The USDA is making available approximately $30 million in funding for agricultural producers, including beginning farmers, to implement value-added enterprises.  The information about applying for the grant is available in the Notice of Funding Opportunity but a few highlights:

• The maximum award per grant is $250,000 for working capital and $75,000 for planning activities;
• The grant requires a one-to-one match.  In other words, for every dollar of grant funds, the applicant must provide a dollar in matching funds;
• Funding priorities are available for beginning, socially disadvantaged, operators of small and medium-sized farms and ranches structured as family farms or ranches, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and projects proposing to develop a Mid-Tier Value Chain (definitions can be found here);
• Applications are due July 7, 2015 with an anticipated start date of September 30, 2015; and
• Projects can be up to 36 months, depending upon complexity.

We’ve previously discussed value added grants; however, the Notice of Funding Opportunity is for fiscal year 2015.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us — we’re always here to help!