The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is now offering three grants to support Indiana’s vital livestock industry: the Indiana Livestock Promotion Grant, Indiana Livestock Market Development Grant, and the brand new Youth Livestock Grant. The deadline for all livestock grants is May 1, 2012.


The Youth Livestock Grant is an opportunity for 4-H or FFA chapters to “pay it forward” to deserving students interested in the livestock sector for the purchase of breeding stock to start a livestock enterprise or add animals to an existing operation.

The Indiana Livestock Promotion Grant is for qualifying organizations to submit project proposals designed to promote the livestock industry in Indiana through shows, sales, exhibitions, conventions, or similar events and programs.

The Indiana Livestock Marketing Development Grant is for qualifying organizations to submit project proposals for value added feasibility studies, research projects, market development, or other projects that encourage the development of business and industry related to livestock production, processing and distribution.

Eligibility:

Not-for-Profit organizations, commissions, and associations with 501©3 status are eligible for all three grants. All livestock grants are 50:50 matching funds grants.

Youth Livestock Grant: Not-for-profits with a 501©3 status should solicit applications from Indiana 4-H/FFA youth. Youth applicants are reviewed by the non-for-profit and select applicants they wish to request funds for. The Not-for-profit will submit the Youth Livestock application via email to ISDA.

Indiana Livestock Promotion Grant: Not-for-profits organizations, commissions, and associations with 501©3 status are eligible to apply for this grant. The Indiana Livestock Promotion Grant entities must work to promote the livestock industry in Indiana.

Indiana Livestock Market Development Grant: Not-for-profits organizations, commissions, and associations with 501©3 status are eligible to apply for funds that will work to develop or expand business or industry related to the livestock production, processing, and distribution. The Not-for-profit will submit the Indiana Livestock Market Development Grant to be eligible for these funds.

Applications can be found on ISDA's website and the deadline for all grants is May 1, 2012.

Only electronic applications will be accepted.

Winners will be announced by May 15th, 2012

Did you know Indiana is a major exporter of food and agricultural products?!?!? According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) the U.S. exported over $115 billion in food and agricultural products in 2008. Indiana exported $2.4 billion in food and agricultural products in 2007 and is consistently the tenth leading agricultural exporting state. The ERS further estimates the value of one in three production acres in the U.S. and Indiana to be exported to international customers.

That being said I wanted to highlight a recently opened grant by USDA called the Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) Grant in this week’s blog post. This grant will fund research projects that address barriers challenges, and opportunities in marketing, transporting, and distributing US food and agricultural products domestically and internationally. Eligible agricultural categories include livestock, livestock products, food and feed crops, fish and shellfish, horticulture, viticulture, apiary and forest products as well as processed or manufactured products derived from such commodities.

Please note that applications have to be submitted by state departments of agriculture or state agricultural experiment stations, but funds can flow through these organizations to yours. Applications are due February 10, 2010 and the average sized grant award is $50,000. And more details can be found by visiting this link; http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5081443&acct=gpfsmip