Grow Your Farm Business with USDA Grants

Jan 23, 2025
By Farms.com

Grants available for up to $250,000

Are you a farmer looking to increase your income? Well, the USDA is offering grants to help agricultural producers increase their income by adding value to their products. The grants are available under the Value-Added Producer Grants program and can be used for planning activities or working capital expenses.

Planning activities may include conducting feasibility studies and developing business plans. Working capital expenses may include costs associated with processing, marketing, advertising, inventory, and salaries.

"These grants can help farmers and ranchers generate new products, create marketing opportunities, and increase their incomes," said Danna Quiles, USDA Deputy State Director for Puerto Rico.

Eligible applicants include independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.

USDA is particularly interested in funding projects that will help reduce climate pollution, improve access to Rural Development programs for all rural residents, and help rural communities recover economically.

Electronic applications will be accepted via the VAPG application portal until April 17, 2025.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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