The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is offering USDA's National Organic Certification Cost Share Program to Hoosier Organic Producers.  Any organic producer is the state of Indiana who has been certified through a qualifying agency is eligible to receive funding through this program.   


Producers may be reimbursed for their certification or recertification expenses between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2011. Producers can receive up to 75 percent of their organic certification costs, not to exceed $750. Applications can be found on ISDA's website. Producers will need to provide a copy of their certifiers paid receipt or a copy of the certifiers invoice and some sort of proof-of-payment (canceled check or bank statement) along with the Organic Cost Share Program application form and a new vendor form.  Applications and the necessary documentation need to be submitted to ISDA by November 1, 2011.

USDA has set aside $5 million dollars for the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP).  This program is intended to develop connections between two or more sectors of the food system; Support the development of entrepreneurial projects; Develop innovative connections between the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors; or Encourage long-term planning activities, and multi-system, interagency approaches with collaborations from multiple stakeholders that build the long-term capacity of communities to address the food and agricultural problems of the communities, such as food policy councils and food planning associations.

Some examples of Community Food projects include, but are not limited to, community gardens with market stands, value chain projects, food hubs, farmers’ markets, farm-to-institutions projects, and marketing & consumer cooperatives. All projects must involve low-income participants, and should address the following issues; Meet the food needs of low-income individuals; Increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the communities; Promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues; and Meet specific state, local or neighborhood food and agricultural needs. 

In FY 2012 CFPCGP intends to solicit applications and fund three types of grants. The types are entitled (1) Community Food Projects (CFP), (2) Planning Projects (PP) and Training and Capacity Building (TCB) Projects.

Applications are due November 17th, 2011 and more information regarding this program can be found here.  Please note USDA is offering a pre-application submission webinar to discuss the matching requirement and what costs are allowable on the project on October 27, 2011 between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm Eastern Time. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the NIFA internet site for future reference.