Grants for New York Farmers
Grants, cost-share programs, and low-cost loans for farmer veterans and anyone farming in New York, plus free tools to help you get ready and apply.
Updated October 2026. Deadlines change, so always confirm on the funder’s website.
Grant Finder
Answer four quick questions to see the programs that fit you. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved or sent anywhere.
Open now or opening soon
Programs marked Veterans are only for veterans. Programs marked All farmers are open to anyone who qualifies, veterans included.
NYS Dairy Modernization Grant (Round 2)
State grants for New York dairy farms to add or upgrade on-farm milk storage and handling, such as bulk tanks, milk silos, pipelines, cooling systems, and milk loading equipment.
Program details →Climate Resilient Farming Grant
A New York State program for projects like manure storage, water management, soil health, and farm forestry. Farmers do not apply directly. Your county Soil and Water Conservation District applies for you.
Program details →Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmer Grant
From NYS Agriculture and Markets, run by the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. For New York farmers who have faced barriers to farming, such as limited access to money, credit, or land. Pays for equipment, livestock, buildings, marketing, and starting or growing a farm.
Program details →Northeast SARE Farmer Grant
Pays farmers to test a new idea on their own farm, like a grazing system, season extension, or new crop, and share what they learn. New York farms selling at least $1,000 a year qualify.
Program details →FVC Fellowship Fund
From the national Farmer Veteran Coalition. Pays vendors directly for equipment and supplies for veteran farmers in their early years. You must be an FVC member to apply. The same application includes Kubota’s Geared to Give equipment donations.
Program details →Dauntless Veteran Foundation Agriculture Grant
For veterans and their dependents who farm, make value-added products, or study agriculture. Meant to fill gaps after other grants have been used.
Program details →NYS Beginning Farmer Grant
From NYS Agriculture and Markets and the NY Farm Viability Institute. For New York farmers who have farmed 10 years or less and run a commercial farm. Pays for projects that grow or improve the farm.
Program details →USDA Value-Added Producer Grant
Helps farmers turn what they grow into products they can sell, like cheese, jam, or packaged meat. Veterans get priority. Requires a matching contribution equal to the grant.
Program details →Farm to Stay Grant
From American Farmland Trust. For working farms that want to start or grow a farm stay or on-farm experience as a new source of income. Open to farms nationwide, including New York.
Program details →Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant
From Founders First. For veteran-owned and military spouse-owned small businesses with employees. Twenty-five finalists receive a micro-grant and a free business training program.
Apply →Year-round programs and cost-share
These programs accept applications all year or in regular rounds. Cost-share programs pay back part of what you spend on an approved project.
NRCS EQIP Cost-Share
Helps pay for high tunnels, fencing, water systems, and other conservation work. Veterans can receive at least half the payment up front and may qualify for a higher payment rate. Start at your local USDA Service Center.
Program details →Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
A USDA NRCS program that pays farmers who already take care of their land to do more, like rotational grazing, cover crops, and better nutrient management. It pays yearly under a five-year contract. Start at your local USDA Service Center.
Program details →Work Vessels for Veterans
Provides tractors, fencing, and other farm equipment, adapted for injuries when needed, to injured veterans starting farms. Equipment only, not cash.
Program details →Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)
A USDA NRCS cost-share offered in New York and 15 other states. It helps pay for water management, irrigation, windbreak trees, erosion control, pest management, and moving to organic. Start at your local USDA Service Center.
Program details →USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
Helps farms pay for solar, energy-efficient equipment, and other energy upgrades. Contact USDA Rural Development in New York for current deadlines.
Program details →Agricultural Nonpoint Source Program
A New York State program that helps pay for on-farm projects that protect water, like nutrient management plans, buffers, barnyard runoff control, and cover crops. Farmers do not apply directly. Your county Soil and Water Conservation District applies for you.
Program details →FSA Microloans
Low-interest USDA loans with simpler paperwork, built for new and small farms. A good option when a grant falls through or does not cover everything.
Program details →NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program
A USDA program that helps pay for soil health and other regenerative practices across your whole farm. You can bundle several practices into one application. Apply at your local USDA Service Center.
Program details →NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit
A free energy audit for New York farms that shows where you can cut energy costs, with a list of upgrades and the incentives that can help pay for them. For farms served by Central Hudson, Con Edison, National Grid, NYSEG, Orange and Rockland, or RG&E.
Apply →John May Farm Safety Fund
From the New York Center for Agriculture Medicine and Health. Pays half the cost of projects that make your farm safer, after a free on-farm safety visit. For New York farms with $10,000 to $999,999 in yearly farm income, and all dairy farms.
Program details →Programs for specific needs
Help for organic, dairy, and forest land, and for veterans with a service-connected disability.
Dairy Farm Improvement and Modernization Grant
From the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. Funds projects that make dairy farms more efficient and more resilient, such as equipment and facility upgrades.
Program details →Organic Certification Cost Share
USDA pays back most of what certified organic farms spend on certification each year. Apply at your local USDA Service Center with your organic certificate and receipts.
How to apply →FSA Emergency Farm Loans
Low-interest USDA loans for farms in counties declared disaster areas. In 2026 this includes many New York counties hit by spring freezes, hail, and flooding. Ask your local USDA Service Center if your county qualifies.
Program details →FSA Disaster Assistance for Livestock and Trees
USDA payments after a natural disaster. The Livestock Indemnity Program pays for animals lost to bad weather or predators. ELAP covers livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish losses. The Tree Assistance Program helps replant orchards, vines, and bushes, with a higher rate for beginning farmers. Report losses to your local FSA office right away.
Program details →Regenerate NY Forestry Cost Share
From NYS DEC. Pays for tree planting, thinning, invasive plant removal, and other forest work on 5 acres or more. Veterans and new forest owners got an early priority window in the last round.
Program details →VA Veteran Readiness and Employment: Self-Employment
For veterans with a service-connected disability. A VA counselor works with you on a business plan for your farm or business, and if VA approves the plan, the program may help with start-up costs. You can apply before you have a disability rating.
Program details →How to apply for a grant
You do not need to be a professional writer to win a grant. Most farm grants are won by clear, honest applications that follow the rules.
- 1Get your paperwork ready firstMost applications ask for the same things, like your DD-214, a USDA farm number, and a simple business plan. Having them on hand saves weeks. Use the grant-ready checklist below, and the free tools after these steps.
- 2Read the rules before you writeCheck who can apply, the deadline, what the grant will not pay for, and whether you need to match the money. Many applications are turned down simply because the farm or the purchase did not qualify.
- 3Tell your story plainlyExplain who you are, what you farm, the problem you are facing, what you will do with the money, and what will change on your farm as a result. Short, specific answers beat long, general ones.
- 4Make the budget match the requestList each item with its cost, use your quotes, and make sure the total equals the amount you are asking for. Leave out anything the grant does not cover.
- 5Have someone read it before you submitA second set of eyes catches missing answers and unclear wording. Submit a few days early in case the website has problems.
- 6If you are turned down, ask whyMany funders will share reviewer comments. Use them to improve your next application. Plenty of farmers are funded on their second try.
Free tools to help you get ready
Most grants ask for a farm number and a simple plan. These walk you through both.
Get your USDA farm number
A checklist for the number most USDA programs and grants ask for.
Open →Free toolBuild your business plan
A simple farm plan and budget you can print, with drafts of common grant answers.
Open →New to farming?New Veteran Farmer Roadmap
Where to start, who to call in your county, and what to do first.
Open →Grant-ready checklist
Most applications ask for some of these. Gathering them before a deadline opens saves a lot of stress.
Almost always
- The grant’s own application form
- DD-214, for veteran-only programs
- A USDA farm number from your county FSA office (find your office)
- Your most recent tax return, including Schedule F if you file one
- Written price quotes for anything you plan to buy
Often
- Proof of land access, like a deed or a written lease
- Letters of support from Cornell Cooperative Extension, a mentor, a buyer, or FVC NY
- Photos of your farm or the problem you want to fix
- Program membership, such as FVC membership for the Fellowship Fund
For bigger or federal grants
- A UEI number and SAM.gov registration (sam.gov). It is free, but it can take a few weeks, so start early.
- Proof of matching funds, if the grant requires a match
- Projections and cash flow for more than one year
- Program-specific items, like a conservation plan for EQIP, an organic certificate for cost share, or a balance sheet for FSA loans
Need a business plan? Use our free Farm Business Plan Builder. It walks you through each part and gives you a plan you can print or save as a PDF.
Common reasons applications are turned down
- Missing the deadline, or submitting at the last minute and running into website problems
- Asking for things the grant does not pay for, like land, general bills, or past expenses
- Describing the project in general terms without saying exactly what you will do
- A budget that does not add up or does not match the amount requested
- Leaving out a required document, signature, or quote
Free help with your application
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: farm business and grant help in every county. Find your office on our regional resource pages.
- SCORE: free one-on-one business mentoring, including business plans. Learn more.
- NY FarmNet: free, confidential farm business and financial consulting. Visit NY FarmNet.
- Your USDA Service Center: for EQIP, FSA loans, and your farm number. Find your office.
- FVC NY: not sure where to start? Email info@farmvetcony.org and a chapter volunteer will help point you in the right direction.
Related help on our site
Not grants, but these pages can save you money or help after a loss.
- Emergency and Disaster Preparedness: USDA disaster assistance and what to do after storms, floods, and other losses
- AgrAbility: help adapting your farm and equipment if you live with a disability or injury
- Woodlots, Forestry, and Maple: forest management help and finding a cooperating forester
- NOFA-NY: organic certification and farmer support
- Farm Tax Guide: federal and New York tax breaks for farms
- Veterans Property Tax Exemption: lower property taxes for New York veterans
