Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
- Posted
- May 13, 2026
- Closed
- June 16, 2026
- Award ceiling
- $750,000
- Award floor
- $49,999
- Program funding
- $44,443,140
- Cost sharing
- Yes
- Instrument
- Grant
- Assistance listing
- 10.311
- Category
- Agriculture
- Archives
- July 16, 2026
Program funding history
Awards made under Assistance Listing 10.311 across FY2025–FY2027, from public federal spending records.
- FY2025 obligated
- −$1.2M
- FY2026 obligated
- −$590,924
- FY2027 (to date) obligated
- $0
- Awards in window
- 101
No net new obligations were recorded under this listing in the window shown: downward adjustments to earlier awards offset or exceeded new awards in every year. Awards in window counts awards with at least one recorded transaction in the window, adjustments included.
Top recipients: Virginia State University, Clemson University, Regents of the University of Minnesota, Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship, Inc., Texas State University
Source: USAspending.gov · refreshed October 2026
Synopsis
The primary goal of BFRDP, under assistance listing number 10.311, 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 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.
Who can apply
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Applicants for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process. Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies; community-based organizations (CBOs); non-governmental organizations (NGOs); junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; and private for-profit organizations. Collaboratives led by State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies will be given funding priority. Application submission of a project effort that is a duplicate of a current beginning farmer project will not be accepted for review under this program. Incorporating beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged. Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP and will be excluded from review. To meet regional balance, multiple awards will not be made to the same organization, institution, or Project Director in the same calendar year. Further, organizations and institutions that have received a regular standard or education team grant in the last funding cycle (FY 2024) are ineligible to apply. To avoid chances of Project Directors providing…
The official record
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