Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) FAQ

The primary goal of the 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, mentoring 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.  

BFRDP grants may fund programs or services relating to these priorities:

• basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices;
• innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer and succession strategies;
• entrepreneurship and business training;
• technical assistance to help beginning farmers or ranchers acquire land from retiring farmers and ranchers;
• financial and risk management training, including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit;
• natural resource management and planning;
• diversification and marketing strategies;
• curriculum development;
• mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships;
• resources and referral;
• farm financial benchmarking;
• agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veteran farmers and ranchers;
• farm safety and awareness;
• food safety and recordkeeping; and
• other similar subject areas of use to beginning farmers and ranchers.

The term "beginning farmer or rancher" means a person who

• Has not operated a farm or ranch; or
• Has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years; and
• Meets such other criteria as the Secretary may establish.

• Standard BFRDP Projects consist of large, medium, small and simplified standard grants
• Education Team (ET) Projects
• The Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse grant

The long-term goals of the Standard BFRDP projects are to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers through education, training, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities. The maximum award sizes are as follows:

• Large standard grant is approximately $250,000 per year for up to three years.
• Medium standard grants of no more than $175,000 per year for up to three years.
• Small standard grants of no more than $100,000 per year for up to three years.
• Simplified standard grants of less than $50,000 for one year.
• Education Team (ET) grants of $250,000 per year for up to three years (one funded, once every three years).

The long-term goals of Education Team (ET) projects are to identify gaps in beginning farmer and rancher training by evaluating all existing programs, and to develop and conduct train-the-trainer projects to address these gaps. The maximum award for an ET project is approximately $250,000 per year for up to three years.

The Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse grant is competed once every three years. One Clearinghouse grant was funded in FY 2022. The next solicitation for this grant type will be in FY 2026. The BFRDP Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse maintains farmanswers.org.

The maximum award size for Standard, Education Team (ET), and Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse grants is $250,000 per year for each of three years for a maximum total of approximately $750,000. The maximum award size for Simplified Standard grants is less than $50,000.

The duration of the BFRDP Simplified Standard grant is for up to one year and the duration BFRDP Large, Medium and Small Standard grants and Education Team (ET) grants are for up to three years.

Funds may be used for:

• Participant support costs, direct costs that support participants (see definition for Participant in § 200.1) and their involvement in a Federal award, such as stipends, subsistence allowances, travel allowances, registration fees, and per diem paid directly to or on behalf of participants(2 CFR 200.1). Stipends should be used to offset program participation costs. Stipends should be calculated using the per diem rate from GSA.gov.
• Materials and supplies costs (2 CFR 200.453(a)) directly associated with program implementation.
• Mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship programs, participant support costs may be used for participants involved in these programs (7 U.S.C. 2279 (d)(2)(I), 2 CFR 200.1) (hourly wages/salaries for participants are unallowable with federal funds).

Funds may not be used for:

• Planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition or construction of a building or facility (7 U.S.C. 2279 (d)(7)).
• Participants receiving hourly wages/salaries for participating in training/technical assistance programs, including mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship programs.
• Agricultural loans or micro grants for farmers or ranchers.
• Incentives, cash or cash value items (i.e. gift cards) provided to individuals to incentivize participation in program events, workshops, or trainings (NIFA Policy Guide).
• Payments of reward to participants for program or training completion, including achievement in training.
• The purchase of farming supplies for participants to enhance individual farmers’ or ranchers’ farms or production capabilities.
• Start-up or financing costs or organizational capacity building, which is defined as the development of organizational competencies, strategies, or systems and structures to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Large equipment (2 CFR 200.1), including equipment purchases such as vehicles, semi-tractors or refrigeration systems. Equipment purchases will be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.
• Scholarships, student aid costs, and tuition remission (2 CFR 200.466(a)). 
• Meals/Food, except for meals that are part of the costs of meetings and conferences for which the primary purpose of which is the dissemination of technical information and require meeting continuity. Meals/food associated with meeting continuity will be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness (NIFA Policy Guide).

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is required for this program. Applicants should clearly articulate how the project director (PD) and co-PDs plan to manage and disseminate the data generated by the project. The DMP will be considered during the merit review process (see NIFA’s Data Management Plan).

Applications, letters of reference or any additional application materials not submitted with the application package by the application submission deadline are considered late and will not be accepted for review.

Grants.gov Support:

• Online Support: Grants.gov online support; Telephone Support: 800-518-4726 (Toll Free) or 606-545-5035; Email Support: support@grants.gov; Self-service customer-based support: Grants.gov iPortal

NIFA Application Support:

• Program Support: BFRDP@usda.gov