Modernizing Grant Program Regulation

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Rural Business-Cooperative Service 7 CFR Part 4284 [Docket No. RBS-24-BUSINESS-0004] RIN 0570-AB03 ( printed page 89917) AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule; confirmation and response to comments. SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or the Agency), an agency of the Rural Development (RD) mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), published a final rule with comment in the Federal Register on September 16, 2024, to implement the provisions of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 related to the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program and the Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) Program and to modernize the Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG). These changes will also help simplify and streamline RD program delivery. Through this action, RBCS is confirming the final rule as it was published and providing responses to the public comments that were received. DATES: The final rule published September 16, 2024, at 89 FR 75762 , and is confirmed and effective November 15, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melinda Martin, Program Management Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-3201; telephone (202) 720-1400; email: melinda.c.martin@usda.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RD is a mission area within USDA comprised of RBCS, the Rural Utilities Service and the Rural Housing Service. RD's mission is to increase economi…