·         1890 and 1862 Land-Grant Institution Initiative Do you live near an 1890 institution? Does your community need economic development assistance? This USDA initiative may be just what your area needs. RBS has entered into cooperative agreements with land-grant universities to develop income-producing projects for underserved rural communities. The focus is on job creation in communities that are traditionally dependent on agriculture.

·         The Army's Armament Retooling & Manufacturing Support [ARMS] program offers commercial/industrial businesses the opportunity to establish business centers at eligible Army production facilities. The ARMS program offers leasehold improvements to prospective clients to upgrade, meet code requirements, or adapt existing infrastructure to business client needs. As with state and local economic development agencies, the aim of the ARMS Loan Guarantee Program, a cooperative arrangement between the Army and United States Department of Agriculture is to assist commercial clients/tenants in capitalizing their business opportunities. Similar to other USDA loan programs, this is an economic tool available for potential client economic growth. This loan program provides tenants with working capital, equipment acquisition, building modification, and other business resources to locate at eligible Army industrial facilities.

·         The goal of the Biobased Products and Bioenergy Program [BIOMASS] is to finance technologies needed to convert biomass into biobased products and bioenergy in a manner which is cost-competitive in large national and international markets. The focus of this program in Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is to promote national economic interests through conversion of renewable farm and forestry resources to affordable electricity, fuel chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other materials. Loans for biomass conversion into biobased products and bioenergy are eligible for financing under the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Programs.

·         The Business Information System Network [BISNet] is an electronic telecommunications initiative that allows rural areas access to the Internet. Jointly sponsored by Rural Development and Southern University, BISNet allows community leaders to share successful business development concepts. It also links leaders to a network of corporate, government and private entities.

·         The Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program provides information to farmers and other rural users on a variety of sustainable agricultural practices that include both cropping and livestock operations. The program encourages agricultural producers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices which allow them to maintain or improve profits, produce high quality food and reduce adverse impacts to the environment.

·         The Community Adjustment and Investment Program (CAIP) under the North American Development Bank (NADBank) lends to businesses in communities with significant levels of workers adversely impacted by NAFTA-related trade. CAIP loans are made in partnership between RBS and NADBank to assist with economic adjustment by providing loans and loan guarantees to businesses in those communities to create new jobs or sustain existing jobs. USDA is implementing its part of the CAIP through the Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program. Eligible applicants in CAIP designated rural communities receive high priority for funding under this program.

·         Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is committed to supporting the President's National Energy Plan. RBS' energy web page addresses energy issues important to agriculture and agribusiness; identifies loans and grants that are energy related; and provides useful links to other energy websites.

·         The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) was established as a revolving fund by the 1996 Farm Bill to aid the nation's ailing sheep and goat industries. NSIIC is intended to furnish the initial capital for a revolving fund that will eventually be privatized for the purposes of assisting the United State sheep and goat industries. Congress has appropriated and directed a transfer of $20 million to create this unique revolving fund. There has not been an ongoing annual appropriation. An additional $30 million in federal funds is authorized to be appropriated before the NSIIC is scheduled for privatizaiton in 2006. The enabling legislation gives the Board of Directors the following direction: "the Center shall manage the Fund in a manner that ensures that sufficient amounts are available in the Fund to carry out subsection (c). The Fund is intended to furnish the initial capital for a revolving fund that will eventually be privatized for the purposes of assisting the United States Sheep and Goat Inudstries."

·         Native eDGE is a White House Interagency initiative to facilitate sustainable economic development within American Indian and Alaska Native communities.  Coordinated by HUD’s Office of Native American Programs, Native eDGE links over twelve Federal agencies, including RBS, through a single economic development access center so that tribes, Native Americans, lending institutions, non-profits, foundations and private businesses can collaborate to promote economic growth in Indian Country.  The Call Center is accessible via a toll-free telephone number 1-877-807-9013, the staff provide information on Federal and non-Federal resources that are appropriate for the caller as well as basic advice on requirements of the economic development process.  The Native eDGE Web Site http://nativeedge.hud.gov houses a comprehensive inventory of Federal programs available to Native American communities.  Databases of non-Federal resources and available via direct links from the Native eDGE page.  The site also provides electronic forms, publications and guidelines that can be electronically downloaded.

·         This special initiative, Research on Rural Cooperative Opportunities and Problems Program, has a primary objective of encouraging research, funded through cooperative agreements, on critical issues vital to the development and sustainability of cooperatives as a means of improving the quality of life in America's rural communities. Proposals are solicited from institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations interested in applying for competitively awarded cooperative agreements for research related to agricultural and nonagricultural cooperatives serving rural communities.

·         Rural Cooperative Development Grants are made for establishing and operating centers for cooperative development for the primary purpose of improving the economic condition of rural areas through the development of new cooperatives and improving operations of existing cooperatives. The U.S. Department of Agriculture desires to encourage and stimulate the development of effective cooperative organizations in rural America as a part of it's total package of rural development efforts.

·         Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants (VADG) was authorized by the Agriculture Risk Protection Act of 2000 and has two primary objectives. The first is to encourage independent producers of agricultural commodities to furthered refine these products increasing their value to end users. The second objective is to establish an Information resource center to collect, disseminate, coordinate, and provide information on value-added processing to independent producers and processors.

·         The Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) Program funds grants made to innovation centers that provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural producers seeking to engage in the marketing of the production of value-added products.