Deadline: 29-Jun-2024
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing availability of grants for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources to assist the agency with conducting important integrated pest management (IPM) evaluations on multiple private landowner properties throughout Massachusetts.
NRCS recognizes the importance of increasing the use of IPM practices on cropland including orchards and on areas privately managed for shellfish aquaculture production. IPM has been an underutilized practice in Massachusetts This agreement will be used to provide training on IPM for NRCS staff and affiliates while also providing needed technical assistance for NRCS customers with IPM site visits.
The primary goal is to expand IPM to NRCS customers throughout Massachusetts. The project list ranges in size from 1-acre farms to several hundred-acre farms. Applicants will identify the average number of IPM site visits and written IPM plans that they could complete in any contract year with a minimum of ten per year being acceptable for this agreement. NRCS will work with the selected applicant to make the choice of priority IPM site visits each year of the agreement based on interest and need. Applicants will be required to hold 1-2 IPM trainings per year for NRCS staff and partners to expand their knowledge on the subject. Eligible applicants include: all domestic applicants. Applicants should be familiar with all applicable state, federal, local laws, policies, and regulations that apply to IPM in the locales of Massachusetts.
The purpose of this opportunity is to obtain services from a partner organization to expand IPM services in the state. The agreement holder will perform a minimum of ten site visits to private landowners throughout Massachusetts to assist them on IPM technical assistance and writing IPM plans. Those site visits should lead to 10 new NRCS program applications per year. To expand NRCS staff knowledge on IPM and further increase IMP adoption in Massachusetts the agreement holder should also hold 1-2 trainings per year for NRCS staff and affiliates to learn IPM techniques.
Objectives
- Specific objectives for the agreement include:
- Hire/identify with NRCS approval an IPM technical specialist who will assist private landowners through NRCS programs by writing IPM plans, conducting site visits, and having a minimum of 10 NRCS IPM applications per year come out of the IPM specialists work in the agreement. NRCS will work with agreement holder on prioritizing IPM site visits if there is more interest than availability of IPM specialist.
- IPM technical specialist will work with local NRCS field offices to maintain communication on what customers they are working with on IPM and will inform them and invite them to participate in any customer site visits. IMP specialists will send after visit summaries and IPM plans to local NRCS field offices after site visits.
- IPM technical specialists are responsible for performing outreach to secure new NRCS customers interested in IPM. NRCS can also forward customers to IPM specialists for technical assistance.
- IPM Plans must be completed to the CPS 595 standard and specification therein.
- The agreement holder must conduct 1-2 IPM technical hands-on field trainings for NRCS staff and associates per year in the agreement. The agreement holder will work with NRCS to approve training topic, location, and agenda.
Funding Information
- Estimated Funding: The Federal funding agency expects to award approximately $400,000 through this opportunity. However, the agency retains the discretion to award a larger or lesser amount.
- Award Ceiling: $400,000
- Award Floor: $200,000
- Start Dates and Performance Periods: Projects may be up to 5 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 2024.
- Number of Awards: The agency expects to make 1 award.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award. Eligible applicant type is determined by the implementing program statute. Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program (2 CFR 200.206(d)). Neither foreign entities nor individuals are eligible to apply for this opportunity.
- This opportunity is open to all domestic applicants.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.