Grants

The Oregon Department of Agriculture provides and helps administer a variety of grants aimed at supporting farmers and ranchers, food and beverage businesses, researchers, and more. Most grants come from funds allocated by the Oregon state legislature, as well as the USDA. Using the table and information below, learn which grants are currently available to support your mission.

Grant Programs at the Oregon Department of Agriculture

Economic Development

• Farm to School Equipment & Infrastructure

  A  competitive program to award funds to Oregon producers, ranchers, seafood harvesters, and processors who intend to sell food produced or processed in Oregon to any of the following food sponsors identified in ORS.335.431(3)(a) as a school district participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a provider of center-based programs for children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or an entity that provides meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
  

• Meat Capacity and Infrastructure Grants

  A competitive program to award funds under the Oregon Meat Processing Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant Program to increase the capacity or efficiency of Oregon meat processing. 

• Organic Certification Cost Share Reimbursement

  Oregon producers or handlers that receive certification or renew their certification from a USDA-accredited certifier are eligible to receive reimbursement for 75% of eligible certification fees, up to a maximum of $750 per annual certification scope.

• Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure

  The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) is to assist U.S. states and territories to build resilience in the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for their state's producers.  An emphasis will be made to fund projects that benefit small and emerging farms and food businesses from historically disadvantaged groups.

• Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure – Equipment

  The Simplified Equipment-Only option is a Fixed Price Grant, meaning it will fund only equipment purchases (not associated facility upgrades, staffing, or other costs), and the amount awarded will be equal to the cost of the equipment up to $100,000. 

• Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

  The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) is to solely enhance the competitiveness of Oregon specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as "fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)."

• Specialty Crop Multi-State Program 

  The SCMP supports collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded projects The focus is to address regional or national level specialty crop issues, including food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets.

Conservation and Stewardship

• State Weed Board Grants

  The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) work together to administer the ODA Noxious Weed Grant Program Lottery funded grant program. The implementation of a comprehensive watershed approach to integrated control of noxious weeds is the most effective strategy to minimize impacts and protect natural resources in Oregon from invasive noxious weeds. It is a priority of the Oregon State Weed Board (OSWB) to fund projects that restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat, watershed functions, native salmonid populations.

Research

• Nursery research grants

  The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), in cooperation with the Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), annually award financial grants to support research that would benefit the Oregon nursery industry. Grants are awarded for research projects and investigations directed toward 1. The prevention and elimination of plant diseases and insect pests, both common and emergent, and 2. The development and improvement of cultural methods, technologies, or cultivars that are beneficial to the Oregon nursery industry.

Animals

• Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance Grants

  Funds from this grant program are awarded to counties to help create and implement county wolf depredation compensation programs.

For additional grants and loans, visit USDA’s website.