National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announces its stakeholder listening initiative, ``NIFA Listens Regarding Administration of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) and the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP).'' The objectives of the programs are to help veterinarians offset educational debt in return for food animal veterinary services, to ensure food animal veterinary services are available in priority shortage situation areas, and to support training of veterinary students, interns, and residents. As part of the stakeholder input process, NIFA is conducting a public meeting to solicit comments regarding the administration of the programs and the processes developed and implemented since the conclusion of the first application and award cycle (September 2010 for the VMLRP and September 2016 for the VSGP). Input collected will be used to evaluate and improve processes for shortage situation nominations, shortage area designations and allocations, full-time equivalent requirements, notice of funding opportunities, application processing, processes for matching shortage areas with applicants, and award requirements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to extend and revise a previously approved information collection entitled, ``Research, Education, and Extension project online reporting tool (REEport).'' NIFA is proposing to modify the collection in response to the August 25, 2022, Office of Science and Technology Policy Memorandum and audit findings of the USDA Office of Inspector General.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request a new information collection, entitled National 4- H Conference Registration and Leadership Roles.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations), this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request approval for a new information collection titled Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Funding Agreement Certifications.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to reinstate and revise a previously approved information collection, entitled Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Survey. This information collection replaces an expired information collection, entitled Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to extend and revise, a currently approved information collection entitled, ``Reporting Requirements for State Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds.'' NIFA is also proposing to modify the collection in response to audit findings of the USDA Office of Inspector General.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to extend a previously approved information collection, Form NIFA-666, entitled ``Organizational Information.''

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised sections of its Guidance for Grants and Agreements in August 2020. This final rule amends the regulations of several United States Department of Agriculture agencies to reflect the revised OMB guidance and make technical corrections to the Department's grants and agreements regulations.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is requesting written stakeholder input on the Urban, Indoor and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative. The purpose of this Notice is to assist NIFA in developing the fiscal year 2020 Request for Applications for the Urban, Indoor and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative.

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations that implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request approval for the reinstatement, without change, of a previously approved information collection for which approval has expired for Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR).

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is requesting written stakeholder input on the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP). The purpose of this Notice is to assist NIFA in developing the FY 2021 Request for Applications for the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program. NIFA plans to consider all stakeholder input received in response to this Notice.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations that implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request approval to renew an information collection and record keeping requirement for the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP).

NIFA is soliciting topics commodity board entities (Federal and State-level commodity boards, as defined below) are willing to co- fund equally with NIFA. To be considered for inclusion in future Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program Requests for Applications (RFAs), topics must relate to the established priority areas of AFRI.

In accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations that implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the revision and extension of a currently approved information collection for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).

In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), USDA's Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will host a listening session for public input regarding new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS).

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture announces its stakeholder listening initiative ``NIFA Listens: Investing in Science to Transform Lives.'' This stakeholder listening opportunity informs the research, extension and education priorities of NIFA, which has the mission of investing in and advancing agricultural research, education and extension to solve societal challenges. For the purpose of this opportunity, Agriculture is defined broadly and includes research, extension, and education in food, fiber, forestry, range, nutritional and social sciences, including food safety and positive youth development. NIFA's investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global pre-eminence of U.S. agriculture. This listening opportunity allows stakeholders to provide feedback on the following questions: ``When considering all of agriculture, what is the greatest challenge that should be addressed through NIFA's research, education, and extension?'', ``In your field, what is the most-needed breakthrough in science/technology that would advance your agricultural enterprise?'' and, ``What is your top priority in food and agricultural research, extension, or education that NIFA should address?'' This effort to obtain input regarding the challenges, needed breakthroughs, and priorities will be carried out through online and in-person submission mechanisms. Stakeholder input received from the two mechanisms is treated equally. The challenges, needed breakthroughs, and priorities identified by this effort will be evaluated in conjunction with input from NIFA staff. This information will be critical for NIFA's evaluation of existing science emphasis areas and to identify investment opportunities and gaps in the current portfolio of programs. The information obtained through this iterative analysis and synthesis will help to ensure the strategic positioning and relevancy of NIFA's investments in advancing agricultural research, education and extension.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to extend and revise a currently approved information collection entitled, ``Reporting Requirements for State Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds.''

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to revise a currently approved information collection, 0524-0039 entitled, ``NIFA Application Kit''. NIFA does not plan to make any language changes to this information collection.

This final rule amends National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) regulations for the purpose of implementing the statutory amendments applicable to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) matching requirements for Federal agricultural research and extension capacity (formula) funds for 1890 land-grant institutions (LGUs), including Central State University, Tuskegee University, and West Virginia State University, and 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas, and to remove the term ``qualifying educational activities.'' These matching requirements were amended by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act; the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; and the Agricultural Act of 2014.

This amendment to NIFA regulations updates the list of institutions that are granted Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2017, and ending September 30, 2018.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is publishing this notice on behalf of the Interagency Working Group on Aquaculture (IWGA) of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council to announce a public meeting of this group. This public meeting provides an opportunity for the IWGA to discuss ongoing and planned activities in support of aquaculture development in the United States with stakeholders. In turn, this meeting provides an opportunity for the stakeholders to discuss issues of relevance to the IWGA members in attendance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is publishing this notice on behalf of the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG)/U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program and the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to announce the availability of a draft assessment, the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Science Report (SOCCR-2), for a 60-day public review. Collected comments will be carefully reviewed by the relevant chapter author teams. Following revision and further review, a revised draft will undergo final Federal interagency clearance.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is soliciting nominations of veterinary service shortage situations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2018, as authorized under the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA). This notice initiates the nomination period and prescribes the procedures and criteria to be used by eligible nominating officials (State, Insular Area, DC and Federal Lands) to nominate veterinary shortage situations. Each year all eligible nominating officials may submit nominations, up to the maximum indicated for each entity in this notice. NIFA is conducting this solicitation of veterinary shortage situation nominations under an approved information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0050).

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is announcing the I-FAST prize competition (the ``I-FAST Competition'' or the ``Competition'') to develop and implement the Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and Technology (I-FAST) Program. USDA NIFA will partner with the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) to provide entrepreneurship training to USDA NIFA grantees under this I-FAST pilot program. The goals are to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from NIFA supported academic research. Selected USDA NIFA I-FAST project teams will have the opportunity to concurrently participate in the educational programs with NSF I-Corps awardees. Over a period of six months the USDA NIFA supported teams in the I-FAST program will learn what it will take to achieve an economic impact with their particular innovation. The final goal of the I-FAST Competition is to facilitate technology transfer of innovations that can make an impact in the marketplace and the global economy.

As part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) strategy to successfully meet the needs of its stakeholders, NIFA will host a virtual listening session. The focus of the listening session is to gather stakeholder input for the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) and the National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program Request for Applications (RFA) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. NIFA is particularly interested achieving the most impact and identifying suggested priorities in these workforce development programs.