Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 006730
The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) is a competitive grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), designed to tackle real-world challenges in organic agriculture. The core idea is to fund projects that blend research with education and extension so that the results are not just published, but actually reach organic farmers, ranchers, and processors in a practical, usable form. The program focuses on improving the capacity of operations that have already adopted organic standards to produce and market high-quality organic products, meaning projects should be grounded in the needs of established organic stakeholders and geared toward measurable, on-the-ground improvements.
OREI places strong emphasis on integrated projects that connect multiple disciplines and reflect the complexity of organic systems. Priority areas span biological sciences (such as pest, disease, and weed management using organic-compliant approaches), physical sciences (including soil health, nutrient cycling, and production system design), and social sciences, including economics. That economics component is important because the program recognizes that organic success is not only about agronomy, but also about profitability, market access, risk management, labor realities, and decision-making at the farm and supply-chain levels.
A central theme is whole-farm planning and applied information delivery. Proposals are expected to include strong outreach components that translate research findings into actionable guidance for producers, such as best practices, decision tools, production recommendations, and extension materials tailored to organic systems. In other words, projects should be designed from the beginning with adoption in mind, ensuring that farmers and ranchers can realistically implement the outcomes. This also implies that stakeholder engagement, demonstrations, trainings, and other education and extension activities are a core part of what the program wants to support, not an afterthought.
The program includes a clear requirement about where and how fieldwork is conducted. Any field-based research must take place on certified organic land or on land transitioning to organic certification, depending on what makes sense for the project objectives. This requirement ensures that results are relevant to organic compliance and real organic production conditions. Applicants are expected to align their work with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards, which govern what practices and inputs are allowed in certified organic production.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a discretionary grant competition (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA NIFA ICGP 006730) listed under CFDA 10.307. The maximum award amount listed is $2,000,000, with an anticipated total of about 15 awards. The opportunity was created March 14, 2019, with an original closing date of May 2, 2019. Eligibility is indicated broadly as "Others," with the specific eligible applicant types clarified in the full eligibility section of the official notice. Overall, the funding is intended for substantial, high-impact projects that directly strengthen organic production and processing through integrated research and strong extension and education delivery.Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 006730
- The Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.307.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 14, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 02, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) - FAQs
What is the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)?
OREI is a competitive grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It funds projects intended to solve real-world challenges in organic agriculture by combining research with education and extension so the results are practical and usable by organic farmers, ranchers, and processors.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The program is designed to improve the capacity of operations that have already adopted organic standards to produce and market high-quality organic products. Projects are expected to be grounded in the needs of established organic stakeholders and aimed at measurable, on-the-ground improvements.
What makes an OREI project "integrated"?
OREI emphasizes integrated projects that blend research, education, and extension. This means the project should not only generate knowledge but also deliver that information through outreach so producers and other organic stakeholders can realistically adopt the outcomes.
Who is the intended audience or beneficiary of OREI-funded work?
The opportunity is geared toward organic farmers, ranchers, and processors, with a strong focus on established organic stakeholders who need actionable guidance to improve production and marketing outcomes within organic systems.
What kinds of topic areas does OREI support?
OREI supports a wide range of priority areas across multiple disciplines, including:
- Biological sciences (for example, pest, disease, and weed management using organic-compliant approaches)
- Physical sciences (for example, soil health, nutrient cycling, and production system design)
- Social sciences, including economics (for example, profitability, market access, risk management, labor realities, and decision-making across the farm and supply chain)
Why does OREI emphasize economics and social science in addition to agronomy?
The program recognizes that organic success depends on more than production practices. Profitability, market access, risk management, labor realities, and decision-making all affect whether organic operations can sustain and scale improvements, so these dimensions are explicitly part of OREI's priorities.
What does OREI mean by "whole-farm planning" and applied information delivery?
OREI expects projects to reflect the complexity of organic systems and to deliver applied, practical information. This includes translating research findings into actionable guidance such as best practices, production recommendations, decision tools, and extension materials tailored to organic systems.
What types of outreach or extension activities are expected in proposals?
Proposals are expected to include strong outreach components designed for adoption, such as stakeholder engagement, demonstrations, trainings, education activities, and extension deliverables that communicate results in practical formats organic producers can use.
Is stakeholder engagement required or just encouraged?
Based on the program emphasis described, stakeholder engagement is treated as a core expectation because the program is designed around real organic stakeholder needs and practical adoption. Extension and education are not intended to be an afterthought.
Where must field-based research be conducted for OREI?
Any field-based research must take place on certified organic land or on land transitioning to organic certification, depending on the project objectives. This requirement is intended to ensure results are relevant to organic compliance and real organic production conditions.
Do projects need to follow USDA organic rules?
Yes. Applicants are expected to align their work with USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards, which govern allowable practices and inputs in certified organic production.
Is this a competitive or non-competitive grant?
This opportunity is a discretionary grant competition, meaning proposals compete against each other for funding.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this competition?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is USDA NIFA ICGP 006730.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 10.307.
What is the maximum award amount?
The maximum award amount listed is $2,000,000.
How many awards are anticipated?
The opportunity anticipates making about 15 awards.
When was this opportunity created and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created March 14, 2019, and the original closing date was May 2, 2019.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is indicated broadly as "Others," and the specific eligible applicant types are clarified in the full eligibility section of the official notice.
What kinds of projects is this funding intended to support overall?
The funding is intended for substantial, high-impact projects that strengthen organic production and processing through integrated research paired with strong education and extension delivery, with results that can be adopted in real-world organic operations.
What does OREI mean by "measurable, on-the-ground improvements"?
The program emphasis points toward outcomes that can be implemented in practical settings and that improve organic production and/or marketing in tangible ways, rather than projects that only generate publications without usable outputs for organic stakeholders.
Are projects expected to be multi-disciplinary?
Yes. OREI places strong emphasis on connecting multiple disciplines to reflect the complexity of organic systems, which can include biological, physical, and social science components.
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