[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 154 (Monday, August 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48149-48150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17385]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

Commodity Credit Corporation

[Docket ID CCC-2016-0004]


Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the Organic Certification 
Cost Share Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation (CCC), is announcing changes to the availability of 
funding and payment calculation for certified organic operations, which 
are required based on expected participation levels and limited 
funding, under the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). 
FSA is also announcing the opportunity for State Agencies to apply for 
grant agreements to administer the OCCSP program in fiscal year (FY) 
2020.

DATES: Applications for State Agency Agreements: FSA will accept 
applications from State Agencies for funds for FY 2020 cost share 
assistance between the period of August 10, 2020, and September 9, 
2020.
    Producer and Handler Applications: FSA county offices will accept 
applications for OCCSP payments from producers and handlers for FY 2020 
until October 31, 2020. For FY 2021 through 2023, FSA will accept 
applications from October 1 of the applicable FY through October 31 of 
the following FY.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tona Huggins, Program Policy Branch 
Chief, (202) 720-6825, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of 
agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic 
certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). Funding for 
OCCSP is provided through two authorizations: (1) National Organic 
Certification Cost Share Program (National OCCSP)

[[Page 48150]]

funds \1\ and (2) Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) funds.\2\ 
Section 10105 of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm 
Bill, Pub. L. 115-334) amended section 10606(d) of the Farm Security 
and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523(d)), authorizing $2 
million from CCC to be used for National OCCSP for each of FYs 2019 and 
2020, $4 million for FY 2021, and $8 million for each of FYs 2022 and 
2023, to remain available until expended. In addition, approximately $4 
million in National funding remains available from previous FYs and 
will be used to fund OCCSP in 2020. An additional $1 million in AMA 
funding is authorized in 7 U.S.C. 1524 for each FY.
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    \1\ National OCCSP funds provide assistance for organic 
producers and handlers in in the 50 United States, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 
U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands. The funds can be used for cost share payments for the four 
categories, or ``scopes,'' recognized under the USDA organic 
regulations (crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling), and for 
the additional scope of State organic program fees.
    \2\ AMA funds provide assistance for producers in the following 
States: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, 
Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, 
Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The funds 
can be used for cost share payments for the three scopes of crops, 
wild crops, and livestock.
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    The purpose of this NOFA is to announce changes to the funding 
availability and payment calculation provisions for FY 2020 through 
2023 and to notify State Agencies of the opportunity to apply to 
administer OCCSP in their State for FY 2020. On April 29, 2019, FSA 
published a NOFA in the Federal Register announcing general eligibility 
and administrative provisions for OCCSP for FY 2019 through 2023 (84 FR 
17997). The 2019 NOFA provided that eligible certified organic 
operations could receive reimbursement of 75 percent of their eligible 
costs to obtain or maintain their organic certification, up to a 
maximum payment of $750 per scope, which is the maximum payment allowed 
by law. In FY 2019 and prior years, funds were available to cover all 
applications; however, the amount of funding available will not cover 
expected participation levels in FY 2020.
    For FY 2020 through 2023, FSA is revising the reimbursement amount 
to 50 percent of the certified organic operation's eligible expenses, 
up to a maximum of $500 per scope. This change is due to the limited 
amount of funding available and will allow a larger number of certified 
organic operations to receive assistance. If additional funding is 
authorized at a later time, FSA may provide additional assistance to 
certified operations that have applied for OCCSP, not to exceed 75 
percent of their eligible costs, up to $750 per scope.
    The changes to the payment calculation and maximum payment amount 
are applicable to all certified organic operations, regardless of 
whether they apply through an FSA county office or a participating 
State Agency. Due to the changes, State Agencies that are interested in 
overseeing reimbursements to producers and handlers in their States 
must establish new agreements with FSA for FY 2020. FY 2020 agreements 
will include provisions that allow FSA to extend the agreements to 
provide additional funds and allow State Agencies to continue to 
administer OCCSP for future years. FSA has not yet determined whether 
an additional application period will be announced for later years for 
State Agencies that choose not to participate in FY 2020; State 
Agencies that would like to administer OCCSP for future years are 
encouraged to establish an agreement for FY 2020 to ensure that they 
will be able to continue to participate. If additional funds are 
authorized for OCCSP for FY 2020, FSA and State Agencies may amend the 
grant agreements to provide additional funds and increase the payment 
amount that a certified organic operation may receive.
    To provide cost share assistance for FY 2020, State Agencies must 
complete an Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 and 
424B) and enter into a grant agreement with FSA. State Agencies must 
submit the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 and 
424B) electronically via Grants.gov, the Federal grants website, at 
http://www.grants.gov. For information on how to use Grants.Gov, please 
consult http://www.grants.gov/GetRegistered. State Agencies intending 
to utilize subgrantees must refer to the FY 2020 Full Notice of Funding 
Opportunity Announcement on Grants.Gov for additional application 
requirements. FSA will accept applications from State Agencies for 
funds for FY 2020 cost share assistance between the period of August 
10, 2020, and September 9, 2020.

Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements

    There are no changes to the information collection request for 
OCCSP that has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB control number for the 
approval is 0560-0289.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

    The title and number of the Federal assistance program in the 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance to which this NOFA applies is 
10.171, Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).

Environmental Review

    The environmental impacts of this NOFA have been considered in a 
manner consistent with the provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), the regulations of the Council 
on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the FSA 
regulations for compliance with NEPA (7 CFR part 799). The purpose of 
OCCSP is to provide cost share assistance to producers and handlers of 
agricultural products in obtaining organic certification. This NOFA 
merely announces funding availability and changes to general 
eligibility and administrative provisions for FY 2020 through 2023. FSA 
is not making substantive changes to OCCSP. As such, the Categorical 
Exclusions found at 7 CFR part 799.31 apply, specifically 7 CFR 
799.31(b)(6)(iii) (that is, financial assistance to supplement income). 
No Extraordinary Circumstances (7 CFR 799.33) exist. As such, FSA has 
determined that this NOFA does not constitute a major Federal action 
that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment, 
individually or cumulatively. Therefore, FSA will not prepare an 
environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for this 
administrative action and this NOFA serves as documentation of the 
programmatic environmental compliance decision.

Steven Peterson,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.

Robert Stephenson,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2020-17385 Filed 8-7-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P