The document discusses resources and grant programs for beginning farmers and ranchers through the USDA, including the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. It provides an overview of the BFRDP, noting that it funds collaborative projects that provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to beginning farmers. It outlines eligibility requirements, priority areas, changes to the program, and previous awards made from 2009-2019 totaling $178 million.

1. Beginning Farmers and
Ranchers Development Program
& RESOURCES
Secretary’s Beginning Farmer
and Rancher Advisory
Committee Meeting
Presentation

2. USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development
Program & Related Resources www.nifa.usda.gov
●Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/agriculture-
and-food-research-initiative-foundational-applied-science-
program
● Small Business Innovation Research Program
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/program/small-business-
innovation-research-program-sbir
● Specialty Crop Research Initiative
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/specialty-crop-
research-initiative-scri

3. Related Grant Programs
• Military Families Learning Network
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-
opportunity/military-families-learning-network
• Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/farm-
and-ranch-stress-assistance-network
• Community Food Projects
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-
opportunity/community-food-projects-cfp-competitive-
grants-program

4. Related Grant Programs
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/beginning-farmer-
and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp
• AgrAbility—Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with
Disabilities https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-
opportunity/agrability-assistive-technology-program-farmers-
disabilities
• Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive
Grants Program https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-
opportunity/farm-business-management-and-benchmarking-
fbmb-competitive-grants-program

5. Related Grant Programs
• Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military
Veterans Competitive Grants Program
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding-
opportunity/enhancing-agricultural-opportunities-
military-veterans
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Program
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/program/sustainable-
agriculture-program

6. Projects Funded 2009-2012

10. BFRDP Program Basics
 Competitive grant program for projects that provide
education, mentoring and technical assistance for
beginning farmers and ranchers.
 A beginning farmer is: a farmer, rancher, or
operator of non-industrial private forestland who is
in the first ten years of operation, or a person
intending or aspiring to begin such an operation.

11. Program Basics - Recipients
 The recipients must be a collaborative, State, tribal, local,
or regionally-based network or partnership of public or
private organizations
 Not for individuals (see www.usda.gov/newfarmers )
 Priority to partnerships and collaborations led by or
including nongovernmental, community-based or school-
based agricultural educational organizations with
expertise in new ag. producer training and outreach
 25% match (cash and/or in-kind) or could be waived

12. Funding Priority Subsets
1. At least 5 percent of funds will go to projects that serve
socially disadvantaged beginning farmers or ranchers,
limited-resource beginning farmers and ranchers, and/or
farm workers desiring to become farmers or ranchers
2. At least 5 percent of funds will go to projects that serve
beginning farmers and ranchers who are military
veterans; coordination with AgrAbility program
encouraged
Note: applicants are not required to serve either of these
audiences, but if you propose to do so, have a strong plan!

13. Changes in BFRDP
➢Farming Opportunities Training Outreach (FOTO
BFRDP & 2501 Program at $50M Total funding
by FY2023 for Both Programs
√ FY2019 & FY2020-$30M; √ FY2021-$35M
√ FY2022-$40M; √ FY2023-$50M
➢Educational Enhancement Team Projects have been
renamed as Educational Team Projects
➢A grant or cooperative agreement shall be for a term not
longer than 3 years; this means that standard grants,
educational team grants and clearinghouse grants
cannot receive no-cost extensions after 3 years of
project work is completed

14. Changes in BFRDP-continued
➢Large Standard Grants are capped at
$600,000
➢Small Standard Grants are capped at
$300,000
➢Simplified Standard Grants are capped at
less than $50,000
➢Educational Team Grants are capped at
$600,000
➢Clearinghouse Grants are capped at
$600,000

15. Previous BFRDP Awards
• 360 projects funded in 2009-2019 at $178M
• See “Abstracts of Funded Projects”
http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/beginningfarmers
andranchers.cfm
• BFRDP-Success rates
2009-2012—20% on the average
2013-No grants funded due to shutdown
2014-2019---29% on the average

16. Land Grant
Colleges
and
Universities,
Other
Academias
Non
Governmental
Organizations
DHHS; EPA
State Depts.
of Agric.;
Others
Foundations

17. With Competitive
Grant Programs

18. USDA
OFFICES
USDA
OFFICES
USDA
OFFICES
With Competitive
Grant Programs

19. USDA Service Centers

20. USDA COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

21. Land-Grant Colleges and Universities

22. BFRDP Staff
Denis Ebodaghe,
National Program Leader
202-445-5460
denis.Ebodaghe@usda.gov
Desiree Rucker-Ross,
Program Specialist
202-445-5386
Desiree.Rucker@usda.gov