SBA increases size standards for NAICS Sector 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has revised and increased the receipts-based small business size standards for 11 industries within NAICS Sector 11, which covers Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting. While the new standards raise the eligibility thresholds for these industries, thereby expanding the pool of firms qualified as small businesses, SBA has retained the current standards for five additional industries and two specific exceptions related to NAICS 115310. The review was part of an extensive effort to reassess the size standards within this sector, although certain industries with statutory size limits of $750,000 average annual receipts and the logging industry with an employee-based standard were excluded from this round of evaluation. The updated standards are expected to qualify up to 7,500 more firms as small businesses, making them eligible for SBA loan programs and federal procurement opportunities. These changes became effective on July 22, 2013, and the SBA has made the final rule publicly accessible, including the proposed rule and public comments, through the federal regulations website. The contract data associated with this update is identified under solicitation number SBA-07202013-sect11, with a contact point provided for inquiries. The revisions reflect the SBA's ongoing commitment to ensuring that size standards remain relevant and supportive of small business growth within the agricultural and natural resource sectors.