producer and 

agribusiness leader educational 

activities; (b) advising the project leader 

on technical issues related to crop 

insurance education and information; 

and (c) assisting the project leader in 

informing crop insurance professionals 

about educational activity plans and 

scheduled meetings. 

• Conduct an evaluation of the 

performance of the awardee in meeting 

the deliverables of the project. 

Applications that do not contain 

substantial involvement by RMA will be 

rejected. 

H. Other Tasks 

In addition to the specific, required 

tasks listed above, the applicant may 

propose additional tasks that would 

contribute directly to the purpose of this 

program. For any proposed additional 

task, the applicant must identify the 

objective of the task, the specific 

subtasks required to meet the objective, 

specific time lines for performing the 

subtasks, and the specific 

responsibilities of partners. The 

applicant must also identify specific 

ways in which RMA would have 

substantial involvement in the proposed 

project task. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants include State 

departments of agriculture, universities, 

non-profit agricultural organizations, 

and other public or private 

organizations with the capacity to lead 

a local program of risk management 

education for farmers and ranchers in an 

RMA Region. Individuals are not 

eligible applicants. Although an 

applicant may be eligible to compete for 

an award based on its status as an 

eligible entity, other factors may 

exclude an applicant from receiving 

Federal assistance under this program 

governed by Federal law and regulations 

(e.g. debarment and suspension; a 

determination of non-performance on a 

prior contract, cooperative agreement, 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
10116 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 

grant or partnership; a determination of 

a violation of applicable ethical 

standards; a determination of being 

considered ‘‘high risk’’). Applications 

from ineligible or excluded persons will 

be rejected in their entirety. 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

Although RMA prefers cost sharing by 

the applicant, this program has neither 

a cost sharing nor a matching 

requirement. 

C. Other—Non-Financial Benefits 

To be eligible, applicants must also be 

able to demonstrate that they will 

receive a non-financial benefit as a 

result of a partnership agreement. Nonfinancial benefits must accrue to the 

applicant and must include more than 

the ability to provide employment 

income to the applicant or for the 

applicant’s employees or the 

community. The applicant must 

demonstrate that performance under the 

partnership agreement will further the 

specific mission of the applicant (such 

as providing research or activities 

necessary for graduate or other students 

to complete their educational program). 

Applicants that do not demonstrate a 

non-financial benefit will be rejected. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Contact to Request Application 

Package 

Program application materials for the 

Commodity Partnerships Program under 

this announcement may be downloaded 

from http://www.rma.usda.gov/ 

aboutrma/agreements. Applicants may 

also request application materials from: 

Lon Burke, USDA–RMA–RME, phone: 

(202) 720–5265, fax: (202) 690–3605, email: RMA.Risk-Ed@rma.usda.gov. 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

A complete and valid application 

package must include an electronic 

copy (Microsoft Word format preferred) 

of the narrative portion (Forms RME 1 

and RME–2) of the application package 

on a compact disc and an original and 

two copies of the completed and signed 

application must be submitted in one 

package at the time of initial 

submission, which must include the 

following: 

1. A completed and signed OMB 

Standard Form 424, ‘‘Application for 

Federal Assistance.’’

2. A completed and signed OMB 

Standard Form 424–A, ‘‘Budget 

Information—Non-construction 

Programs.’’ Federal funding requested 

(the total of direct and indirect costs) 

must not exceed $100,000. 

3. A completed and signed OMB 

Standard Form 424–B, ‘‘Assurances, 

Non-constructive Programs.’’

4. Risk Management Education Project 

Narrative (Form RME–1). Complete all 

required parts of Form RME–1: 

Part I—Title Page. 

Part II—A written narrative of no 

more than 10 single-sided pages which 

will provide reviewers with sufficient 

information to effectively evaluate the 

merits of the application according to 

the evaluation criteria listed in this 

notice. Although a Statement of Work, 

which is the third evaluation criterion, 

is to be completed in detail in RME 

Form–2, applicants may wish to 

highlight certain unique features of the 

Statement of Work in Part II for the 

benefit of the evaluation panel. If your 

narrative exceeds the page limit, only 

the first 10 pages will be reviewed. 

• No smaller than 12 point font size. 

• Use an easily readable font face 

(e.g., Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, Times 

Roman). 

• 8.5 by 11 inch paper 

• One-inch margins on each page. 

• Printed on only one side of paper. 

• Held together only by rubber bands 

or metal clips; not bound or stapled in 

any other way 

Part III—A Budget Narrative, 

describing how the categorical costs 

listed on SF 424-A are derived. The 

budget narrative should provide enough 

detail for reviewers to easily understand 

how costs were determined and how 

they relate to the goals and objectives of 

the project. 

Part IV—Provide a ‘‘Statement of Nonfinancial Benefits.’’ (Refer to Section III, 

Eligibility Information, C. Other—Nonfinancial Benefits, above). 

5. ‘‘Statement of Work,’’ Form RME–

2, which identifies tasks and subtasks in 

detail, expected completion dates and 

deliverables, and RMA’s substantial 

involvement role for the proposed 

project. 

Applications that do not include 

items 1–5 above will be considered 

incomplete and will not receive further 

consideration and will be rejected. 

C. Submission Dates and Times 

Applications Deadline: 5 p.m. EDT, 

May 7, 2007. Applicants are responsible 

for ensuring that RMA receives a 

complete application package by the 

closing date and time. USPS mail sent 

to Washington DC headquarters is 

sanitized offsite, which may result in 

delays, loss, and physical damage to 

enclosures. Regardless of the delivery 

method you choose, please do so 

sufficiently in advance of the due date 

to ensure your application package is 

received on or before the deadline. It is 

your responsibility to meet the due date 

and time. E-mailed and faxed 

applications will not be accepted. Late 

application packages will not receive 

further consideration and will be 

rejected. 

D. Funding Restrictions 

Cooperative partnership agreement 

funds may not be used to: 

a. Plan, repair, rehabilitate, acquire, or 

construct a building or facility including 

a processing facility; 

b. purchase, rent, or install fixed 

equipment; 

c. repair or maintain privately owned 

vehicles; 

d. pay for the preparation of the 

cooperative partnership agreement 

application; 

e. fund political activities; 

f. purchase alcohol, food, beverage, or 

entertainment; 

g. pay costs incurred prior to 

receiving a partnership agreement; 

h. fund any activities prohibited in 7 

CFR Parts 3015 and 3019, as applicable. 

E. Limitation on Use of Project Funds 

for Salaries and Benefits 

Total costs for salary and benefits 

allowed for projects under this 

announcement will be limited to not 

more than 60 percent reimbursement of 

the funds awarded under the 

cooperative partnership agreement as 

indicated in Section III. Eligibility 

Information, C. Other—Non-financial 

Benefits. One goal of the Commodity 

Partnerships program is to maximize the 

use of the limited funding available for 

risk management education for 

producers of Priority Commodities. In 

order to accomplish this goal, RMA 

needs to ensure that the maximum 

amount of funds practicable is used for 

directly providing the educational 

opportunities. Limiting the amount of 

funding for salaries and benefits will 

allow the limited amount of funding to 

reach the maximum number of farmers 

and ranchers. 

F. Indirect Cost Rates 

a. Indirect costs allowed for projects 

submitted under this announcement 

will be limited to ten (10) percent of the 

total direct cost of the cooperative 

partnership agreement. Therefore, when 

preparing budgets, applicants should 

limit their requests for recovery of 

indirect costs to the lesser of their 

institution’s official negotiated indirect 

cost rate or 10 percent of the total direct 

costs. 

b. RMA will withhold all indirect cost 

rate funds for an award to an applicant 

requesting indirect costs if the applicant 

has not negotiated an indirect cost rate 

with its cognizant Federal agency. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 10117 

c. If an applicant is in the process of 

negotiating an indirect cost rate with its 

cognizant Federal agency, RMA will 

withhold all indirect cost rate funds 

from that applicant until the indirect 

cost rate has been established. 

d. If an applicant’s indirect cost rate 

has expired or will expire prior to award 

announcements, a clear statement on 

renegotiation efforts must be included 

in the application. 

e. It is incumbent on all applicants to 

have a current indirect cost rate or begin 

negotiations to establish an indirect cost 

rate prior to the submission deadline. 

Because it may take several months to 

obtain an indirect cost rate, applicants 

needing an indirect cost rate are 

encouraged to start work on establishing 

these rates well in advance of 

submitting an application. The U.S. 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) is responsible for assigning 

cognizant Federal agencies. 

f. Applicants may be asked to provide 

a copy of their indirect cost rate 

negotiated with their cognizant agency. 

g. RMA reserves the right to negotiate 

final budgets with successful applicants. 

G. Other Submission Requirements 

Mailed submissions: Applications 

submitted through express, overnight 

mail or another delivery service will be 

considered as meeting the announced 

deadline if they are received in the 

mailroom at the address stated below for 

express, overnight mail or another 

delivery service on or before the 

deadline. Applicants are cautioned that 

express, overnight mail or other delivery 

services do not always deliver as agreed. 

Applicants should take this into account 

because failure of such delivery services 

will not extend the deadline. Mailed 

applications will be considered as 

meeting the announced deadline if they 

are received on or before the deadline in 

the mailroom at the address stated 

below for mailed applications. 

Applicants are responsible for mailing 

applications well in advance, to ensure 

that applications are received on or 

before the deadline time and date. 

Applicants using the U.S. Postal 

Services should allow for the extra 

security handling time for delivery due 

to the additional security measures that 

mail delivered to government offices in 

the Washington DC area requires. 

Address when using private delivery 

services or when hand delivering: 

Attention: Risk Management 

Education Program, USDA/RMA/ 

RME, Room 5720, South Building, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. 

Address when using U.S. Postal 

Services: Attention: Risk Management 

Education Program, USDA/RMA/ 

RME/Stop 0808, Room 5720, South 

Building, 1400 Independence Ave, 

SW., Washington, DC 20250–0808. 

H. Electronic Submissions 

Applications transmitted 

electronically via Grants.gov will be 

accepted prior to the application date or 

time deadline. The application package 

can be accessed via Grants.gov, go to 

http://www.grants.gov, click on ‘‘Find 

Grant Opportunities,’’ click on ‘‘Search 

Grant Opportunities,’’ and enter the 

CFDA number (located at the beginning 

of this RFA) to search by CFDA number. 

From the search results, select the item 

that correlates to the title of this RFA. 

If you do not have electronic access to 

the RFA or have trouble downloading 

material and you would like a hardcopy, 

you may contact Lon Burke, USDA–

RMA–RME, phone: (202) 720–5265, fax: 

(202) 690–3605, e-mail: RMA.RiskEd@rma.usda.gov. 

If assistance is needed to access the 

application package via Grants.gov (e.g., 

downloading or navigating PureEdge 

forms, using PureEdge with a Macintosh 

computer), refer to resources available 

on the Grants.gov Web site first 

(http://www.grants.gov/). Grants.gov 

assistance is also available as follows: 

• Grants.gov customer support, Toll 

Free: 1–800–518–4726, Business Hours: 

M–F 7 am—9 pm Eastern Standard 

Time, E-mail: support@grants.gov. 

Applicants who submit their 

applications via the Grants.gov website 

are not required to submit any hard 

copy documents to RMA. 

When using Grants.gov to apply, RMA 

strongly recommends that you submit 

the online application at least two 

weeks prior to the application due date 

in case there are problems with the 

Grants.gov website and you want to 

submit your application via a mail 

delivery service. 

I. Acknowledgement of Applications 

Receipt of applications will be 

acknowledged by e-mail, whenever 

possible. Therefore, applicants are 

encouraged to provide e-mail addresses 

in their applications. If an e-mail 

address is not indicated on an 

application, receipt will be 

acknowledged by letter. There will be 

no notification of incomplete, 

unqualified or unfunded applications 

until the awards have been made. When 

received by RMA, applications will be 

assigned an identification number. This 

number will be communicated to 

applicants in the acknowledgement of 

receipt of applications. An application’s 

identification number should be 

referenced in all correspondence 

regarding the application. If the 

applicant does not receive an 

acknowledgement within 15 days of the 

submission deadline, the applicant 

should notify RMA’s point of contact 

indicated in Section VII, Agency 

Contact. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria 

Applications submitted under the 

Commodity Partnerships Program will 

be evaluated within each RMA Region 

according to the following criteria: 

Priority—Maximum 10 Points 

The applicant can submit projects that 

are not related to Priority Commodities. 

However, priority is given to projects 

relating to Priority Commodities and the 

degree in which such projects relate to 

the Priority Commodities. Projects that 

relate solely to Priority Commodities 

will be eligible for the most points. 

Project Benefits—Maximum 35 Points 

The applicant must demonstrate that 

the project benefits to farmers and 

ranchers warrant the funding requested. 

Applicants will be scored according to 

the extent they can: (a) Reasonably 

estimate the total number of producers 

reached through the various educational 

activities described in the Statement of 

Work; (b) justify such estimates with 

clear specifics; (c) identify the actions 

producers will likely be able to take as 

a result of the activities described in the 

Statement of Work; and (d) identify the 

specific measures for evaluating results 

that will be employed in the project. 

Reviewers’ scoring will be based on the 

scope and reasonableness of the 

applicant’s estimates of producers 

reached through the project, clear 

descriptions of specific expected project 

benefits, and well-designed methods for 

measuring the project’s results and 

effectiveness. 

Statement of Work—Maximum 15 

Points 

The applicant must produce a clear 

and specific Statement of Work for the 

project. For each of the tasks contained 

in the Description of Agreement Award 

(refer to Section II Award Information), 

the applicant must identify and describe 

specific subtasks, responsible entities, 

expected completion dates, RMA 

substantial involvement, and 

deliverables that will further the 

purpose of this program. Applicants 

will obtain a higher score to the extent 

that the Statement of Work is specific, 

measurable, reasonable, has specific 

deadlines for the completion of 

subtasks, relates directly to the required 

activities and the program purpose 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
10118 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 

described in this announcement, which 

is to provide producers with training 

and informational opportunities so that 

the producers will be better able to use 

financial management, crop insurance, 

marketing contracts, and other existing 

and emerging risk management tools. 

Applicants are required to submit this 

Statement of Work on Form RME–2. 

Partnering—Maximum 15 Points 

The applicant must demonstrate 

experience and capacity to partner with 

and gain the support of grower 

organizations, agribusiness 

professionals, and agricultural leaders to 

carry out a local program of education 

and information in a designated RMA 

Region. The applicant is required to 

establish a written partnering plan that 

includes how each partner will aid in 

carrying out the project goal and 

purpose stated in this announcement 

and letters of support stating that the 

partner has agreed to do this work. The 

applicant must ensure this plan 

includes a list of all partners working on 

the project, their titles, and how they 

will be contributing to the deliverables 

listed in the agreement. Applicants will 

receive higher scores to the extent that 

they can document and demonstrate: (a) 

That partnership commitments are in 

place for the express purpose of 

delivering the program in this 

announcement; (b) that a broad group of 

farmers and ranchers will be reached 

within the RMA Region; (c) that 

partners are contributing to the project 

and involved in recruiting producers to 

attend the training; (d) that a substantial 

effort has been made to partner with 

organizations that can meet the needs of 

producers; and (e) statements from each 

partner regarding the number of 

producers that partner is committed to 

recruit for the project that would 

support the estimates specified under 

the Project Benefits criterion. 

Project Management—Maximum 15 

Points 

The applicant must demonstrate an 

ability to implement sound and effective 

project management practices. Higher 

scores will be awarded to applicants 

that can demonstrate organizational 

skills, leadership, and experience in 

delivering services or programs that 

assist agricultural producers in the 

respective RMA Region. The project 

manager must demonstrate that he/she 

has the capability to accomplish the 

project goal and purpose stated in this 

announcement by (a) having a previous 

working relationship with the farm 

community in the designated RMA 

Region of the application, including 

being able to recruit approximately the 

number of producers to be reached in 

the application and/or (b) having 

established the capacity to partner with 

and gain the support of grower 

organizations, agribusiness 

professionals, and agribusiness leaders 

locally to aid in carrying out a program 

of education and information, including 

being able to recruit approximately the 

number of producers to be reached in 

this application. Applicants that will 

employ, or have access to, personnel 

who have experience in directing local 

educational programs that benefit 

agricultural producers in the respective 

RMA Region will receive higher 

rankings. 

Past Performance—Maximum 10 Points 

If the applicant has been an awardee 

of other Federal or other government 

grants, cooperative agreements, or 

contracts, the applicant must provide 

information relating to their past 

performance in reporting on outputs 

and outcomes under past or current 

federal assistance agreements. The 

applicant must also detail that they have 

consistently complied with financial 

and program reporting and auditing 

requirements. RMA reserves the right to 

add up to 10 points to applications due 

to past performance. Applicants with 

very good past performance will receive 

a score from 6–10 points. Applicants 

with acceptable past performance will 

receive a score from 1–5 points. 

Applicants with unacceptable past 

performance will receive a score of 

minus 5 points for this evaluation 

factor. Applicants without relevant past 

performance information will receive a 

neutral score of the mean number of 

points of all applicants with past 

performance. Under this cooperative 

partnership agreement, RMA will 

subjectively rate the awardee on project 

performance as indicated in Section II, 

G. 

The applicant must list all current 

public or private support to which 

personnel identified in the application 

have committed portions of their time, 

whether or not salary support for 

persons involved is included in the 

budget. An application that duplicates 

or overlaps substantially with an 

application already reviewed and 

funded (or to be funded) by another 

organization or agency will not be 

funded under this program. The projects 

proposed for funding should be 

included in the pending section. 

Budget Appropriateness and 

Efficiency—Maximum 15 Points 

Applicants must provide a detailed 

budget summary that clearly explains 

and justifies costs associated with the 

project. Applicants will receive higher 

scores to the extent that they can 

demonstrate a fair and reasonable use of 

funds appropriate for the project and a 

budget that contains the estimated cost 

of reaching each individual producer. 

The applicant must provide information 

factors such as: 

• The allowability and necessity for 

individual cost categories; 

• The reasonableness of amounts 

estimated for necessary costs; 

• The basis used for allocating 

indirect or overhead costs; 

• The appropriateness of allocating 

particular overhead costs to the 

proposed project as direct costs; and 

• The percent of time devoted to the 

project for all key project personnel 

identified in the application. Salaries of 

project personnel should be requested 

in proportion to the percent of time that 

they would devote to the project—Note: 

Cannot exceed 60% of the total project 

budget. Applicants must list all current 

public or private support to which 

personnel identified in the application 

have committed portions of their time, 

whether or not salary support for 

persons involved is included in the 

budget. Only items or services that are 

necessary for the successful completion 

of the project will be funded as 

permitted under the Act. 

B. Review and Selection Process 

Applications will be evaluated using 

a two-part process. First, each 

application will be screened by RMA 

personnel to ensure that it meets the 

requirements in this announcement. 

Applications that do not meet the 

requirements of this announcement or 

are incomplete will not receive further 

consideration during the next process. 

Applications that meet announcement 

requirements will be sorted into the 

RMA Region in which the applicant 

proposes to conduct the project and 

then sorted by project objective listed in 

Section I (F). These applications will be 

presented to a review panel for 

consideration. 

Second, the review panel will meet to 

consider and discuss the merits of each 

application. The panel will consist of 

not less than two independent 

reviewers. Reviewers will be drawn 

from USDA, other Federal agencies, and 

others representing public and private 

organizations, as needed. After 

considering the merits of all 

applications within an RMA Region, 

panel members will score each 

application according to the criteria and 

point values listed above. The panel 

will then rank each application against 

others within the RMA Region by 

educational objective listed in Section I 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 10119 

(F) according to the scores received. 

Those applications will be listed in 

initial rank order by objective within 

each RMA Region. The highest-ranking 

application for each objective will be 

funded in the order of priority (the 

highest-ranking application meeting 

objective 2 will be funded third, etc.) in 

each RMA Region. Note: Two projects 

will be funded in objective 1 in each 

RMA Region. In the event that there no 

applications that warrant funding in 

objectives 1–4 or if there are funds 

remaining, the process will be repeated 

until the funds are obligated. 

A lottery will be used to resolve any 

instances of a tie score that might have 

a bearing on funding recommendations. 

If such a lottery is required, the names 

of all tied applicants will be entered 

into a drawing. The first tied applicant 

drawn will have priority over other tied 

applicants for funding consideration. 

The review panel will report the 

results of the evaluation to the Manager 

of FCIC. The panel’s report will include 

the recommended applicants to receive 

partnership agreements for each RMA 

Region. Funding will not be provided 

for an application receiving a score less 

than 60. Funding will not be provided 

for an application that is highly similar 

to a higher-scoring application in the 

same RMA Region. Highly similar is one 

that proposes to reach the same 

producers likely to be reached by 

another applicant that scored higher by 

the panel and the same general 

educational material is proposed to be 

delivered. 

An organization, or group of 

organizations in partnership, may apply 

for funding under other FCIC or RMA 

programs, in addition to the program 

described in this announcement. 

However, if the Manager of FCIC 

determines that an application 

recommended for funding is sufficiently 

similar to a project that has been funded 

or has been recommended to be funded 

under another RMA or FCIC program, 

then the Manager may elect to not fund 

that application in whole or in part. The 

Manager of FCIC will make the final 

determination on those applications that 

will be awarded funding. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notices 

Following approval by the awarding 

official of RMA of the applications to be 

selected for funding, project leaders 

whose applications have been selected 

for funding will be notified. Within the 

limit of funds available for such a 

purpose, the awarding official of RMA 

shall enter into cooperative partnership 

agreements with those selected 

applicants. The agreements provide the 

amount of Federal funds for use in the 

project period, the terms and conditions 

of the award, and the time period for the 

project. The effective date of the 

agreement shall be on the date the 

agreement is executed by both parties 

and it shall remain in effect for up to 

one year or through September 30, 2008, 

whichever is later. 

After a cooperative partnership 

agreement has been signed, RMA will 

extend to awardees, in writing, the 

authority to draw down funds for the 

purpose of conducting the activities 

listed in the agreement. All funds 

provided to the awardee by FCIC must 

be expended solely for the purpose for 

which the funds are obligated in 

accordance with the approved 

agreement and budget, the regulations, 

the terms and conditions of the award, 

and the applicability of Federal cost 

principles. No commitment of Federal 

assistance beyond the project period is 

made or implied for any award resulting 

from this notice. 

Notification of denial of funding will 

be sent to applicants after final funding 

decisions have been made and the 

awardees announced publicly. Reasons 

for denial of funding can include, but 

are not limited to, incomplete 

applications, applications with 

evaluation scores that are lower than 

other applications in an RMA Region, or 

applications that propose to deliver 

education to groups of producers in an 

RMA Region that are largely similar to 

groups reached in a higher ranked 

application. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Requirement to Use Program Logo 

Awardees will be required to use a 

program logo and design provided by 

RMA for all instructional and 

promotional materials. 

2. Requirement to Provide Project 

Information to an RMA-selected 

Representative 

Awardees will be required to assist 

RMA in evaluating the effectiveness of 

its educational programs by providing 

documentation of educational activities 

and related information to any 

representative selected by RMA for 

program evaluation purposes. 

3. Private Crop Insurance Organizations 

and Potential Conflicts of Interest 

Private organizations that are 

involved in the sale of Federal crop 

insurance, or that have financial ties to 

such organizations, are eligible to apply 

for funding under this announcement. 

However, such entities will not be 

allowed to receive funding to conduct 

activities that would otherwise be 

required under a Standard Reinsurance 

Agreement or any other agreement in 

effect between FCIC and the entity. 

Also, such entities will not be allowed 

to receive funding to conduct activities 

that could be perceived by producers as 

promoting one company’s services or 

products over another’s. If applying for 

funding, such organizations are 

encouraged to be sensitive to potential 

conflicts of interest and to describe in 

their application the specific actions 

they will take to avoid actual and 

perceived conflicts of interest. 

4. Access to Panel Review Information 

Upon written request from the 

applicant, scores from the evaluation 

panel, not including the identity of 

reviewers, will be sent to the applicant 

after the review and awards process has 

been completed. 

5. Confidential Aspects of Applications 

and Awards 

The names of applicants, the names of 

individuals identified in the 

applications, the content of 

applications, and the panel evaluations 

of applications will all be kept 

confidential, except to those involved in 

the review process, to the extent 

permitted by law. In addition, the 

identities of review panel members will 

remain confidential throughout the 

entire review process and will not be 

released to applicants. At the end of the 

fiscal year, names of panel members 

will be made available. However, 

panelists will not be identified with the 

review of any particular application. 

When an application results in a 

partnership agreement, that agreement 

becomes a part of the official record of 

RMA transactions, available to the 

public upon specific request. 

Information that the Secretary of 

Agriculture determines to be of a 

confidential, privileged, or proprietary 

nature will be held in confidence to the 

extent permitted by law. Therefore, any 

information that the applicant wishes to 

be considered confidential, privileged, 

or proprietary should be clearly marked 

within an application, including the 

basis for such designation. The original 

copy of a application that does not 

result in an award will be retained by 

RMA for a period of one year. Other 

copies will be destroyed. Copies of 

applications not receiving awards will 

be released only with the express 

written consent of the applicant or to 

the extent required by law. An 

application may be withdrawn at any 

time prior to award. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
10120 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 

6. Audit Requirements 

Awardees are subject to audit. 

7. Prohibitions and Requirements with 

Regard to Lobbying 

Section 1352 of Public Law 101–121, 

enacted on October 23, 1989, imposes 

prohibitions and requirements for 

disclosure and certification related to 

lobbying on awardees of Federal 

contracts, grants, cooperative 

agreements, and loans. It provides 

exemptions for Indian Tribes and tribal 

organizations. Current and prospective 

awardees and any subcontractors, are 

prohibited from using Federal funds, 

other than profits from a Federal 

contract, for lobbying Congress or any 

Federal agency in connection with the 

award of a contract, grant, cooperative 

agreement, or loan. In addition, for each 

award action in excess of $100,000 

($150,000 for loans) the law requires 

awardees and any subcontractors: (1) To 

certify that they have neither used nor 

will use any appropriated funds for 

payment of lobbyists; (2) to disclose the 

name, address, payment details, and 

purpose of any agreements with 

lobbyists whom awardees of their 

subcontractors will pay with profits or 

other non-appropriated funds on or after 

December 22, 1989; and (3) to file 

quarterly up-dates about the use of 

lobbyists if material changes occur in 

their use. The law establishes civil 

penalties for non-compliance. A copy of 

the certification and disclosure forms 

must be submitted with the application 

and are available at the address and 

telephone number listed in Section VII. 

Agency Contact. 

8. Applicable OMB Circulars 

All cooperative partnership 

agreements funded as a result of this 

notice will be subject to the 

requirements contained in all applicable 

OMB circulars. 

9. Requirement to Assure Compliance 

with Federal Civil Rights Laws 

Project leaders of all cooperative 

partnership agreements funded as a 

result of this notice are required to 

know and abide by Federal civil rights 

laws and to assure USDA and RMA that 

the awardee is in compliance with and 

will continue to comply with Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 

2000d et seq.), 7 CFR Part 15, and USDA 

regulations promulgated thereunder, 7 

CFR 1901.202. RMA requires that 

awardees submit an Assurance 

Agreement (Civil Rights), assuring RMA 

of this compliance prior to the 

beginning of the project period. 

10. Requirement to Participate in a Post 

Award Conference 

RMA requires that project leaders 

attend a post award conference to 

become fully aware of agreement 

requirements and for delineating the 

roles of RMA personnel and the 

procedures that will be followed in 

administering the agreement and will 

afford an opportunity for the orderly 

transition of agreement duties and 

obligations if different personnel are to 

assume post-award responsibility. In 

their applications, applicants should 

budget for possible travel costs 

associated with attending this 

conference. 

11. Requirement to Submit Educational 

Materials to the National AgRisk 

Education Library 

RMA requires that project leaders 

upload digital copies of all risk 

management educational materials 

developed because of the project to the 

National AgRisk Education Library 

(http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/) for 

posting. RMA will be clearly identified 

as having provided funding for the 

materials. 

C. Reporting Requirements 

Awardees will be required to submit 

quarterly progress reports, quarterly 

financial reports (OMB Standard Form 

269), and quarterly Activity Logs (Form 

RME–3) throughout the project period, 

as well as a final program and financial 

report not later than 90 days after the 

end of the project period. 

Awardees will be required to submit 

prior to the award: 

• A completed and signed Form RD 

400–4, Assurance Agreement (Civil 

Rights). 

• A completed and signed OMB 

Standard Form LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of 

Lobbying Activities.’’

• A completed and signed AD–1047, 

‘‘Certification Regarding Debarment, 

Suspension and Other Responsibility 

Matters—Primary Covered 

Transactions.’’

• A completed and signed AD–1049, 

‘‘Certification Regarding Drug-Free 

Workplace.’’

• A completed and signed FaithBased Survey on EEO. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: 

Applicants and other interested parties 

are encouraged to contact: Lon Burke, 

USDA–RMA–RME, 1400 Independence 

Ave. SW, Stop 0808, Room 5720, 

Washington, DC 20250–0808, phone: 

202–720–5265, fax: 202–690–3605, email: RMA.Risk-Ed@rma.usda.gov. You 

may also obtain information regarding 

this announcement from the RMA Web 

site at: http://www.rma.usda.gov/ 

aboutrma/agreements. 

VIII. Other Information 

A. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) 

A DUNS number is a unique ninedigit sequence recognized as the 

universal standard for identifying and 

keeping track of over 70 million 

businesses worldwide. The Office of 

Management and Budget published a 

notice of final policy issuance in the 

Federal Register June 27, 2003 (68 FR 

38402) that requires a DUNS number in 

every application (i.e., hard copy and 

electronic) for a grant or cooperative 

agreement on or after October 1, 2003. 

Therefore, potential applicants should 

verify that they have a DUNS number or 

take the steps needed to obtain one. For 

information about how to obtain a 

DUNS number, go to http:// 

www.grants.gov. Please note that the 

registration may take up to 14 business 

days to complete. 

B. Required Registration With the 

Central Contract Registry for 

Submission of Proposals 

The Central Contract Registry (CCR) is 

a database that serves as the primary 

Government repository for contractor 

information required for the conduct of 

business with the Government. This 

database will also be used as a central 

location for maintaining organizational 

information for organizations seeking 

and receiving grants from the 

Government. Such organizations must 

register in the CCR prior to the 

submission of applications. A DUNS 

number is needed for CCR registration. 

For information about how to register in 

the CCR, visit ’’Get Started’’ at the Web 

site, http://www.grants.gov. Allow a 

minimum of 5 business days to 

complete the CCR registration. 

C. Related Programs 

Funding availability for this program 

may be announced at approximately the 

same time as funding availability for 

similar but separate programs—CFDA 

No. 10.455 (Community Outreach and 

Assistance Partnerships), CFDA No. 

10.456 (Risk Management Research 

Partnerships), CFDA No. 10.458 (Crop 

Insurance Education in Targeted States), 

and CFDA No. 10.459 (Commodity 

Partnerships Small Sessions Program). 

These programs have some similarities, 

but also key differences. The differences 

stem from important features of each 

program’s authorizing legislation and 

different RMA objectives. Prospective 

applicants should carefully examine 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 7, 2007 / Notices 10121 

and compare the notices for each 

program. 

Signed in Washington, DC on March 1, 

2007. 

James Callan, 

Acting Manager, Federal Crop Insurance 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. E7–4080 Filed 3–6–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Federal Crop Insurance Corporation 

Commodity Partnerships for Small 

Agricultural Risk Management 

Education Sessions (Commodity 

Partnerships Small Sessions Program) 

Announcement Type: Announcement 

of Availability of Funds and Request for 

Application for Competitive 

Cooperative Partnership Agreements. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.459. 

Dates: Applications are due 5 p.m. 

EDT, April 23, 2007. 

Summary: The Federal Crop 

Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating 

through the Risk Management Agency 

(RMA), announces the availability of 

approximately $500,000 for Commodity 

Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk 

Management Education Sessions (the 

Commodity Partnerships Small Sessions 

Program). The purpose of this 

cooperative partnership agreement 

program is to deliver training and 

information in the management of 

production, marketing, and financial 

risk to U.S. agricultural producers. The 

program gives priority to educating 

producers of crops currently not insured 

under Federal crop insurance, specialty 

crops, and underserved commodities, 

including livestock and forage. A 

maximum of 50 cooperative partnership 

agreements will be funded, with no 

more than five in each of the ten 

designated RMA Regions. The 

maximum award for any cooperative 

partnership agreement will be $10,000. 

Awardees must demonstrate nonfinancial benefits from a cooperative 

partnership agreement and must agree 

to the substantial involvement of RMA 

in the project. Funding availability for 

this program may be announced at 

approximately the same time as funding 

availability for similar but separate 

programs—CFDA No. 10.455 

(Community Outreach and Assistance 

Partnerships), CFDA No. 10.456 (Risk 

Management Research Partnerships), 

CFDA No. 10.457 (Commodity 

Partnerships for Risk Management 

Education), and CFDA No. 10.458 (Crop 

Insurance Education in Targeted States). 

Prospective applicants should carefully 

examine and compare the notices for 

each program. 

This Announcement Consists of Eight 

Sections 

Section I—Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Legislative Authority 

B. Background 

C. Definition of Priority Commodities 

D. Project Goal 

E. Purpose 

Section II—Award Information 

A. Type of Award 

B. Funding Availability 

C. Location and Target Audience 

D. Maximum Award 

E. Project Period 

F. Description of Agreement Awardee 

Tasks 

G. RMA Activities 

H. Other Tasks 

Section III—Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

C. Other—Non-Financial Benefits 

Section IV—Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Address to Submit an Application 

Package 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

C. Submission Dates and Times 

D. Intergovernmental Review 

E. Funding Restrictions 

F. Limitation on Use of Project Funds for 

Salaries and Benefits 

G. Indirect Cost Rates 

H. Other Submission Requirements 

I. Electronic submissions 

J. Acknowledgement of Applications 

Section V—Application Review Process 

A. Criteria 

B. Selection and Review Process 

Section VI—Award Administration 

A. Award Notices 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Requirement to Use Program Logo 

2. Requirement to Provide Project 

Information to an RMA-selected 

Representative 

3. Private Crop Insurance Organizations 

and Potential Conflict of Interest 

4. Access to Panel Review Information 

5. Confidential Aspects of Applications 

and Awards 

6. Audit Requirements 

7. Prohibitions and Requirements 

Regarding Lobbying 

8. Applicable OMB Circulars 

9. Requirement to Assure Compliance with 

Federal Civil Rights Laws 

10. Requirement to Participate in a Post 

Award Conference 

11. Requirement to Submit Educational 

Materials to the National AgRisk 

Education Library 

C. Reporting Requirements 

Section VII—Agency Contact 

Section VIII—Additional Information 

A. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) 

B. Required Registration with the Central 

Contract Registry for Submission of 

Proposals 

C. Related Programs 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Legislative Authority 

The Commodity Partnerships Small 

Sessions Program is authorized under 

section 522(d)(3)(F) of the Federal Crop 

Insurance Act (Act) (7 U.S.C. 

1522(d)(3)(F). 

B. Background 

RMA promotes and regulates sound 

risk management solutions to improve 

the economic stability of American 

agriculture. On behalf of FCIC, RMA 

does this by offering Federal crop 

insurance products through a network 

of private-sector partners, overseeing the 

creation of new risk management 

products, seeking enhancements in 

existing products, ensuring the integrity 

of crop insurance programs, offering 

outreach programs aimed at equal 

access and participation of underserved 

communities, and providing risk 

management education and information. 

One of RMA’s strategic goals is to 

ensure that its customers are well 

informed as to the risk management 

solutions available. This educational 

goal is supported by section 522(d)(3)(F) 

of the Act, which authorizes FCIC 

funding for risk management training 

and informational efforts for agricultural 

producers through the formation of 

partnerships with public and private 

organizations. With respect to such 

partnerships, priority is to be given to 

reaching producers of Priority 

Commodities, as defined below. 

C. Definition of Priority Commodities 

For purposes of this program, Priority 

Commodities are defined as: 

• Agricultural commodities covered 

by (7 U.S.C. 7333). Commodities in this 

group are commercial crops 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. 

• Specialty crops. Commodities in 

this group 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. 

• Underserved commodities. This 

group includes: (a) commodities, 

including livestock and forage, that are 

covered by a Federal crop insurance 

plan but for which participation in an 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES