Farmers who are 21 years or older and actively engaged in farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton; or 40 acres of open field Vegetables (as defined above) ; or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers, and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture (glasshouse, nethouse, plastic) can apply to the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund.  This program supports rural farming communities by offering farmers the opportunity to register to win $2,500 for their favorite community charity. Recipients could include FFA, 4-H, school or other civic organization – e.g., hospital, fire department or food pantry.

Monsanto realizes the importance of rural communities and want to support the communities where farmers, Monsanto Company’s customers, live and work.  This program is available in 38 states and 1,204 counties.  The applicaiton period closes December 31st so you will need to act quickly in order to take advantage of this opportunity.  Winners were be selected in January and announced in February.  For more details and information visit their website.

I believe Tracy Byrd sang the lyrics to this song “that’s where I’m from and I’m proud to say… I’m from the country and I like it that way.” Don’t be surprised if I turn that song up and sing along on the radio this evening on my drive home, out of the bustling city amongst all the other rush hour drivers to head to my house nestled in the country side of central Indiana. Ahhh… the country… it is so peaceful and quiet there and makes me appreciate all the simple things in life.

But all of that aside I have a grant from USDA to mention to you today that is available for cooperatives or associations of cooperatives whose primary focus is to provide assistance to small producers in rural areas and where at least 75 percent of the governing board or membership has an annual gross ag product sales of $250,000 or less. Grants can be used for product improvements, business plan development, or economic development activities of eligible producers. Funds can range up to $200,000 per grant. Applications are due July 27th and more information can be found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/ssdpg/ssdpg.htm  

I have blogged before about USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Grant (in case you missed that post you can find it here at http://aggrantguru.blogspot.com/2009/10/rural-energy-for-america-program-reap.html ) However, I wanted to revisit that grant program again and make sure you were aware of its impending due date. The Indiana USDA Rural Development State Office has received approximately $1.2 million in REAP grant funds allocation and approximately $6.2 million in loan fund allocation. In order to be considered to receive funding from the Indiana state allocation of grant funds, applications must be received by the state USDA Rural Development office no later than 4:30 PM on Monday, May 17, 2010. If an application is received by USDA after May 17, 2010, but before June 30, 2010, then the application may only be considered to receive funding from the national funding allocation. Please note the final deadline for any REAP grant applications to be considered for funding in FY 2010 is 4:30 PM on June 30, 2010.


If you will recall the REAP grant is for energy efficient ideas for your farm or small business that could reduce energy use and result in financial savings for your operation. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and are for up to 25% of total eligible project costs. Grants range from $2,500-$500,000 for renewable energy systems and between $1,500-$250,000 for energy efficiency improvements. Check out USDA’s REAP website for the full program guidance. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/index.html

Just like the John Mellencamp song says: “I’ve seen it all in a small town, had myself a ball in a small town.” I grew up in one such small town in North Central, Indiana and can safely say the older I get the more I like small town, rural America. Where else can you walk down the street and know over half of the people you see? Where else can you eat at the local diner and get all the latest news and gossip? Small towns have such a sense of pride in their community, their schools, and any other thing that makes their town unique. That’s why this weeks blog post features grants that specifically aid projects in those small town, rural areas.

USDA’s definition of rural is; any area other than a city with a population greater than 50,000.

USDA- Rural Business Opportunity Grant promotes sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs through provision of training and technical assistance for business development, entrepreneurs and economic development officials to assist with economic development planning. Eligible applicants include rural public bodies, rural non profit corporations and cooperatives with primarily rural members. Applications are due June 28, 2010 and for more information you can visit this website http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/rbog.htm and check with your USDA Rural Development State office, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html

USDA-New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grant Program is for technology development, applied research and/or training to develop an agriculture based renewable energy workforce. Funding will be used to enable community colleges and advanced technological centers located in rural areas to strengthen the Nation’s technical, scientific and professional workforce in the fields of bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing and ag based renewable energy resources. Applications are due April 14th, 2010 and more information can be found at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/new_era.html