September 2005 - The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) has announced the availability of $300,000 in competitive grants for the sheep industry in a Federal Register on July 26, 2005. This is the fifth year of the Sheep and Goat Grant Initiative. The projects funded will seek to address a variety of diverse issues that affect the sheep industry at the local, regional, national or international level.
?This is an important program for the sheep and goat industries, and I hope to see a variety of innovative proposals from all segments of the industry,? states Jay Wilson, NSIIC executive director and CEO. ?The required format is easier to follow than it has been in years past, and it is our hope that we see proposals of all sizes.?
The full text of the Federal Register notice, forms and a summary of projects that have been funded in the past can be found at www.nsiic.org. Further information can also be obtained by e-mailing info@nsiic.org, or by calling 202-690-0632 or 207-236-6567.
Completed proposals must be received no later than Oct. 14, 2005, at the address provided in the Federal Register.
The American Sheep Industry Association established NSIIC in the 1996 Farm Bill and has secured more than $27 million in funding for the center since its inception. Efforts to increase appropriations for fiscal year 2006 continue.