Two options are available for recipients to receive payments in the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS): Reimbursements or Advance Payments. For both options, the request must be made by submitting a claim in ezFedGrants. Claims are reviewed by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service within 5 business days of receipt. Once reviewed and approved, payments will be made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to the bank account specified by the recipient in SAM.gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for seven seats on the National Mango Board. The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint six individuals to serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2024, and one individual to fill a first handler position whose term will begin immediately and expire Dec. 31, 2024.

The National Mango Board is seeking nominees for the following seats:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the appointment of 18 members, 18 alternate members, and one advisor to serve on the Cotton Board. All appointees will serve three-year terms now through Dec. 31, 2025.

Newly appointed members:
Nick McMichen, Centre, Alabama
Avinash Bhaskar, Bentonville, Arkansas
Patricia Lesser, Kentfield, California
Barbara Brereton Buhr, Hartford, Connecticut
Albert Riley James, New Madrid, Missouri
John R. Rosman, Frisco, Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the American Pecan Promotion Board. Nominees are needed to fill six seats for members whose terms end on Sep. 30, 2023, and one vacant seat with a term that ends on Sep. 30, 2024.

The American Pecan Promotion Board is seeking nominees for the following seats:

Local Foods for School Incentive Program (LFSIP) provides school food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) opportunities to include more local foods into school meals. LFSIP funding allocated to Connecticut will be divided in half to fund two rounds. A predetermined formula will be used to allocate LFSIP funds. The allocation includes two components: a base payment of $2,000; and a proportional amount of funding based on each district’s share of statewide student enrollment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today the addition of ochratoxin A (OTA) testing for pistachios destined to the European Union (EU) under the USDA Laboratory Approval Program (LAP). The addition was made at the request of the Administrative Committee for Pistachios to meet the new EU OTA testing requirement under Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006.