How did the Agribusiness Grant Facilitation Program (AGFP) become one of KCARD's cornerstone services? Learn how KCARD identified a need for grant assistance, launched AGFP in partnership with the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, and continues to help Kentucky farmers and agribusinesses access funding through personalized grant facilitation services.
Value-added dairy businesses play an important role in farm profitability and rural economies, but growth brings new operational challenges. KCARD shares insights from dairy processor evaluations across Kentucky and the Southeast, highlighting common themes and practical opportunities to strengthen efficiency, consistency, and long-term success.
Learn how agricultural mediation can help Kentucky farmers and agricultural businesses navigate difficult conversations, farm transitions, and other challenges through confidential, neutral, no-cost support available through KCARD’s Kentucky AgriLegacy Solutions Program.
As part of KCARD’s 25th anniversary celebration, we’re highlighting the people behind the work. Maddie Grider shares how her agricultural roots and passion for supporting farmers have shaped her role at KCARD—and why helping Kentucky producers succeed continues to motivate her every day.
KCARD is now a USDA-certified agricultural mediation center, bringing free, confidential mediation services to Kentucky farm families for the first time. This program helps producers navigate challenges such as agricultural loans, farm transition, and succession planning with the support of a neutral third party. Learn how this new resource strengthens support for Kentucky agriculture.
How did the Agribusiness Grant Facilitation Program (AGFP) become one of KCARD's cornerstone services? Learn how KCARD identified a need for grant assistance, launched AGFP in partnership with the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board, and continues to help Kentucky farmers and agribusinesses access funding through personalized grant facilitation services.
The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program is currently accepting applications until April 5th for Infrastructure and Equipment-only projects that expand capacity for aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of food products, for specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry.
We’ve been asked lots of questions about the program, so we worked with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to develop this list of frequently asked questions.
When you first find a grant program that could fit your interests, your main source of information will typically be a document called the “Request for Applications”, also called the “RFA” or in federal programs, a “Notice of Funding Availability” or “NOFA”. This document is key in determining if a grant is a good fit for you or your organization and can easily surpass 40 pages in length. While you will need to read the entire document eventually, we suggest reviewing the following sections first:
In October and November, KCARD hosted a 6-week webinar series to help people work on their business and figure out what funding resources are out there that are good fits. Below are our top 5 takeaways from the series.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be showcasing partners in our Growing Your Farm and Food Business Webinar series. These partners provide funding opportunities to Kentucky’s agricultural producers and agribusinesses. In this post, we are learning about the Farm Service Agency and the programs they administer.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be showcasing partners in our Growing Your Farm and Food Business Webinar series. These partners provide funding opportunities to Kentucky’s agricultural producers and agribusinesses. In this post, we are learning about Kentucky State University and the assistance they provide.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be showcasing partners in our Growing Your Farm and Food Business Webinar series. These partners provide funding opportunities to Kentucky’s agricultural producers and agribusinesses. The USDA Rural Development Office is an important partner in KCARD’s work as we apply for funding from their office to continue our work with Kentucky’s producers and rural and agribusinesses but also because they offer a wealth of programs to Kentucky’s rural businesses. In this post, we are learning about the USDA Rural Development and the programs they administer.
The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) will be hosting a series of five “Growing Your Farm and Food Business” webinars this October to assist agricultural producers and food businesses with understanding business fundamentals, identifying grant opportunities, and developing a strategy to seek funding. Webinars will take place from 10:00am – 11:30am Eastern/9:00am -10:30am Central and will be available for later viewing.
Question: Should I apply for “Coronavirus” money?
Answer: We are getting a lot of questions about coronavirus funding, so here’s what we do know and what we do not know.
It is workshop season again! The KCARD Growing Your Farm and Food Business workshops will provide an in-depth understanding of business plan development along with an overview of funding options for farmers and agribusinesses in Kentucky. Each workshop will bring together speakers who work directly with national and state funding programs. Programs from USDA, the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy, Kentucky State University, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and other agencies will be covered with many of these entities present and available for questions.
There will be a $18 per person fee to attend the workshop, with dinner and educational materials provided. For further information visit the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development’s Facebook page or contact Kati Bowman at kbowman@kcard.info or 859-415-4909.
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30pm local time
Location: 75 Cornwall Drive, Madisonville, KY 42431
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30pm local time
Location: 6028 Camp Ernst Road, Burlington, KY 41005
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2019
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30pm local time
Location: 409 Fairground Street, Columbia, KY 42728
Date: Tuesday, December 10
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30pm local time
Location: 20 North Washington Street, Campton, KY 41301
The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is a non-profit organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural businesses in Kentucky. We are supported primarily through grants provided by the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Additional support is provided through our work with partners around the state and through fees charged for select client services.
