Agricultural Management Assistance
Purpose of this program:
To provide cost-share assistance to producers on private lands through contracts to construct or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Possible uses and use restrictions...Eligible producers in approved states may receive cost-share assistance to construct or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Who is eligible to apply...
Applicants must have control of the land for a period of the contract running from a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 10 years. The land must be in one of the 15 following eligible states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Eligible Applicant Categories:
Eligible Functional Categories:
Credentials/Documentation
Evidence that the applicant has control over the land for the life of the proposed contract. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:
This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy. For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree, 3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible. Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they must satisfy.
Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs, the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.
How to apply...
Application Procedure:
Application forms are available in USDA Service Centers and conservation district offices as well as in an automated format on the Internet on the USDA NRCS homepage.
Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.
Award Procedure:
Participants must sign a 3 to 10 year contract based on the conservation plan to receive cost-sharing. Cost share payments are made directly to the applicant upon satisfactory completion on identifiable units of work. Approval of contracts are made by an authorized representative of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check. Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office, or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.
Deadlines and process...
Deadlines
Applicants may submit an application at any time during the year. Applications will be ranked at periodic intervals during the year. Applications that miss the current ranking cut-off date will be held and processed at the end of the next application ranking cut-off date, regardless of whether the cut-off date occurs in the current fiscal year or the subsequent fiscal year.
Note: When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received. When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Variable, no specified time. Approval will depend on volume of applications received and available funds.
Preapplication Coordination
Potential applicants must submit documents to the appropriate local NRCS or Conservation District office. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Note: This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.
Appeals
Any participant shall have the right to appeal final adverse or potentially adverse decisions made by NRCS.
Note: In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Renewals
Contracts that are scheduled for less than 10 years may be extended up to the ten-year contract limit, in order for the participant to complete the practices scheduled in the contract. However, the participant must apply all practices within ten years of signing the contract.
Note: In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.
Who can benefit...
Applicants must have control of the land for a period of the contract running from a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 10 years.
Beneficiaries
About this section:
This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.
How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not to exceed $50,000 per fiscal year. Total cost share payments per the life of the contract shall not exceed $150,000.
Note: This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.
Obligations
FY 03 $0; FY 04 $10,400,00; and FY 05 est $0; (Salaries and expenses) FY 03 $1,300,000; FY 04 $3,600,000; and FY 05 est $0.
Note: The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.
Account Identification
12-4336-0-1-302.
Note: Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program. This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.
Examples of funded projects...
Not applicable.
About this section
This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.
Program accomplishments...
At the end of FY 2002, there were 1,176 active contracts with cost share practices valued in excess of $13,400,000 remaining to be implemented on over 287,000 acres. The program is operated in 15 States.
Criteria for selecting proposals...
A State developed ranking process and ranking criteria will be used. The ranking criteria will emphasize: the construction or improvement of water management structures or irrigation structures; planting of trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigating financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Long term contracts of 3 to 10 years. Cost share assistance is paid when the practice is performed.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Cost share payments shall be based on 75 percent of the cost of the eligible practice installed.
Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.
Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.
In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.
Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.
Post assistance requirements...
Reports
No reports. NRCS and the landowner or operator make an annual contract status review that includes maintenance of completed contract items, need for deletion or addition of contract items, and as appropriate, the need to reschedule the installation of practices.
Note: This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.
Audits
Program activities are subject to audit by the Office of Inspector General, USDA.
Note: This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency. The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133. These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year, as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period, rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records
The records for all expired or terminated contracts will be kept for 10 years following expiration or termination of the contracts.
Note: This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require. Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office. For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C. For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.
Regulations...
Authorization
Section 133 of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, Public Law 106-524, Section 524 (b).
Note: This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).
Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature
7CFR, Part 1465 regulations in the Federal Register, Volume 68, No. 68, page 17272, April 9, 2003; USDA/NRCS Internet homepage under Programs.
Contact information...
Web Sites
* www.nrcs.usda.gov
* www.usda.gov
Regional Or Local Office
For a list of NRCS State Offices with telephone numbers and addresses, see Additional Contact Information - FMR Help.
Note: This section lists the agency contact person, address and telephone number of the Federal Regional or Local Office(s) to be contacted for detailed information regarding a program such as: (1) current availability of funds and the likelihood of receiving assistance within a given period; (2) pre-application and application forms required; (3) whether a pre-application conference is recommended; (4) assistance available in preparation of applications; (5) whether funding decisions are made at the headquarters, regional or local level; (6) application renewal procedures (including continuations and supplementals) or appeal procedures for rejected applications; and (7) recently published program guidelines and material. However, for most federal programs, this section will instruct the reader to consult the so-called Appendix IV of the Catalog due to the large volume of Regional and Local Office Contacts for most agencies. This information is provided in Additional Contact Information (see below).
Headquarters Office
Conservation Operations Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013. Telephone (202) 720-1873, fax: (202) 720-4265.
Note: This section lists names and addresses of the office at the headquarters level with direct operational responsibility for managing a program. A telephone number is provided in cases where a Regional or Local Office is not normally able to answer detailed inquiries concerning a program. Also listed are the name(s) and telephone number(s) of the information contact person(s) who can provide additional program information to applicants.
Additional Contact Information (Appendix IV)
Due to the large volume of regional and local office contacts for most agencies, full contact information is also provided separately here in a PDF format:
* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by Agency (PDF file)
* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by State (PDF file)
Administered by:
US Federal Government Agency (see all agencies)
Department of Agriculture , Natural Resources Conservation Service
CFDA #: 10.917
To provide cost-share assistance to producers on private lands through contracts to construct or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Possible uses and use restrictions...Eligible producers in approved states may receive cost-share assistance to construct or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Who is eligible to apply...
Applicants must have control of the land for a period of the contract running from a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 10 years. The land must be in one of the 15 following eligible states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Eligible Applicant Categories:
Eligible Functional Categories:
Credentials/Documentation
Evidence that the applicant has control over the land for the life of the proposed contract. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:
This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy. For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree, 3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible. Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they must satisfy.
Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs, the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.
How to apply...
Application Procedure:
Application forms are available in USDA Service Centers and conservation district offices as well as in an automated format on the Internet on the USDA NRCS homepage.
Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.
Award Procedure:
Participants must sign a 3 to 10 year contract based on the conservation plan to receive cost-sharing. Cost share payments are made directly to the applicant upon satisfactory completion on identifiable units of work. Approval of contracts are made by an authorized representative of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check. Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office, or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.
Deadlines and process...
Deadlines
Applicants may submit an application at any time during the year. Applications will be ranked at periodic intervals during the year. Applications that miss the current ranking cut-off date will be held and processed at the end of the next application ranking cut-off date, regardless of whether the cut-off date occurs in the current fiscal year or the subsequent fiscal year.
Note: When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received. When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Variable, no specified time. Approval will depend on volume of applications received and available funds.
Preapplication Coordination
Potential applicants must submit documents to the appropriate local NRCS or Conservation District office. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Note: This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.
Appeals
Any participant shall have the right to appeal final adverse or potentially adverse decisions made by NRCS.
Note: In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Renewals
Contracts that are scheduled for less than 10 years may be extended up to the ten-year contract limit, in order for the participant to complete the practices scheduled in the contract. However, the participant must apply all practices within ten years of signing the contract.
Note: In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.
Who can benefit...
Applicants must have control of the land for a period of the contract running from a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 10 years.
Beneficiaries
About this section:
This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.
How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not to exceed $50,000 per fiscal year. Total cost share payments per the life of the contract shall not exceed $150,000.
Note: This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.
Obligations
FY 03 $0; FY 04 $10,400,00; and FY 05 est $0; (Salaries and expenses) FY 03 $1,300,000; FY 04 $3,600,000; and FY 05 est $0.
Note: The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.
Account Identification
12-4336-0-1-302.
Note: Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program. This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.
Examples of funded projects...
Not applicable.
About this section
This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.
Program accomplishments...
At the end of FY 2002, there were 1,176 active contracts with cost share practices valued in excess of $13,400,000 remaining to be implemented on over 287,000 acres. The program is operated in 15 States.
Criteria for selecting proposals...
A State developed ranking process and ranking criteria will be used. The ranking criteria will emphasize: the construction or improvement of water management structures or irrigation structures; planting of trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigating financial risk through production or marketing diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.
Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Long term contracts of 3 to 10 years. Cost share assistance is paid when the practice is performed.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Cost share payments shall be based on 75 percent of the cost of the eligible practice installed.
Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.
Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.
In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.
Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.
Post assistance requirements...
Reports
No reports. NRCS and the landowner or operator make an annual contract status review that includes maintenance of completed contract items, need for deletion or addition of contract items, and as appropriate, the need to reschedule the installation of practices.
Note: This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.
Audits
Program activities are subject to audit by the Office of Inspector General, USDA.
Note: This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency. The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133. These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year, as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period, rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records
The records for all expired or terminated contracts will be kept for 10 years following expiration or termination of the contracts.
Note: This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require. Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office. For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C. For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.
Regulations...
Authorization
Section 133 of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, Public Law 106-524, Section 524 (b).
Note: This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).
Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature
7CFR, Part 1465 regulations in the Federal Register, Volume 68, No. 68, page 17272, April 9, 2003; USDA/NRCS Internet homepage under Programs.
Contact information...
Web Sites
* www.nrcs.usda.gov
* www.usda.gov
Regional Or Local Office
For a list of NRCS State Offices with telephone numbers and addresses, see Additional Contact Information - FMR Help.
Note: This section lists the agency contact person, address and telephone number of the Federal Regional or Local Office(s) to be contacted for detailed information regarding a program such as: (1) current availability of funds and the likelihood of receiving assistance within a given period; (2) pre-application and application forms required; (3) whether a pre-application conference is recommended; (4) assistance available in preparation of applications; (5) whether funding decisions are made at the headquarters, regional or local level; (6) application renewal procedures (including continuations and supplementals) or appeal procedures for rejected applications; and (7) recently published program guidelines and material. However, for most federal programs, this section will instruct the reader to consult the so-called Appendix IV of the Catalog due to the large volume of Regional and Local Office Contacts for most agencies. This information is provided in Additional Contact Information (see below).
Headquarters Office
Conservation Operations Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013. Telephone (202) 720-1873, fax: (202) 720-4265.
Note: This section lists names and addresses of the office at the headquarters level with direct operational responsibility for managing a program. A telephone number is provided in cases where a Regional or Local Office is not normally able to answer detailed inquiries concerning a program. Also listed are the name(s) and telephone number(s) of the information contact person(s) who can provide additional program information to applicants.
Additional Contact Information (Appendix IV)
Due to the large volume of regional and local office contacts for most agencies, full contact information is also provided separately here in a PDF format:
* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by Agency (PDF file)
* Regional and Local Office Addresses listed by State (PDF file)
Administered by:
US Federal Government Agency (see all agencies)
Department of Agriculture , Natural Resources Conservation Service
CFDA #: 10.917
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