Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (10.311)
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (Assistance Listing 10.311) is run by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $122 million in 274 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $444,440 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $509,763. Half of the 274 awards fell between $200,000 and $740,144, and they ranged from $22,439 to $1.2 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$122 million
- Grant awards274
- Typical award$509,763
- Awarded in FY 2025-$1.2 million
- Size rank750 of 1824
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- It is the 750th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 20% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 51 states and territories.
What the program funds
The primary goal of BFRDP is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide training, 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. The term “farmer” is used in the broadest sense and may be interpreted to include agricultural farmers, ranchers, and nonindustrial private forest owners and managers.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
The recipient must be a collaborative, State, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of public or private entities, which may include: state cooperative extension service; community-based and nongovernmental organization; college or university (including institutions awarding associate degrees); or any other appropriate partner. Others may be eligible to apply. Please refer to Part III of the current BFRDP Request for Applications for complete eligibility requirements.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Competitive grants are made to support: (A) mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships; (B) resources and referral; (C) assisting beginning farmers or ranchers in acquiring land from retiring farmers and ranchers; (D) innovative farm and ranch transfer strategies; (E) entrepreneurship and business training; (F) model land leasing contracts; (G) financial management training;. (H) whole farm planning; (I) conservation assistance; (J) risk management education; (K) diversification and marketing strategies; (L) curriculum development; (M) understanding the impact of concentration and globalization; (N) basic livestock and crop farming practices; (O) the acquisition and management of agricultural credit; (P) environmental compliance; (Q) information processing; and (R) other similar subject areas of use to beginning farmers or ranchers. In addition, cooperative agreements may be awarded to establish Education Teams: (1) In General: In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall establish beginning farmer and rancher education teams to develop curricula and conduct educational programs and workshops for beginning farmers or ranchers in diverse geographical areas of the United States. (2) Curriculum: In promoting the development of curricula, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, include modules tailored to specific audiences of beginning farmers or ranchers, based on crop or regional diversity.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Funds are awarded competitively. No formula grants are awarded under Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, [7 U.S.C. 3319f]. To be eligible to receive a grant under this program, a recipient must provide a match in the form of cash or in-kind contributions in an amount equal to 25 percent of the funds provided by the grant.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
If minimum or maximum amounts of funding per competitive and/or capacity project grant, or cooperative agreement are established, these amounts will be announced in the annual Competitive Request for Application (RFA).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: The purpose of the BFRDP Clearinghouse is to serve as an online platform and library for educational curricula, training materials, technical assistance materials and any other appropriate information for beginning farmers and ranchers. The Clearinghouse also assists NIFA leadership in developing and providing an outcome-based reporting system appropriate for use by the BFRDP grantees.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (10.311) awarded$122 million across 274 grant awards, an average of $444,440 per award.
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 66% of the money, colleges and universities 32% and small businesses 0.8%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 185 | $80.0 million | 66% |
| Colleges and universities | 77 | $38.9 million | 32% |
| Other | 6 | $1.4 million | 1.2% |
| Small businesses | 5 | $910,975 | 0.8% |
| State and local governments | 1 | $686,327 | 0.6% |
By state
42 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 14 | $7.2 million |
| California | 17 | $7.2 million |
| New York | 15 | $6.4 million |
| North Carolina | 13 | $5.9 million |
| Minnesota | 8 | $5.1 million |
| Georgia | 11 | $4.6 million |
| Colorado | 11 | $4.3 million |
| Massachusetts | 7 | $4.1 million |
| Kansas | 7 | $4.1 million |
| Mississippi | 8 | $3.7 million |
| Illinois | 9 | $3.5 million |
| Hawaii | 7 | $3.5 million |
| Maine | 7 | $3.3 million |
| Wisconsin | 7 | $3.1 million |
| New Mexico | 8 | $2.9 million |
| Rhode Island | 7 | $2.8 million |
| Kentucky | 5 | $2.8 million |
| Virginia | 8 | $2.7 million |
| Michigan | 6 | $2.6 million |
| Florida | 5 | $2.5 million |
| Washington | 6 | $2.2 million |
| Oregon | 5 | $2.2 million |
| Alabama | 3 | $2.2 million |
| Missouri | 5 | $2.1 million |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Ohio | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Maryland | 4 | $1.7 million |
| New Hampshire | 3 | $1.7 million |
| Iowa | 6 | $1.6 million |
| Montana | 4 | $1.6 million |
| Arizona | 2 | $1.4 million |
| Nevada | 3 | $1.4 million |
| Louisiana | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Oklahoma | 2 | $1.3 million |
| New Jersey | 4 | $1.3 million |
| Tennessee | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Connecticut | 3 | $1.2 million |
| West Virginia | 2 | $1.2 million |
| South Carolina | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Idaho | 4 | $1.1 million |
| Arkansas | 3 | $1.0 million |
| Nebraska | 2 | $1.0 million |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 2 | $947,955 |
| Alaska | 2 | $939,073 |
| Wyoming | 2 | $883,789 |
| Puerto Rico | 2 | $847,759 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $700,510 |
| Utah | 1 | $597,503 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | $546,801 |
| Vermont | 1 | $532,281 |
| Guam | 2 | $192,929 |