Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

The summary for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Federal Grant is detailed below. It contains information such as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number, who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, important deadlines, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed in the Grant Announcement Contact section. If these sections are incomplete, please visit the website of the government agency that is offering this grant.


	Federal Grant Title:	Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
	CFDA Number:	10.311
	CFDA Description:	Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
	Federal Agency Name:	National Institute of Food and Agriculture
	Category of Funding Activity:	Agriculture
	Category Explanation:	Information not provided
	Opportunity Category:	Discretionary
	Funding Opportunity Number:	USDA-NIFA-BFR-003356
	Document Type:	Grants Notice
	Funding Instrument Type:	Grant
	Posted Date:	Oct 26, 2010
	Creation Date:	Oct 26, 2010
	Original Closing Date for Applications:	Dec 22, 2010
	Current Closing Date for Applications:	Dec 22, 2010
	Archive Date:	Jan 24, 2011
	Expected Number of Awards:	Information not provided
	Estimated Total Program Funding:	$19,000,000
	Federal Grant Award Ceiling:	Information not provided
	Federal Grant Award Floor:	Information not provided
	Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Applicants Eligible for this Grant: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Information on Eligibility: Applications may be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; Federal, State, or tribal agencies; community based organizations; nongovernmental organizations; junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; private for-profit organizations; and other appropriate partners. Inclusion of beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged. Applications submitted by individuals are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP.
Grant Description: The U.S. agricultural population is poised to make a dramatic change - half of all current farmers are likely to retire in the next decade. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the average age of farm operators was 57 years. Farmers over the age 55 own more than half the farmland in the U.S. But the number of new farmers and ranchers over the age of 35 is increasing, as does the number of smaller farms and ranches nationwide. To address the needs of this changing generation, Section 7410 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234) amended Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and made available in Fiscal Year 2009, $17.2 million to fund a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). According to these legislations, a beginning farm is considered to be one that is operated by one or more operators who have 10 years or less of experience operating a farm or ranch. In 2007, approximately 21 percent of family farms met that definition.
Link to Full Grant Announcement: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfas/bfrdp.html
Grant Announcement Contact: NIFA Help Desk Phone: 202-401-5048 Business hours are M-F, 7:00 am -5:00 pm ET, excluding Federal holidays
If you have any questions related to preparing application content [electronic@nifa.usda.gov ]
Similar Government Grants: • Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development