The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps U.S. agricultural producers enter into value-added activities that: generate new products from raw agricultural commodities; create and expand marketing opportunities; increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach. These grants support either: planning activities (e.g., feasibility studies, business and marketing plans) up to $50,000 or working capital needs (e.g., processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and salaries) up tpo $200,000. The matching requirement is 1:1 match (100% of the grant amount), which may include cash or eligible in-kind contributions.

This guide provides an in-depth look at dozens of federal programs and policies most important to sustainable agriculture, and details how they can be accessed by farmers, ranchers, and grassroots organizations nationwide.

The Sheep Production & Marketing Grant Program seeks to develop solutions for practical problems on a national basis and address the needs of the entire sheep industry, while focusing on the measurable benefits for sheep producers, encouraging partnerships among other sheep industry organizations, and reducing duplication of effort among participating organizations.

The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program is to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses, to support the development of value-added products for consumers, fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities. RFSI provides grant funding to states, who provide competitive subawards that support producers and farm businesses in obtaining equipment or developing their middle of the supply chain infrastructure. States may also use a limited portion of funds to develop and/or strengthen supply chain coordination and targeted market development services for local and regional products.

RFSP projects help connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. The RFSP focuses on making local or regional food economies stronger and more resilient. Eligible entities include producers, farmer or rancher cooperatives, producer networks or associations, majority-controlled producer-based business venture, community supported agriculture networks or associations, food councils, local governments, nonprofit corporations, public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers market authorities, and tribal governments. Applicants must partner to promote the development of local or regional food systems. Eligible partners include state agencies or regional authorities, philanthropic corporations, institutions of higher education, private corporations, and commercial, federal or farm credit system lending institutions.

The Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program supports the development of new and expanded organic markets to help increase the consumption of domestic organic agricultural commodities. The program focuses on building and expanding capacity for certified organic production, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, distribution, and development of consumer markets. OMDG aims to increase the availability and demand for domestically produced organic agricultural products and address the critical need for additional market paths.

USDA RD offer loans, grants and loan guarantees, and provides technical assistance. Many Grapevine clients have found support with VAPG and other grants through the Rural Development office in their state. The VAPG application process varies from state to state, so getting an overview of your state’s process is essential. Find your contact info for your state here.

The Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program assists currently operational meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities in obtaining a Federal Grant of Inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA); or to operate as a State-inspected facility that is compliant with FMIA or PPIA under a respective Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program.

The Local Meat Capacity Grant Program supports independently owned meat and poultry processing businesses with grant funds to provide more and better processing options for local livestock producers by modernizing, increasing, diversifying, and decentralizing meat and poultry processing capacity.

LFPP offers four types of projects, 24-month Planning, 36-month Implementation, 24-month Turnkey Marketing and Promotion, and 24-month Turnkey Recruitment and Training.

The Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products.

Grant offerings plus webinars, how-to-guides, and tutorials on a range of topics including grazing, farm to food assistance, value chain, and more.

Sustaining Farmers is an agricultural consulting team, providing direct services to farmers and specializing in writing high-value USDA Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPGs).

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is a decentralized competitive grants and education program, divided into four different regions that operate as separate entities and run grant programs for their states. In addition to grant info, their resource library includes research-based, farmer-driven information about practicing sustainable agriculture on your farm, including soil management, pest management, farm business management, and more.

We help agricultural organizations grow with confidence by providing trusted resources for grants, funding and strategic initiatives. It all starts with a connection!

We bring a real-world understanding to our work, not only helping partners secure funding but thinking through the implications that funding might have on their staff, programs, and priorities moving forward.

A Guide to Federal Programs for Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, Entrepreneurship, Conservation, Food Systems and Community Development.

We provide a complete solution from initial planning to administrative award management tasks. No prior knowledge of grants or grant writing is required from you; our resources and staff allow us to handle all aspects of the VAPG.

Origin Farms is a consulting company that supports farmers and their rural communities. We have a diverse client base, including farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and rural communities. We provide a wide range of services, including grant writing and business plan development. We write feasibility studies for small to medium-sized projects.

North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) is one of four regional offices that run the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, a nationwide grants and education program to advance sustainable innovation to American agriculture.

Vidoes include a how-to series for NCR-SARE grant appliations, and a Farming Matters series featuring farmers, ranchers, educators, and researchers sharing the stories of their sustainable agriculture research.