Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program

 

FSCSC provides direct financial assistance to eligible specialty crop operations that incurred expenses related to food safety certification in calendar years 2022 and 2023.

Active 10.142 Farm Service Agency, Department of Agriculture D - Direct Payments With Unrestricted Use Fiscal Year 2022 FSA expects to issue payments totaling $200,000,000 to an estimated 22,000 applicants for the 2022 and 2023 program years. Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, Part 15 U.S.C., Section 714c (e) An applicants must qualify as a small or very small business to be eligible. "Small business" means a farm that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of more than $250,000 but not more than $500,000. "Very small business" means a farm that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of no more than $250,000. An applicant must also be a citizen of the United States; resident alien; partnership of citizens of the United States; corporation, limited liability company, or other organizational structure organized under State law; Indian Tribe or Tribal organization. Specialty crop operations must be located in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to participate. Not applicable. Applicants must submit Form FSA-888, Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program Application. Applicants must also submit AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet, and SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form, if not already on file with FSA. Historically underserved producers must have CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, on file for the applicable program year to qualify for an increased cost share percentage and maximum payment amount. Applicants must provide additional documentation to substantiate the information reported on their application if requested by FSA. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants must submit a complete application to their FSA county office. If FSA requests supporting documentation, the applicant must submit it no later than 30 days from the date of the request. If the requested documentation is not submitted within the 30 days, the application will not be processed by FSA. The assistance will be approved and awarded by FSA to eligible producers. Payments for the 2022 program year will be issued as applications are processed and approved. Payments for the 2023 program year will be issued after the end of the application period, and those payments will be prorated if total calculated payments exceed available funding. Applicants must apply by the deadline of January 31, 2023, for the 2022 program year, and by the deadline announced by FSA for the 2023 program year. If FSA requests supporting documentation, the applicant must submit it no later than 30 days from the date of the request From 1 to 15 days. From 15 to 30 days. Applicants may request reconsideration of a decision by the decision authority or appeal such decisions to a higher authority including the county and State FSA committees and the National Appeals Division. Appeal regulations in 7 CFR parts 11 and 780 apply. General eligibility provisions and other matters of general applicability that are not in response to, or result from, an individual set of facts in an individual participant's application for payment are not matters that can be appealed. Not applicable. Not applicable. Unrestricted use. Assistance will be used by specialty crop producers who incurred eligible costs to obtain food safety certification. Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements. If requested by FSA, applicants must submit documentation to verify the information certified on their application. Applicants must retain documentation in support of the application for 3 years after the date of approval. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The application period for the 2022 program year begins on June 27, 2022, and ends on January 31, 2023. The application period for the 2023 program year will be announced by FSA. If supporting documentation is requested by FSA, the applicant must submit the documentation to their FSA county office no later than 30 days from the date of the request. There are no restrictions placed on the time permitted to spend the money awarded. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump. None/Not specified. Tona Huggins, Branch Chief
1400 Independence Avenue., SW,
Washington, DC 20250 USA
Tona.Huggins@usda.gov
Phone: 2027206825 https://www.farmers.gov/ 12-0115-0-1-351 (Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use) FY 22$200,000,000.00; FY 23 est $0.00; FY 24 est $0.00; FY 21$0.00; FY 20$0.00; - For each program year (2022 and 2023), applicants may receive cost share assistance for the following percentages of their eligible expenses, up to the maximum amount indicated: o Developing a food safety plan for first-time certification: 50 percent (75 percent for historically underserved producers); o maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan: 50 percent, up to a maximum of $250 (75 percent, up to a maximum of $375, for historically underserved producers) o food safety certification: 50 percent, up to a maximum of $2,000 (75 percent, up to a maximum of $2,000 for historically underserved producers) o certification upload fees: 50 percent, up to a maximum of $250 (75 percent, up to a maximum of $375 for historically underserved producers) o microbiological tests: 50 percent for up to 5 test for each for product, soil, and water testing (75 percent for historically underserved producers) o training: 100 percent, up to a maximum of $200 (100 percent, up to a maximum of $300, for historically underserved producers). The program will be administered as provided in the Notice of Funds Availability published in the Federal Register. Procedural handbooks are available county FSA offices. Not applicable.