Agricultural Management Assistance Organic Certification Cost Share Program | Apply Online

FAQs: AMA Organic Certification Cost Share Program (USDA AMS)

1) What is the AMA Organic Certification Cost Share Program?

The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Organic Certification Cost Share Program is a USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) grant opportunity designed to help reduce the cost of organic certification. It works by reimbursing eligible certification-related expenses for certified organic producers in a limited set of states.

2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The purpose is practical and targeted: to reduce the financial burden on producers who obtain or maintain organic certification by reimbursing eligible costs tied to the certification process.

3) Who actually receives the federal grant funds from USDA?

The federal grant is awarded to state agencies (typically a State Department of Agriculture) rather than directly to producers. USDA AMS makes awards to states, and the states administer reimbursements to certified organic producers.

4) Do producers apply directly to USDA AMS under this opportunity?

No. Producers do not apply to AMS directly under this announcement. Producers must contact their state agency that administers the cost share program to learn how to request reimbursement.

5) How does the money flow from USDA to a producer?

This is a pass-through structure: USDA AMS awards funds to eligible state agencies, then the state agency accepts, reviews, and approves reimbursement requests from certified organic producers and issues payments for allowable certification costs.

6) Which states are eligible under this AMA cost share opportunity?

Eligible applicants for the federal grant (state agencies) are in sixteen states: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

7) If my farm is not in one of the listed states, can I use this AMA opportunity?

Based on the information provided for this opportunity, the AMA program is limited to the sixteen listed states. Producers outside those states would not use this particular AMA state pass-through funding opportunity.

8) What kinds of producer expenses can be reimbursed?

The program reimburses eligible organic certification-related expenses. The specific costs considered reimbursable and the documentation required are handled through the state agency administering the program.

9) What is the time period for eligible producer expenses in this funding round?

For producers, reimbursement requests could be made for certain organic certification costs incurred between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016.

10) What should producers do to apply or request reimbursement?

Producers should contact their respective State Department of Agriculture (or the designated state agency administering the cost share) to find out how to apply, what documentation is required, which costs are allowable under state procedures, and how reimbursements are distributed.

11) What is the role of the state agency in the process?

The state agency acts as the administrator of the cost share within the state. It receives funds from USDA AMS, sets up its intake process, reviews and approves producer requests, and issues reimbursements for allowable certification costs.

12) What is the legal authority for the AMA Organic Certification Cost Share Program?

The program is authorized under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524). It is administered by AMS in line with relevant provisions of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.

13) What federal grant rules apply to this opportunity?

The opportunity is administered under federal grant rules in 2 CFR 200 (the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards), as described in the opportunity information.

14) Is this a discretionary or mandatory grant program?

This opportunity was categorized as a discretionary grant.

15) What is the CFDA number for this program?

The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 10.171.

16) What was the total funding available for FY 2016?

For FY 2016, approximately $932,000 was available in total across participating states.

17) How many awards were anticipated under this federal opportunity?

The federal opportunity anticipated 16 awards, generally aligning with one award per eligible state.

18) What was the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The listed award ceiling for this funding round was $317,800.

19) What is the funding opportunity number for this round?

The funding opportunity number was USDA AMS TM AMA 2016.

20) When was the application deadline and who did it apply to?

The application deadline was July 5, 2016, and it applied to state agencies applying for the federal award (not to producers).

21) When was this opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on May 4, 2016.

22) Where can I find official program guidance and central reference information?

Program guidance and a central reference point for the cost share programs were provided through AMS at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/occsp.

23) What does "pass-through grant" mean in this context?

It means USDA does not reimburse producers directly. Instead, USDA awards funds to state agencies, and the state agencies then provide reimbursements to eligible certified organic producers under state-run procedures.

24) What does a producer need to know before submitting a request?

A producer should confirm (through the state agency) the state-specific process for submitting a request, required documentation, which certification costs are allowed, and how and when reimbursements are paid.