The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), issued a final rule on December 9, 2024, that adopts changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) that apply to the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program. 89 Fed. Reg. 97459. RBCS notes that these changes include the merger of the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement and the Voluntary Labeling...
Archives
November 1, 2022
USDA Seeks Comments, Announces Public Listening Sessions on Inflation Reduction Act Implementation
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton On October 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced a request for information (RFI) and notice of public listening sessions on how to implement newly allocated funding opportunities under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 87 Fed. Reg. 65188. It is anticipated that these funds will support new projects related to rural electric system resiliency,...
October 18, 2019
USDA Solicits Applications For Funds Under The Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, And Biobased Product
By Lynn L. Bergeson On October 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) announced via the Federal Register the solicitation of applications for funds under the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program (the Program). Under the Program, USDA provides guaranteed loans to fund the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial scale biorefineries using eligible technology. The loans are also...