By Andi Anderson
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has joined forces with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to introduce the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). This collaboration aims to provide over $6.7 million in competitive grant funding, focusing on projects that enhance resilience within the middle of the food supply chain.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasized the critical role these grants play in ensuring food supply security. She expressed excitement about the collaboration with federal partners, recognizing the USDA-AMS as a valuable asset to Indiana's agriculture sector.
The program's objective is to bolster food supply resilience by addressing distribution, aggregation, storage capacity, market expansion, and facility updates or expansions in the middle of the food chain. The project performance period, following federal guidelines, spans from June 2024 to May 2027. Applicants are required to demonstrate how their projects will contribute to improved resilience within this sector of the food chain.
Director Don Lamb of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture highlighted the significance of these grants in enhancing rural vitality and success for small and mid-sized producers, processors, and consumers in Indiana.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Indiana businesses and producers operating in the middle of the food chain sector, covering the span from the farm gate to the end retail market or the processing and aggregation/distribution sector.
WHO IS INELIGIBLE: Products such as meat, poultry, wild-caught seafood, dietary supplements, and food for animal consumption do not qualify under this program.
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
- Purchase/upgrade of equipment, infrastructure, and technology.
- Construction of new facilities or expansion of current facilities.
- Increasing storage space, including cold storage, and adding new product lines.
- Enhancing packaging and labeling capabilities.
- Facility upgrades for climate-smart equipment.
Applications for the grants will open on January 29, 2024, and the deadline for submission to ISDA is March 8, 2024, by 12 noon EST. Interested parties can apply directly through ISDA. Technical assistance webinars, application materials, and additional resources are available at ISDA's official website.
The program not only provides Infrastructure Grant funding but also supports supply chain coordination and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses involved in processing, aggregation, and distribution. This multifaceted approach aims to bolster access to better markets for farmers.
For those seeking further information or interested in a virtual Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant overview on Jan. 24 from 3-4 p.m., visit ISDA's official website. AMS encourages applications that cater to smaller farms, new and beginning farmers, underserved producers, veterans, female producers, and underserved communities.
Photo Credit: indiana-state-department-of-agriculture
Categories: Indiana, Government & Policy