Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FSIS FERN 07092008
Apply for USDA FSIS FERN 07092008
- The Food Safety Inspection Service in the agriculture food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FSIS FERN Food Emergency Management Program Cooperative Agreement" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.479 Food Safety Cooperative Agreements.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 9, 2008 and posted on Jul 9, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 16, 2008. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- State Emergency Management Agencies from TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, KY and Puerto Rico.
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Opportunity Summary:
The FSIS FERN Food Emergency Management Program Cooperative Agreement is a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) discretionary cooperative agreement (CFDA 10.479) designed to strengthen how states plan for, coordinate, and carry out responses to food-related emergencies within the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN). FERN is a nationwide network of about 150 federal, state, and local regulatory laboratories that support food defense and outbreak response by testing for microbiological, chemical, and radiological threat agents. While FERN already had dozens of cooperative agreements in place at the time to expand laboratory testing and diagnostic capabilities, after-action reviews from repeated emergency response exercises identified a major gap: many jurisdictions lacked a comprehensive, end-to-end food emergency response plan that clearly lays out the operational systems needed to respond quickly and consistently.
The core purpose of this opportunity is to build and institutionalize comprehensive food emergency response planning and regional coordination, with an emphasis on the FERN Southeast region. The announcement highlights specific response components that plans often fail to fully integrate, including notification and communication procedures, deployment and staffing mechanisms, standardized sampling approaches, field diagnostics, chain-of-custody practices, secure and timely transport, FERN laboratory diagnostic workflows, FERN reporting processes, and structured after-action gap analyses. In practical terms, the cooperative agreement is meant to help participating states move from ad hoc or exercise-only coordination toward repeatable, documented systems that can be implemented routinely at a regional scale, improving readiness, response, and recovery for intentional contamination events, suspected threat incidents, and major foodborne outbreak investigations.
Funding under this cooperative agreement is aimed at the administrative and coordination backbone required to make these plans real and usable, not at laboratory construction or facility upgrades. Allowable support is framed around costs such as organizing and running coordination meetings, maintaining communications and scheduling across partners, planning and executing implementation exercises, and covering related exercise expenses. It also notes that meeting space procurement and travel must follow state government per diem and reimbursement rules, and personnel expense reimbursement is tied to those established state practices. The agency explicitly states that construction costs are not supported, underscoring that this program is focused on planning, coordination, and operational execution rather than capital projects.
Eligibility is limited and region-specific. Applicants are State Emergency Management Agencies from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico. The intent is to expand the number of states in this region that have robust, comprehensive food emergency response plans and to support development of a regional plan that improves FSIS FERN coordination and communication across jurisdictions. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed. The opportunity was posted July 9, 2008, with an original and current closing date of July 16, 2008, and it was archived August 15, 2008.
For questions, the listed point of contact is Thomas Beacorn, VMO Sr. Staff Officer, at 706-546-3426 (email referenced but not fully shown in the provided text).
FSIS FERN Food Emergency Management Program Cooperative Agreement (CFDA 10.479) - FAQs
What is the FSIS FERN Food Emergency Management Program Cooperative Agreement?
This is a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) discretionary cooperative agreement (CFDA 10.479) intended to strengthen how states plan for, coordinate, and carry out responses to food-related emergencies within the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).
What is FERN?
FERN is a nationwide network of about 150 federal, state, and local regulatory laboratories that support food defense and outbreak response by testing for microbiological, chemical, and radiological threat agents.
Why was this cooperative agreement created?
After-action reviews from repeated emergency response exercises identified a key gap: many jurisdictions lacked a comprehensive, end-to-end food emergency response plan that clearly describes the operational systems needed to respond quickly and consistently. This opportunity focuses on closing that planning and coordination gap.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The core purpose is to build and institutionalize comprehensive food emergency response planning and regional coordination, with an emphasis on the FERN Southeast region, so participating states can move from ad hoc or exercise-only coordination to repeatable, documented systems usable at a regional scale.
Which region is emphasized by this opportunity?
The announcement emphasizes the FERN Southeast region and aims to expand the number of states in that region with robust, comprehensive food emergency response plans, while also supporting development of a regional plan to improve FSIS FERN coordination and communication across jurisdictions.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to State Emergency Management Agencies in the following jurisdictions: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.
Are local governments, universities, or laboratories eligible to apply directly?
Based on the information provided, eligibility is limited to State Emergency Management Agencies in the listed states and Puerto Rico. No other applicant types are identified as eligible in the provided description.
Is this opportunity focused on building laboratory capacity?
No. While FERN is a laboratory network and there were already other cooperative agreements aimed at expanding laboratory testing and diagnostic capabilities, this specific cooperative agreement is focused on planning, coordination, and operational execution of food emergency response.
What types of incidents is the program meant to address?
The program is meant to improve readiness, response, and recovery for intentional contamination events, suspected threat incidents, and major foodborne outbreak investigations.
What kinds of gaps in food emergency response planning does the program aim to fix?
The announcement highlights that many plans fail to fully integrate several key response components end-to-end, including:
- Notification and communication procedures
- Deployment and staffing mechanisms
- Standardized sampling approaches
- Field diagnostics
- Chain-of-custody practices
- Secure and timely transport
- FERN laboratory diagnostic workflows
- FERN reporting processes
- Structured after-action gap analyses
What is meant by "end-to-end" food emergency response planning in this context?
In this context, "end-to-end" refers to having a comprehensive plan that connects operational steps from initial notification and communications, through staffing and deployment, sampling and field activities, chain-of-custody and transport, laboratory diagnostics and reporting, and finally after-action review and gap analysis.
What is the funding intended to support?
Funding is aimed at the administrative and coordination backbone needed to make comprehensive plans real and usable. Allowable support is framed around costs such as:
- Organizing and running coordination meetings
- Maintaining communications and scheduling across partners
- Planning and executing implementation exercises
- Covering exercise-related expenses
Can funds be used for construction or facility upgrades?
No. The agency explicitly states that construction costs are not supported, underscoring that this program is focused on planning, coordination, and operational execution rather than capital projects.
Are there rules mentioned for travel and meeting costs?
Yes. Meeting space procurement and travel must follow state government per diem and reimbursement rules. Personnel expense reimbursement is also tied to established state practices.
Is there a cost-sharing or match requirement?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement is listed in the provided information.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 10.479.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on July 9, 2008. The original closing date and the current closing date are both listed as July 16, 2008.
Is this opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity was archived on August 15, 2008, and the closing date listed is July 16, 2008.
Who is the point of contact for questions?
The listed point of contact is Thomas Beacorn, VMO Sr. Staff Officer, reachable at 706-546-3426. An email is referenced in the source text but is not fully shown in the provided information.
What is the overall expected outcome of the cooperative agreement?
The overall expected outcome is improved readiness and more consistent, repeatable response operations across jurisdictions, supported by comprehensive state plans and enhanced regional coordination and communication within FSIS FERN.
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