Description
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is a competitive grant program that supports the delivery of education, outreach, and technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories. The program aims to help beginning farmers and ranchers enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands. The program will fund projects that provide education, outreach, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.
Some key areas of focus for the program include: basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices; innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer and succession strategies; entrepreneurship and business training; technical assistance to help beginning farmers or ranchers acquire land from retiring farmers and ranchers; financial and risk management training; natural resource management and planning; diversification and marketing strategies; curriculum development; mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships; resources and referral; farm financial benchmarking; agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veteran farmers and ranchers; farm safety and awareness; food safety and recordkeeping; and other similar subject areas.
Applicants must identify the target audience for their project, which may include farmers and ranchers who have not operated a farm or ranch or have operated a farm or ranch for not more than ten years. The program encourages applications from partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and school-based agricultural education organizations with expertise in agricultural training and outreach for beginning producers.