Grants for Farmers: USDA and Other Programs Open in 2026

Grants for farmers mostly come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are tied to a specific project: trialing a sustainable practice (SARE farmer grants), launching a value-added product (Value-Added Producer Grants), installing conservation practices (EQIP cost-share), or growing specialty crops (Specialty Crop Block Grants through your state). There is no general grant for simply starting or running a farm. Much of the federal money in the news in 2025 and 2026, such as Farmer Bridge Assistance, is per-acre or disaster payments to eligible producers rather than grants you compete for. The table below shows what is open or recurring as of October 2026.

SARE farmer grants: the most accessible competitive grant

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program funds farmers and ranchers who want to test a sustainable practice on their own operation, such as a cover crop mix, a grazing system, or a pest management approach, and share the results. Each of the four regions runs its own call with its own limits. For the 2027 cycle:

• North Central: up to $15,000 for an individual farmer, $30,000 for a team; due December 3, 2026.
• Northeast: up to $50,000, raised from $30,000 last year; due December 8, 2026.
• Southern: $20,000 for an individual, $25,000 for a farmer group; due November 6, 2026.
• Western: up to $35,000 in the 2026 cycle; check the regional site for 2027 terms.

SARE reviewers want a clear question, a sound on-farm design (often side-by-side comparisons), a realistic budget, and a plan to share what you learn with other farmers.

Value-Added Producer Grants

The Value-Added Producer Grant, run by USDA Rural Development, funds producers who add value to what they grow or raise, for example by processing, branding as organic or local, or opening new markets. The fiscal year 2026 notice set maximums of $50,000 for planning grants (feasibility studies, business plans) and $200,000 for working capital, required at least a one-to-one match in cash or eligible in-kind contributions, and closed April 22, 2026. Eligible applicants are independent producers, producer groups, farmer cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based businesses, and they need an active SAM.gov registration. Part of the funding is reserved for beginning, veteran, and socially disadvantaged producers and for mid-tier value chain projects.

This is a business proposal as much as a grant: reviewers score the market case, the work plan, and the budget. Our guide to cash and in-kind match explains how to document it, and our guide to how to get a grant to start a business covers the business plan side.

Conservation cost-share: EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program are run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. You apply at your local USDA Service Center at any time; each state sets cutoff dates when applications are ranked and funded (for fiscal year 2027, for example, Texas and Oregon set November 13, 2026 and Illinois December 18, 2026). Beginning, veteran, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged producers can receive an advance of at least half the practice payment to buy materials. The July 2025 budget law moved leftover Inflation Reduction Act conservation money into the regular farm bill baseline and removed the requirement that it go to climate practices.

REAP: new rules from October 2026

The Rural Energy for America Program helps agricultural producers and rural small businesses with renewable energy and energy efficiency. A rule published October 1, 2026 changed it substantially:

• The project must already be built and operating, completed 12 to 24 months before you apply, with 12 months of actual energy production or savings data.
• The grant covers at most 25 percent of project cost.
• Ground-mounted solar or wind on cropland, and systems with components from foreign adversary countries, are not eligible.
• Applications go into one national competition, with windows set by annual notice.

Anyone who planned a REAP application under the old rules should re-read the new rule before spending on a project.

Programs you reach through other organizations

Some well-known farm programs are not applied for by individual farmers:

• Specialty Crop Block Grants go to state departments of agriculture ($86.6 million nationally in fiscal year 2026), which then run their own competitions for growers, associations, and universities.
• The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program funds partnerships of extension services, nonprofits, and colleges that train new farmers; farmers benefit through those training programs.
• Farmers Market Promotion and Local Food Promotion grants fund farmers markets, food hubs, and local food businesses, with a 25 percent match; the 2026 round closed June 5, 2026.
• Farm to School grants returned for fiscal year 2026 with new terms requiring partnerships of at least three entities.

Some programs were cut. USDA cancelled about $1 billion in Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance agreements in March 2025, and we found no fiscal year 2026 round of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants.

Loans, payments, and the farm bill

For starting or buying a farm, the Farm Service Agency's loans usually matter more than grants: direct farm ownership loans up to $600,000, direct operating loans up to $400,000, and microloans up to $50,000, with special down payment loans for beginning farmers. Congress has not passed a new farm bill; the House passed one in April 2026, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version in September 2026, and the 2018 farm bill extension expired September 30, 2026. Higher loan limits and other changes in those bills are not law yet.

Writing a farm grant that scores

USDA and SARE reviewers score against published criteria, so read the call for proposals and use its headings. A competitive application defines one project with measurable results, prices every line with quotes, documents the match, and shows you have the time, land, and partners to deliver. Our guide to pricing a grant budget line by line covers the budget, and why grants get rejected covers the most common compliance failures. Farm cooperatives and agricultural nonprofits applying for larger awards can also use our guide to the federal application steps.

When you have a project that fits a program, our business grant application writers can prepare it.