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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.


Trending Video

What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima



In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.