USDA_RD Value Added Producer Grant

Value-Added Producer Grant

Agricultural producers can receive economic planning and working capital grants

Application submission deadline: 10/15/2012

Rural Development Partners:

US Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD)’s Value Added Producer Grant program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA; attached) has been published for FY 2012.  The program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities.  Grants will be awarded competitively for either economic 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. $14 million are available in this national competition.  The deadline to submit applications is October 15, 2011.  Attached and below, you will find information about the programs, including the tools you’ll need to apply.

Staff names and contact information are available at the end of the attached fact sheet.  USDA-RD encourages each potential applicant to contact the Rural Development State Office or a local Area Office as soon as possible.  Staff can identify whether a potential applicant and project are eligible and answer your questions about the program.

Value-Added Producer Grant -- Deadline:  October 15, 2012

Basic information

·         The program is for economic planning or working capital. Funding amounts:  No minimum.  Maximum:  $100,000 for planning; $300,000 for working capital
·         There is no “rural” requirement—all areas of New Mexico are eligible.
·         Eligible applicants are independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer and rancher cooperatives; or majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.  Please see the specific definitions of these applicant types in the regulation cited below at page 20 (section 4284.920).  All applicant types must currently produce and own a majority of the agricultural commodity to which value will be added and that is the subject of the proposal.
·         The types of eligible projects are listed on page 23 (section 4284.922) of the regulation cited below.  A value added product is any agricultural commodity or product that meets one of the following qualifications.

o   Has undergone a change in physical state

o   Was produced in a manner that enhances its value

o   Is physically segregated

o   Is a source of farm- or ranch-based renewable energy, including E-85

o   Is aggregated and marketed as a locally produced agricultural food product.

·         As a result of the proposed project, the customer base for the agricultural commodity or value-added product must be expanded and the project must result in the applicant producer of the agricultural commodity’s receiving a greater portion of the revenue derived from the marketing or processing of the value-added product.
·         There is a matching fund requirement of at least $1 for every $1 in grant funds provided by the agency.

Requirements/application template:  The fact sheet provides an overview of the program.  More information is available at the USDA-RD VAPG website page at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_VAPG.html .  An application template will be available at that website soon. The application requirements are guided by the Notice of Funds Availability and the regulation, which can be found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/4284j.pdf .  The application must include the required forms.

Deadline/Submission:  Applications must be submitted by October 15, 2012 or they will not be considered for funding from this NOFA.  Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped or sent overnight by this date.  Electronic applications are permitted via www.grants.gov only, and must be received by midnight on this date.  No fax or email application submissions will be considered.  Submit paper applications to USDA-Rural Development/New Mexico State Office, 6200 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM  87109.  Submit to the State Office; NOT an area office.

We, at USDA-Rural Development, look forward to speaking with you about your projects.

Jesse

B. Jesse Monfort Bopp l State Loan Specialist, NM Rural Energy Coordinator

Rural Development

U.S. Department of Agriculture

6200 Jefferson NE, Rm 255

Albuquerque, NM  87109

Phone:  505.761.4952 l FAX:  505.761.4977 l jesse.bopp@nm.usda.gov

www.rurdev.usda.gov

NM Gov Martinez Issues Drought Declaration

SANTA FE, NM – Governor Susana Martinez issued a formal drought declaration that encompasses the entire state of New Mexico.   The declaration continues the New Mexico State Drought Task Force for an additional two years and directs the State Engineer to assess the continued severity of the drought and its effects on the various sectors of the state’s resources and economy and to make recommendations to the Governor for intermediate actions and long-term strategies to mitigate drought conditions and impacts in the state.   [More]

Annual SAWC Meeting & Candidate Forum May 19, 2012

The San Augustin Water Coalition (SAWC) annual meeting will be held 1 PM, May 19, 2012 at the Datil Elementary School Gym.  Candidate forum at 2 PM.  [MORE]

San Augustin Water Grab: A Battle Won But Not the War

San Augustin Water Grab: A Battle Won But Not the War

A Battle Won But Not the War
Cathie R. Eisen
Walking Water Consulting
PO Box 133
Nogal, New Mexico
April 8, 2012

Across the southern states a battle is raging for our most precious resource. The value of water has reached a premium, and it will only increase with time. As the cities and counties of the west continue to grow, so does the need for new water sources to support their ever increasing demands. While the quest for oil is on the forefront of everyone's mind, dollar for dollar, water is by far more valuable. We can live without oil if necessary, but we must have water to survive. During the past few years, several applications have been submitted to the State Engineers Office in New Mexico for the purpose of tapping into the deeper aquifers, waters which were previously deemed unusable and were until now unprotected from such requests. One by one, they have been protested and denied. This is not the end of the effort. Future legislation will support these requests as our cities continue to grow along with the residential demand for additional supplies; water for sanitary and domestic water use is and always will be a priority to developers and communities. The health and welfare of the masses could easily trump the livelihood of the rural ranchers. They are few, rural residents are many.   More at Glenwood Gazette... 

Catron County Commission Demands Wolf Incident Investigation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RESERVE, NM. “The wolf issue is one of the biggest problems the county has faced,” said Catron County Commission Chairman Hugh B. McKeen to Tod Stevenson, Director of New Mexico Department of Game & Fish at a regularly scheduled public meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 2011. With Mr. Stevenson were RJ Kirkpatrick, Assistant Director NM Game & Fish; Jim McClintic, Chairman New Mexico State Game Commission; and Dick Salopek, New Mexico State Game Commission. An audience of nearly 100 people attended the meeting.

In late January a formal complaint was filed by the county with NM Governor Martinez regarding a wolf depredation investigation that occurred on January 18, 2011. Catron County contends that NM Game & Fish wolf biologists Ellen Heilhecke and Mischa Larisch allegedly sought to influence or change the official investigation findings of Sterling Simpson and Armando Orona of US Wildlife Services during an on-site investigation as to the cause of death of a cow.

“Influencing or attempting to influence the findings of another agency’s official investigation brings up a lot of problems,” said Catron County’s Wolf Incident Investigator, Jess Carey. “The credibility of the game department wolf biologist is now lost.” Simpson and Orona did confirm that the cow was killed by wolves, with Carey concurring.

“Other findings of confirmed wolf kill have been changed to probable in the past,” Carey said. “How can you change documented evidence?”

Stevenson confirmed that Larisch did call and relay a message from Heilhecke to the Wildlife Services personnel while the investigation was in progress, but denied that any impropriety occurred.

“My staff said they did not say that Wildlife Services should modify the finding from confirmed to probable,” Stevenson said. “My folks called and said there were feral dogs in the area to take into consideration.”

“There were no feral dogs on this ranch,” Carey said. “Last year, several miles away, a neighbor was letting his house dogs run loose, but that problem was resolved. Mr. Simpson concurred: There are no feral dogs out there”.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Catron County Attorney Ron Shortes stated that he agreed with the Commissioners’ and Carey’s call for an independent, third party investigation of the incident.

“I think you have a conflict of interest when you say you have an obligation to facilitate this Mexican wolf recovery program vs. your constitutional obligation to the people of NM to protect wildlife,” Shortes said.

“While an independent investigation is needed, my ultimate feeling is that you have a bunch of good people with the New Mexico Game Commission and NM Game & Fish trying to do their best, but I’m wondering if they’re trying to do too much,” Shortes said. “They’re assisting the recovery program on one hand, trying to protect wildlife on the other – is there any possibility of trust while that’s going on?”

After a show of hands to see how people in the audience felt, the Catron County Commissioners voted unanimously to go ahead with their request of Governor Martinez for a full, independent investigation of the incident. Director Stevenson volunteered to provide a synopsis of the progress of the investigation by April 15, 2011.

“Catron County has taken a no-wolf stand,” McKeen said. “I’m requesting that you take a no-wolf stance, too. It’ll do us all good – we’re not only concerned about livestock but wildlife, too.”


Contact:
Bill Aymar, Catron County Manager
PO Box 507
Reserve NM 87830
(575) 533-6423
ccmanager@gilanet.com



# # #

HJM 48 - time to act!

One more effort from all of you who have been working for more equitable treatment of ranchers in the Mexican wolf fiasco can make a big difference.

New Mexico House Joint Memorial 048 has passed out of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee today and goes to the House floor. Your continued support of this memorial for fair compensation for our ranchers is vital. Call or email your NM congressmen today!

More at www.amprowest.org

NAIS scrapped!

According to a NY Times article this morning, USDA secretary Tom Vilsack will announce Friday that the Obama administration has decided to scrap NAIS, the controversial program intended to identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

Doing Business With Mexico

The U.S. Commercial Service is holding a FREE webinar on doing business with Mexico on November 17 at 10 AM MT. The Santa Fe Export Assistance Center would like to welcome the participation of any of the NM firms you work with that might find it of interest. Speakers will include the Senior Commercial Officer (Mexico Region) Ann Bacher, the Principal Commercial Officer for Monterrey Geoff Bogart, someone from FedEx to talk about shipping issues, and someone from Zions Bank to discuss trade finance issues. Also highlighted during the webinar will be an upcoming trade mission to Mexico in February. If you are interested in participating in the webinar or the upcoming trade mission log on directly on Nov. 17th to:

http://www.buyusa.gov/utah/mexicowebinar.html

or contact the Santa Fe Export Assistance Center – Attention:

Catherine Spillman
International Trade Specialist
U.S. Export Assistance Center
Santa Fe, NM
T: 505-908-7434
F: 505-827-0211

Catherine.Spillman@mail.doc.gov

Legal Notice: Public Hearing, Economic Development Ordinance

LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given that on the 4th day of February, 2009 at 1:30 PM the Catron County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider adopting an ordinance relating to the Economic Development Planning Ordinance 001-2008 adopted September 3, 2008.

The draft of "An Ordinance Adopting an Economic Development Project for Public Support of K&B Timberworks, Inc., A New Mexico Corporation" proposed ordinance number 001-2009 may be picked up for review at the Catron County Clerk's Office at 100 Main Street, Reserve, New Mexico or by contacting Bill Aymar, County Manager at (575) 533-6423.

Comments can be sent are to be submitted to Bill Aymar, County Manager, Catron County Commission Office, PO Box 507, Reserve New Mexico 87830. For more information contact Bill Aymar at (575) 533-6423 or by email at ccmanager@gilanet.com

s/s
Bill Aymar
County Manager

Silver City Daily Press
January 21, 2009

Mountain Mail
January 22, 2009

REDT 002 - Economic Development: A Team Effort

REDT post 002
Economic Development: A Team Effort
By Lif Strand

Are you worried about how many job losses can occur before our economy truly crashes? Are you confused about how difficult it is to find a job, while you watch your savings dwindle to nothing and your debt get higher and higher? If you are an employer with job openings, are you perplexed about how difficult it is to find an employee when unemployment is so high?

You aren’t the Lone Ranger.

The NM Governor’s Economic Summit has drawn to a close. If nothing else has come of this conference it is the understanding that the current economic crisis in this country is a multi-faceted thing, and that the only way to deal with it is by a team effort. “Fixing” things from the top down (government bailout) isn’t going to work unless the very foundation of economic development is shored up as well.

What is the foundation of a sustainable, thriving economy? It’s not simply profitable financial institutions, but a healthy, sustainable environment, a healthy, sustainable society and healthy urban and rural, local, regional, federal and world economy.

Everything is connected to everything – nothing we humans partake of exists in a vacuum, sufficient under itself. If you only fix one thing without fixing the other parts, your fix won’t work, but will rather just cause more problems. Real life is a balancing act – sustainability occurs when all parts are considered when changes are proposed. If you ignore the connected parts, those other parts will be damaged by the imbalance and then other parts will drag you down.

A real fix that will create a sustainable, thriving economy means looking to the human environment and the natural environment. We have a strong environmentalist force nowadays that has positioned itself as the moral guides for humanity, but this force has forgotten that humans are rightful and valid part of the planetary environment, that environmentalist planning must recognize and accommodate the human environment. Green hasn’t worked and will never work if we only look at humanity as a disease that should be excluded.

The team that will fix the economy is the team that is inclusive rather than exclusive. The human spirit is perhaps the most valuable resource for improving our planet that we have. Addressing today’s issues must be done from the perspective of raising human consciousness on the environmental, societal and economic levels. No planning that focuses solely on one area to the exclusion of any other area can provide a solution.

In upcoming posts, you will be provided with an opportunity to join the Rural Economic Development Team to create meaningful, sustainable economic development. Your comments, suggestions and support are welcome.