The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center’s (NSIIC) board of directors is accepting grant proposals from July 1 through Sept. 15.

USDA said grants must be designed to improve the U.S. sheep industry and must accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

1. Strengthen and improve the long-term sustainability of the lamb and wool industry’s infrastructure by increasing the numbers in production.

2. Provide integration of performance and production data from sources that can help enhance the National Sheep Improvement Program.

3. Provide leadership training and education to producers and packers within the sheep industry.

4. Enhance sheep production by improving the infrastructure of the U.S. sheep industry through assistance to all segments of the industry to address the sustainable production and marketing of sheep milk, meat, fiber and related services such as grazing for fire management and pasture improvements.

5. Promote lamb marketing through an organized method that can measure tangible results.

6. Enhance the sheep industry by coordinating information exchange and seeking mutual understanding and marketing within the international industry community.

NSIIC will review each proposal, recommend funding and submit final recommendations to USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) for approval.

For more information about applying for a grant, contact program manager Steve Lee at (207) 236-6567 or [email protected].

NSIIC was established as part of the 2008 farm bill and was awarded funding by AMS to be used for the Sheep Production & Marketing Grant Program as part of the 2014 farm bill. Grant funding can be used on activities designed to strengthen and enhance the production of marketing of sheep and sheep products in the U.S. through infrastructure development, business development, production, resource development and market and environmental research.