The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has cooperative agreements with Ohio and Oregon under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Ohio are working together to offer $12.4 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain. USDA and Oregon are working together to offer $5.9 million in competitive grant funding for the same kind of projects. Oregon and Ohio are accepting applications for this Infrastructure Grant funding through Feb. 29 and March 15, 2024, respectively.
In May 2023, USDA announced the availability of up to $420 million through RFSI to strengthen local and regional food systems. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood, or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories. RFSI is authorized by the American Rescue Plan.
Using RFSI funding, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will build resilience in the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for Ohio producers. Funded projects will address challenges in getting agricultural products through the supply chain by focusing on areas such as increasing ambient and refrigerated storage, expanding processing infrastructure and increasing the competitiveness of smaller businesses.
“A strong Ohio depends on a strong agriculture community,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge. “The RFSI grant program will help ensure we’re thoroughly investing in local producers and supporting Ohio’s food system. These grants create more economic opportunities for our communities and the farmers who help feed our state.”
Using RFSI funding, the Oregon Department of Agriculture will fund projects that build resilience across the middle of the food supply chain in the state by creating additional, new and better markets for locally and regionally produced food. The funding will also be used to enhance worker safety through the adoption of new technologies and investments in equipment or facility improvements. Both Ohio and Oregon's priorities are informed by stakeholder engagement and outreach to underserved producers to better understand their needs.
“We value our partnership with USDA and the funding to strengthen and provide capacity in Oregon’s food supply chain,” said Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Lisa Charpilloz Hanson. “The opportunity this grant presents for our underserved communities, small-mid size farms, and our processors to modernize their operations ensures that our agriculture businesses can thrive and continue to support local communities through family wage jobs and to provide value added Oregon products to our consumers.”
Those interested in receiving a subaward in Oregon should apply directly through the Oregon Department of Agriculture by 12 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 29, 2024. Those interested in receiving a subaward in Ohio should apply directly through the Ohio Department of Agriculture by March 15, 2024. AMS encourages applications that serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers and underserved communities.
Through the program and in addition to the Infrastructure Grant funding, the Oregon Department of Agriculture will support supply chain coordination and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses operating in processing, aggregation and distribution — all critical activities to support access to more markets for farmers.
For more information, visit the AMS Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure web page.
Source: USDA's AMS
