Applicants that demonstrate eligibility may apply for priority points if their applications: Propose projects that contribute to increasing opportunities for Beginning Farmers or Ranchers, Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers, Veteran Farmers or Ranchers, or Operators of Small- or Medium-sized Farms or Ranches that are structured as a Family Farm; or propose Mid-Tier Value Chain projects; or are a Farmer or Rancher Cooperative. A Harvester is eligible for priority points only if the Harvester is proposing a Mid-Tier Value Chain project.
(a) Applicants seeking priority points as Beginning Farmers or Ranchers or as Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers must provide the documentation specified in § 4284.923(a)(1) or (2), as applicable.
(b) Applicants seeking priority points as Veteran Farmers or Ranchers must provide the documentation specified in § 4284.923(a)(1) or (2), as applicable, and must submit form DD-214, “Report of Separation from the U.S. Military,” or subsequent form.
(c) Applicants seeking priority points as Operators of Small- or Medium-sized Farms or Ranches that are structured as a Family Farm must:
(1) Be structured as a Family Farm;
(2) Meet all requirements in the associated definitions; and
(3) Provide the following documentation:
(i) A description from the individual owner(s) of the Applicant organization addressing each qualifying element in the definitions, including identification of the average annual gross sales of agricultural commodities from the farm or ranch in the previous three years, not to exceed $500,000 for operators of small-sized farms or ranches or $1,000,000 for operators of medium-sized farms or ranches;
(ii) The names and identification of the blood or marriage relationships of all Applicant/owners of the farm; and
(iii) A statement that the Applicant/owners are primarily responsible for the daily physical labor and management of the farm with hired help merely supplementing the family labor.
(d) Applicants seeking priority points for Mid-Tier Value Chain proposals must be one of the four eligible Applicant types and provide the documentation specified in § 4284.923(b)(1) through (7), demonstrating that the project meets the Mid-Tier Value Chain definition.
(e) Applicants seeking priority points for a Farmer or Rancher Cooperative must:
(1) Demonstrate that it is a business owned and controlled by Independent Producers that is legally incorporated as a Cooperative; or that it is a business owned and controlled by Independent Producers that is not legally incorporated as a Cooperative, but is identified by the State in which it operates as a cooperatively operated business;
(2) Identify, by name or class, and confirm that the Independent Producers on whose behalf the value-added work will be done meet the definition requirements for an Independent Producer, including that each member is an individual Agricultural Producer, or an entity that is solely owned and controlled by Agricultural Producers, that substantially participates in the production of the majority of the Agricultural Commodity to which value will be added; and
(3) Provide evidence of “good standing” as a cooperatively operated business in the State of incorporation or operations, as applicable.
(f) Applicants applying as Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, or Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures (group Applicants) may request additional priority points for projects that “best contribute to creating or increasing marketing opportunities” for operators of Small- and Medium-sized Farms and Ranches that are structured as Family Farms, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers, and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers. The annual solicitation and Agency application package will provide instructions and documentation requirements for group Applicants to apply for these additional priority points.