National Sheep board offers grants to improve the industry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center’s board of directors is accepting grant proposals from July 1 through Sept. 15. The grants must be designed to improve the United States sheep industry.
The sheep center has budgeted about $300,000 to support projects consistent with the grant program. The average grant amount in the last four years has been approximately $29,000. Financial assistance provided by the sheep center must accomplish one or more of the following objectives:
Strengthen and improve long-term sustainability of the lamb and wool industry’s infrastructure by increasing the numbers in production;
Provide integration of performance and production data from sources that can help enhance the National Sheep Improvement Program;
Provide leadership training and education to producers and packers within the sheep industry;
Enhance sheep production by improving infrastructure of the United States sheep industry through assistance to all segments of the industry to address sustainable production and marketing of sheep milk, meat, fiber and related services such as grazing for fire management and pasture improvements;
Promote lamb marketing through an organized method that can measure tangible results; and
Enhance the sheep industry by coordinating information exchange and seeking mutual understanding and marketing within the international industry community.
The sheep center board will review each proposal, recommend funding and submit final recommendations to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service for approval. For more information about applying for a grant, contact NSIIC Program Manager Steve Lee at 207-236-6567 or [email protected], or send mail to National Sheep Improvement Center, PO Box 646, Rockland, Maine 04841.
The sheep center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill and was awarded funding by AMS to be used for the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program as part of the 2014 Farm Bill. Additional information about the sheep center is available at http://www.NSIIC.org.
