Release No.: 213-14

Contact:

Sam Jones-Ellard (202) 660-2268

samuel.jones@ams.usda.gov

WASHINGTON, October 7, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today that the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (Sheep Center) was awarded approximately $1.5 million in grant funds to assist the sheep industry through the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program.

“USDA is committed to working with our partners in the sheep industry to support them as they provide quality products to consumers and increase producer returns here at home,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos. "The Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program will create new opportunities for growth and innovation within the sheep industry."

Authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill), the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program is designed to strengthen and enhance the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products in the United States through the improvement of infrastructure, business, and resource development, as well as support for innovative approaches to address long-term needs.

The Sheep Center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill and is designed to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. sheep and goat industries. The Sheep Center solicits competitive grants each year that support projects designed to strengthen and enhance the production and marketing of sheep and goat products in the United States through infrastructure development, business development, production, resource development, and market and environmental research.

Today’s funding announcement for this new program was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

For additional information, contact Kenneth Payne, Division Director, AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program’s Research and Promotion Division, at (202) 720-5705, or via email at Kenneth.Payne@ams.usda.gov.