Deadline: March 26, 2025

Funding Amount: $5,000 to $10,000

Eligibility: Available to farmers in AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, or VA who have been farming for three years or more and have been at current location for at least two years

Eligible Uses: This grant is focused on helping historically underserved farmers upgrade tools, structures, and systems to improve productivity and sustainability.

RAFI Grants

Deadline: March 31, 2025

Funding Amount:

• Energy Efficiency Grants: up to $500,000

• Renewable Energy System Grants: up to $1 million

Match depends on specific grant terms but will be 25% or 50%.

Eligibility: Agricultural producers with at least 50 percent of their gross income coming from agricultural operations.

• Small businesses in eligible rural areas

• Agricultural producers with at least 50 percent of their gross income coming from agricultural operations.

Eligible Uses: The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Applications for this program are accepted year-round at your local office.

USDA Rural Energy for America

Deadline: April 2, 2025

Funding Amount: Up to $100,000 with a 25% match

Eligibility: Permitted dairy businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico

Eligible Uses: The purpose of awards in this category will be to support operational and management strategies that improve labor, production, and marketing efficiencies to help increase sustainability and competitiveness of Southeastern US dairies. 
Below are suggested priority funding areas, but proposals outside of these areas may be considered.

• Improvements to existing facilities to reduce the impact of heat stress and seasonal milk production swings

• Investments in raw milk storage, cooling capacity, and/or transportation efficiency

• Modernization and improvements to milk harvest

• Improvements to feed and forage management and storage opportunities

• Improvements to animal housing and environment

• Water, waste, and manure management improvements

  SDBII Dairy Infrastructure Grant

Deadline: April 2, 2025

Funding Amount: Up to $150,000 with a 25% match

Eligible Entities: Permitted dairy businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico

Eligible Uses: The purpose of awards in this category will be to support the utilization of precision technologies and management strategies to make dairy operations more sustainable and competitive in the Southeastern US. Requests for funds under this RFP should relate to one of the following areas and offer a justification for how the selected technology will:

• Improve animal health, wellbeing, and/or performance

• Enhance labor efficiency

• Reduce energy costs or environmental impact (i.e. carbon-footprint or GHG emissions) by making production activities more efficient

• Increase utilization of the farm’s land base

  SDBII Dairy Technology Grant

Deadline: April 17, 2025

Funding Amount: Planning Grants $75,000; Working Capital Grants: $250,000. Dollar-for-dollar match is required.

Eligibility:

• Agricultural producers (includes harvesters and steering committees)

• Agricultural producer groups

• Farmer- or rancher-cooperatives

• Majority-controlled producer-based business ventures

Eligible Uses: The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income.

Grant and matching funds can be used for planning activities or for working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product. Examples of planning activities include conducting feasibility studies and developing business plans for processing and marketing the proposed value-added product. Examples of working capital expenses include:

• Processing costs.

• Marketing and advertising expenses.

• Some inventory and salary expenses.

  USDA Value-Added Producer Grant

Deadline: For priority consideration, submit by January 8th, 2025

Funding Amount: Varies based on implemented practice and incentive type

Eligibility: Farmers implementing relevant NRCS practices in the service area (including all of Kentucky)

Eligible Uses: Eligible NRCS practices are applicable to the following commodities: beef, cotton, fruits, pork, row crops, rice, specialty crops and wool.

Four type of cash incentives are offered:

• Implementation Incentive.
   Helps with the cost of implementing a new practice. The amount available per acre depends on the practice(s) you implement. If you’ve already implemented one or more of our approved practices, you are eligible to apply for the program.

• Drawdown Incentive. As you implement these practices, you’ll start to see an increase in organic matter and soil carbon. How well you manage your new practices will play a big role in this. Silvopasture and other agroforestry practices are often more expensive to implement but sequester and retain significantly more carbon in the soil as well as enhancing additional soil benefits.

• Participation Incentive. In order to measure long term soil health benefits, Farmers/Growers must sign up for the duration of the program incentives (3 to 5 years). Farmers must be able to show that they have control over the land tracts entered into the program, either as land owners or a 3 to 5 year lease. Growers must agree to take soil samples at least twice a year. The Participation Incentive will cover the cost of soil testing and reporting, and other costs associated with program compliance.

• Travel Incentive. BSBE participants will receive reimbursements for travel, lodging, and food during attendance to BSBE-sponsored and other CSAF field days.

  BSBE Farmer Fund

Deadline: Ongoing

Funding Amount: $3,000/year for implementing practices + $500/year for completed farm assessment.

Eligibility: Kentucky farm businesses implementing or interested in implementing climate-smart NRCS practices (e.g. cover cropping, perennial planting, rotational grazing), collect data on outcomes and engage with emerging markets seeking positive environmental and climate impacts.

Enrolled acres must produce at least one of the following commodities: vegetables, fruits, beef, lamb, corn, soybeans, small grains, a range of agroforestry products. Participating farmers with enrolled acres are expected to share sales information about climate-verified commodities.

Three types of cash incentives are available:

• $500/year when the farmer completes the Global Farm Metric - Farm Sustainability Assessment Tool, which provides an annual snapshot of farm resilience.

• $3,000 in year one for implementing climate-smart practices. This is a flat incentive for one or multiple practices on small or large acreage. Farms are encouraged to enroll in the project in subsequent years and will receive an additional incentive payment each year.

  $180/year in soil health tests paid for directly by OAK.

Climate Smart Project (oak-ky.org)

Deadline: Ongoing

Funding Amount: $10,000

Eligibility: Farm businesses interested in implementing climate-smart NRCS practices and potentially value added marketing linked to ecologically sound production.

Eligible Uses: Three types of cash incentives are available.

• $10,000 to be directly spent on inputs and supplies selected by the farmer to improve their weakest link/greatest need related to their chosen practices.

• $750 upon submission of receipts and baseline soil test.

• $750 upon final soil sampling in 2028.

• Ecological Outcomes Verification baseline and ongoing measurements through Savory Institute hubs paid for directly by Mt. Folly.

  Mt. Folly's Climate Smart Markets