Funding & Grants
PA Veteran Farming Network Force Multiplier Grant
Open July 27-Aug. 17 at 5 PM ET. Grants of up to $15,000 to reimburse up to 75% of on-farm project costs will be awarded to eligible veterans.This is a competitive grant program funded by the PA Department of Agriculture thorugh the PA Farm Bill, and administered by the PA Veteran Farming Network.Due to changes in PDA funding in this round, guidelines have changed. Please review carefully before applying. Learn more.
Horizon Farm Credit Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Grant
Open until August 21, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Competitive $20,000 awards for on-farm needs and business growth; 10 will be awarded in HFC territory. See eligibility and full guidelines here.
Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative
Open until September 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
FFFI will help business owners in PA open or expand healthy grocery outlets in communities throughout the commonwealth. The program provides grants and technical assistance to nonprofit, for-profit and cooperative food businesses that help increase access to healthy, affordable food and improve economic opportunities for low- to moderate-income residents of urban, suburban and rural areas of Pennsylvania. Grant awards will range from $5,000 – $200,000. See details and guidelines here.
Expanding Agroforestry Project Participating farmers are eligible to receive incentive payments for alley cropping, silvopasture, and windbreak plantings. They will also have access to regionally tailored technical assistance and peer learning opportunities. Application window: June 30 to August 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Prior to applying, schedule a call with our region's technical assistance partner, VA Tech. Learn more.
PA Sustainable Agriculture Program
Reimbursement grant in limited geographic regions of PA. Closes 11:59 pm on August 28, 2026.
Two tracks: sustainable ag and alternative crops.
Reimbursement: Payments will be made once eligible work has been completed and verified by qualified individual.
Purpose: reducing operating expenses, enhancing the value of end products, ensuring water and soil quality for future generations, and by reducing the reliance on off-farm inputs. Projects must address water quality.
See full guidelines for eligible applicants and projects.
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Grants may not exceed $25,000. An additional amount of up to $25,000 may be granted if the grantee matches that additional amount dollar for dollar so that an individual grant may not exceed $50,000 in one calendar year.
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Eligible Counties include:
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Entire County Eligibility
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Adams, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union.
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Partial County Eligibility (To verify eligibility, please use the map to verify your project site is located in the highlighted area of the county).
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Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Cambria, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Chester, Clearfield, Elk, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Potter, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming, and York
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PA Resource Enhancement & Protection (REAP) is a first-come, first-served program that enables farmers, businesses, and landowners to earn PA income tax credits to offset the cost of implementing conservation practices, including energy projects. Credits may be sold. Application opens Aug. 1, 2026. Learn more.
Is there a grant for veterans to obtain farms?
We are not aware of any grant to buy farmland. USDA FSA offers low interest loans, which can be used to purchase farmland, fund business expenses or make improvements, but there are no grants to buy or start a farm. Horizon Farm Credit has Young and Beginning Farmer loans. If you're eligible for a VA Home Loan, you may be able to use it to buy farmland if it will have your primary residence on the land.
Army veteran Bill Hopkins of Hopkins Farmily Farm is using Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program funds to renovate his vegetable packing shed.
Federal cost share programs and grants require a 'Farm Number'--registration with USDA as a farm.
1. Get your 'farm number': Learn about registering your farm property with USDA Farm Services
Agency (FSA), your first step in accessing loans and cost share programs.
2. Lendermatch is a free online tool from SBA (Small Business Administration). Once you have your business plan
you create an account and enter information. Your local SBDC (Small Business Development Center) can assist you
with your business plan. Once you submit you'll be matched with potential lenders for further conversation.
Commercial lenders throughout PA may loan for farms and/or equipment. See what lenders will want to know
before you approach them.
3. Funding Options:
USDA Farm Service Agency—farm and operating loans. FSA lends to those with 3 years farming
business experience but may waive 1 year for military service. Their microloans (up to $50k) have a
lower threshold for acceptance and less paperwork than larger loans.
VA Home loans can be used to purchase a farm under certain conditions. Fact sheet.
SBA financing options for rural businesses.
Horizon Farm Credit finances farms and agribusinesses. In mid-2023 they launched Grow Ahead programming
to support new/beginning farmers. HFC also offers some competitive grants; these will be posted in our newsletter.
If you belong to a federal credit union like NFCU, consider them for a land/home loan.
3.NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) provides free technical assistance and partial funding for installing conservation best management practices (BMPs) on farm, such as livestock watering, fencing, high tunnel (hoop houses), pollinator habitat, and many more. Your application will be ranked, so the time from application to being offered a contact may be long.
4. County Conservation Districts administer state ACAP (Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program) reimbursement funding for installing conservation best management practices that protect water quality. Contact your CD to learn if funding is available in your county, what types of projects they fund, and how to apply. CD's work with NRCS, so in some cases projects and/or funding can be 'stacked' to decrease out of pocket costs to the landowner.
5. PA Resource Enhancement & Protection (REAP) is a first-come, first-served program that enables farmers, businesses, and landowners to earn PA income tax credits to offset the cost of implementing conservation practices, including energy projects. Credits may be sold.
6. USDA REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.
7. Grants can never be counted on as income in your budget. Most are competitive; some require matching funds (a percentage of the total project cost which you must have 'on hand' to apply). Grant funds, as well as conservation funding from the government, is taxable above a threshold amount; consult your tax attorney. Watch our newsletter and facebook pages for information on open grants. Commonly asked question: "Is there a grant for disabled veterans to buy farms?" No.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates as grants open.
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Farmer Grants have closed, but plan ahead for next round.
Review the past guidelines.
Download slides from Charles Lafferty on his SARE project including tips for applying here.
You must be an established farmer--SARE uses the USDA definition of a 'farm', meaning you must have farm income,
so this is not a grant for entering farmers or to start up a farm.
CJ Lafferty of Skyline Pastures, a PAVFN Board member, is a current recipient for a project on silvopastured pigs.
See his youtube channel here.
Value Added Producer Grants
Go to VAPG page
Examples of Value Added products: fruits made into pies or jams, meats made into jerky, tomatoes and peppers made into salsa, vegetables cut up and packaged for easy cooking, organically grown produce, beeswax into candles.
VAPG is closed now, but bookmark this page for future rounds.
Applications for Planning grants (typically up to $75,000) and Working Capital grants (typically up to $250,000). typically open in the early spring.
There is a usually a 50% match.If your total project budget is $100k, you must have $50,000 in match. Some may be in-kind such as the ag product value you're growing, and some labor costs.
Guidelines
A Value Added Agricultural Commodity meets one of the following methodologies:
1. Has undergone a Change in Physical State (such as milling wheat into flour or making strawberries into jam);
2. Was Produced in a Manner that Enhances the Value of the Agricultural Commodity (such as organically produced products);
3. Is Physically Segregated in a manner that results in the enhancement of the value of the Agricultural Commodity (such as trace-ability of hormone-free livestock);
4. Is a source of Farm- or Ranch-based Renewable Energy, including E-85 fuel; or
5. Is aggregated and marketed as a Locally-Produced Agricultural Food Product.
And as a result of the Change in Physical State or the manner in which the Agricultural Commodity was produced, marketed, or segregated:
1. The customer base for the Agricultural Commodity is expanded and
2. A greater portion of the revenue derived from the marketing, processing, or physical segregation of the Agricultural Commodity is available to the producer of the commodity.
Funded projects must be directly related to the processing and/or marketing of value added products. Generating new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income are the end goals of the program.
All proposals must demonstrate economic viability and sustainability to compete for funding (you'll need a business plan).
The Pennsylvania Farm to School Grant Program will provide schools with funding to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Urban Ag
Urban Ag toolkit from USDA, with resources on soil health, land acquisition, business planning, and more.
Surplus Property
PA's veteran owned business surplus property program offers a wide variety of federal and state
surplus property.
Federal Surplus Property Program
Veteran Business Enterprise (VBEs) and Service Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (SDVBEs) in PA or with
Farm tour of Black Valley Kune Kune Farm