Grant Resources for Beginning Farmers
Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) – through USDA Rural Development, the VAPG provides 50% matching grants to farmers for planning or working capital purposes to implement value-added ventures such as marketing or processing. The program seeks to support the generation of new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income. Beginning and socially-disadvantaged farmers may receive priority.
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Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides grants for farmers to implement a wide array of conservation practices
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The Organic Cost-Share Reimbursement Program helps cover costs related to attaining or maintaining USDA Organic certification. Eligible operations are reimbursed up to 75% of their organic certification costs, not to exceed $750 per year.
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The ODA provides Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits and trainings to assist with food safety planning, and may have funding available for small and beginning farmers (GAP Cost Share) to cover a percentage of the costs related to attaining (GAP) certification.
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Specialty Crop Block Grants are offered annually, and are accessible to non-profits, local governments, producer groups, universities and other organizations to enhance the production or competitiveness of Oregon’s specialty crop industries.
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The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a USDA Farm Service Agency program which provides rental payments to farmers to manage environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Sign-ups occur annually.
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The CRP Transition Incentives Program (TIP) provides retired or retiring land owners or operators with two additional annual rental payments on land enrolled in expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts, on the condition they sell or rent this land to a beginning farmer or rancher or to a socially disadvantaged group.
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The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is not a farmer grant opportunity, but is available to non-profit organizations, universities, state and local government entities, and other organizations to develop and offer education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers.
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See our full Grants Resources Page here.
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