The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is seeking applications for its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Grant Program.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/16/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The primary goal of BFRDP, under assistance listing number 10.311, is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, outreach, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.
The term “farmer” is used in the broadest sense and may be interpreted to include agricultural farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial private forest owners and managers. The term “beginning farmer or rancher” means a person that:
- Has not operated a farm or ranch; or
- Has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years; and
- Meets such other criteria as the Secretary may establish.
Priorities
BFRDP grants may fund programs or services relating to these priorities:
- Basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices;
- Innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer and succession strategies;
- Entrepreneurship and business training;
- Technical assistance to help beginning farmers or ranchers acquire land from retiring farmers and ranchers;
- Financial and risk management training, including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit;
- Natural resource management and planning;
- Diversification and marketing strategies;
- Curriculum development;
- Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships;
- Resources and referral;
- Farm financial benchmarking;
- Agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veteran farmers and ranchers;
- Farm safety and awareness;
- Food safety and recordkeeping; and
- Other similar subject areas of use to beginning farmers or ranchers
Target Audience
The target audience for BFRDP is farmers and ranchers who have not operated a farm or ranch or have operated a farm or ranch for not more than ten years. Applicants must identify as well as define Beginning Farmer and Rancher (BFR) category of trainees to be served. There are five BFR training categories that must be specified based on number of years operating a farm or ranch:
- Category I: Has not operated a farm or ranch
- Category II: 1-3 years in farming.
- Category III: 4-6 years in farming.
- Category IV: 7-10 years in farming.
- Category V: Planning to serve trainees in all categories listed.
Funding Information
- Standard Grants
- Minimum Award Amount: $49,000
- Maximum Award Amount: $750,000
- Education Team Grants
- Minimum Award Amount: $600,000
- Maximum Award Amount: $750,000
- Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse Grant
- Minimum Award Amount: $600,000
- Maximum Award Amount: $750,000
Grant Period
- Standard Grants: 12-36 Months
- Education Team Grants: 36 Months
- Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse Grant: 36 Months
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies; community-based organizations (CBOs); non-governmental organizations (NGOs); junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; and private for-profit organizations. Collaboratives led by State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies will be given funding priority.
- Application submission of a project effort that is a duplicate of a current beginning farmer project will not be accepted for review under this program. Incorporating beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged.
- Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP and will be excluded from review.
- To meet regional balance, multiple awards will not be made to the same organization, institution, or Project Director in the same calendar year. Further, organizations and institutions that have received a regular standard or education team grant in the last funding cycle (FY 2024) are ineligible to apply. To avoid chances of Project Directors providing oversight on two BFRDP grants concurrently, Project Directors of active awards can apply for new BFRDP awards when they are in their final year of project work. It is unallowable to have a new project and at the same time have a project that has not yet been terminated. Please do not apply for another simplified standard grant if you were previously awarded a simplified standard BFRDP grant.
- Simplified standard grants are designed for new trainers who have never received grants nor gained more than three years of experience in assisting with the development of beginning farmers and ranchers.
- Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, if reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
