USDA Guide Chock-Full of Info on Funding and
Technical Assistance, Project Design and More
The USDA has a wide range of financial assistance
programs, but finding the right one can be difficult,
complicated further by trying to stay up to date with
changes in funding following each Farm Bill.
Thanks to the newly updated guide Building
Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities:
A Guide to Federal Programs for Sustainable
Agriculture, Forestry, Entrepreneurship,
Conservation, Food Systems, and Community
Development, producers, researchers, nonprofits and
landowners can find programs to help them achieve
their goals.
The 86-page guide covers 63 government
programs and has been updated to include programs
included in the 2014 Farm Bill. Each listing provides
a description of the program’s available resources,
information on how to apply, and in some cases,
examples of how the funding has been used.
Additionally, the guide includes basic information
on how to design sound projects, find appropriate
programs and write grant applications.
“Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches
and Communities provided me with concise,
comprehensive, well-organized and user-friendly
information on federal grant programs,” says Mary
Holland, a regional food systems entrepreneur who
serves the Upper Midwest.
Beginning farmers faced with hefty start-up
costs can use the guide to find grants and loans, in
addition to technical assistance. Landowners will find
opportunities to be compensated for participating
in land and energy conservation programs. And
experienced producers looking to conduct research to
improve agricultural practices can find programs to
help foster innovation on their farm.
The guide also opens doors for people who have
never applied for USDA funding before. “I use this
wonderful guide with start-up nonprofits all over
the country. The guides are especially valuable
30 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
because most groups I work with aren’t familiar
with federal programs. It’s great having something
that’s so concise and also helps people understand
how to go and look for additional resources,” says
Lorna Donaldson, a Tennessee farmer and national
sustainable agriculture enterprise consultant.
Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and
Communities was developed through a partnership
between the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
(MFAI), the National Center for Appropriate
Technology (NCAT) and the National Sustainable
Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), with support from
SARE and other USDA agencies. The guide was first
published in 1997 and this is the 4th update.
To download a free PDF of the guide and to
learn how to order hard copies, visit www.sare.org/
building-sustainable-farms.
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