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USDA/NRCS: Organic Assistance Specialists

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is soliciting applications for six regional organic specialists and one organic research specialist.

Donor Name: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

State: All States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 06/11/2023

Size of the Grant: $5,000,000

Grant Duration: 5 years

Details:

The Organic Assistance Network (OAN) and Organic Research Specialist Competitive Grants Program is authorized by the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1935 (SCDA), 16 U.S.C. 590a-f. Funding was made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (15 USC 9001 et seq). The Secretary of Agriculture delegated the authority for the administration of conservation technical assistance under the SCDA to the Chief of NRCS.

Goals

Proposals submitted under this announcement will be reviewed for alignment with executive priorities on climate, equity, and environmental justice. Applicants are encouraged to review Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support to Underserved Communities, Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and Executive Order 13990, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, to learn more about these critical priorities.

Organic Coordinators Priorities (six positions, two for each National Technology Support Center region) 

  • Provide Organic Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) training to NRCS staff.
  • Provide CTA to organic producers and those transitioning to organic production, with an emphasis on transitioning producers.
  • Cooperate with organic specialists and in all regions and with state agronomists.
  • Reach out to organic producers and those transitioning to organic production using the National Organic Program (NOP) Integrity Database of certified organic farmers, regional and local partners, etc.
  • Develop organic resources to highlight key organic opportunities and challenges.
  • Provide support and training to identified “organic champions” in the region.
  • Develop and lead regional network of organic partners and producers.
  • Survey region producers to assess needs.
  • Coordinate with other regional specialists; agronomists, livestock specialists, wildlife experts, etc.
  • Develop relationships with certifiers and provide them training in conservation planning and implementation.
  • Conduct technology transfer workshops and webinars in conjunction with NRCS state, area and field offices, state technical advisory committees, producers, conservation district directors, technical service providers, and other interested partners.
  • Coordinate with state conservationists to recruit organic partners to participate on state technical committees.
  • Develop case studies demonstrating how successful organic farmers incorporated conservation practices using financial assistance programs.
  • Work with the NRCS specialists at the national level and at the National Technology Support Center to integrate organic production criteria with national and state criteria to assess and rank financial assistance or other contract proposals with agency business tools.
  • Develop information to support organic production around specific agricultural enterprises, such as but not limited to dairies, livestock, poultry, vineyards, orchards, specialty, and commodity crops.
  • Develop implementation requirements and guides for conservation practice standards that are critical for organic agriculture production.
  • Develop training for regional organic organizations to increase awareness and understanding of NRCS programs, services, and opportunities. 18. Select qualified staff and provide them suitable equipment, supplies, and materials to perform all services and complete the work elements (NRCS will be a part of the selection process for qualified staff).
  • Request bimonthly reimbursement by submitting a properly completed Standard Form 270 (SF-270) “Request for Advance or Reimbursement,” accompanied by supporting documentation (i.e., invoices, receipts, records, spreadsheets with payroll information, etc.) to the responsible NRCS official. Include a vendor identification number (VIN) on the second line of the remittance address on all SF270 forms submitted for payment in order for NRCS to make payment by electronic funds transfer in accordance with 7 CFR 3019.22. The original and one copy of the SF-270 and supporting documentation will be submitted to Lindsay Haines, USDANRCS, 1200 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, 20250. Ensure that the SF-270 submitted at completion of the project is marked “Final.” The total amount of reimbursement from NRCS will not exceed the amount of the agreement.

 Organic Research Specialists Priorities

  • Review existing NRCS organic resources (listed on the NRCS website), including the Organic Farming Handbook and Implementation Guides and offer suggestions to NRCS for updates to the resources and citations relevant to organic research.
  • Review new NRCS organic resources (such as webinars, trainings, and fact sheets), as they are developed, to ensure they include practical conservation implications of organic research findings to date (up to 15 hours per quarter).
  • Develop nine summaries (2-pages each) of Soil Health Guidebooks for NRCS audiences.
  • Present 15 webinars for NRCS audiences (approximately 3 per year).
  • Review NRCS standards, as needed, to provide organic research considerations and references.
  • Develop six written case studies and three video blogs on organic farmers implementing conservation and organic principles using NRCS technical and financial assistance.
  • Produce an organic farmer guidebook on NRCS organic programs (NRCS will disseminate guidebook to regional organic organizations to increase awareness and understanding of NRCS programs, services, and opportunities).
  • Annually develop a one-page summary for top findings of organic research that is relevant to conservation practices (summary will include brief synopsis and citations).
  • Provide information specific to each of the three regions

 Funding Information

  • Estimated Total Program Funding: $5,000,000
  • Award Ceiling: $5,000,000
  • Award Floor: $750,000

Performance Period

Projects 5 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of July 10, 2023.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award. All domestic applicants are permitted. Eligible applicant type is determined by the implementing program statute. Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program.
  • This opportunity is open to all domestic applicants.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

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