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RD Regulations

Value-Added Producer Grant
Reserved Funds Options

(1) Beginning or Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers,
or (2) Mid-Tier Value Chain Projects

The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program awards grant funding under a primary General Funds program, which also includes two separate Reserved Funding opportunities: (1) Ten percent of the available General Funds are reserved for applications submitted by Beginning Farmers or Ranchers, or Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers; and (2) Ten percent of the available General Funds are reserved for applications that propose Mid-Tier Value Chain projects. Applicants may submit only one VAPG application for either the General Funds program or for one of the Reserved Funding options.

Applicants intending to apply to one of the Reserved Funding options must meet applicant, product, and purpose eligibility criteria in the General Funds program, as cited in the NOFA and in RD Instruction 4284, subparts A and J; as well as provide additional documentation to evidence their eligibility for one of the Reserved Funding categories specified in the NOFA. Applicants must clearly state their intention to compete in either the General Funds program, or in the Reserved Funding option for Beginning or Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers, or in the Reserved Funding option for Mid-Tier Value Chain projects. In FY2009, applications that are deemed eligible and choose to compete in one of the Reserved Funding options, but are not selected for award, will automatically compete in the General Funds VAPG competition.

The following links provide the additional documentation requirements for Reserved Funding options.

Beginning Farmer or Rancher
Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher
Mid-Tier Value Chain Projects