[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4984-4986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2100]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders Regarding the Agriculture
and Food Research Initiative
AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for stakeholder input.
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SUMMARY: In Fiscal Year 2009, the National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA), created a new research, education, and extension
program called the Agriculture and
[[Page 4985]]
Food Research Initiative (AFRI), pursuant to the requirements of
section 7406 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. In
September of 2008 and June of 2010, NIFA solicited public comment from
persons who use or conduct research, extension, or education regarding
the implementing regulation to be developed for this new program. In
addition, NIFA published an Interim Final Rule with request for
comments regarding program-specific administrative provisions for the
AFRI as subpart G of 7 CFR 3430, Competitive and Noncompetitive Non-
Formula Federal Assistance Programs--General Award Administrative
Provisions and Specific Administrative Provisions in the Federal
Register on September 9, 2010 [75 FR 54759-54766]. It is anticipated
that the Final Rule will be published in the Federal Register with
request for comments within 90 days of this Federal Register notice.
In an effort to improve the quality of the AFRI program, NIFA is
again holding a public meeting and soliciting public comments for
consideration in the development of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 AFRI
program solicitations and the FY 2014 Budget. All written comments
received prior to the AFRI Listening Session on February 22, 2012, may
be utilized in a question and response document and/or responded to
during the session held on February 22, 2012 based on the applicability
of the comment to the general population of AFRI stakeholders. However,
all comments must be received by close of business on March 22, 2012,
to be considered in the initial drafting of FY 2013 AFRI program
solicitation documents.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). All written comments must
be received by 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 22, 2012.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in room 1410A-D, Waterfront Centre
Building, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States
Department of Agriculture, 800 9th Street SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Meeting participants will need to provide photo identification to be
admitted to the building. Please allow sufficient time to go through
security.
You may submit comments, identified by NIFA-2012-0004, by any of
the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Email: [email protected]. Include NIFA-2012-0004 in the subject
line of the message.
Fax: (202) 401-6488.
Mail: Paper, disk or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to
AFRI; Institute of Food Production and Sustainability (IFPS), National
Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP
2220, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-2220.
Hand Delivery/Courier: AFRI, IFPS, National Institute of Food and
Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 3444, Waterfront
Centre, 800 9th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and reference to NIFA-2012-0004. All comments received will be posted
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Terri Joya, (202) 401-1282
(phone), (202) 401-6488 (fax), or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Additional Meeting and Comment Procedures
Persons wishing to present oral comments at the Wednesday, February
22, 2012 meeting are requested to pre-register by contacting Ms. Terri
Joya at (202) 401-1282, by fax at (202) 401-6488 or by email to
[email protected]. Participants may reserve one 5-minute comment
period. More time may be available, depending on the number of people
wishing to make a presentation and the time needed for questions
following presentations. Reservations will be confirmed on a first-
come, first-served basis. All other attendees may register at the
meeting. Written comments may also be submitted for the record at the
meeting. All comments must be received by close of business March 22,
2012, to be considered. All comments and the official transcript of the
meeting, when they become available, may be reviewed on the NIFA Web
page, http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri_listen_session.html,
for six months. Participants who require a sign language interpreter or
other special accommodations should contact Ms. Joya as directed above.
Additional Program-specific webinars will occur after the public
meeting to obtain public comments for use in developing the following
activities: Foundational priority areas; Childhood Obesity Prevention;
Climate Change; Food Safety; Global Food Security; Sustainable
Bioenergy; and NIFA Fellowships Grant Program. The date and time for
each webinar will be posted to the following URL: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri_faq_webinars.html.
Background and Purpose
Section 7406 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
(Pub. L. 110-246) (i.e., the 2008 Farm Bill) amends subsection (b) of
the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C.
450i(b)) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a new
competitive grant program to provide funding for fundamental and
applied research, extension, and education to address food and
agricultural sciences. AFRI supersedes the National Research
Initiative. AFRI Grants shall be awarded to address priorities in
United States agriculture in the following areas: (A) Plant health and
production and plant products; (B) Animal health and production and
animal products; (C) Food safety, nutrition, and health; (D) Renewable
energy, natural resources, and environment; (E) Agriculture systems and
technology; and (F) Agriculture economics and rural communities.
To the maximum extent practicable, NIFA, in coordination with the
Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE), will make
grants for high priority research, education, and extension, taking
into consideration, when available, the determinations made by the
National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics
Advisory Board. The authority to carry out this program has been
delegated to NIFA through the Undersecretary for REE.
The program authorizes grants for FY 2009-12, of which the
Secretary may retain no more than 4 percent for administrative costs.
Funds will be available for obligation for a two-year period beginning
in the fiscal year for which funds are first made available. Grants
will be awarded on the basis of merit, quality, and relevance and may
have terms of up to 10 years.
Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out the AFRI
program, the Secretary may award grants to State agricultural
experiment stations; colleges and universities; university research
foundations; other research institutions and organizations; Federal
agencies; national laboratories; private organizations or corporations;
individuals; or any group consisting of two or more of the
aforementioned entities. Please see the details in the Request for
Applications.
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NIFA is holding a public meeting to obtain comments to consider in
developing the Fiscal Year 2013 solicitations for the AFRI competitive
grants program. The meeting is open to the public. Written comments and
suggestions on issues that may be considered in the meeting may be
submitted to the NIFA Docket Clerk at the address above.
Implementation Plans
NIFA plans to consider stakeholder input received from this public
meeting as well as other written comments in developing the Fiscal Year
2013 solicitations for this program.
Done at Washington, DC, this 25th day of January 2012.
Chavonda Jacobs-Young,
Acting Director National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2012-2100 Filed 1-31-12; 8:45 am]
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