[FMC] CSREES Anticipates Specialty Crop Research Initiative Funding Opportunity

[Stacy Miller]

Please see the announcement below about Specialty Crops funding, with the
focus area potentially relevant for farmers market related projects (#4)
highlighted.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ebodaghe, Denis [mailto:DEBODAGHE at CSREES.USDA.GOV]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 9:29 AM
Subject: [agronomy] CSREES Anticipates Specialty Crop Research Initiative
Funding Opportunity

* CSREES Anticipates Specialty Crop Research Initiative Funding Opportunity*

Section 7311 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L.
110-234) established a specialty crop research and extension initiative to
address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry.  The Specialty
Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) will support the specialty crop industry by
developing and disseminating science-based tools to address needs of
specific crops and their regions in five legislatively mandated focus areas,
including:

1. Research in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics to improve crop
characteristics;

2. Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases,
including threats to specialty crop pollinators;

3. New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and
technologies that delay or inhibit ripening;

* 4. Efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, and
profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and
marketing); and*

5. Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential
food safety hazards in the production and processing of specialty crops,
including fresh produce.

As part of this initiative, approximately $27 million in grants will be
awarded in Fiscal Year 2008 on a competitive basis for research projects
that address the five focus areas.  Priority will be given to projects that:

*       are multistate, multi-institutional, or multidisciplinary; and
*       include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and
the public.

Eligible applicants include federal agencies, national laboratories,
colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private
organizations or corporations, state agricultural experiment stations,
individuals, or groups consisting of two or more of these entities.

It is anticipated that the SCRI Request for Applications will be released in
July 2008 with a 30-day open period. All applicants are required to provide
funds or in-kind support from non-federal sources in an amount that is at
least equal to the federal funds requested.

Before applying, you must complete the Grants.gov registration process,
which can take as long as 2 weeks. Please see the Grants.Gov <
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp>  Web site for more
information.


You can read the entire Update at:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/newsletters/update08/061108.html.  If
you would like to subscribe to the Update, that comes out every two weeks,
see instructions at the bottom of the bottom under:  "Mailbox".

Background information on the SCRI can be found on the CSREES website:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/white_papers/pdfs/specialty_crops.pdf.


-------------------------------------
Stacy M. Miller
Executive Secretary
Farmers Market Coalition
stacy at farmersmarketcoalition.org
304-685-2669
www.farmersmarketcoalition.org

Farmers markets are good for everyone. Join us to make them even better.
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