HACU Member Advisory
June 13, 2011

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced that it is requesting comments on the proposed process to certify a qualifying college or university as a Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) Institution.

The 2008 Reauthorization of the Farm Bill created a new cohort of HSIs as Hispanic-Serving Agriculture Colleges and Universities. Once designated, HSACUs will be eligible to receive special funding for agriculture-related programs, food science and other related fields. 

NIFA is proposing to amend regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations to chronicle the eligibility criteria colleges and universities must satisfy in order to be certified as HSACU institutions by the Secretary of Agriculture.  The Federal Register announcement of the Call for Comment and the proposed regulations can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NIFA_FRDOC_0001-0023.

You may submit comments, identified by Regulatory Information Number (RIN) 0524-AA39, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by August 12, 2011, by any of the following methods: 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

• E-mail: hsacu@nifa.usda.gov. Include RIN 0524-AA39 in the subject line of the message.

Please send HACU a copy of your comments to dgarcia@hacu.net  by July 30th.  This will ensure that HACU’s comments most accurately represent the views of our membership.  

Additional Information:
Matthew Lockhart
Senior Policy Specialist
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
STOP 2299
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250–2299
Voice: (202) 570–7410
E-mail: mlockhart@nifa.usda.gov

HACU Member Advisories are a service of the
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities