Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA FBMB 003771
Apply for USDA NIFA FBMB 003771
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.319 Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive Grants Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 4, 2012 and posted on May 4, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 15, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $1,300,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,300,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 450i(b)(7), eligible applicants means (A) State agricultural experiment stations (B) colleges and universities (C) university research foundations (D) other research institutions and organizations (E) Federal agencies (F) national laboratories (G) private organizations or corporations (H) individuals or (I) any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (H).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Program is a competitive grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.319. It is a discretionary grant program designed to strengthen the business and financial management capacity of agricultural producers while also building a stronger national picture of farm financial performance. The underlying statutory purpose, as laid out in 7 U.S.C. 5925f, is twofold: first, to improve farm management knowledge and skills among producers, and second, to establish and maintain a national, publicly available farm financial management database that can be used for benchmarking and broader analysis.
The practical focus of the program is on delivering farm business management education and decision-support services that help producers better understand their costs, revenues, risk exposure, and overall financial health. In addition to training and technical assistance, the program emphasizes financial benchmarking, meaning it supports the collection and organization of standardized farm financial data so producers can compare their performance to relevant peers (for example, similar farm types, sizes, or regions). A major deliverable tied to the program's intent is the development and ongoing maintenance of a national database that is publicly available, which implies a strong expectation around data quality, consistent financial reporting formats, privacy protections where needed, and usefulness to farmers, educators, researchers, and policymakers.
Another core element is coordination. The announcement notes that, to the extent practicable, assistance provided through these projects should be coordinated and delivered in cooperation with similar services or assistance offered by other federal agencies or programs that support improved farm management. In plain terms, applicants are expected to avoid duplicating existing efforts and instead align their work with related federal initiatives, extension-style technical assistance networks, or other complementary farm management education and data programs. This coordination goal is important because farm business management support often spans multiple agencies and delivery systems, and the program is intended to reinforce a coherent national approach rather than a patchwork of disconnected tools and datasets.
Funding for the opportunity was estimated at $1,300,000 total, with an award floor of $200,000 and an award ceiling of $1,300,000, indicating that awards could range from mid-sized projects to a single large project depending on the agency's selections and the quality and scope of proposed work. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement listed, which typically lowers barriers to participation and can be especially important for organizations that deliver producer-facing services but do not have large pools of unrestricted funds.
Eligible applicants were broadly defined under 7 U.S.C. 450i(b)(7). The eligible pool included state agricultural experiment stations; colleges and universities; university research foundations; other research institutions and organizations; federal agencies; national laboratories; private organizations or corporations; individuals; and partnerships or groups made up of two or more of those entity types. The "Others (see text field)" category in the listing reflects that wide statutory eligibility rather than limiting applicants to a narrow institutional type. In practice, this kind of eligibility structure supports proposals from universities and extension-linked groups, nonprofit farm management associations, data or analytics organizations, and multi-institution collaborations that combine on-the-ground producer education with rigorous financial data management.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted on May 4, 2012, with an original and current closing date of June 15, 2012, and an archive date of July 15, 2012. The funding opportunity number was USDA NIFA FBMB 003771, and the funding activity category was listed as Agriculture, Business and Commerce, reflecting the program's emphasis on the business side of farming rather than production technology alone. For applicants needing help accessing the full announcement, NIFA provided a help desk contact at 202-401-5048 during standard weekday business hours (Eastern Time), and the listing also indicates there was a point of contact for questions related to preparing application content.
Overall, the program is best understood as a targeted investment in both farmer-facing business management capacity and the national infrastructure for farm financial benchmarking. Successful projects under this kind of opportunity would be expected to show how they will deliver measurable improvements in producer financial decision-making while also contributing to a robust, standardized, and publicly accessible financial management database that can support benchmarking, research, and informed program development across U.S. agriculture.
Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Program (CFDA 10.319) - FAQs
What is the Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Program?
The Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Program is a competitive, discretionary grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.319. It is designed to strengthen the business and financial management capacity of agricultural producers and to support national farm financial benchmarking through improved data collection and reporting.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The statutory purpose (7 U.S.C. 5925f) is twofold: (1) improve farm management knowledge and skills among producers, and (2) establish and maintain a national, publicly available farm financial management database that can be used for benchmarking and broader analysis.
What kinds of activities does the program support?
The program supports farm business management education and decision-support services that help producers better understand costs, revenues, risk exposure, and overall financial health. It also emphasizes financial benchmarking by supporting the collection, organization, and reporting of standardized farm financial data so producers can compare performance to relevant peers (such as similar farm types, sizes, or regions).
What does "benchmarking" mean in the context of this grant?
Benchmarking refers to collecting and organizing standardized farm financial information so farm performance can be compared against peer groups. The intent is to help producers evaluate how they are doing relative to comparable operations and to support broader analysis of farm financial performance nationwide.
Is there a data or database requirement tied to this opportunity?
Yes. A major deliverable tied to the program's intent is the development and ongoing maintenance of a national farm financial management database that is publicly available. This implies an expectation for data quality, consistent reporting formats, and practical usefulness to farmers, educators, researchers, and policymakers.
Who is expected to benefit from the publicly available database?
The description indicates the publicly available national database is intended to be useful for farmers (benchmarking and decision-making), educators (farm management education), researchers (analysis of farm financial performance), and policymakers (informing program development and decisions).
Does the program address privacy or data protection?
The opportunity implies the need for privacy protections where needed, alongside a publicly available national database. The emphasis suggests applicants should be attentive to protecting sensitive information while still producing useful, standardized, publicly accessible benchmarking outputs.
Is coordination with other federal programs required?
Coordination is a core element of the program. The announcement notes that, to the extent practicable, assistance provided through funded projects should be coordinated and delivered in cooperation with similar services or assistance offered by other federal agencies or programs that support improved farm management. This is intended to reduce duplication and strengthen a coherent national approach.
What is the total estimated funding available for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding available was $1,300,000.
What are the minimum and maximum award amounts?
The award floor was $200,000 and the award ceiling was $1,300,000. This means awards could range from mid-sized projects to a single large project, depending on selections and the scope and quality of proposals.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed for this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broadly defined under 7 U.S.C. 450i(b)(7). Eligible applicants included state agricultural experiment stations; colleges and universities; university research foundations; other research institutions and organizations; federal agencies; national laboratories; private organizations or corporations; individuals; and partnerships or groups made up of two or more of those entity types.
Can partnerships or multi-organization teams apply?
Yes. Partnerships or groups consisting of two or more eligible entity types were included in the eligible applicant pool.
What kinds of organizations typically fit this opportunity based on the description?
Based on the stated eligibility and program focus, this opportunity could support proposals from universities and extension-linked groups, nonprofit farm management associations, data or analytics organizations, and multi-institution collaborations that combine producer education with financial data management and benchmarking.
Which federal agency administers the program?
The program is administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 10.319.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA FBMB 003771.
What is the funding activity category?
The funding activity category was listed as Agriculture, Business and Commerce, reflecting an emphasis on the business and financial management side of farming.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on May 4, 2012. The original and current closing date was June 15, 2012. The archive date was July 15, 2012.
Where can applicants get help accessing the full announcement?
NIFA provided a help desk contact at 202-401-5048 during standard weekday business hours (Eastern Time) for assistance accessing the full announcement.
Is there a contact for application content questions?
Yes. The listing indicates there was a point of contact for questions related to preparing application content (specific details are not provided in the information shown here).
What should a strong project proposal aim to demonstrate, based on the program description?
Based on the stated purpose and emphasis, projects would be expected to show how they will deliver measurable improvements in producer financial decision-making and also contribute to a robust, standardized, publicly accessible farm financial management database that supports benchmarking, research, and informed program development across U.S. agriculture.
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