Deadline for getting your completed application for cost-share funding in to your FSA county office is October 31, 2020.

CHANGES for FY 2020-2023:
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 through 2023, FSA is revising the reimbursement amount to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This change is due to the limited amount of funding available and will allow a larger number of certified organic operations to receive assistance. If additional funding is authorized at a later time, FSA may provide additional assistance to certified operations that have applied, not to exceed 75% of eligible costs, up to $750 per scope.

View the Organic Certification Cost Share Program Fact Sheet (August 10, 2020)

Formerly, eligible certified organic operations could receive reimbursement of 75% of eligible costs, up to a maximum payment of $750 per scope, which is the maximum allowed by law. In FY 2019 and prior years, funds were available to cover all applications; however, the amount of funding available will not cover expected participation levels in FY 2020.

Visit USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) home page

Read the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) published August 10, 2020 in the Federal Register Vol. 85, No. 154

To apply for the Organic Foods Production Tax Credit businesses must complete all parts of the Request for Certification of Organic Foods Production Costs form on company letterhead, and return the form to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS MARCH 31 OF THE YEAR IN WHICH QUALIFIED EXPENSES WERE INCURRED BY THE TAXPAYER IN THE PREVIOUS TAXABLE YEAR.

If the application is approved, HDOA will send a signed N-354 form to the applicant. This form must be attached to the taxpayer’s tax return when it is filed. Applications will be processed on a first come first served basis and will be time stamped upon receipt until the $2,000,000.00 cap is reached.

Organic Foods Production Tax Credit Information

Hawaii Organic Farming Association

Hawaii Organic Farming Association2 weeks ago

Maui - funds available for forest restoration

USDA Approves Emergency Forest Restoration Program Assistance in Maui County
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to address wildfire and severe storm damages in Maui County. Signup for EFRP begins Nov. 27, 2023, and ends Jan. 25, 2024.

Emergency Forest Restoration Program

EFRP provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster.

The approved EFRP practices under this authorization include:

Bottomland hardwood forest restoration;
Bottomland softwood forest restoration;
Bottomland mixed forest restoration; and
Bottomland Longleaf Pine restoration
Because EFRP funds are allocated based on the number of applications submitted to FSA and the extent of damage as determined by on-site inspections, producers in need of EFRP assistance should submit applications to FSA as soon as possible.

After EFRP applications are received, local FSA county committees determine land eligibility and approve applications using on-site inspections to assess the type and extent of damage. Eligible forest restoration practices include debris removal, such as down or damaged trees, to establish a new stand or provide natural regeneration; site preparation, planting materials and labor to replant forest land; restoration of forestland roads, fire lanes, fuel breaks or erosion control structures; fencing, tree shelters and tree tubes to protect trees from wildlife damage; and wildlife enhancement to provide cover openings and wildlife habitat.

To meet EFRP eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster event occurred and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must also be owned by a nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land. The natural disaster event must have resulted in damage that, if untreated, would impair or endanger the natural resources on the land and materially affect future use of the land.

More Information

For more information on ECP, EFRP and other disaster recovery assistance, please contact the Maui County FSA office at 808-871-5500 ext. 2 or visit the disaster protection and recovery and hurricane recovery pages on farmers.gov.

https://fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/emergency-forest-restoration/index

Farmers.gov

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Hawaii Organic Farming Association4 months ago

One week left to comment! There’s money out there for agriculture.
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The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is seeking public comments through Aug. 11, 2023, on funding priorities being developed for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).

Hawai‘i has been earmarked for $3.2 million in block grant funding; however, the program requires Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture to conduct outreach to stakeholders to determine the priorities for the state application.

The purpose of the program is to develop and administer state-coordinated initiatives to build the resilience of the state’s food supply chain for food crops. In partnership with the USDA, the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture will administer competitive solicitation to award grants to support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for local food and farm businesses and other eligible entities.

Funds will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry.

Examples of eligible project objectives include:
• Modernizing processing and manufacturing equipment
• Supporting the construction of a new facility
• Modernizing or expanding an existing facility
• Improving operations through training opportunities
• Modernizing manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems
• Improving the capacity to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements
• Enhancing worker safety through the adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements

For a full description of program objectives and eligible projects, visit the USDA RFSI program factsheet at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/RFSIFactSheet.pdf

At this phase in the process, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture is collecting public comments about needs in the local agricultural and food sector to define funding priorities for the forthcoming grant program.

All interested parties may submit comments to hdoa.rfsi@hawaii.gov beginning July 26, 2023, through August 11, 2023, until 4:30 p.m. HST. The input received will be reviewed and utilized to determine Hawai‘i’s priorities and will be submitted to the USDA.

Program contact:
Phone – (808) 973-9595
email: hdoa.rfsi@hawaii.gov

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Hawaii Organic Farming Association4 months ago

When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.

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