FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement Workplan Template

FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement Workplan Template

November 9, 2007

This work plan template is designed to provide a more specific outline and required components for developing the work plan for FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding than previously provided in September, 2007. It does not contain specific amounts allocated to each State, Tribe, or Territory as specific amounts are not known as of November 20, 2007. This outline is based upon “A Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease Traceability” draft document (November, 2007) prepared by NAIS Staff and colleagues, and reviewed for comment by stakeholders. This outline is designed to build upon documented performance from four previous years of available NAIS implementation funding, integrate budget and performance measures, expand flexibility for developing additional budget and performance measures, and project planning for the next two to three years.

Cover Page

Title: FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement Work Plan for (State, Tribe, Territory) to Advance Animal Disease Traceability

Plan Administrator:

Name of State, Tribal, or Territorial Government:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Office Phone:

Cell Phone:

Fax:

Email address (Plan Administrator):

List additional State departments, Tribes, etc. that have confirmed participating in the plan (complete name, address, etc.)

These funds may only be used to implement and accelerate the process of premises registration and other activities that are, in the opinion of the AVIC and Regional Directors, aligned with the strategies defined in the NAIS business plan (November 2007) to advance animal disease traceability. Special field trials, demonstration projects, or research projects which attempt to address problems or questions about NAIS implementation must be funded through a separate application to an announcement specific for that funding.

Signature of Plan Administrator: _______________________________________

Date: ________________________________________

Please complete each section explained on the following pages and maintain the format on your application.

Overview of NAIS Implementation Accomplishments by Funding Year to Date (Required)

This section is intended to be a brief summation of the applicant’s participation and progress to date regarding NAIS implementation efforts. In order to better integrate budget and performance measures, please organize the accomplishments, performance measures, or outcomes measured by budget year. Bulleted listing is preferred. Funding information (cooperative agreement number, agreement amount awarded, expenditures and deobligations (returned funds)) are to be listed in total for each corresponding cooperative agreement

• CCC Funds in FY2004

• FY2005

• FY2006

• FY2007

NAIS Outreach Plan (Required)

• Must provide a description of State/Tribe/Territory NAIS Implementation Advisory Committee, including

  • Statement of charge to the committee or vision/mission statement

  • List of industries/organizations represented

  • Frequency of meetings

  • AVIC and/or representative(s) of VS Area office

  • For FY2008 and FY2009, the advisory committee has a significant role in assisting with establishing tracing capability performance measures regarding:

    • Assisting in quantifying the number of animals officially identified

    • Promoting the use of current official identification standards for established animal disease programs as well as NAIS standards for official animal identification, both for increasing traceability

    • Promoting traceability to the birth premises by associating unique individual animal identification identifiers with the nationally unique location identifier created by NAIS, known as the PIN, among Tier 1 species.

• Must include detailed plan for updating State/Tribe/Territory NAIS website throughout the funding period.

  • Initial approval of the submitted work plan will not be conveyed without evidence of the website being current.

  • Subsequent quarterly reports and payment requests will not be approved without evidence of quarterly updating of the web site as well. Please see Appendix 1.

• Must include plan for interaction with Native American Tribes, underserved and underrepresented populations, or community-based organizations within the State. (This may be included as part of required Strategy #5.)

• Must include plan for interacting with industry organizations participating in the State in promoting premises registration, including reporting of contributions by those organizations in the initial workplan and subsequent quarterly reports.

• Must include detailed plan and timeline for continuing education efforts, in collaboration with the AVIC and appropriate State/Tribal/Territorial Veterinary Medical Associations, for engaging and providing appropriate materials for accredited veterinarians for distribution to their clients regarding NAIS implementation in the State/Tribe/Territory.

Constraints to NAIS Implementation (Required)

• Must include reference to, or attached as appendix to work plan, State/Tribal/Territorial legislation, in place or proposed, that provides information assurance or data protection/security, prohibits, restricts, or in some way affects collection, archiving, or distribution of NAIS information within the State.

Reducing the Traceability Risk of Insufficient NAIS Premises Identification (Required)

• Must include a description of infrastructure in place to facilitate premises identification and the renewal of premises identification

• Must include a plan for continued efforts in promoting premises identification

• Must include a chart with trendline depicting cumulative increases in premises identification by quarter from January 2006, or the start of NAIS implementation, through September 2007. This chart must be accompanied by a narrative explaining challenges and opportunities identified at potentially important points along the trendline. This narrative must also provide justification for the planned budget targeting premises identification

• A plan for updating premises records must be provided to ensure data is kept current. Explain the current status of renewal and the planned interval for which future updates/renewals are scheduled and the process for accomplishing each.

Measuring Traceability for Prioritized Species (Required)

The following affixed tables are to be completed to assist in quantifying current traceability associated with premises identification, and/or renewals; the best estimate of animals officially identified; and the best estimate of animals officially identified and traceable to a birth premises within the State, Tribe, or Territory. As such, it also will serve to project measurable goals and outcomes associated with implementation of NAIS for FY2008 and FY2009. For the commercial poultry and swine sectors, tracing capability should focus on the ability to trace to the previous premises rather than focusing strictly to the birth premises.

Table 1: Premises Identification Goals for Achieving PIN Critical Mass by December 2009

Primary Species at Premises	Estimated # of Total Premises	# of Premises with PIN as of 12/1/07	Total Premises Registration Goal for 12/31/08	Total Premises Registration Goal for 12/31/09	Estimated # of Premises with ≥70% of Animals	Critical Mass Premises Registration Goal for 12/31/08	Critical Mass Premises Identification Goal for 12/31/09
Tier 1
Beef Cattle*
Dairy Cattle*
Chickens**
Turkeys**
Swine
Sheep
Goats
Equine***
Tier 2****

• *Combine beef and dairy if data to differentiate is not available

• **Commercial poultry production facilities

• ***Equine numbers refer to those needing an official test for Equine Infectious Anemia or those requiring Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection

• ****Tier 2 species can be added provided the applicant indicates that critical mass goals for Tier 1 species have been attained and/or the species/industries listed under Tier 2 can be justified as more appropriate for the applicant.

Table 1 represents continued efforts for registration of premises, including renewals, using NAIS standards. It also represents planning for registration of all sizes of operations as well as projecting a critical mass of premises registration whereby a minimum of 70% of the animals are housed, managed, or located by species/sectors will have a corresponding PIN. For the commercial poultry and swine sectors, the

Table 2: Premises Identification Goals for Achieving PINs for Critical Location Points by December 2008 and 2009

Type of Location	Estimated Number	Business Plan Goal	# Possessing PIN as of 12/1/07	Projected Goal for Possessing PIN as of 12/31/08
Exhibition and Sporting Venues		>90% by September 2009
Import/Export Facilities		100% See individual target dates in Business Plan
Markets & Dealers		70% by October 2009
Harvest facilities (Federal)		100% by July 2009
Harvest Facilities (State)		>90% by January 2009
Semen Collection and Embryo Transfer Facilities		100% by January 2009
Veterinary Clinics		>90% by October 2008
Licensed Food Waste Swine Feeding Operations		100% by October 2008
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories		100% by October 2008
Renderers		100% by July 2009
Appropriate University or Government Research Facilities		100% by January 2009

Table 3: Animal Identification Goals for Achieving USDA Official Identification Critical Mass by December 2009

Primary Species at Premises	Estimated # of Animals	Critical Mass Estimate (≥70%) of Animals	Estimated # of Animals Officially ID’ed as of 12/1/07	Estimated # of Animals Officially ID’ed to a Birth Premises as of 12/1/07	Goal for # of Animals Officially ID’ed by 12/31/08	Goal for # of Animals Officially ID’ed to a Birth Premises by 12/31/08	Goal for # of Animals Officially ID’ed by 12/31/09	Goal for # of Animals Officially ID’ed to a Birth Premises by 12/31/08
Tier 1
Beef Cattle*
Dairy Cattle*
Chickens**
Turkeys**
Swine***
Sheep
Goats
Equine****
Tier 2*****

• *Refers to breeding cattle, including replacements

• **Commercial poultry production facilities; and officially identified to the previous premises

• ***Officially identified to the previous premises

• ****Equine numbers refer to those needing an official test for Equine Infectious Anemia or those requiring Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection

• *****Tier 2 species can be added provided the applicant indicates that critical mass goals for Tier 1 species have been attained and/or the species/industries listed under Tier 2 can be justified as more appropriate for the applicant.

Strategy #1: Prioritize Species/Sectors (Required)

• Work plan must identify which of the Tier 1 species/sectors have achieved critical mass regarding premises identification; critical mass number of animals officially identified; and critical mass number of animals officially identified to a birth premises using either individually unique or group/lot identification. This should be done in narrative form using data assembled in the tables above.

• If dairy breeding cattle or beef breeding cattle are not a species/sector identified as having achieved critical mass relative to premises identified having 70% of animals; number of animals officially identified; or number of animals officially identified to a birth premises, the work plan must describe an approach to achieving critical mass for these performance measures.

• If a species/sector that is important to the applicant regarding increased traceability is not listed as Tier 1, it should be added to the tables above and justified as to the need for enhancing traceability associated with the selected species/sector.

Strategy #2: Harmonize Animal Identification Systems (Required)

• Budget requests for harmonization of animal identification systems should be justified on the accessibility, information assurance, and uniqueness of animal identification information that would achieve increased animal disease traceability.

Strategy #3: Standardize Data Elements of Disease Programs to Ensure Compatibility (Required)

• Budget requests should be associated with incorporation of NAIS Data Standards, primarily the premises identification number and 840 number use, into existing animal disease State-Federal Cooperative programs and ICVIs.

Strategy #4: Integrate automated Data Capture Technologies with Disease Programs (Optional)

• Budget requests for this strategy can only be approved if the request results in data being provided to Federal animal health systems databases. The work plan must describe the process by which this would happen.

• States/Tribes/Territories that are not included/designated in the APHIS/VS plan for the integration of automated data collection systems may obtain equipment with FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding. This refers to the purchase in Fall, 2007 of 1.5M NAIS-approved devices for use in high-risk areas for State-Federal Cooperative disease programs.

• It is recommended that handheld data recording devices obtained for field data collection be the same units being used by APHIS/VS. At a minimum, the device should be compatible with the data collection software available from APHIS/VS.

• If data recording devices and other hardware are purchased, the criteria in Appendix 2 must be met.

Note: APHIS/VS will provide the data recording device software for the administration of disease programs when the cooperator purchases hardware compatible with the application provided by APHIS/VS. If the cooperator elects to obtain other software applications to administer the field testing and/or vaccination for their data recording devices, the cost of its development, maintenance and support will not be an allowable expenditure of these funds.

Strategy #5: Partner with States, Tribes, and Territories (Required)

• A required element of the Outreach Plan is to describe a plan for interaction with Native American Tribes, underserved and underrepresented populations, or community-based organizations within the State. If the applicant chooses, that information can be inserted as part of Strategy #5.

• For Native American Tribal applicants, it is required that they describe how they will partner with the State(s) to enhance traceability.

Strategy #6: Collaborate with Industry (Required)

• For FY2008, industry cooperative agreement regarding NAIS premises registration efforts are in place. All applicants are required to describe in the work plan the effectiveness of the collaboration and assistance regarding these industry cooperative agreements, including success figures to date.

• In order to provide statistical data associated with premises registration by species, it is a requirement for this workplan that quarterly reports and the final report provide a cumulative and quarterly achievement of premises registered by species listing.

• For the purposes of administering the industry cooperative agreements for premises registration, reports for premises registration by species are frequently requested on an as-needed basis beyond quarterly reports. The applicant must state in the work plan their willingness to provide the species premises registration information or state in the work plan that NAIS IT administrators can run the species premises registration report (SPRS) on their behalf to acquire the statistical summarization data needed to administer the cooperative agreements.

Table 4: Suggested Budget Organization for Developing Budget Narrative

	Personnel	Fringe Benefits	Travel	Equipment	Supplies	Contractual	Other	20% Matching
Advisory Committee
Website Updating
Interaction with Tribes, Underserved, CBOs
Industry Collaboration
Accredited Veterinarians
Premises Identification
Strategy #1
Strategy #2
Strategy #3
Strategy #4
Strategy #5
Strategy #6
TOTAL

Monies do not need to be allocated to all rows and columns. This table is provided only for organizational reference.

Performance Measures and Outcomes

Efforts associated with this work plan will be evaluated on the basis of improvement from baseline focused, in general, on increasing the number of officially identified animals of Tier 1 species/sectors traceable to their birth premises or the previous premises in the case of poultry and swine. For those species/sectors of Tier 1 that have been identified at the initiation of the work plan by the applicant as currently having successful traceability as measured by bookend critical mass, credit for successful completion of the work plan will be given to maintaining that capability, if not increasing it. A narrative describing the performance measures for the work plan and all quarterly and final reports should indicate if critical mass has been achieved.

The primary animal disease traceability performance measures for this cooperative agreement are:

Table 5: Animal Disease Traceability Performance Measures and Outcomes

Species at Premises	% Improvement in # Premises Registered with ≥70% of animals	% Improvement in # Critical Location Point Premises Registered	% Improvement in # Animals Officially ID’ed	% Improvement in # Animals Officially ID’ed to the Birth Premises
Tier 1
Beef Cattle*
Dairy Cattle*
Chickens**
Turkeys**
Swine***
Sheep
Goats
Equine****
Tier 2*****

• *Refers to breeding cattle, including replacements

• **Commercial poultry production facilities; and officially identified to the previous premises

• ***Officially identified to the previous premises

• ****Equine numbers refer to those needing an official test for Equine Infectious Anemia or those requiring Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection

• *****Tier 2 species can be added provided the applicant indicates that critical mass goals for Tier 1 species have been attained and/or the species/industries listed under Tier 2 can be justified as more appropriate for the applicant.

Cost Sharing: 20 percent cost sharing is required for all applicants. Cost sharing for all data collection infrastructure support must be accompanied by evidence that the purchase is directly cost shared by the applicant and the cost share for such purchases cannot be attributed to personnel salaries or other offerings of cost share equivalents. NAIS-approved tags/devices (as described on Page 14) purchased for official State-Federal Cooperative disease program work in this work plan do not require cost matching evidence, but the amount of Federal funds used in the work plan to purchase the NAIS-approved tags/devices will be included in the total amount against which the overall 20% cost matching requirement will be calculated.

General Guidelines from FY2007 Cooperative Agreement Announcement Applicable to FY2008 Work Plans

Premises registration remains a priority for use of FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding. All States/Tribes/Territories must include an aggressive and comprehensive plan for outreach and education in support of premises registration to stakeholders at all levels within the State, Tribe, or Territory in the proposed work plan. The plan must include documentation of a functional NAIS coordination advisory group/committee/organization including established outreach resources in the State or Tribe such as State/Tribe species organizations representatives, non-affiliated producer representative(s), AVIC representative(s), State/Tribe/Territory animal health representatives, State and/or Federal animal identification coordinator(s), and cooperative extension specialists that are representative of the stakeholders in the State or Tribe. The plan must also include assigned function(s) of the group/committee/organization and frequency of planned meetings. The work plan must provide actions and descriptions of how the USDA NAIS “A Business Plan to Advance Animal Disease Traceability” document of November 2007 (to be posted early December, 2007 at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml) will be implemented and used regarding the outreach effort. The work plan must also include specific goals of achievement (measurable outcomes) regarding premises registration efforts. In addition to projected numbers of premises registered, performance measures may also be included to document effort and productivity such as number of meetings conducted; number of producers/owners contacted; outcomes associated with animal identification coordinating committees; outreach materials distributed; mass mailing results; cooperative extension programming outcomes, including NAIS funded and unfunded cooperative extension efforts; and use of promotional incentives to register premises. Measurable outcome(s) for FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding, including premises registration, among others, is/are to be emphasized over measurable outputs (what was accomplished is to be prioritized over what was done and documented in quarterly and final reports).

Federal fund will be approved through FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreements to States/Tribes/Territories to maintain capacity to interface with the national premises number allocator and other APHIS/VS animal health information systems. Funds may be used for staff resources needed to support the administration of premises registration activities. States/Tribes who have already achieved registration of a significant portion of eligible premises (see Appendix 3) may also request funding for administration of Animal Identification Numbers (AIN) in the AIN Management System. The exception would be if the cooperator provides strategies and specific and significant performance measures, as interpreted by the AVIC, as to how the administration of the AIN Management System will concurrently advance premises registration.

Since States vary greatly relative to percent of premises registration, use of FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding may be more appropriately used by States with higher percent premises registered to support other components of the NAIS for implementation purposes (see Appendix 3). For FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding, allowable expenditures will include support for animal movement data collection infrastructure. Support for animal movement data collection infrastructure will be restricted to State animal health personnel, livestock markets and dealers, and for NAIS integration with established State/Federal cooperative animal health programs within a State/Tribe/Territory.

Expenditures associated with the development, maintenance, or any other cost of State or private animal tracking database (ATD) are not allowable expenses. This includes any charges for record loading into an ATD.

It is expected that allowances for animal movement data collection infrastructure will enhance premises registration efforts. Explanations of these outcomes are to be provided if funds are budgeted for such activities.

Eligible entities or cooperators, non-State animal health personnel, for receiving animal movement data collection infrastructure support will be limited to livestock markets and dealers. States may also use animal movement data collection infrastructure support for NAIS integration with established State/Federal Cooperative Animal Health Programs. All applicants who wish to utilize FY2008 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding for this purpose must submit an accounting of all eligible items listed below under allowable expenditures that were purchased with Federal NAIS funds for the four previous years of funding (FY2004, FY2005, FY2006, and FY2007), including pilot projects and field trial components or funding, and also must include current status and dispensation. The following descriptions apply:

Livestock Markets and Dealers

• States will be responsible for selecting cooperating livestock markets and dealers in their State and coordinating support, including documentation of performance for required reports. Participating livestock markets and dealers must cost share and provide a minimum of 20 percent of out of pocket costs for data collection equipment, and the Federal contribution through the State would be a maximum of 80 percent of their allowable “animal movement data collection infrastructure funds” per facility. States will determine whether use of the Federal funds would be best distributed to as many markets and dealers as possible, or to optimally assist a targeted few, basing the decision on achieving the greatest impact for NAIS implementation within the State. Markets and dealers would also cover the cost of any retrofitting of their facilities that may be required to accommodate the automated data capture equipment and the integration of the data collection systems with their management programs. Participating livestock markets and dealers must be actively promoting NAIS premises registration efforts and their success in acquiring premises registration results must be documented by the State in the proposed work plan and quarterly and final reports. Allowable device and data collection infrastructure costs are listed below. Software program purchases or costs for livestock market and dealer inventory, management, or accounting purposes cannot be approved as an allowable expense with this cooperative agreement, nor as part of the cost matching requirement.

NAIS Integration with Established State Federal Cooperative Animal Health Programs

• States/Tribes/Territories may use reasonable, as determined by the level of premises identified in the State/Tribe/Territory, of their allowable “animal movement infrastructure” funds for further integration of NAIS standards with cooperative State Federal animal health programs by purchasing devices and equipment listed below to support the administration of State/Federal cooperative animal health programs (tuberculosis testing, brucellosis testing and vaccination, etc.) in that State/Tribe/Territory.

• The work plan must describe how the collection of official animal identification numbers, and premises identification numbers (PINs) consistent with appropriate State/Federal animal health forms, will be accurately and electronically recorded, reported, and transferred to an appropriate Federal database, depending upon the specific program. Documenting the amount of data accurately collected and reported to the appropriate federal animal disease program database must be one of the measurable outcomes described in the work plan if this option is chosen. In order to provide animal movement infrastructure, States/Tribes/Territories must provide the number of animal health employees; the number of animal health employees that would need access to or use such infrastructure; and the plan for implementing and inventorying appropriate animal movement infrastructure items.

• Applicants that may wish to use brand inspectors as part of State/Federal cooperative animal health program efforts must document that all necessary non-brand inspector, animal health personnel are supported; and then provide animal movement infrastructure to brand inspector personnel only to the extent that brand inspectors perform State/Federal cooperative animal health functions (if 10% of a brand inspection program is documented as serving a State/Federal cooperative animal health function, then 10% of brand inspection employees would be eligible for support for animal movement infrastructure). If this option is pursued, the work plan must document the specific, intended State/Federal cooperative animal health program(s) to be enhanced; document compatibility and coordination of hardware and software requests in the proposed work plan with the specific State/Federal cooperative animal health program coordinators by attaching a letter (copy of email is acceptable) from the AVIC attesting that the proposed effort is compatible, coordinated, and approved by the specific State/Federal animal health program coordinators; and include the amount of data transferred to Federal animal health databases as a measurable outcome. The clear intent must be to enhance the accurate collection and transfer of cooperative State/Federal animal health program information to Federal animal health databases. Applicants must recognize that not all cooperative State/Federal animal health program planning efforts are at the same level of completion or status regarding information technology (IT) functionality. As such, not all cooperative State/Federal animal health program efforts may be eligible for inclusion in this cooperative agreement.

• It is the responsibility of the applicant, in coordination with the AVIC, to inquire of the selected cooperative State/Federal animal health program coordinator(s) regarding the compatibility of the proposed work plan and use of animal movement data collection infrastructure with the specific program goals and objectives, including hardware and software interoperability.

Allowable expenditures for support of animal movement data collection infrastructure will only be associated with ISO 11784/11785 Compliant RFID technology. The following are allowable expenditures:

Devices and Data Collection Infrastructure

1. Tag applicators

2. ISO 11784/11785 Compliant Automated Data Capture Equipment

• NAIS-approved RFID eartags (only when used to administer disease programs) (can include microchips for horses positive for EIA)

• Handheld computers

  • Compatible with APHIS/VS-developed disease program software when applicable

• and Stationary reader systems

Includes:

• Antennae, reader module (includes software for capturing the RFID code)

• PC for onsite data storage to support communications with Animal Tracking Databases

3. Communication Interfaces

• Development, testing, and deployment of communication interfaces with an Animal Tracking Database and the AIN Distribution Database

4. Does not include hardware, software, or license fees required to integrate the automatic data collection into a business management, livestock marketing, or inventory control system.

NAIS-approved official animal identification tags/devices can only be purchased with FY2007 NAIS Implementation Cooperative Agreement funding for use in official State-Federal Cooperative animal disease program work. These tags/devices must be limited to only NAIS-approved tags/devices as listed on the website (http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/naislibrary/documents/guidelines/NAIS_ID_Tag_Web_Listing.pdf) and require a PIN or NPN (non-producer participant number) for use. To be consistent with previous Federal purchases of official NAIS-approved devices, only white or yellow devices with black lettering can be approved for purchase. Only NAIS-approved devices, as strictly listed on the website, and with no alterations or additions such as letters, numbers, or symbols, can be approved for purchase. In order to account for these purchases and measure the impact on enhancing traceability, the applicant is required to maintain a record of all NAIS-approved devices purchased for this purpose, both drop-shipped to producers and/or shipped to a State or Federal office; number of NAIS-approved tags/devices associated with a PIN or NPN; the number of NAIS-approved tags/devices reported to APHIS/VS animal health program databases; and the residual number of presumed inventory in all quarterly and final reports. These NAIS-approved tags/devices purchased for strict use in APHIS/VS State-Federal Cooperative animal health programs do not require direct cost-matching evidence, but the amount applied is used in the calculation as part of the overall 20% cost matching requirement.

Beyond use in official State-Federal Cooperative animal disease program efforts, States/Tribes/Territories may, however, purchase NAIS-approved official animal identification tags/devices for use in advancing NAIS implementation with non-federal NAIS-implementation monies. Purchased NAIS-approved animal identification tags/devices cannot be used as part of the cost matching requirement. If NAIS-approved official animal identification tags/devices are purchased by States/Tribe/Territories to develop or evaluate animal tracing programs, the amount used cannot be part of the cost matching requirement.

Incentives

It is anticipated that some States/Tribes/Territories may request Federal funds, or allowance for matching funds, to utilize varying types of incentive efforts to encourage producers to adopt or implement portions of the NAIS. For purposes of these guidelines, “incentive(s)” in this context refers to giveaways (e.g., no actual direct relationship to completing a premises registration), including promotional items. The purpose of incentive(s) is to boost or accelerate premises registration participation within a State/Tribe/Territory.

USDA/APHIS can use appropriated funds for incentives to increase participation in the NAIS. Incentive costs associated with participation in the NAIS are allowable costs for the purposes of this cooperative agreement.

The following guidelines regarding incentive(s) should be followed:

• For FY2008 NAIS activities with increased premises registration as a primary objective, no more than 10 percent of total project funding intended for outreach and education activities can be used for incentive purposes. Producers/owners can receive only one incentive per premises registered and States/Tribes/Territories wishing to utilize incentives to increases premises registration must be able to document such.

• The most important aspect of the work plan or application for funds with regard to premises registration incentive(s) is the applicant’s description and justification for the proposed approach. The justification and support should include terms of cost per item, intended use, and measurable outcomes. Maximum allowance for individual items is $12.00 per item.

• Applicants are limited to making incentives available only to producers/owners who register their premises during the funding period. In anticipation of potential producers/owners voicing concerns regarding registering their premises without receiving an incentive, applicants must describe their intended response.

• In general, applicants must be able to provide evidence that only premises registered by owners/producers within the funding period were provided the incentive once and only once. Each quarterly accomplishment report must contain an accounting of incentive efforts to date if this option is described in the work plan.

• Competitive incentive plan programs designed to reward groups or organizations with “prize” money are not allowed. Allocation of monies for incentive purposes of registering premises are to be aligned solely with registration of a premises.

• Promotional items not intended for use as a specific reward for registering a premises are required to have information imprinted on the item that can direct recipients to further contact information associated with registering a premises in that State/Tribe/Territory.

• Items that are provided as a specific reward only to people who sign up for NAIS premises registration must be identified or associated with the State/Tribe/Territory animal identification effort or the NAIS. This can be an associated thank-you note provided along with the intended item documenting the connection of the reward with registration of a premises. The item itself may be imprinted with the NAIS or State/Tribe/Territory animal identification logo; or the logo can be imprinted on one portion of the item such as a holster associated with a selected tool item; or an attached item imprinted with an appropriate logo such as a “tag” attached to a rope halter. At a minimum, the language or logos must somehow show or detail the Federal-State cooperative effort.

Additional Applicable Information Regarding FY2008 Cooperative Agreement Taken From the FY2007 Announcement

Twenty percent cost sharing¹ is required, demonstrated by the applicant’s cash contributions², or third-party in-kind contributions³. The eligibility of specific items of cost is outlined in OMB Circular A-87 regardless of the origin of the funds.

The cooperative agreements will support the continued implementation and maintenance of the national premises registration effort within the area the projects are administered. Funds should support premises identification and animal movement data collection infrastructure within the limits described above.

The USDA has established the primary data standards for the NAIS. The integration of these data standards in information systems at the State level is critical and a requirement for these cooperative agreements. USDA will support projects, to the extent possible, that:

• Include a plan for continuing the registration of premises in the State(s), reservations (including the Native American Standardized Premises Registration System), etc., in which the project is based;

• Utilize systems that integrate with and establish the necessary data interfaces with the premises allocator and national premises information repository.

• Contain an outreach program plan for stakeholders. The outreach program’s goal should be for stakeholders to learn more about the identification system and offer a plan to share experiences and feedback from stakeholders with USDA.

Additionally, projects should:

• Have contributing funds, cost-shared (20 percent) by the applicant and/or third party in-kind contributions; and

• Involve premises and animal identification of multiple species and in multiple sectors of the industry.

Projects may include:

• An option that provides for the successful integration of premises data from existing databases

Projects must focus on implementation of premises and animal identification methods according to the standards defined in the NAIS Program Standards and Technical Reference document (Version 2.1, October 2007). This funding opportunity does NOT include funds for conducting research to develop or test potential solutions for animal identification and animal movement data collection.

USDA WILL NOT provide funding for:

• Development of software/system applications/computer programs, including premises registration, animal identification/tracking, or the administration of animal disease programs that are available from APHIS/VS

• Hardware for state or privately based compliant systems including servers, data storage,

• Maintenance and operational costs of such compliant systems.

• The interfacing of internal systems. For example, if a state needs to interface their Compliant Premises Registration System (CPRS) with a permitting system, such interface is not supported (pulling records from the CPRS or State Premises Registration System (SPRS)) to support other State systems. Similarly, the interfaces of other systems (two systems that are independent of the CPRS) are not supported.

USDA WILL provide funding for:

• Establishing the interface of a CPRS with the premises allocator and national premises repository. The NAIS IT Team in Ft Collins will provide the technical specifications and communication protocols that are necessary for this interface, but will provide no programming for a private or State system. The normal time requirement for the coding/developing both interfaces is 3 days (24 hrs) and typically in the neighborhood of $2400.

• The Integration of existing State systems with the SPRS or a CPRS. This “pulling” of data from existing databases that already contain premises related information seems to be a prudent and cost effective method in many cases. States must carefully consider whether this type of data integration to register livestock premises under NAIS would be interpreted as “voluntary” and if this would create any problems for premises registration in the long term.

• Consideration will be given for the development of systems to automate and/or support the collection of data needed for premises registration. Such systems must be developed to allow their integration with all CPRS and SPRS. Under the terms of the cooperative agreements, USDA has the right to use the products developed with the funds provided and to let others use them as well. For this reason, the development of products that are State specific or proprietary in nature are outside the scope of funding.

• Outreach and education including hiring of outside contractors, and demonstration or display items.

• Transportation costs related to NAIS implementation including attendance at national NAIS training and coordination meetings for officially recognized NAIS State/Tribe/Territory administrators/coordinators or their substitutes.

• Equipment necessary for the implementation of NAIS premises registration including, but not limited to, such things as laptop computers, wireless aircards, high speed internet connection for sites where NAIS administrators register premises online a large portion of the time (not private residences), GPS devices, and off-the-shelf mapping software such as Street Atlas USA. Quarterly reports should include the measurable outcomes associated with these equipment purchases.

Appendix I: State Web Site Best Practices

Web sites are one of the easiest mechanisms for providing accurate, up-to-date information about the NAIS program to both producers and the general public. Your Web site should be tailored to existing State-led NAIS outreach efforts while remaining consistent with the USDA NAIS Web site.

You can improve your State Web site by adapting best practices in the following categories: Accessibility, Content, Design, and Maintenance.

Accessibility

Make your Web site easy to find and the chances of reaching and influencing your target audience can increase dramatically. There are various ways in which a user can find your State/agency NAIS web site. Those ways include navigating from the homepage of the State Department of Agriculture or other agency’s site, external Web sites such as the USDA NAIS Web site, or search engine referrals like Google.

Minimum Requirements:

Create a URL that is easy to remember.

Keep your NAIS site URL short, simple and memorable. This technique makes it easier for the user to cut and paste the URL into a browser and reduces typing errors. Reach out to your IT department to see if a simpler URL can be created.

Make sure the NAIS section is logically placed within your State/agency Web site.

Navigation to the NAIS section of the State/agency Web site should be intuitive. A link from the State/agency home page that contains a short description of the NAIS program is ideal. Consider linking to your NAIS section from several appropriate locations within the State/agency Web site.

Additional Recommendations:

Add metadata so search engines can easily locate the site.

Metadata is hidden information on Web pages that allow them to be located and displayed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. The standard metadata are:

0. o Title: A brief piece of text identifying the webpage that uses targeted keywords. The title text appears in the title bar of browsers and is an important factor in how search engines rank your web page.

1. o Description: A brief textual description of the page’s content. Used by some search engines as the description for your page when displaying search results.
   
   
   

Promote, promote, promote.
Whenever information appears about your State’s NAIS program, use your URL. The URL should appear in factsheets, brochures, press releases, and in presentation slides just for starters. The URL is the easiest way for audiences to follow-up and obtain further information.

Content

Having useful NAIS content on your site attracts users and encourages them to return in the future. The following tips can enhance the information available on your State site and foster NAIS participation.

Minimum Requirements:

1. Link to the USDA NAIS Web site.

A link to the USDA NAIS Web site can provide general program information to users. The USDA NAIS Web site provides a variety of features including the ability to order outreach materials, contact a working group, provide feedback on the NAIS program, and view premises registration totals.

Provide easy access to Premises Registration information.

3. Providing your Premises Registration form in a downloadable format such as a PDF is an easy way to help increase participation in your State. If your State provides online registration, make the link visible from the home page. Step by step instructions on how to register should also be provided.

Present contact information for various NAIS representatives in your State.

5. Many users may come to your Web site looking for a way to ask questions about the NAIS Program. A link to contact information should be visible from every page on your NAIS site and should be part of your main navigation. Contact information for NAIS representatives in your State should include the following:

6. o Contact name

7. o Affiliation/organization

8. o Street address

9. o Phone number

10. o Email address

Additional Recommendations:

Provide Online Premises Registration.

11. The convenience of online premises registration will increase the likelihood that Producers will register their premises and is preferable to downloadable registration forms.

Keep content consistent.

12. Site content should be consistent throughout each page, and also with the information presented on the USDA NAIS Web site. Contradictory information reduces the site’s credibility. Assigning a single content owner for your site’s NAIS section will help maintain a consistent voice and ensure accurate information is always posted.

13. Offer a Resource Library.

14. Providing a resource library is an efficient way to group all available downloadable documents such as registration forms, NAIS brochures, transcripts, and press releases, in one central location.

Provide a feedback mechanism.

16. Using an email link or an online form to submit feedback helps measure how your site is meeting your audiences’ needs. Using a form will help you control how feedback is formatted and sent. If you choose to develop a form, it should provide concise instructions for submitting the feedback.

Create a frequently updated Spotlights or News section.

17. A good way of enticing your visitors to come back to your site is to offer Spotlights and News Updates on your site. These should be updated on a regular basis and used to highlight important NAIS topics and events, particularly those relevant to your State.

Design
Good site design improves a user’s ability to quickly and efficiently find the information they are seeking. The following tips will enhance your site design and ultimately increase user satisfaction.

Minimum Requirements:

Make all content accessible within three clicks.

Users who are more than three clicks from the information they need are likely to leave the site and seek the information elsewhere. Also, most search engines only look for pages that are three clicks deep into a Web site.

Keep a consistent look and feel.

All pages should use the same Web template to enforce a uniform page structure throughout your site. Users should be able to predict the location of key page elements, such as navigation, page links, and content after visiting just one page. Keeping colors and fonts consistent also helps users become familiar with your site.

Additional Recommendations:

Include a site search capability.

A site search feature will help visitors quickly locate the information they want. Make the search box prominent and be sure that it searches your entire site but does not search any external sites.

Provide appropriate details for links.

Users should not have to guess where a link is taking them. The text in the link or on the navigation button should reveal the link’s destination. Additional detail can be added to describe links such as whether it is a download (i.e., like a PDF) and its file size. This information helps users determine if their browser connection can support the file download. Downloadable documents and external links should open in a new browser window to ensure that users don’t leave your site accidentally.

Maintenance

Web site maintenance helps ensure it remains relevant to your users and functions as intended. Regularly updating your Web site also increases its credibility and relevance. Below are some valuable tips for maintaining your site.

Minimum Requirements:

1. Keep content accurate and up-to-date.

Users expect the content on your site to be accurate and current. Provide a date stamp on your major pages to let the user know the information is updated.

Review links to make sure they are active and still relevant to your site’s purpose.

Broken links will discourage your users, and force them to seek out other sites. Regularly reviewing your internal and external links is an important way to ensure your audience will continue to use your site.

Appendix II: Criteria for Mobile Information Management System Technology

MIMS General Hardware Information

Recommended configuration:

1. Smartphone or PDA

   • Windows Mobile software version 2003, 5, 6. Version 5 or newer is best.

   • 64 MB available memory

   • Intel Processor, 500MHz or better

   • 3.5 inch color screen

   • Bluetooth wireless built-in (version 1.2 suggested)

   • Extended life battery (3500 mAh or higher) and a spare

   • Anti-glare, scratch resistant screen protector

   • USB cables and/or docking station necessary to connect to laptop in office and/or field

   • Rugged model highly recommended as it is used around animals and in areas requiring the unit to be disinfected. A rugged case is a distant second recommendation.

     1. 3.5 foot drop onto concrete

     2. Water proof (submergible)

2. Laptop

   • Windows 2000, XP (untested on Vista)

   • Two available USB port for connecting to PDA (one for PDA sync and one for printer)

   • Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0

   • Network connection required when transmitting and receiving data from GDB (not while printing/reporting)

3. Printer

   • Portable if field reporting is desirable (i.e. printing in a vehicle)

   • Supports printing with .25” margins on all sides of a paper

4. Bluetooth RFID Scanner

   • ISO 11784/11785 compliant

   • Extended life battery (one that will last at least 6 hours) and one spare

   • Serial Bluetooth connection with no passkey required to connect

5. Portable battery chargers (most devices’ battery chargers are considered portable)

6. Power Inverter to charge devices while working cattle and/or traveling

Appendix III: Suggested Guidelines for Balancing Premises Registration Needs with Non-Premises Registration Efforts for NAIS Implementation using FY2008 NAIS Funds

NAIS Component	<6% Prem. Registered	6% - 10% Prem. Registered	11% - 25% Prem. Registered	>25% Prem. Registered
Outreach and Premises Registration	100%	80% min.	70% min.	60% min.
Other NAIS Implementation Efforts	0%	20% max.	30% max.	40% max.

As of Nov. 19, 2007, the following States fall into the above categories for FY2008 planning:

>25% premises registered (19):

CO, DE, ID, IL, IN, IA, MA, MI, MN, NE, NV, NY, NC, ND, PA, SC, UT, WV, WI

11%-25% premises registered (22):

AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, FL, GA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MO, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, VA, WY

6%-10% premises registered (3):

LA, VT, WA

<6% premises registered (6):

CT, HI, MS, MT, NH, RI

1 As defined by 7 CFR 3016.3 Cost Sharing or Cost Matching means the value of the third party in-kind contributions and the portion of the costs of a federally assisted project or program not borne by the Federal Government.

2 As defined by 7 CFR 3016.3 Cash Contributions means the grantee’s (recipients) cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee or subgrantee by other public agencies and institution, and private organization and individuals.

3 As defined by 7 CFR 3016.3 Third Party in-kind contributions means property or services which benefit a federally assisted project or program and which are contributed by non-Federal parties without charge to the grantee, or a cost type contractor under the grant agreement.

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