Resilient Food System Infrastructure is sponsored by Washington State Department of Agriculture. The Resilient Food System Infrastructure program supports projects that strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Washington State's food system infrastructure.

Resilient Food System Infrastructure | Washington State Department of Agriculture (func tion (c, l, a, r, i, t, y) { c[a] = c[a] || function () { (c[a]. q = c[a]. q || []).

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insertBefore(t, y); })(window, document, "clarity", "script", "58dso53t2b"); Natural Resources Building Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program Resilient Food System Infrastructure Return to Grant Opportunities Resilient Food System Infrastructure Fertilizer Product Database (Metals) Insects: Hornet, Beetle, Moth, Maggot Pesticide Licensing and Recertification Fertilizer Product Database (Metals) Insects: Hornet, Beetle, Moth, Maggot Pesticide Licensing and Recertification Select your preferred language from the list: Resilient Food System Infrastructure Grant Program The application period closed on July 15, 2024.

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to support the one-time-only Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).

The purpose of this program is to build resilience across Washington state’s middle-of-the-food-supply-chain — aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution — for locally and regionally produced foods including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry.

This program intends to offer more and better market opportunities to small and mid-sized agricultural producers. Grants will go toward Washington food and farm businesses and other eligible Washington entities. 2024 RFSI successful grantees Storage and post-harvest handling space for a resilient local food system.

itä wines Production Equipment for Improved Capacity and Resiliency. Enhancing Resilience For Washington Mid-Scale Grain Farmers Through Value-Added Processing Capacity. Snohomish County Conservation Launching the Food and Farm Center: Increasing Access to Processing for Northwest Washington Farmers.

No more middle of the road infrastructure. Whitestone Mountain Orchard, INC. Production and Cold Storage Expansion to Support Local Food and Farmers. Doing Well by Doing Good: Building sustainability into processing and co-packing expansion at The Source.

2024 applications at a glance 84 applications were received, totaling $68,237,448. 36 in requests. 7 projects were selected for award using $7.

32 million in one-time funds provided by the USDA from the American Rescue Plan for the RFSI Grant program. Grant requests ranged from $114,663 to $3,000,000 , including: 44 Small Projects less than $500,000. 40 Large Projects greater than $500,000.

Funding for the seven projects was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. In 2024, WSDA awarded $7.

32 million in federal funding for infrastructure grants ranging from $100,000 to $3,000,000. Commodity and project eligibility Activities in the middle of the food supply chain are eligibile for the RFSI grant. Applicants should ensure the 5 eligibility tests are met for all aspects of the project described in a submitted application If the entity is for-profit, does it meet the SBA size standard for your NAICS code?

Is the project working with or supporting an eligible product for human consumption? Is the product for human consumption local and regional? (Not international) Is the project supporting, post-production and pre-market supply chain activities?

(Words such as “Production,” “Farming,” and “Marketing” should not appear in a submitted application to describe the scope of the project.) Is the project requesting between $100,000 and $3 million in federal funds? Examples of the middle of the supply chain The icons below are examples of when certain products enter the middle of the supply chain.

If a product is eligible, it is no longer in the middle of the supply chain when the product, or value-added product, is displayed, offered, or marketed to the end user for consumption. Click here for a comprehensive list of commodity and project activity examples.

Key information from the Request for Applications (RFA) Infrastructure Development: Enhance the physical and organizational structures necessary for the production, processing, distribution, storage, and sale of food within Washington state. Capacity Building: Support entities in increasing their ability to withstand disruptions to the food supply chain and adapt to future challenges.

Innovation and Expansion: Encourage innovative approaches to local and regional food system development and expand access to markets for small and mid-sized producers. Sustainability and Environmental Impact: Promote practices that contribute to the sustainability of the food system and minimize negative environmental impacts.

Equity and Inclusion: Ensure equitable access to program benefits, with a focus on supporting underserved communities and populations. Projects submitted directly by growers, producers, processors, shippers, etc. that support middle-of-the-supply-chain activities.

Projects that benefit one or more of the following: Historically underserved farmers as defined by USDA ; Socially disadvantaged farmers as defined by AB 1348, the Farmer Equity Act of 2017 ; Agricultural operations that qualify as small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned businesses, or veteran-owned businesses as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration .

Projects that expand capacity for processing, aggregation and distribution of agricultural products to create more and better markets for producers; Construction and infrastructure projects that demonstrate feasibility that the projects can reasonably be completed within the grant duration.

Projects that modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems; Projects that improve the capacity of entities to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements; Projects that modernize or expand an existing facility (including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and/or construction of new buildings at existing facilities); Projects focused on the construction of wastewater management structures and other similar infrastructure; Projects that modernize processing and manufacturing equipment; and Projects that develop, customize, or install equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or aligns with one or more of USDA’s Action Plan for Climate Adaptation and Resilience proposed adaptation actions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Application process details will be available prior to the next round of grant applications. Application resources will be available prior to the next round of grant applications. Matching Requirements for RSFI Grants Infrastructure grant recipients are required to contribute a match amount toward project costs of 50% of the total proposed grant award amount.

This is a requirement associated with the federal funding used in this program. For historically underserved farmers and ranchers, or for other businesses that qualify under SBA categories of small disadvantaged business , including women-owned small business and veteran-owned small business, the required match funding contribution or cost share for the project is reduced to 25% of the award amount.

Applicants must self-certify in their RFSI grant applications that they are eligible if they wish to take advantage of this reduced match percentage.

Expand capacity for processing, aggregation and distribution of agricultural products to create more and better markets for producers; Modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems; Improve the capacity of entities to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements; Improve operations through training opportunities; Modernize or expand an existing facility (including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and/or construction of new buildings at existing facilities); Construction of wastewater management structures, etc.; Modernize processing and manufacturing equipment; Construction of a new facility; Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements; Increasing packaging and labeling capacities that meet compliance requirements under applicable laws (e.g. sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment); Increasing storage space, including cold storage; Develop, customize or install climate-smart equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s Action Plan for Climate Adaptation and Resilience ; Modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, including associated Hazard, Analysis, and Critical Control Points (HACCP) consultation, plan development and employee training; and Training on the use of all equipment purchased as part of the proposed project and associated new processes that are part of the new project.

Click here for a comprehensive list of commodity and project activity examples.

Commodity & project examples Ineligible Activities for Funding Acquiring real property (including land purchases), or any interest therein; Projects focused on meat and poultry processing or other ineligible agricultural products; Activities that have received a Federal award from another Federal award program; and Claim expenses that have been or will be reimbursed under any Federal, State, or local government funding.

Expenses incurred prior to award. Exclusively animal feed and forage products Landscaping products (e.g. flowers for non-culinary purposes) Budget consideration for entities with mixed eligibility It may occur that a business’s RFSI project interacts with both eligible and ineligible commodities or activities.

The Small Business Development Center is a great resource to help applicants determine what percentage of the project is eligible for RFSI funding. For grants associated with the purchase of iron, steel, manufactured products and construction materials permanently installed, awardees must abide by the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act . If special purpose equipment is purchased using these funds, it is subject to section 8.

2 of the AMS General Terms and Conditions . Grant recipients must also comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) , National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) , Endangered Species Act (ESA) , and all other federal environmental laws and regulations.

If a grantee is required to abide by any of these federal requirements, WSDA will assist the recipient in obtaining any authorities, permits, easements or other approvals necessary for the implementation of the activities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. USDA’s RFSI Program Scope and Requirements can be found here . Environmental documents for review.

Comments due by November 12, 2024 Programmatic SEPA and Determination of No Significance