Underserved, Beginning, and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program is a grant from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture that provides up to $10,000 to support socially disadvantaged, beginning, and military veteran specialty crop farmers in New Jersey. The program helps eligible farmers invest in equipment, infrastructure, and other needs to build sustainable farming operations.

Eligible applicants are New Jersey-based specialty crop farmers who identify as socially disadvantaged, are beginning farmers with limited experience, or are military veterans transitioning into agriculture. The program aims to reduce barriers to entry and build long-term viability for underserved agricultural producers.

Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program Official Site of The State of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill • Lt. Governor Dr. Dale G.

Caldwell FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Department of Agriculture Department of Agriculture State Agriculture Development Committee Agricultural and Natural Resources Natural Resources Conservation Animal Health Diagnostic Lab Livestock / Poultry Health Child and Adult Nutrition Programs Food Distribution Programs Marketing and Development Services and Certificates Regulations on Plant Shipment into NJ Grants, Bidding Opportunities, Financial Services Rule Proposals and Adoptions State Board of Agriculture State Board of Agriculture Organic and Regenerative Farming Board Grants, Financial Services Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) requests applications for the funding available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), and the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (H.

R. 133) to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to build upon the SCBGP’s mission to enhance New Jersey’s specialty crop industry through our community of underserved farmers, including those who are Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning or Military Veteran farmers of Specialty Crops in the state of New Jersey.

The NJDA requests that all interested and eligible organizations representing New Jersey’s underserved specialty crop industry submit project proposals via email to NJDA. grants@ag. nj.

gov for consideration for this funding on or before Friday, February 28, 2025, at 5 p. m. EST.

Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered. Funding for projects up to $5,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants after April 1, 2025. Grants during this third RFP are open only to qualified agricultural producers who seek to develop projects that will increase production, marketing, and research of specialty crops.

Organizations must be majority-owned (51% or greater) by individuals who identify as either Socially-Disadvantaged ( including women ), Beginning, or Veteran Farmers. Eligibility will be determined by a self-certification process, outlined in the project profile template. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please go to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service webpage for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers.

Organizations who received funding through this program’s previous funding rounds are considered ineligible to apply for this round of Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmer Mini-Grant funding.

For the purpose of this grant program, “specialty crops” are defined as: vegetables and fruits, including grapes for wine, nuts, horticultural products including Christmas trees, honey, herbs, potatoes, sweet corn, and other specialty crops, including algae.

Agricultural commodities which are NOT eligible for these grant funds include, but are not limited to: feed crops, food grains, seafood, livestock, dairy, and poultry products, including eggs, range grasses, and oilseed crops.

Examples of Allowable Activities The Underserved Farmers Mini-Grant will fund allowable projects under the guidelines established by the FY21 USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the USDA-AMS General Terms and Conditions .

Projects can include activities such as: Researching new cultivars Providing outreach opportunities on specialty crops to youth, families, seniors, and the overall community Marketing specialty crops through a targeted promotional campaign Purchasing special purpose equipment Holding an educational workshop Distributing product promotional materials Projects can receive funding for activities conducted between April 1, 2025 – September 29, 2025 .

For more information, please read through the FY21 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program RFA, particularly section 1. 4. 4 , section 3.

3. 1 , and section 4. 7.

2 . Please disregard the due dates listed on this document. The NJDA requests that all interested and eligible organizations representing New Jersey’s underserved specialty crop industry submit project proposals via email to NJDA.

grants@ag. nj. gov for consideration for this funding on or before Friday, February 28 , at 5 p.

m. EST. Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

All applications must abide by the guidelines set by the FY21 USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant program, and the USDA-AMS General Terms and Conditions. Organizations are required to use the PDF template form to apply for funding. To open the form, please save the PDF to your computer and open the file with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat (TIP: right click on the file, and select Open With -> Adobe Reader/Acrobat ).

Once you submit an application, you should receive a confirmation of receipt via e-mail within 24 hours. If you do not receive that confirmation, please call or e-mail me. Please feel free to forward this application to other appropriate parties as needed.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: Deelip Mhaske: deelip. mhaske@ag. nj.

gov or (609) 913-6628 Billy Conners: william. conners@ag. nj.

gov or (609) 913-6620 NJDA Grants Inbox: NJDA. grants@ag. nj.

gov NJDA Underserved Farmers Mini-Grant – Third Request for Proposals (RFP) NJDA Underserved Farmers Mini-Grant – Application template (PDF) USDA-AMS FY21 Specialty Crop Block Grant RFA – Federal Program Guidelines USDA-AMS General Terms and Conditions Agricultural Credit and Finance Animal Waste Management Plan Outreach, Development and Implementation Grant Farm and Food Workers Relief Grant Program Farm Credit East (AgEnhancement) Farmers Market Assistance Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) New Jersey Risk Management and Crop Insurance Education New Jersey Junior Breeder Loan Fund New Jersey Wine Industry Project Grants Soil and Water Conservation Grants Rural Food Systems Infrastructure Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Specialty Crop Block Grants Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) Grants Spotted Lanternfly Grants Value Added Producer Grants and Tools Department of Agriculture State Agriculture Development Committee Agricultural and Natural Resources Marketing and Development Grants, Bidding Opportunities, Financial Services Rule Proposals and Adoptions State Board of Agriculture State Board of Agriculture Organic and Regenerative Farming Board Lt.

Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Legal Statement & Disclaimers