21—52.23(159) Scoring criteria.
	52.23(1) Application scoring. A scoring committee will be established by the department to evaluate applications on a scale of 0 to 100. Projects receiving a score below 70 will not be considered.
	52.23(2) Scoring criteria. The department will use the following criteria to evaluate each application:
	a. 	The extent to which the project addresses the goals of the program to increase the sale of Iowa agricultural products, increase market access, diversify markets, or increase processing capacity: 20 points.
	b. 	The extent to which the project benefits Iowa including the potential to impact many farmers, both short-term and long-term impacts, and the possibility of creating jobs and investments: 20 points.
	c. 	The ability of the applicant to demonstrate sound business management, financial aptitude, and stability: 15 points.
	d. 	The sufficiency of the project’s budget and financing structure: 20 points.
	e. 	The sufficiency of the project’s proposed work plan and timeline including a detailed description of the steps the applicant will take to complete the project as well as estimated dates: 15 points.
	f. 	The extent to which measurable objectives can be determined that demonstrate the proposed project’s benefit to the agriculture community: 10 points.
[ARC 6552C, IAB 10/5/22, effective 11/9/22; ARC 7037C, IAB 5/31/23, effective 7/5/23]