MICRO ECO BUSINESS: Farming grants are now being offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). They have several categories which may apply to some involved in small scale farming.
Below are just a couple of past farming grants NRCS has funded, to give you an idea. Their site (link above) gives all the information you need as well as more examples of past farming grants. Be sure to also see our article at the Center for the Micro Eco-Farming Movement on farm loans and grants for more farming grant opportunities. – www.MicroEcoFarming.com
From NRCS:
California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CA)
$590,048
Driving Conservation Innovation and Sustainable Winegrowing Adoption through Performance Benchmarking, Tools and Resources
The purpose is to develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive system of industry-wide performance benchmarking, tools and resources in order to drive conservation innovation and speed adoption of sustainable practices in California wine community and other wine region and agricultural sectors to address national natural resource concerns such as water, atmospheric and soil resources, and wildlife habitat.
Pollinator Partnership (CA)
$183,953.96
Evaluating and communicating the ecological and economic costs and benefits of incorporating pollinator and other beneficial insect floral resource strips into vegetable production system
The purpose of this project is to compare the costs of installing and maintaining single-species annual and multi-species perennial floral strips in vegetable production systems with the ecological and economic benefits gained, and to translate this information for use by vegetable growers in diverse agricultural regions.