Farm grants are available to female farmers who require assistance in maintaining their crops and livestock, purchasing new equipment, or constructing other infrastructure. They can also be used for conservation purposes, such as soil erosion control and river management. The USDA has a Women and Minority Farmers and Ranchers Program for female farmers. This initiative provides farmers with coaching and financial aid to help them expand their enterprises while safeguarding their properties. Here’s all you need to know about farm grants for females.<\/p>
Grants can pay for seed, fertilizer, labor, farm-related education programs and seminars, capital expenditures in agricultural machinery or buildings, and even marketing support. These grants can assist farmers in starting new farms, expanding existing ones, or maintaining current operations. <\/p>
According to statistics, female farmers are currently under-represented in the agricultural area. The USDA has noted this disparity and provides numerous farm grants to women in order to level the playing field. <\/p>
Here are some of the farm grants available for females:<\/p>
The Young Farmer Grant Program is provided by the National Young Farmers Coalition. This grant assists young farmers who are establishing their farming professions.<\/p>
The grant program gives 75 grants of $5,000 each, as well as participation in the National Young Farmers Coalition. No extra restrictions apply to recipients’ use of money to meet the costs of starting, running, and growing farm operations.<\/p>
The group gives at least 50% of its grants to Black, Indigenous, and other people of color farmers, and 50% to female-identifying, non-binary, and trans farmers. However, it emphasizes that these categories are not mutually exclusive.<\/p>
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has various grant and loan programs that can assist women farmers, but not all of them are exclusive to women. The USDA provides the following options:<\/p>
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes a percentage of its Guaranteed loan funds, Direct Operating and Direct Farm Ownership loan funds, Microloan funding, and Youth loans available to underprivileged farmers and ranchers, including women. You must volunteer your ethnicity, race, and\/or gender on the loan application if you want to apply for one of these loans as a Socially Disadvantaged Applicant (SDA). Loan qualification rules, quantities, and purposes differ depending on the program.<\/p>
This grant program is provided to agricultural producers to help with planning and working capital for the production and marketing of value-added agricultural goods. Beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, small- or medium-sized farms, and other groups of applicants may be given priority. Planning grants are limited to $75,000, and working capital grants are limited to $250,000.<\/p>
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Grant Program awards competitive grants for programs involving sustainable agriculture research and education. SARE grants, funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, are available to farmers, ranchers, researchers, graduate students, extension agents, and other educators in the United States.<\/p>
On-farm renewable energy, pest and weed management, no-till and conservation tillage, pollinators, and small ruminants are all eligible projects. SARE has four geographical divisions, each with its unique funding opportunities: North Central, Northeast, South, and West.<\/p>
Individual grant pages provide information on available funds, eligibility and proposal requirements, and appropriate project durations. Northeast SARE, for example, provides the following award programs:<\/p>
Choose your geographic location and explore available grants to see whether you qualify for a SARE grant. Then, for each program, follow the application instructions. Each award page includes the contact information for the relevant program coordinator, whom you can contact if you have any queries.<\/p>
The Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) offers Fund-a-Farmer Grants to assist the expansion of humane agricultural techniques and improve farm animal welfare. Since 2012, the group has given out over 600 grants totaling more than $1.11 million.<\/p>
Funds can be utilized to support such aims through capital and operational work, and projects may include fencing, watering systems, access to share, cattle scratching stations, and mobile animal shelters.<\/p>
To apply for a FACT Fund-a-Farmer grant, go to the FACT website’s grants section and click on “For Farmers.” The application period for 2024 begins on November 1, 2023 and ends on January 15, 2024.<\/p>
The FruitGuys Community Fund (TFGCF) was established in 2012 to provide grants to small farms and agricultural charities in the United States. Grants of up to $5,000 are available, and cash can be used to improve operations.<\/p>
The organization accepts project-specific applications. As well, they seek plans that will assist in building their local community and promote sustainability, such as drip irrigation, natural pest control, soil health, and energy efficiency. You must also be a non-profit agricultural organization, the owner or operator of a farm, or have legal access to the land where it is located. Before applying, the farm must have been a small- to medium-sized functioning farm for at least one year.<\/p>
You can apply for TFGCF grants via the organization’s website, and the application process for the 2024 award cycle begins in January 2024.<\/p>
The Vermont Farm Women’s Fund, available through the University of Vermont Extension, provides scholarships that grantees can use to offset the costs of enrolling for and attending educational conferences, seminars, and other classes. The funding is intended to pay for education linked to agricultural improvements that women are contemplating.<\/p>
Scholarships are limited to $150, and the monies are intended to assist women who own, run, or work on farms in Vermont. You can apply online up to 10 days before the event, and you must show that you make the majority of your income in Vermont from farm-related activities.<\/p>
The Women and Minority Farmers and Ranchers Program aims to provide disadvantaged farmers with equal access to farm opportunities as other farm operators. Minority and female farmers and ranchers are eligible for loans. <\/p>