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• • Award $6 million in education and training funding by early summer to help producers understand the new safety net programs and make the best choices for their operation.
• • Make available disaster assistance relief for losses dating back to 2011.
• • Allocate funds in the near future for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program to build on record U.S. agricultural exports that support nearly one million American jobs.
• • Institute by the end of the year Farm Bill provisions related to beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers, and veterans, including making credit more easily available for new farmers and improving and upgrading the microloan program.
• • Begin to set aside funds in eligible programs for strategic economic and community development projects.
• • Begin to take applications under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Agriculture Management Assistance Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, and other programs that will help boost record conservation practices already underway in rural America.
• • Establish the new Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, which will allow USDA to leverage a $400 million investment in agricultural research.
• • Make funds available through the Repowering Assistance Program, Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, Rural Energy for America Program and the Biorefinery Assistance Program.
• • Continue to collect sufficient data to expand and improve price elections for organic crops.
• • Make funds available in the near future for the Business and Industry Loan Program set-aside for locally- or regionally- produced foods, and extend the deadline to apply for funds currently available through its Value-Added Producer Grants.
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• My staff will be following up with a series of meetings focused on specific topics related to implementation. You can find more information about our Farm Bill implementation plan and what it means for your operation at www.usda.gov/farmbill.