FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2021
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation celebrates the announcement from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service of the updated performance measures for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, the Acer Access and Development Program and the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives.
“We value our partnership with USDA-AMS and we’re proud that the new measures reflect feedback from State Departments of Agriculture,” NASDA Foundation Acting Executive Director Elizabeth Rowland said. “U.S. farmers, producers and growers will benefit from the new measures.”
The new performance measures will:
· More accurately reflect grant recipients’ accomplishments
· Reduce burden on grant applicants and recipients
· Improve AMS’ ability to report on the impact of its grant programs
· Standardize measures across programs where appropriate
Background:
NASDA Foundation partnered with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to update the performance measures for their grant programs. NASDA Foundation hosted 10 in-person and virtual sessions to collect feedback from stakeholders on the existing performance measures used to evaluate AMS grant programs. The new performance measures will be used for the FY2022 AMS grant program request for applications. Read more about NASDA Foundation’s work on grant performance measures https://nasda.foundation/grant-performance-measures-project.
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NASDA Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association that partners with state departments of agriculture to connect farmers to new markets, inspire change across the supply chain, and empower diverse farmers and agricultural leaders to reach their goals. To learn more about NASDA Foundation, please visit http://www.nasda.foundation.
