Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 29, 2017 / Notices 40987 

Route 414, Hector, NY 14841; 

Manchester District Ranger, Green 

Mountain National Forest, 2538 Depot 

Street, Manchester Center, VT 05255; or 

Rochester District Ranger, Green 

Mountain National Forest, 99 Ranger 

Road, Rochester, VT 05767. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hector Ranger District: Tim Noon, 

Natural Resource Specialist, (607) 546– 

4470; Manchester Ranger District: Emily 

Lauderdale, District Recreation Program 

Manager, (802) 362–2307; Rochester 

Ranger District: Holly Knox, District 

Recreation Program Manager, (802) 767– 

4261. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement 

Act (Title VII, Pub. L. 108–447) directs 

the Secretary of Agriculture to publish 

a six month advance notice in the 

Federal Register whenever new 

recreation fee or fee areas are 

established. 

The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes 

National Forests are proposing several 

new fees to recreation areas on the three 

ranger districts located within the 

Forests. They are as follows: 

1. Hector Ranger District, Finger Lakes 

National Forest: Proposed new fees for 

Backbone Horse Camp for overnight use 

at $15.00 per night for one vehicle and 

one horse trailer, and a day use fee of 

$5.00 for one vehicle and one horse 

trailer. 

2. Manchester Ranger District, Green 

Mountain National Forest: Proposed 

new fees for Grout Pond Recreation 

Area for overnight use at $16.00 per 

night for one vehicle, plus an additional 

$5 for each additional vehicle. 

3. Rochester Ranger District, Green 

Mountain National Forest: Proposed 

new fees for Silver Lake Campground at 

$10 per night, plus an additional $5 for 

each additional vehicle; and Texas Falls 

Day Use Area Pavilion at $20 for up to 

20 people, and $40 for 21–40 people. 

A tremendous increase in recreation 

use at these specific areas on the Forests 

has shown that people appreciate and 

enjoy the availability of developed 

recreation facilities and pavilions. The 

Forests currently have several 

campgrounds and recreation areas with 

fees, and pavilions for rent. The 

campgrounds and recreation areas are 

often at capacity with pavilion rentals 

often fully booked throughout their 

rental season. A market analysis for 

each area indicates that the above 

proposed fees are both reasonable and 

acceptable for this sort of unique 

recreation experience. Revenue from the 

recreation fees will be used for 

improvements as well as the continued 

operation and maintenance of these 

sites. These fees will also help support 

sustainable recreation on the Forests. 

The proposed fees will be reviewed 

by a Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committee prior to a final decision and 

implementation. If approved by the 

Eastern Regional Forester, the new fees 

would go into effect around May 2018. 

The Backbone Horse Camp, Grout Pond 

Recreation Area, Silver Lake 

Campground, and Texas Falls Day Use 

Area Pavilion will become available for 

recreational use and rentals around May 

2018. 

People wanting to reserve Backbone 

Horse Camp, Silver Lake Campground, 

or Texas Falls Day Use Area Pavilion 

will need to do so through Recreation 

One Stop, at www.recreation.gov or by 

calling 1–877–444–6777. Recreation 

One Stop charges a $10 fee for 

reservations. 

Dated: August 11, 2017. 

Glenn Casamassa, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18233 Filed 8–28–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Inviting Applications for Value-Added 

Producer Grants and Solicitation of 

Grant Reviewers 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces that 

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

(Agency) is accepting applications for 

the Value-Added Producer Grant 

(VAPG) program. Approximately $18 

million is currently available. The 

Agency may also utilize any funding 

that become available after publishing 

this notice. Enactment of a continuing 

resolution or an appropriations act may 

affect the availability or level of funding 

for this program. The Agency will 

publish the program funding level on 

the Rural Development Web site 

(https://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants). 

Section VII also announces solicitation 

of non-Federal independent grant 

reviewers to evaluate and score 

applications submitted under this 

Notice. 

DATES: You must submit your 

application by January 31, 2018 or it 

will not be considered for funding. 

Paper applications must be postmarked 

and mailed, shipped or sent overnight 

by this date. You may also hand carry 

your application to one of our field 

offices, but it must be received by close 

of business on the deadline date. 

Electronic applications are permitted 

via http://www.grants.gov only, and 

must be received before midnight 

January 24, 2018. Late applications are 

not eligible for grant funding under this 

Notice. 

ADDRESSES: You should contact your 

USDA Rural Development State Office if 

you have questions about eligibility or 

submission requirements. You are 

encouraged to contact your State Office 

well in advance of the application 

deadline to discuss your project and to 

ask any questions about the application 

process. Application materials are 

available at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/value-addedproducer-grants. 

If you want to submit an electronic 

application, follow the instructions for 

the VAPG funding announcement on 

http://www.grants.gov. Please review 

the Grants.gov Web site at http://

grants.gov/applicants/organizationregistration.html for instructions on the 

process of registering your organization 

as soon as possible to ensure you are 

able to meet the electronic application 

deadline. If you want to submit a paper 

application, send it to the State Office 

located in the State where your project 

will primarily take place. You can find 

State Office Contact information at 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/ 

state-offices. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Grants Division, Cooperative Programs, 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 

United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., MS 3253, Room 4008-South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3253, or call 

202–690–1374. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: ValueAdded Producer Grant. 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Solicitation of Applications and 

Solicitation of Grant Reviewers 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.352. 

Dates: Application Deadline. You 

must submit your complete paper 

application by January 31, 2018, or it 

will not be considered for funding. 

Electronic applications must be received 

by http://www.grants.gov no later than 

midnight Eastern Time January 24, 

2018, or it will not be considered for 

funding. 


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40988 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 29, 2017 / Notices 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, the paperwork burden 

associated with this Notice has been 

approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control 

Number 0570–0039. 

A. Program Description 

The VAPG program is authorized 

under section 231 of the Agriculture 

Risk Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 

106–224), as amended by section 6203 

of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 

113–79) (see 7 U.S.C. 1632a). Applicants 

must adhere to the requirements 

contained in the program regulation, 7 

CFR 4284, subpart J, which is 

incorporated by reference in this Notice. 

The objective of this grant program is 

to assist viable Independent Producers, 

Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer 

and Rancher Cooperatives, and 

Majority-Controlled Producer-Based 

Businesses in starting or expanding 

value-added activities related to the 

processing and/or marketing of ValueAdded Agricultural Products. Grants 

will be awarded competitively for either 

planning or working capital projects 

directly related to the processing and/or 

marketing of value-added products. 

Generating new products, creating and 

expanding marketing opportunities, and 

increasing producer income are the end 

goals of the program. All proposals must 

demonstrate economic viability and 

sustainability in order to compete for 

funding. 

Funding priority will be made 

available to Beginning Farmers and 

Ranchers, Veteran Farmers and 

Ranchers, Socially-Disadvantaged 

Farmers and Ranchers, Operators of 

Small and Medium-Sized Farms and 

Ranches structured as Family Farms or 

Ranches, Farmer or Rancher 

Cooperatives, and projects proposing to 

develop a Mid-Tier Value Chain. See 7 

CFR 4284.923 for Reserved Funds 

eligibility and 7 CFR 4284.924 for 

Priority Scoring eligibility. 

Definitions 

The terms you need to understand are 

defined in 7 CFR 4284.902. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Instrument: Grant. 

Approximate Number of Awards: To 

be determined. 

Available Total Funding: To be 

determined. 

Maximum Award Amount: 

Planning—$75,000; Working Capital— 

$250,000. 

Project Period: Up to 36 months 

depending on the complexity of the 

project. 

Anticipated Award Date: May 31, 

2018. 

Reservation of Funds: Ten percent of 

available funds for applications will be 

reserved for applications submitted by 

Beginning and Socially-Disadvantaged 

Farmers or Ranchers, and an additional 

ten percent of available funds for 

applications from farmers or ranchers 

proposing development of Mid-Tier 

Value Chains. Reserved funds not 

obligated prior to June 30, 2018, will be 

used for the VAPG general competition. 

If this is the case, Beginning and 

Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers or 

Ranchers and applicants proposing MidTier Value Chains will compete with 

other eligible VAPG applications. In 

addition, in accordance with Title VII, 

Section 750 of Public Law 115–30, 10% 

of FY 2017 funds will be allocated for 

assistance in persistent poverty 

counties. Any funds that become 

available after publishing this notice 

that will be allocated for assistance in 

persistent poverty counties will be 

identified by the Agency at a later date, 

after the applicable appropriations 

language has been enacted. 

C. Eligibility Information 

Applicants must comply with the 

program regulation 7 CFR part 4284 

subpart J in order to meet all of the 

following eligibility requirements. 

Required documentation is included in 

the application package. Applications 

which fail to meet any of these 

requirements by the application 

deadline will be deemed ineligible and 

will not be evaluated further. 

1. Eligible Applicants 

You must demonstrate within the 

application narrative that you meet all 

the applicant eligibility requirements of 

7 CFR 4284.920 and 4284.921. This 

includes meeting the definition 

requirements at 7 CFR 4284.902 for one 

of the following applicant types: 

Independent Producer, Agricultural 

Producer Group, Farmer or Rancher 

Cooperative or Majority-Controlled 

Producer-Based Business and also 

meeting the Emerging Market, 

Citizenship, Legal Authority and 

Responsibility, Multiple Grants and 

Active Grants requirements of the 

section. Required documentation to 

support eligibility is contained at 7 CFR 

4284.931 and in the application 

package. 

Federally-recognized Tribes and tribal 

entities must demonstrate that they 

meet the definition requirements for one 

of the four eligible applicant types. 

Rural Development State Offices and 

posted application toolkits will provide 

additional information on Tribal 

eligibility. 

Per 4284.921, an applicant is 

ineligible if they have been debarred or 

suspended or otherwise excluded from 

or ineligible for participation in Federal 

assistance programs under Executive 

Order 12549, ‘‘Debarment and 

Suspension.’’ In addition, an applicant 

will be considered ineligible for a grant 

due to an outstanding judgment 

obtained by the U.S. in a Federal Court 

(other than U.S. Tax Court), is 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or is delinquent on 

Federal debt. 

Per 4284.905(a), Applicants must 

comply with other applicable Federal 

laws. Applicants who are proposing 

working capital grants to produce and 

market value-added products in the 

industries of wine, beer, distilled spirits 

or other alcoholic merchandise must 

comply with Alcohol and Tobacco Tax 

and Trade Bureau (TTB) regulations, 

including but not limited to permitting, 

filing of taxes and operational reports. 

Please visit TTB’s Web site at https://

www.ttb.gov/index.shtml for more 

information. If you are not in 

compliance with TTB’s requirements, 

the Agency may determine that you are 

not qualified to receive a Federal award 

and use that determination as a basis for 

making an award to another applicant. 

If, at any time after you have already 

received a VAPG award, you are found 

to be in noncompliance with TTB’s 

operational reporting or tax 

requirements, the Agency may 

determine that you are not in 

compliance with your grant terms and 

conditions. 

An Applicant may submit only one 

application in response to a solicitation, 

and must explicitly direct that it 

compete in either the general funds 

competition or in one of the named 

reserved funds competitions. Multiple 

applications from separate entities with 

identical or greater than 75 percent 

common ownership, or from a parent, 

subsidiary or affiliated organization 

(with ‘‘affiliation’’ defined by Small 

Business Administration regulation 13 

CFR 121.103, or successor regulation) 

are not permitted. Further, Applicants 

who have already received a Planning 

Grant for the proposed project cannot 

receive another Planning Grant for the 

same project. Applicants who have 

already received a Working Capital 

Grant for the proposed project cannot 

receive any additional grants for that 

project (Proposals from previous award 

recipients should be substantially 

different in terms of products and/or 

markets and should not merely be 


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extensions of previously funded 

projects). 

2. Cost-Sharing or Matching 

There is a matching fund (costsharing) requirement of at least $1 for 

every $1 in grant funds provided by the 

Agency (matching funds plus grant 

funds must equal proposed Total Project 

Cost). Matching funds may be in the 

form of cash or eligible in-kind 

contributions. Matching contributions 

and may be used only for eligible 

project purposes, including any 

contributions exceeding the minimum 

amount required. Applicant matching 

contributions in the form of raw 

commodity, time contributed to the 

project, or other goods or services, must 

be characterized as in-kind 

contributions. Donations of goods and 

service from third-parties must be 

characterized as in-kind contributions. 

Tribal applicants may utilize grants 

made available under Public Law 93– 

638, the Indian Self-Determination and 

Education Assistance Act of 1975, as 

their matching contribution, and should 

check with appropriate tribal authorities 

regarding the availability of such 

funding. 

Matching funds must be available at 

time of application and must be 

certified and verified as described in 7 

CFR 4284.931(b)(3) and (4). Note that 

matching funds must also be discussed 

as part of the scoring criterion 

Commitments and Support as described 

in section E.1.(c). 

3. Project Eligibility 

You must demonstrate within the 

application narrative that you meet all 

the project eligibility requirements of 7 

CFR 4284.922. 

(a) Product eligibility. Applicants for 

both planning and working capital 

grants must meet all requirements at 7 

CFR 4284.922(a), including that your 

value-added product must result from 

one of the five methodologies identified 

in the definition of Value-Added 

Agricultural Product at 7 CFR 4284.902. 

In addition, you must demonstrate that, 

as a result of the project, the customer 

base for the agricultural commodity or 

value-added product will be expanded, 

by including a baseline of current 

customers for the commodity, and an 

estimated target number of customers 

that will result from the project; and 

that, a greater portion of the revenue 

derived from the marketing or 

processing of the value-added product is 

available to the applicant producer(s) of 

the agricultural commodity, by 

including a baseline of current revenues 

from the sale of the agricultural 

commodity and an estimate of increased 

revenues that will result from the 

project. 

(b) Purpose eligibility. Applicants for 

both planning and working capital 

grants must meet all requirements at 7 

CFR 4284.922(b) regarding maximum 

grant amounts, verification of matching 

funds, eligible and ineligible uses of 

grant and matching funds, a substantive 

work plan and budget. 

(i) Planning Grants. A planning grant 

is used to fund development of a 

defined program of economic planning 

activities to determine the viability of a 

potential value-added venture, and 

specifically for the purpose of paying for 

a qualified consultant to conduct and 

develop a feasibility study, business 

plan, and/or marketing plan associated 

with the processing and/or marketing of 

a value-added agricultural product. 

Planning grant funds may not be used 

to fund working capital activities. 

(ii) Working Capital Grants. This type 

of grant provides funds to operate a 

value-added project, specifically to pay 

the eligible project expenses directly 

related to the processing and/or 

marketing of the value-added product 

that are eligible uses of grant funds. 

Working capital funds may not be used 

for planning purposes. 

(c) Reserved Funds Eligibility. To 

qualify for Reserved Funds as a 

Beginning or Socially-Disadvantaged 

Farmer or Rancher or if you propose to 

develop a Mid-Tier Value Chain, you 

must meet the requirements found at 7 

CFR 4284.923. If your application is 

eligible, but is not awarded under the 

Reserved Funds, it will automatically be 

considered for general funds in that 

same fiscal year, as funding levels 

permit. 

(d) Priority Points. To qualify for 

Priority Points for projects that 

contribute to increasing opportunities 

for Beginning Farmers or Ranchers, 

Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers or 

Ranchers, or if you are an Operator of 

a Small or Medium-sized Farm or Ranch 

structured as a Family Farm, a Veteran 

Farmer or Rancher, propose a Mid-Tier 

Value Chain project, or are a Farmer or 

Rancher Cooperative, you must meet the 

applicable eligibility requirements at 7 

CFR 4284.923 and 4284.924 and must 

address the relevant proposal evaluation 

criterion. 

Priority points will also be awarded 

during the scoring process to eligible 

Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer 

or Rancher Cooperatives, and MajorityControlled Producer-Based Business 

Ventures that best contribute to creating 

or increasing marketing opportunities 

for Beginning Farmers or Ranchers, 

Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers or 

Ranchers, and/or Veteran Farmers or 

Ranchers. You must meet the eligibility 

requirements at 7 CFR 4284.923 and 

4284.924 and must address the relevant 

proposal evaluation criterion. 

4. Eligible Uses of Grant and Matching 

Funds 

Eligible uses of grant and matching 

funds are discussed, along with 

examples, in 7 CFR 4284.925. In 

general, grant and cost-share matching 

funds have the same use restrictions and 

must be used to fund only the costs for 

eligible purposes as defined at 7 CFR 

4284.925 (a) and (b). 

5. Ineligible Uses of Grant and Matching 

Funds 

Federal procurement standards 

prohibit transactions that involve a real 

or apparent Conflict of Interest for 

owners, employees, officers, agents, or 

their Immediate Family members having 

a personal, professional, financial or 

other interest in the outcome of the 

project; including organizational 

conflicts, and conflicts that restrict open 

and free competition for unrestrained 

trade. A list (not all-inclusive) of 

ineligible uses of grant and matching 

funds is found in 7 CFR 4284.926. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Applications 

The application toolkit, regulation, 

and official program notification for this 

funding opportunity can be obtained 

online at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/value-addedproducer-grants. You may also contact 

your USDA Rural Development State 

Office by visiting http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. You may also obtain a copy by 

calling 202–690–1374. The toolkit 

contains an application checklist, 

templates, required grant forms, and 

instructions. Although the Agency 

highly recommends their use, use of the 

templates in the toolkit is not 

mandatory. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

You may submit your application in 

paper form or electronically through 

Grants.gov. Your application must 

contain all required information. 

To submit an application 

electronically, you must follow the 

instructions for this funding 

announcement at http://

www.grants.gov. Please note that we 

cannot accept emailed or faxed 

applications. 

You can locate the Grants.gov 

downloadable application package for 

this program by using a keyword, the 


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program name, or the Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance Number for this 

program. 

When you enter the Grants.gov Web 

site, you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

To use Grants.gov, you must already 

have a DUNS number and you must also 

be registered and maintain registration 

in SAM. We strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process through Grants.gov. 

You must submit all of your 

application documents electronically 

through Grants.gov. 

After electronically submitting an 

application through Grants.gov, you will 

receive an automatic acknowledgement 

from Grants.gov that contains a 

Grants.gov tracking number. 

If you want to submit a paper 

application, send it to the State Office 

located in the State where your project 

will primarily take place. You can find 

State Office Contact information at: 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/ 

state-offices. An optional-use Agency 

application template is available online 

at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants. 

Your application must contain all of 

the required forms and proposal 

elements described in 7 CFR 4284.931, 

unless otherwise clarified in this Notice. 

You are encouraged, but not required to 

utilize the Application Toolkits found at 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants, 

however, you must provide all of the 

information requested by the template. 

You must become familiar with the 

program regulation at 7 CFR part 4284, 

subpart J in order to submit a successful 

application. Basic application contents 

are outlined below: 

• Standard Form (SF)–424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’ to 

include your DUNS number and SAM 

(CAGE) code and expiration date (or 

evidence that you have begun the SAM 

registration process). Because there are 

no specific fields for a CAGE code and 

expiration date, you may identify them 

anywhere you want to on the form. If 

you do not include your DUNS number 

in your application, it will not be 

considered for funding. 

• SF–424A, ‘‘Budget InformationNon-Construction Programs.’’ This form 

must be completed and submitted as 

part of the application package. 

• SF–424B, ‘‘Assurances—NonConstruction Programs.’’ This form must 

be completed, signed, and submitted as 

part of the application package. 

• Form AD–3030, ‘‘Representations 

Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax 

Delinquent Status for Corporate 

Applicants,’’ if you are a corporation. A 

corporation is any entity that has filed 

articles of incorporation in one of the 50 

States, the District of Columbia, the 

Federated States of Micronesia, the 

Republic of Palau, and the Republic of 

the Marshall Islands, or the various 

territories of the United States including 

American Samoa, Guam, Midway 

Islands, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, 

or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Corporations 

include both for profit and non-profit 

entities. 

• You must certify that there are no 

current outstanding Federal judgments 

against your property and that you will 

not use grant funds to pay for any 

judgment obtained by the United States. 

You must also certify that you are not 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or any Federal debt. To 

satisfy the Certification requirement, 

you should include this statement in 

your application: ‘‘[INSERT NAME OF 

APPLICANT] certifies that the United 

States has not obtained an unsatisfied 

judgment against its property, is not 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or any Federal debt, and 

will not use grant funds to pay any 

judgments obtained by the United 

States.’’ A separate signature is not 

required. 

• You must provide a valid permit or 

evidence of having begun the permitting 

process if you are proposing a working 

capital grant to produce and market 

value-added products in the industries 

of wine, beer, distilled spirits or other 

alcoholic merchandise. 

• Executive Summary and Abstract. A 

one-page Executive Summary 

containing the following information: 

legal name of applicant entity, 

application type (planning or working 

capital), applicant type, amount of grant 

request, a summary of your project, and 

whether you are submitting a simplified 

application, and whether you are 

requesting Reserved Funds. Also 

include a separate abstract of up to 100 

words briefly describing your project. 

• Eligibility discussion. 

• Work plan and budget. 

• Performance evaluation criteria. 

• Proposal evaluation criteria. 

• Certification and verification of 

matching funds. 

• Reserved Funds and Priority Point 

documentation (as applicable). 

• Appendices containing required 

supporting documentation. 

3. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) and System 

for Awards Management (SAM) 

In order to be eligible (unless you are 

excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) or 

(d), you are required to: 

(a) Provide a valid DUNS number in 

your application, which can be obtained 

at no cost via a toll-free request line at 

(866) 705–5711; 

(b) Register in SAM before submitting 

your application. You may register in 

SAM at no cost at https://www.sam.gov/ 

portal/public/SAM/. You must provide 

your SAM Cage Code and expiration 

date or evidence that you have begun 

the SAM registration process at time of 

application, and 

(c) Continue to maintain an active 

SAM registration with current 

information at all times during which 

you have an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by a Federal awarding agency. 

If you have not fully complied with 

all applicable DUNS and SAM 

requirements, the Agency may 

determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive a Federal award and 

the Agency may use that determination 

as a basis for making an award to 

another applicant. Please refer to 

Section F.2 for additional submission 

requirements that apply to grantees 

selected for this program. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Application Deadline Date: January 

31, 2018. 

Explanation of Deadlines: Paper 

applications must be postmarked and 

mailed, shipped, or sent overnight by 

January 31, 2018. The Agency will 

determine whether your application is 

late based on the date shown on the 

postmark or shipping invoice. You may 

also hand carry your application to one 

of our field offices, but it must be 

received by close of business on the 

deadline date. If the due date falls on a 

Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, 

the application is due the next business 

day. Late applications will 

automatically be considered ineligible 

and will not be evaluated further. 

Electronic applications must be 

received at http://www.grants.gov no 

later than midnight Eastern Time, 

January 24, 2018 to be eligible for 

funding. Please review the Grants.gov 

Web site at http://grants.gov/applicants/ 

organization_registration.jsp for 

instructions on the process of registering 

your organization as soon as possible to 

ensure you are able to meet the 

electronic application deadline. 

Grants.gov will not accept applications 

submitted after the deadline. 


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5. Intergovernmental Review 

Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs, applies to this program. This 

E.O. requires that Federal agencies 

provide opportunities for consultation 

on proposed assistance with State and 

local governments. Many States have 

established a Single Point of Contact 

(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. A 

list of States that maintain a SPOC may 

be obtained at http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. 

If your State has a SPOC, you must 

submit your application directly for 

review. Any comments obtained 

through the SPOC must be provided to 

RD for consideration as part of your 

application. If your State has not 

established a SPOC or you do not want 

to submit your application to the SPOC, 

RD will submit your application to the 

SPOC or other appropriate agency or 

agencies. Applications from federally 

recognized Indian tribes are not subject 

to Intergovernmental Review. 

6. Funding Restrictions 

Funding limitations and reservations 

found in the program regulation at 7 

CFR 4284.927 will apply, including: 

(a) Use of Funds. Grant funds may be 

used to pay up to 50 percent of the total 

eligible project costs, subject to the 

limitations established for maximum 

total grant amount. Grant funds may not 

be used to pay any costs of the project 

incurred prior to the date of grant 

approval. Grant and matching funds 

may only be used for eligible purposes. 

(See examples of eligible and ineligible 

uses in 7 CFR 4284.925 and 4284.926, 

respectively.) 

(b) Grant Period (project period). Your 

project timeframe or grant period can be 

a maximum of 36 months in length from 

the date of award. Your proposed grant 

period should begin no earlier than the 

anticipated award announcement date 

in this Notice and should end no later 

than 36 months following that date. If 

you receive an award, your grant period 

will be revised to begin on the actual 

date of award—the date the grant 

agreement is executed by the Agency— 

and your grant period end date will be 

adjusted accordingly. Your project 

activities should begin within 90 days of 

that date of award. The length of your 

grant period should be based on your 

project’s complexity, as indicated in 

your application work plan. For 

example, it is expected that most 

planning grants can be completed 

within 12 months. 

(c) Program Income. If income 

(Program Income) is earned during the 

grant period as a result of the project 

activities, it is subject to the 

requirements in 2 CFR 200.80, and must 

be managed and reported accordingly. 

(d) Majority Controlled ProducerBased Business. The aggregate amount 

of awards to Majority Controlled 

Producer-Based Businesses in response 

to this announcement shall not exceed 

10 percent of the total funds obligated 

for the program during the fiscal year. 

(e) Reserved Funds. Ten percent of all 

funds available will be reserved to fund 

projects that benefit Beginning Farmers 

or Ranchers, or Socially-Disadvantaged 

Farmers or Ranchers. In addition, 10 

percent of total funding available will be 

used to fund projects that propose 

development of Mid-Tier Value Chains 

as part of a Local or Regional Supply 

Chain Network. See related definitions 

in 7 CFR 4284.902. In addition, in 

accordance with Title VII, Section 750 

of Public Law 115–30, 10% of FY 2017 

funds will be allocated for assistance in 

persistent poverty counties. Any funds 

that become available after publishing 

this notice that will be allocated for 

assistance in persistent poverty counties 

will be identified by the Agency at a 

later date, after the applicable 

appropriations language has been 

enacted. 

(f) Disposition of Reserved Funds Not 

Obligated. For this announcement, any 

reserved funds that have not been 

obligated by June 30, 2018, will be 

available to the Secretary to make VAPG 

grants in accordance with 7 CFR 

4284.927. 

7. Other Submission Requirements 

(a) National Environmental Policy Act 

This Notice has been reviewed in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 1970, 

‘‘Environmental Policies and 

Procedures.’’ We have determined that 

an Environmental Impact Statement is 

not required because the issuance of 

regulations and instructions, as well as 

amendments to them, describing 

administrative and financial procedures 

for processing, approving, and 

implementing the Agency’s financial 

programs is categorically excluded in 

the Agency’s National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) regulation found at 7 

CFR 1970.53(f). We have determined 

that this Notice does not constitute a 

major Federal action significantly 

affecting the quality of the human 

environment. 

The Agency will review each grant 

application to determine its compliance 

with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant 

may be asked to provide additional 

information or documentation to assist 

the Agency with this determination. 

(b) Civil Rights Compliance 

Requirements 

All grants made under this Notice are 

subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964 as required by the USDA (7 CFR 

part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

E. Application Review Information 

Applications will be reviewed and 

processed as described at 7 CFR 

4284.940. The Agency will review your 

application to determine if it is 

complete and eligible. If at any time, the 

Agency determines that your 

application is ineligible, you will be 

notified in writing as to the reasons it 

was determined ineligible and you will 

be informed of your review and appeal 

rights. Funding of successfully appealed 

applications will be limited to available 

funds. 

The Agency will only score 

applications in which the applicant and 

project are eligible, which are complete 

and sufficiently responsive to program 

requirements, and in which the Agency 

agrees on the likelihood of financial 

feasibility for working capital requests. 

We will score your application 

according to the procedures and criteria 

specified in 7 CFR 4284.942, and with 

tiered scoring thresholds as specified 

below. 

1. Scoring Criteria 

For each criterion, you must show 

how the project has merit and why it is 

likely to be successful. Your complete 

response to each criterion must be 

included in the body of the application, 

including summarizations of any 

feasibility studies, business and 

marketing plans (please note that 

feasibility studies, business or 

marketing plants are not provided to 

reviewers). If you do not address all 

parts of the criterion, or do not 

sufficiently communicate relevant 

project information, you will receive 

lower scores. VAPG is a competitive 

program, so you will receive scores 

based on the quality of your responses. 

Simply addressing the criteria will not 

guarantee higher scores. The maximum 

number of points that can be awarded 

to your application is 100. For this 

announcement, the minimum score 

requirement for funding is 50 points. 

The Agency application toolkit 

provides additional instruction to help 

you to respond to the criteria below. 

(a) Nature of the Proposed Venture 

(Graduated Score 0–30 Points) 

For both planning and working 

capital grants, you must discuss the 

technological feasibility of the project, 

as well as operational efficiency, 


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profitability, and overall economic 

sustainability resulting from the project. 

You must also demonstrate the potential 

for expanding the customer base for the 

agricultural commodity or value-added 

product, and the expected increase in 

revenue returns to the producer-owners 

providing the majority of the raw 

agricultural commodity to the project. 

Working capital applicants must also 

provide the potential number of jobs 

that will result from the project, along 

with a justifiable basis for these 

projections. Please see the application 

template for more information. All 

applicants must reference and 

summarize third-party data and other 

information that specifically supports 

your value-added project; discuss the 

value-added process you are proposing; 

potential markets and distribution 

channels; the value to be added to the 

raw commodity through the valueadded process; cost and availability of 

inputs, your experience in marketing 

the proposed or similar product; 

business financial statements; and any 

other relevant information that supports 

the viability of your project. Working 

capital applicants should demonstrate 

that these outcomes will result from the 

project and include supportable 

projections of increase in customer base, 

revenue returned to producers and jobs 

resulting from the project in order to 

receive up to the maximum number of 

points. Planning grant applicants should 

describe the expected results, and the 

reasons supporting those expectations. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–5 points will be awarded if you 

do not address each of the following: 

Technological feasibility, operational 

efficiency, profitability, and overall 

economic sustainability. 

(iii) 6–13 points will be awarded if 

you address technological feasibility, 

operational efficiency, profitability, and 

overall economic sustainability, but do 

not reference third-party information 

that supports the success of your 

project. 

(iv) 14–22 points will be awarded if 

you address technological feasibility, 

operational efficiency, profitability, and 

overall economic, supported by thirdparty information demonstrating a 

reasonable likelihood of success. 

(v) 23–30 points will be awarded if all 

criterion components are well 

addressed, supported by third-party 

information, and demonstrate a high 

likelihood of success. 

(b) Qualifications of Project Personnel 

(Graduated Score 0–20 Points) 

You must identify all individuals who 

will be responsible for completing the 

proposed tasks in the work plan, 

including the roles and activities that 

owners, staff, contractors, consultants or 

new hires may perform; and show that 

these individuals have the necessary 

qualifications and expertise, including 

those hired to do market or feasibility 

analyses, or to develop a business 

operations plan for the value-added 

venture. You must include the 

qualifications of those individuals 

responsible for leading or managing the 

total project (applicant owners or 

project managers), as well as those 

individuals responsible for actually 

conducting the various individual tasks 

in the work plan (such as consultants, 

contractors, staff or new hires). You 

must discuss the commitment and the 

availability of any consultants or other 

professionals to be hired for the 

project—especially those who may be 

consulting on multiple VAPG projects. 

If staff or consultants have not been 

selected at the time of application, you 

must provide specific descriptions of 

the qualifications required for the 

positions to be filled. Applications that 

demonstrate the strong credentials, 

education, capabilities, experience and 

availability of project personnel that 

will contribute to a high likelihood of 

project success will receive more points 

than those that demonstrate less 

potential for success in these areas. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–4 points will be awarded if 

qualifications and experience of all staff 

is not addressed and/or if necessary 

qualifications of unfilled positions are 

not provided. 

(iii) 5–9 points will be awarded if all 

project personnel are identified but do 

not demonstrate qualifications or 

experience relevant to the project. 

(iv) 10–14 will be awarded if most key 

personnel demonstrate strong 

credentials and/or experience, and 

availability indicating a reasonable 

likelihood of success. 

(v) 15–20 points will be awarded if all 

personnel demonstrate strong, relevant 

credentials or experience, and 

availability indicating a high likelihood 

of project success. 

(c) Commitments and Support 

(Graduated Score 0–10 Points) 

Producer commitments to the project 

will be evaluated based on the number 

of independent producers currently 

involved in the project; and the nature, 

level and quality of their contributions, 

including matching contributions. Enduser commitments will be evaluated on 

the basis of potential or identified 

markets and the potential amount of 

output to be purchased, as indicated by 

letters of intent or contracts from 

potential buyers referenced within the 

application. Other third-party 

commitments to the project will be 

evaluated based on the critical and 

tangible nature of their contribution to 

the project, such as technical assistance, 

storage, processing, marketing, or 

distribution arrangements that are 

necessary for the project to proceed; and 

the level and quality of these 

contributions. All cash or in-kind 

contributions from the applicant, other 

producers, end users, or other 

contributors should be discussed. Enduser commitments may include 

contracts or letters of intent or interest 

in purchasing the value-added product. 

Letters of commitment by producers, 

end-users, and third-parties should be 

summarized as part of your response to 

this criterion, and the letters must be 

included in Appendix B. Applications 

that demonstrate the project has strong 

direct financial support in the form of 

cash matching contributions and strong 

technical and logistical support to 

successfully complete the project will 

receive more points than those that 

demonstrate less potential for success in 

these areas. Please note that because 

applications with cash matching 

contributions are awarded more points 

than those pledging only in-kind 

contributions, applicants will not be 

able to substitute an in-kind match for 

cash after awards are made. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–3 points will be awarded if you 

are the only producer participating in 

the project, AND show real, direct 

support from at least one end-user or 

third-party contributor. 

(iii) 4–6 points will be awarded if you, 

as the applicant, are the only producer 

participating in the project, AND show 

strong financial commitment in the form 

of cash matching contributions to the 

project AND measurable commitment or 

interest in purchasing the value-added 

product from at least one end-user; AND 

commitment or tangible support from at 

least one other third-party contributor; 

OR you, as the applicant, demonstrate 

participation from multiple producers, 

AND measurable commitment or 

interest in purchasing the value-added 

product from at least one end-user; AND 

commitment or tangible support from at 

least one third party contributor. 


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(iv) 7–10 points will be awarded if 

you, as the applicant, show strong 

financial commitment to the project in 

the form of cash matching contributions, 

AND participation from additional 

producers, AND measurable 

commitment or interest from multiple 

end-users, AND commitment or tangible 

support from multiple third-party 

contributors. 

(d) Work Plan and Budget (Graduated 

Score 0–20 Points) 

You must submit a comprehensive 

work plan and budget (for full details, 

see 7 CFR 4284.922(b)(5)). Your work 

plan must provide specific and detailed 

descriptions of the tasks and the key 

project personnel that will accomplish 

the project’s goals. The budget must 

present a detailed breakdown of all 

estimated costs of project activities and 

allocate those costs among the listed 

tasks. You must show the source and 

use of both grant and matching funds for 

all tasks. Matching funds must be spent 

at a rate equal to, or in advance of, grant 

funds. An eligible start and end date for 

the entire project, as well as for each 

individual project task must be clearly 

shown. The project timeframe must not 

exceed 36 months and should be scaled 

to the complexity of the project. 

Working capital applications must 

include an estimate of program income 

expected to be earned during the grant 

period (see 2 CFR 200.307). 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–7 points will be awarded if the 

work plan and budget do not account 

for all project goals, tasks, costs, 

timelines, and responsible personnel. 

(iii) 8–14 points will be awarded if 

you provide a clear, comprehensive 

work plan detailing all project goals, 

tasks, timelines, costs, and responsible 

personnel in a logical and realistic 

manner that demonstrates a reasonable 

likelihood of success. 

(iv) 15–20 points will be awarded if 

you provide a clear, comprehensive 

work plan detailing all project goals, 

tasks, timelines, costs, and responsible 

personnel in a logical and realistic 

manner that demonstrates a high 

likelihood of success. 

(e) Priority Points Up to 10 Points 

(Lump Sum 0 or 5 Points Plus 

Graduated Score 0–5 Points) 

It is recommended that you use the 

Agency application package when 

applying for priority points and refer to 

the requirements specified in 7 CFR 

4284.924. Priority points may be 

awarded in both the general funds and 

Reserved Funds competitions. 

(i) 5 points will be awarded if you 

meet the requirements for one of the 

following categories and provide the 

documentation described in 7 CFR 

4284.923 and 4284.924 as applicable: 

Beginning Farmer or Rancher, SociallyDisadvantaged Farmer or Rancher, 

Veteran Farmer or Rancher, or Operator 

of a Small or Medium-sized Farm or 

Ranch that is structured as a Family 

Farm, Farmer or Rancher Cooperative, 

or are proposing a Mid-Tier Value Chain 

project. 

(ii) Up to 5 priority points will be 

awarded if you are an Agricultural 

Producer Group, Farmer or Rancher 

Cooperative, or Majority-Controlled 

Producer-Based Business Venture 

(referred to below as ‘‘applicant group’’) 

whose project ‘‘best contributes to 

creating or increasing marketing 

opportunities’’ for Operators of Smalland Medium-sized Farms and Ranches 

that are structured as Family Farms, 

Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, 

Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers and 

Ranchers, and Veteran Farmers and 

Ranchers (referred to below as ‘‘priority 

groups’’). For each of the priority point 

levels below, applications must 

demonstrate how the proposed project 

will contribute to new or increased 

marketing opportunities for respective 

priority groups. Guidance on relevant 

information required to adequately 

demonstrate this requirement can be 

found in program application package. 

(A) 2 priority points will be awarded 

if the existing membership of the 

applicant group is comprised of either 

more than 50 percent of any one of the 

four priority groups or more than 50 

percent of any combination of the four 

priority groups. 

(B) 1 priority point will be awarded if 

the existing membership of the 

applicant group is comprised of two or 

more of the priority groups. One point 

is awarded regardless of whether a 

group’s membership is comprised of 

two, three, or all four of the priority 

groups. 

(C) 2 priority points will be awarded 

if the applicant’s proposed project will 

increase the number of priority groups 

that comprise applicant membership by 

one or more priority groups. However, 

if an applicant group’s membership is 

already comprised of all four priority 

groups, such an applicant would not be 

eligible for points under this criterion 

because there is no opportunity to 

increase the number of priority groups. 

Note also that this criterion does not 

consider either the percentage of the 

existing membership that is comprised 

of the four priority groups or the 

number of priority groups currently 

comprising the applicant group’s 

membership. 

(f) Priority Categories (Graduated Score 

0–10 Points) 

The Administrator of the Agency may 

choose to award up to 10 points to an 

application to improve the geographic 

diversity of awardees and/or foster 

persistent poverty counties and/or help 

reduce unemployment through job 

creation in a fiscal year. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

The Agency will select applications 

for award under this Notice in 

accordance with the provisions 

specified in 7 CFR 4284.950(a). 

If your application is eligible and 

complete, it will be qualitatively scored 

by at least two reviewers based on 

criteria specified in section E.1. of this 

Notice. One of these reviewers will be 

an experienced RD employee from your 

servicing State Office and at least one 

additional reviewer will be a nonFederal, independent reviewer, who 

must meet the following qualifications. 

Independent reviewers must have at 

least a bachelor’s degree in one or more 

of the following fields: Agri-business, 

agricultural economics, agriculture, 

animal science, business, marketing, 

economics or finance; and a minimum 

of 8 years of experience in an 

agriculture-related field (e.g., farming, 

marketing, consulting, or research; or as 

university faculty, trade association 

official or non-Federal government 

official in an agriculturally-related 

field). Each reviewer will score 

evaluation criteria (a) through (d) and 

the totals for each reviewer will be 

added together and averaged. The RD 

State Office reviewer will also assign 

priority points based on criterion (e) in 

section E.1. of this Notice. These will be 

added to the average score. The sum of 

these scores will be ranked highest to 

lowest and this will comprise the initial 

ranking. 

The Administrator of the Agency may 

choose to award up to 10 Administrator 

priority points based on criterion (f) in 

section E.1. of this Notice. These points 

will be added to the cumulative score 

for a total possible score of 100. 

A final ranking will be obtained based 

solely on the scores received for criteria 

(a) through (e). A minimum score of 50 

points is required for funding. 

Applications for Reserved Funds will be 

funded in rank order until funds are 

depleted. Unfunded reserve 

applications will be returned to the 

general funds where applications will 

be funded in rank order until the funds 

are expended. Funding for Majority 

Controlled Producer-Based Business 


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Ventures is limited to 10 percent of total 

grant funds expected to be obligated as 

a result of this Notice. These 

applications will be funded in rank 

order until the funding limitation has 

been reached. Grants to these applicants 

from Reserved Funds will count against 

this funding limitation. In the event of 

tied scores, the Administrator shall have 

discretion in breaking ties. 

If your application is ranked, but not 

funded, it will not be carried forward 

into the next competition. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

If you are selected for funding, you 

will receive a signed notice of Federal 

award by postal mail, containing 

instructions on requirements necessary 

to proceed with execution and 

performance of the award. 

If you are not selected for funding, 

you will be notified in writing via postal 

mail and informed of any review and 

appeal rights. Funding of successfully 

appealed applications will be limited to 

available funding. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

Additional requirements that apply to 

grantees selected for this program can be 

found in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart J; the 

Grants and Agreements regulations of 

the Department of Agriculture codified 

in 2 CFR parts 180, 400, 415, 417, 418, 

421; 2 CFR parts 25 and 170; and 48 

CFR 31.2, and successor regulations to 

these parts. 

In addition, all recipients of Federal 

financial assistance are required to 

report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation 

(see 2 CFR part 170). You will be 

required to have the necessary processes 

and systems in place to comply with the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109– 

282) reporting requirements (see 2 CFR 

170.200(b), unless you are exempt under 

2 CFR 170.110(b)). More information on 

these requirements can be found at 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants. 

The following additional 

requirements apply to grantees selected 

for this program: 

(a) Agency approved Grant 

Agreement. 

(b) Letter of Conditions. 

(c) Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

(d) Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions.’’ 

(e) Form AD–1047, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and 

Other Responsibility Matters-Primary 

Covered Transactions.’’ 

(f) Form AD–1048, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 

Ineligibility and Voluntary ExclusionLower Tier Covered Transactions.’’ 

(g) Form AD–1049, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding a Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirement (Grants).’’ 

(h) Form AD–3031, ‘‘Assurance 

Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax 

Delinquent Status for Corporate 

Applicants.’’ Must be signed by 

corporate applicants who receive an 

award under this Notice. 

(i) Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement.’’ 

(j) SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

(k) Use Form SF 270, ‘‘Request for 

Advance or Reimbursement.’’ 

3. Reporting 

After grant approval and through 

grant completion, you will be required 

to provide the following, as indicated in 

the Grant Agreement: 

(a) A SF–425, ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report,’’ and a project performance 

report will be required on a semiannual 

basis (due 30 working days after end of 

the semiannual period). For the 

purposes of this grant, semiannual 

periods end on March 31st and 

September 30th. The project 

performance reports shall include the 

elements prescribed in the grant 

agreement. 

(b) A final project and financial status 

report within 90 days after the 

expiration or termination of the grant. 

(c) Provide outcome project 

performance reports and final 

deliverables. 

G. Solicitation of Non-Federal 

Independent Grant Reviewers 

Rural Development is seeking nonFederal independent grant reviewers 

under this Notice. Reviewers must be 

able to use their professional knowledge 

and experience to evaluate and score 

VAPG program applications against the 

evaluation criteria published in this 

Notice, and effectively communicate 

their findings in writing. 

1. Qualifications 

All reviewers must meet the following 

qualifications. 

(a) Have at least a bachelor’s degree in 

one or more of the following fields: 

Agri-business, agricultural economics, 

business, marketing, economics or 

finance, and 

(b) A minimum of 8 years of 

experience in an agriculture-related 

field (e.g., farming, marketing, 

consulting, or research; or as university 

faculty, trade association official or nonFederal government official in an 

agriculturally-related field). 

2. Ethical Standards 

Prospective reviewers must be able to 

exercise the highest level of ethical 

standards in avoiding conflict of 

interests and maintaining 

confidentiality. 

(a) Conflict of Interest 

Individuals selected as non-Federal 

independent grant reviewers will be 

required to certify that they do not have 

a conflict of interest or an appearance 

thereof with any VAPG application they 

are assigned to review. This may 

include but is not limited to 

certification that they did not apply for 

a VAPG grant, and are not affiliated 

with persons or organizations applying 

for VAPG funds. 

(b) Confidentiality 

Reviewers will also be required to 

sign a certification statement regarding 

the safeguarding of information 

contained in assigned applications. 

Failure to identify a conflict-ofinterest or the unauthorized disclosure 

of information may subject reviewers to 

administrative sanction, i.e., removal 

from the current review and/or 

disqualification from involvement in 

future reviews of grant applications. 

3. Training 

All reviewers must review and 

understand program requirements and 

must attend a mandatory training 

webinar. 

4. System Requirements 

(a) Reviewers must have reliable 

internet access using Internet Explorer 

and be able to reliably both access 

applications and submit scores 

electronically; and 

(b) All reviewers must be able to 

complete requirements for, obtain, and 

maintain USDA Level 2 e-Authorization 

credentialing. 

To apply, please send a resume 

addressing relevant qualifications and 

experience to CPGrants@wdc.usda.gov 

by February 15, 2018. 

H. Agency Contacts 

If you have questions about this 

Notice, please contact the State Office as 

identified in the ADDRESSES section of 

this Notice. You are also encouraged to 

visit the application Web site for 

application tools, including an 

application guide and templates. The 

Web site address is: http://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

value-added-producer-grants. You may 


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also contact National Office staff: Tracey 

Kennedy, VAPG Program Lead, 

tracey.kennedy@wdc.usda.gov, or 

Shantelle Gordon, shantelle.gordon@

wdc.usda.gov, or call the main line at 

202–690–1374. 

I. Nondiscrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the 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/ 

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. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

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 http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of 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: 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: program.intake@usda.gov. 

Dated: August 24, 2017. 

Chad Parker, 

Acting Administrator, Rural BusinessCooperative Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18306 Filed 8–28–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Bureau of Industry and Security 

Regulations and Procedures Technical 

Advisory Committee; Notice of 

Partially Closed Meeting 

The Regulations and Procedures 

Technical Advisory Committee (RPTAC) 

will meet September 12, 2017, 9:00 a.m., 

Room 1412, in the Herbert C. Hoover 

Building, 14th Street between 

Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues 

NW., Washington, DC. The Committee 

advises the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Export Administration on 

implementation of the Export 

Administration Regulations (EAR) and 

provides for continuing review to 

update the EAR as needed. 

Agenda 

Public Session 

1. Opening remarks by the Chairman 

2. Opening remarks by the Bureau of 

Industry and Security 

3. Presentation of papers or comments 

by the Public 

4. Export Enforcement update 

5. Regulations update 

6. Working group reports 

7. Automated Export System update 

Closed Session 

8. Discussion of matters determined to 

be exempt from the provisions 

relating to public meetings found in 

5 U.S.C. app. 2 §§ 10(a)(1) and 

10(a)(3). 

The open session will be accessible 

via teleconference to 25 participants on 

a first come, first serve basis. To join the 

conference, submit inquiries to Ms. 

Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@

bis.doc.gov no later than September 5, 

2017. 

A limited number of seats will be 

available for the public session. 

Reservations are not accepted. To the 

extent that time permits, members of the 

public may present oral statements to 

the Committee. The public may submit 

written statements at any time before or 

after the meeting. However, to facilitate 

the distribution of public presentation 

materials to the Committee members, 

the Committee suggests that presenters 

forward the public presentation 

materials prior to the meeting to Ms. 

Springer via email. 

The Assistant Secretary for 

Administration, with the concurrence of 

the delegate of the General Counsel, 

formally determined on February 15, 

2017, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. app. 2 § 10(d)), that 

the portion of the meeting dealing with 

pre-decisional changes to the Commerce 

Control List and the U.S. export control 

policies shall be exempt from the 

provisions relating to public meetings 

found in 5 U.S.C. app. 2 § § 10(a)(1) and 

10(a)(3). The remaining portions of the 

meeting will be open to the public. 

For more information, call Yvette 

Springer at (202) 482–2813. 

Yvette Springer, 

Committee Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18215 Filed 8–28–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–JT–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF629 

Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Southeast Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 52 assessment 

scoping webinar for Gulf of Mexico red 

snapper. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR 52 assessment 

process of Gulf of Mexico red snapper 

will consist of an In-person Workshop, 

and a series of assessment webinars. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

DATES: The SEDAR 52 assessment 

scoping webinar will be held September 

21, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Eastern Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. The webinar is open to 

members of the public. Those interested 

in participating should contact Julie A. 

Neer at SEDAR (See Contact Information 

Below) to request an invitation 

providing webinar access information. 

Please request webinar invitations at 

least 24 hours in advance of each 

webinar. 

SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place 

Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 

29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571– 

4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES