Construct Community Nutrient Management Facilities in Selected Watersheds of Georgia

The summary for the Construct Community Nutrient Management Facilities in Selected Watersheds of Georgia grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Georgia State Office, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Construct Community Nutrient Management Facilities in Selected Watersheds of Georgia: MODIFICATION NO. 1 (CHANGES TO SECTIONS 5 AND 13) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT TO CONSTRUCT COMMUNITY NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FACILITIES IN SELECTED WATERSHEDS OF GEORGIA 1. AGENCY: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: 10.902 Soil & Water Conservation 3. PURPOSE: The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to demonstrate the benefits of creating a network to transfer poultry litter from areas of high concentration of poultry litter to areas of lower concentration of poultry litter for proper land application. This is to be accomplished through the construction of Community Nutrient Management Facilities Excess litter will be imported to the facilities & stored for export to receiving operations based on nutrient management plans developed for the receiving operation or a needs report. 4. ACTION: Notice of availability of funds. 5. SUMMARY: The Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering this cooperative agreement opportunity by soliciting proposals and providing funds to construct and manage ?Community Nutrient Management Facilities? on private individual farms, with adequate acreage to apply litter according to a nutrient management plan. Successful applicants agree to complete the following as part of the cooperative agreement award: a) Construct CNMF according to standard NRCS Stackhouse design provided by NRCS (detail drawings and construction standards and specifications can be downloaded at the Georgia NRCS website www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CNRF.html ). Must be a new facility. b) Develop poultry litter transfer network to receive enough litter to fertilize a minimum of 200 acres of cropland or pasture according to a nutrient management plan for those acres to which the litter will be applied. c) Develop poultry litter data in an electronic format compatible with MS Excel recordkeeping system to document: i. Source of all poultry litter received. ii. Location of acres where litter is to be applied, include field soil test and nutrient budget for crops to be grown. iii. Fertility analysis of litter prior to application d) Provide quarterly progress reports for three years after construction 6. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: An eligible applicant is any private individual landowner or group of individual landowners who own or can demonstrate control of land for the structure life of the CNMF (10 years). Educational and non-profit institutions and state and local governments are not considered eligible. If CNMF is to be constructed on land that is not owned by applicant, written approval from landowner must be included. 7. EVALUATION CRITERIA: (The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate proposals.) a. Location of CNMF in relation to Georgia Impaired Watersheds due to nutrients and pathogens. b. Amount of poultry litter to be managed in a year. c. Amount of application acres to be addressed. d. Evidence of commitment from both poultry litter suppliers and recipients. e. Agronomic experience of applicant. f. Site must be able to receive poultry litter from multiple poultry operations. g. Knowledge and experience in using best management practices. h. Adherence to current state, local or NRCS setback distances. i. Geographical location (used to record effects in different sections of the state) 8. METHOD OF EVALUATING AND RANKING APPLICATONS: Initially, all application packages will be reviewed to confirm that the applicant is an eligible recipient and to ensure that the application contains all of the items specified in the Procedure for Applying For Assistance Section of this announcement. Each completed application form submitted by an eligible recipient will then be evaluated and ranked by a Review Board based on the published criteria. Review Board membership will consist of members from Natural Resources Conservation Service, GA Soil & Water Conservation Commission and UGA, Cooperative Extension Service. Based on the recommendations of the Review Board, the Responsible Official will select applications for potential award. Discussions may be held with each applicant regarding the applicant?s experience, the proposed plan of action, or alternative courses of action. Negotiations may be necessary regarding cost and terms and conditions for inclusion in the cooperative agreement. Geographic distribution of sites across the state will be taken into consideration. 9. DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: Each applicant must submit one original and four copies of their proposal to Carolyn C. Adams, Contracting Officer, USDA-NRCS, 355 E. Hancock Ave., Athens, GA 30601, not later than 4:00 p.m. August 13, 2004. Applications received after that time will not be considered. Proposals will not be accepted by facsimile. 10. AVAILABLE FUNDING: Individual awards are limited to $107,500 of which CNMF construction costs are limited to 75% of the estimated construction cost not-to-exceed $100,000. With the remaining $7,500 to be used at a rate of $2,500 per year for three years to develop and maintain nutrient management plans. Construction must be started within 12 months and be completed within 2 years after cooperative agreement is awarded. Funding for the project for this year is $322,500. 11. PROJECT PERIOD: NRCS has $322,500 for this project. The resulting cooperative agreements would be for a four-year period. 12. TYPES OF FUNDING INSTRUMENT AND ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The NRCS anticipates awarding three (3) cooperative agreements under this announcement. 13. PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING FOR ASSISTANCE: Applicants shall assume that awards will be made by or about September 3, 2004 and should prepare their application accordingly. Applications for assistance must include a program narrative statement that addresses the following as a minimum: a) A description of the individual (s) experience in managing poultry litter as part of a farming operation, include information on nutrient management budgets. b) Identify watershed where facility is to be located c) Identify watershed (s) where chicken litter is to be received from. d) A Bio-security plan that ensures bio-security measures are in place to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Additional information can be obtained from the APHIS website www.aphis.usda.gov (Hot Issue Button). e) Agreements from producers to provide enough litter to fertilize 200 acres of cropland or pasture f) Agreements or evidence of control for acres where litter is to be applied g) Aerial photos and GPS coordinates of proposed facility site h) Maps of potential application acres (aerial & soil) i) Narrative explaining facility operations; include record keeping, application equipment, handling equipment, crops to be grown, etc. j) Budget and Timeline. k) Site Plan showing buildings, property lines, distance to neighbors, etc. l) Completed Application Forms (SF-424, SF-424C and SF-424D). Completed Form SF-1199A, Direct Deposit, for electronic transfer of funds. These forms are available at the Georgia NRCS website www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CNRF.html Instructions are included with the forms. General information and instructions for preparing and submitting applications is located at www.grants.gov. Please note that applications and proposals are to be submitted in hard copy for this cooperative agreement opportunity. 14. AGENCY CONTACTS: Carolyn C. Adams, Contracting Officer, 706-546-2280. 15. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must submit one original and four copies of their proposal to Carolyn C. Adams, Contracting Officer, 355 East Hancock Ave. Room 225, Athens, GA 30601 16. AUTHORITY: Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2673), January 23, 2004. PL-108-199. 17. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS: ? The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, Executive Orders and other generally applicable requirements, including those set out in 7 CFR 3015, 3016, 3017, 3018, 3019, and 3052 which will be incorporated in the agreement by reference, and such other statutory provisions as are specifically set forth in the agreement. ? The applicant, by signing or submitting this application, is providing a certification set forth in Appendix C to 7 CFR 3017; Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. ? The OMB Circulars will be incorporated by reference and made a part of each agreement awarded under this process. Applicants are encouraged to review the appropriate circulars prior to requesting federal funds. OMB circulars may be viewed on-line at http://www.whitehouse.gov/ombcirculars/index.html Failure of a recipient to comply with any provisions may be the basis for withholding payments for proper charges made by the recipient and for termination of support. ? Agreements with organizations shall be in accordance with the basic principles of OMB Circular A-110, and cost principles shall be in accordance with Part 31 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. (If applicable)