Value Added Producer Grant Program Information Webinar

September 18, 2017


The Value-Added Producer Grant helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of new products. Now in its 17th year, the program has had its ups and downs, and is currently funded at $18 million. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income. Applicants may receive priority if they are a beginning farmer or rancher, a socially-disadvantaged farmer or rancher, a small or medium-sized farm or ranch structured as a family farm, a farmer or rancher cooperative, or are proposing a mid-tier value chain. Grants are awarded through a national competition. The good news is that applications are due by January 31, 2018, not in July as in past years.

For those of you who don't breathlessly follow the soap opera that is agriculture appropriations and the farm bill, one key grant program for farmers, The Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program, has funding this year (FY2017) but its future is uncertain as there currently is no mandatory funding for the program in 2018. If you have been toying with the idea of applying for the VAPG, I would advise throwing your hat in the ring this year.

If this is a grant program that you think you might be interested in learning more about, Liz Higgins of the ENYCH team, who has experience with the VAPG, will offer two introductory webinars on the program on September 18th. The first one will be at 12:00pm to about 1:00pm and the second will be in the evening from 6:00pm-7:00pm. We will record the webinar and make it available.

To register, e-mail emh56@cornell.edu the following information and she will send you the link to the webinar

Name(s) of participants planning to attend the webinar
Farm Name (if applicable)
County where you or your farm are located (preferably the farm)
Best phone # to reach you at before or during the webinar (if there is a technical glitch). Please indicate if it is a cell so that we can send a group text, if need be.

You can see the request for proposals and other information about the program at USDA's website. https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/value-added-producer-grants. One key tip is to look at what projects have been funded in the past as this will give you some idea about what is a viable VAPG project.