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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Organic Transitions Program</span></b><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>The overall goal of the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. In FY 2011, ORG will focus on environmental services provided by organic farming systems that support soil conservation and contribute to climate change mitigation. Practices and systems to be addressed include those associated with organic crops, organic animal production (including dairy), and organic systems integrating plant and animal production.</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span></span><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=96474&mode=VIEW">http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=96474&mode=VIEW</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h1><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>2011 Farmers Market Promotion Program Grants</span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced the availability of approximately $10 million in competitive grant funds in fiscal year (FY) 2011 to be awarded through the Famers Market Promotion Program (FMPP). The FMPP competitive program is administered by the Marketing Grants and Technical Services Branch (MGTSB), Marketing Services Division (MSD) of AMS and is designed to promote the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities by expanding direct producer-to-consumer marketing opportunities. The authorizing legislation for the FMPP includes the Agricultural Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (7 U.S.C. 3001-3006) and the recent amendment to the 1976 Act, the FMPP (7 U.S.C. 3005). The minimum FY2011 FMPP award per grant is $5,000 and the maximum is $100,000. An applicant is limited to no more than one grant in a grant-funding year. FMPP funding will be available for use beginning in October 2011. Project work should begin in October 2011 and end not later than October 2013. Matching funds are not required. Must follow the 2011 FMPP Guidelines for application instructions and requirements found on the FMPP website at www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP.</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=97873&mode=VIEW">http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=97873&mode=VIEW</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h1><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities</span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>This NOFA is part of a cross-agency collaboration between HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. HUD confers regularly with these partners. The Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program (Program), through this NOFA, will identify intermediary organizations that can provide capacity building support for communities engaged in planning efforts that support community involvement and integrate housing, land use, land cleanup and preparation for reuse, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments. Each grantee will be expected to deliver capacity building support to communities across the United States. The first purpose of the Program is to assemble a collection of capacity building service providers to work directly with the FY2010 and FY 2011 HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge grant recipients, HUD Preferred Sustainability Status Communities, and EPA Sustainable Community Technical Assistance recipients and Brownfield Area Wide Planning grant recipients (collectively �Sustainable Communities Grantees�), and enable them to fulfill their anticipated outcomes. HUD and other Partnership agencies will work regularly with all selected intermediary service providers to maintain a coordinated and leveraged delivery approach that ensures the maximum benefit to local governments, regions, and planning entities and partners engaged in the prescribed activities. The second purpose of the Program is to build a national coalition and leadership network of the Sustainable Communities Grantees. The purpose of the network is to facilitate the exchange of successful strategies, lessons learned, emerging tools and public engagement strategies, and approaches for avoiding or minimizing pitfalls. HUD will work with the selected intermediaries to develop a robust evaluation component for the network.</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=98173&mode=VIEW">http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=2HHVNnDhRGpzNQ9FpZh9L7HDGd4vjM6b442SkxgHJp2lDnn2y5Fv!354298477?oppId=98173&mode=VIEW</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>Dan Yates</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>SOKC President</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>