Deadline: March 4, 2026

Funding Amount: $100,000 maximum award; 25% matching funds requirement

Eligibility: Dairy businesses that operate a licensed dairy farm in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico

Eligible Uses: This grant supports farm infrastructure improvements for Southeastern U.S. dairies that increase efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness. Funding is intended for practical upgrades that improve labor, production, and marketing outcomes, with a clear explanation of how the investment will measurably benefit the operation.

Eligible projects may include improvements to cooling and heat stress management, milk storage and handling, milking and harvest efficiency, feed and forage management, animal housing, and water, waste, or manure management. While priority areas are outlined, other impactful projects may be considered if they demonstrate clear operational benefits.

Farm Infrastructure Improvement Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative

Deadline: March 4, 2026

Funding Amount: $150,000 maximum award; 25% matching funds requirement

Eligibility: Dairy businesses that operate a licensed dairy farm in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico

Eligible Uses: This funding supports precision technologies and management strategies for Southeastern U.S. dairy farms that improve sustainability and competitiveness. Projects must show how the technology will enhance animal health and performance, labor efficiency, energy or environmental efficiency, or better use of the farm’s land base, with a clear justification for why the technology is needed.

Eligible projects may include wearable animal sensors, GPS-enabled equipment, automated and robotic systems, technology-driven feed and pasture management, cow comfort and heat abatement technologies, genomic testing, automated milking and milk-quality monitoring, and business management tools that improve financial and operational decision-making.

Precision Technology and Management Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative

Deadline: March 15, 2026

Funding Amount: up to $2,000

Eligibility: Applicants must be a member of Kentucky Women In Agriculture (KWIA) for at least two full years and must have produced agricultural products for sale to the public with gross annual agricultural sales greater than $500 in the previous 2 years.

Eligible Uses: KWIA Grant funds are meant to support production agriculture expenses. Grant funds may not be used to purchase any of the following: motorized vehicle, labor costs, annual operating expenses (e.g., feed, seed, fertilizer, processing fees, jars, plants, etc.), and purchased products that are processed for resale.

KWIA Grant Program — KWIA

Deadline: April 1, June 1, August 1, October 1, December 1

Funding Amount: Up to $5,000 per application with a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per farm business

Eligible Uses: There are five priority categories:

• Value-Added Enterprise

• Certified Organic Agriculture

• Agroforestry/Specialty Crops

• Food Systems Resiliency

• Emerging Agricultural Technologies

Eligibility:

• A Kentucky-based farm with gross annual agricultural sales greater than $1,000 and below $250,000 in the previous two years.

• Kentucky-based, formal, non-governmental organizations and cooperatives that serve multiple Kentucky farms or producers

  KSU Small-Scale Farm Grant

Deadline: April 22, 2026

Funding Amount:

• Planning Grants: Up to $50,000

• Working Capital Grants: Up to $200,000

Eligibility:

• Agricultural producers (including harvesters and steering committees)

• Agricultural producer groups

• Farmer- or rancher-cooperatives

• Majority-controlled producer-based business ventures

Applicants must demonstrate that they:

• Own and produce more than 50% of the raw commodity

• Will retain greater revenue from the value-added product than from the raw commodity alone

Eligible Uses: The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) helps farmers and agricultural producers turn raw commodities into higher-value products and reach new markets—ultimately increasing farm income. VAPG funds can be used for planning (like feasibility studies or business and marketing plans) or for working capital (such as processing, packaging, marketing, inventory, and eligible salary expenses) to support the production and sale of value-added agricultural products

Value-Added Producer Grants | Rural Development