DOVER, Del. (March 12, 2024) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced today they are accepting applications for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) through April 30, 2024. Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), more than $1.7 million in competitive grant funding is available for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of Delaware’s food supply chain.

Funds will support expanded capacity for aggregating, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distributing locally and regionally produced food products. These include specialty crops, dairy, grain for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products. Ineligible products include meat and poultry, fiber, wild-caught seafood, exclusively animal feed and forage products, fiber, landscaping products, tobacco, and dietary supplements.

RFSI is funded through Section 1001(b)(4) of the Federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Using a standardized competitive review process, DDA will award two types of grants:

• Simplified Equipment-Only Projects, using a simplified application to fund smaller grants between $10,000 and $100,000. This project option is a fixed-price grant, which will fund only equipment purchases. Applicants cannot use these funds for associated facility upgrades, staffing, or other costs. The amount awarded will only equal the equipment cost up to $100,000. No match is required for this type of grant project.
• Infrastructure Grants, with a minimum of $100,000 and a maximum of $1,156,597 for infrastructure projects and activities. Infrastructure grant applicants must contribute 50% of the proposed project cost as a match to the grant unless the applicant qualifies for a reduced match as outlined in the Request for Applications (RFA).

Based upon stakeholder outreach, Delaware is seeking projects that provide technical assistance to producers working to develop value-added products, expand access to climate-smart technologies for farmers and food waste management, and increase the number of facilities that support product aggregation, cold storage, warehousing, and distribution of targeted agricultural products.

Applications should be submitted by agricultural producers or processors or nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities, local government entities, and tribal governments operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities. Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers’ middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, and distribution of targeted agricultural products may apply. All businesses and organizations must be domestically owned, and project facilities must be physically located in Delaware.

To review Delaware’s RFA and other Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program documents, visit https://de.gov/rfsi. Using the link on this website, applicants can apply for the RFSI grant through the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) application portal. The DCF online portal allows applicants to submit their applications more easily. While DCF is facilitating the grant application process, this is not a grant program of the DCF.

DDA will host an informational webinar about the RFSI grant program at 10 a.m. on March 21, 2024. RFSI virtual office hours for prospective applicants to connect with the Delaware Department of Agriculture on the grant process are scheduled for April 4 and April 18 at 10 a.m. Registration is required for each session and will be available online at https://de.gov/rfsi.

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DOVER, Del. (October 6, 2023) — The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced they will be distributing $199,400 in relief funds through the USDA Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Block Grant Program to eligible Delaware seafood processors, dealers, and processing vessels who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DDA can issue relief funds to eligible seafood processing facilities and processing vessels, including at-sea processors or dealers, who incurred expenses between January 27, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

• A processor means the owner, operator, dealer, or agent responsible for any activity that changes the physical condition of a fisheries resource suitable for human consumption, retail sale, industrial uses, or long-term storage, including cooking, canning, smoking, salting, drying, shucking, filleting, freezing, or rendering into meal or oil. Any owner, operator, dealer, or agent exclusively gutting, gilling, heading, or icing seafood without performing any of the above activities is not considered a processor.
• An at-sea processor is a vessel or other platform that floats and can be moved from one location to another, whether in State waters or water of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), receiving fish and operating as a processor.
• A dealer is an entity that first receives fish by way of purchase and sells directly to restaurants, markets, other dealers, processors, or consumers without substantially altering the product.

Each processing facility or vessel may apply separately for funding. Processors may only apply once for each location or vessel. Eligible entities can access the application online at https://de.gov/seafoodrelief. All applications and supporting documents must be postmarked on or before November 30, 2023, or received electronically by DDA by November 30, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Applications that are late or missing documentation will not be considered.

The grant is intended to defray expenses associated with preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to COVID-19. DDA can reimburse costs associated with the following categories:

• Workplace Safety Measures: Workplace safety measures, including, but not limited to, personal protective equipment, sanitizer, hand washing stations, air filters, thermometers, cleaning supplies, or similar items.
• Market Pivots: Market pivots such as the transition to virtual/online sales costs (online platform development and fees, online marketing, credit card processing fees), supplies, and new signage.
• Retrofitting Facilities: Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety (retrofitting harvester vessels for onboard vessel processing to maximize open-air activities, plexiglass, walk-up windows, heat lamps, fans, tents, propane, weights, tables, chairs).
• Transportation: Additional transportation costs incurred to maintain social distancing.
• Worker Housing: Additional worker housing costs incurred to maintain social distancing or to allow for the quarantining of new or exposed employees.
• Medical: Unreimbursed costs associated with providing or enabling vaccinations, testing, or healthcare treatment of infected employees, including any paid leave.

Anyone receiving grant funding from the Delaware Department of Agriculture must complete a W-9 form online (https://esupplier.erp.delaware.gov/) before receiving payment. The State of Delaware does not accept the federal W-9 form.

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DOVER, Del. (April 20, 2023) — The Delaware Department of Agriculture has partnered with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture to assist frontline farm and meatpacking workers who live or work in Delaware in receiving a one-time $600 relief payment through the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program (FFWR).

Frontline farm and meatpacking workers, who incurred expenses preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, can apply for a one-time, non-taxed $600 relief payment at https://farmworkers.com. Relief payments will remain available until funds are exhausted. Eligible beneficiaries who live or work in Delaware are encouraged to apply early. These payments are not loans, and payment recipients will not be taxed. Only one relief payment can be issued to an eligible beneficiary.

Since farm owners and operators were eligible for COVID-19 relief through other USDA programs, they do not qualify for the FFWR Program unless they have proof of employment as frontline farm or meatpacking workers on farms they do not also own or operate.

Applicants must provide (1) photo identification and (2) acceptable proof of employment as a farm or meatpacking worker within the U.S. and its territories between January 27, 2020, and the end of the incident period for the major disaster declaration related to COVID-19. Immigration status is not one of the eligibility criteria. Youth under 18 are eligible for a relief payment and must provide the same documentation as described above. More eligibility information and required documentation are available at https://farmworkers.com/#eligibility.

Hired workers are those other than agricultural service workers paid for at least one hour of agricultural work on a farm or in a meat processing facility. Worker type is determined by what the employee was hired primarily to do, not necessarily what was done during the pandemic. Eligible applicants should be frontline workers and not those working in management positions.

Worker occupations that qualify as eligible beneficiaries are broken down into three main categories, along with associated titles, include:

Field workers: Includes planting, tending, and harvesting crops, as well as eligible post-harvest activities. It also includes operating farm machinery on crop farms. A list of qualifying crops for field activities is available on the website.

• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products; Agricultural Equipment Operators; Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse; Agricultural Workers, All Other; and Packers and Packagers, Hand

Livestock workers: Includes tending livestock, milking cows, or caring for poultry. It also includes operating farm machinery on livestock or poultry operations.

• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products; Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals; Agricultural Workers, All Other; and Packers and Packagers, Hand

Meatpacking workers: Includes animal slaughtering, meat or poultry processing, and packaging meat or poultry.

• Slaughterers and Meat Packers; Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers; and Food Processing Workers, All Others

Eligible beneficiaries are encouraged to protect themselves from scams and fraud. You do not need to notarize documents to apply for the USDA FFWR Program. There is no cost to apply for the relief payment; application assistance is also free. You should never provide personal information to organizations that the USDA has not approved to distribute FFWR relief funds, including personal documents or any other forms of identification.

Assistance is available through Pasa by email in English at support@pasafarming.org and in Spanish at apoyo@pasafarming.org. In addition, phone support is available in English and Spanish by calling (833) 469-3397 on Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET, Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET, and Sunday, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is a grantee of the USDA-AMS Farm and Food Worker Relief Program.

DOVER, Del. (September 15, 2021) — Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse urges producers across Delaware to participate in USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) upcoming Agricultural Labor Survey scheduled for release in mid-October. The survey will collect information about hired labor from nearly 90 Delaware farmers.

“Over the past year, we have seen a major change in labor policies that will impact agricultural producers who hire farm labor,” said Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “I realize that this is a hectic time for our farmers, but the best way for farmers to be heard and shape future policy is to participate in these surveys.”

USDA and the U.S. Department of Labor use statistics gathered in the Agricultural Labor Survey to establish minimum wage rates for agricultural workers, administer farm labor recruitment and placement service programs, and assist legislators in determining labor policies.

The survey asks participants to answer various questions about hired farm labor on their operations, including the total number of hired farmworkers, the total hours worked, and total base and gross wages paid for the weeks of July 11-17 and October 10-16. To save time and money for producers, participants can securely respond to the survey at agcounts.usda.gov instead of mailing the forms back.

“By asking about two separate time periods each time we collect data during the year, we can publish quarterly data and capture seasonal variation,” said King Whetstone, Director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Northeastern Regional Field Office. “This approach reduces the number of times we survey farm businesses while ensuring that accurate and timely data are available.”

As with all NASS surveys, the results of this survey will be available in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. NASS will compile, analyze, and publish survey results from more than 2,000 farmers and ranchers across the 11-state Northeastern region in the November 24 Farm Labor report.

All previous Farm Labor publications are available online at https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/x920fw89s. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at 1-800-498-1518.

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Delaware K-12 schools will have the option to continue offering free nutritious school meals during the 2021-2022 school year, the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) announced today.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) released a group of waivers and eligibility guidelines allowing schools to offer meals without determining eligibility based on the student’s household income.

Participating schools can operate under the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and will receive a higher federal reimbursement rate per meal.

Schools that elect not to serve free meals through the SSO will determine eligibility for free and reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) using federal income guidelines. The annually updated income eligibility guidelines for the 2021-22 school year have been released by the USDA.

The new eligibility guidelines went into effect July 1, 2021 and allow schools and other institutions and facilities to determine eligibility for the NSLP, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program for Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer.

To apply, households already receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) need only include the SNAP or TANF case number on their application if not notified of their automatic eligibility by the school. Households enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals and should complete a Household Meal Benefit Application. Households should contact the school nutrition program of the district or school where their child(ren) attends school for further information.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1)     mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

                  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

                  1400 Independence Avenue, SW

                  Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2)     fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3)     email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006