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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices
https www.ocio.usda.gov/document/
ad-3027, from any USDA office, by calling 866 6329992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainants name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights ASCR about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1 Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 202509410; or 2 Fax: 833 2561665 or 202 690
7442; or 3 Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Karama Neal, Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
FR Doc. 202118136 Filed 82321; 8:45 am BILLING CODE 341015P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service Docket No. RBS21BUSINESS0013

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Stakeholder Listening Sessions and Request for Information on the Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration Program
Overview of AIC

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Department of Agriculture USDA.
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:

The Rural BusinessCooperative Service RBCS is hosting a listening session and opening a request for information for public input about the Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration AIC Program. The AIC
program provides grants to Centers that provide services to agricultural producers to assist them with marketing value-added agricultural products.
RBCS is currently considering how it can streamline the application process, clarify eligibility requirements and reduce the burden for meeting them, revise the merit review process, and assess the programs performance.
DATES: The listening session will be held virtually on: October 5 at 2 p.m.
4:00 p.m. ET; https
attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/
3831947973149428235.
Comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time EST
on https www.regulations.gov.

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Federal eRulemaking Portal:
Go to https www.regulations.gov and, in the Search box, type in the Docket No. RBS21BUSINESS0013. A link to the Notice will appear. You may submit a comment here by selecting the Comment button or you can access the Docket tab, select the Notice, and go to the Browse & Comment on Documents Tab. Here you may view comments that have been submitted as well as submit a comment. To submit a comment, select the comment button, complete the required information, and select the Submit Comment button at the bottom. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through the sites FAQ link at the bottom. Comments on this information collection must be received by October 25, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail Thuner, Grants Division, Cooperative Programs, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, MS 3201, Room 5803South, Washington, DC 202503250, or call 2027201400, or email cpgrants@
wdc.usda.gov.
ADDRESSES:

The AIC Program was authorized in Section 6402 of the 2002 Farm Bill Pub.
L. 107171, as amended by Section 7608 of the 2018 Farm Bill Pub. L. 115
334. Terms you need to understand are defined in 7 CFR 4284.3 and 4284.1004.
The intent of AIC is to provide technical assistance to agricultural producers to help them market value-added agricultural products.
The program currently awards grants of up to $1,000,000 to Centers that can provide at least one-third of the project costs in matching funds and who have the capability to provide services to agricultural producers to assist them with marketing value-added agricultural products. The types of services that can be provided include:
Financial advisory services related to the development, expansion, or operation of business owned by an agricultural producers that will produce a value-added agricultural product, as long as the assistance is not to support forming a joint marketing effort by a group of producers, such as a farmers market, roadside stand, communitysupported agriculture, and online sales
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Process development services, including:
Engineering services including scale-up of production systems not to include cost of renovating or constructing a facility or system Scale production assessments, defined as studies that analyze facilities, including processing facilities, for potential value-added activities to determine the size that optimizes construction and other cost efficiencies Systems development Other technical assistance and applied research related to development, implementation, improvement and operations of processes and systems to produce and market a value-added agricultural product Organizational assistance, including legal and technical advisory services related to the development, expansion, or operation of a business owned by an agricultural producers that will produce a value-added agricultural product, as long as this assistance is not provided to support forming a joint marketing effort of food and food products by a group of producers, such as a farmers market, roadside stand, community-supported agriculture, and online sales Outreach assistance, limited to assistance with connecting an agricultural producer to a distribution system, processing facility, or commercial kitchen Technical assistance for product development excluding R&D, where product development has the following definition: Stages involved in bringing a product from idea or concept through commercial-scale production, including concept testing, feasibility and cost analysis, product taste-testing, demographic and other types of consumer analysis, production analysis, and evaluation of packaging and labeling options Grants of $5,000 or less to agricultural producers for the above services Costs associated with establishing and operating a Center, such as legal services, accounting services, clerical assistance, technical services, hiring employees, monitoring contracts, and Board of Director travel Centers may also use their matching funds to provide the following services:
Business development services, such as feasibility studies, business plans, and other types of technical assistance
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