Grants

The Markets Division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture has funds available to help Colorado companies apply for a federal grant that would increase meat processing capacity across our state. CDA will award up to $5,000 per Colorado business to hire a dedicated grant writer to help prepare applications for a yet-to-be announced Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

Regenerating the land to produce food for their community is the main goal of Grama Grass and Livestock, a grass farming business that utilizes ruminant animals, specifically cattle, to improve soil health and boost forage capacity. Andy Breiter, owner of Grama Grass and Livestock, is himself an internship success story, as he began his career as an intern at the neighboring Golden Hoof Farm. 

Jolene Collins of Jojo’s Sriracha made a big leap of faith when she decided to move her specialty sriracha processing operation from Denver to Pueblo. Making the most authentic, delicious, local sriracha meant living and working only a few miles away from where her main ingredient, the legendary Pueblo chile, is grown.

Applications for Colorado grant recipients are open, Colorado encourages all to apply

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is now accepting grant applications to distribute $748,000 in funding to counties, municipalities, conservation districts, and non-profit organizations and associations for projects that focus on controlling the state’s designated noxious weeds. The 2022 Noxious Weed Management Grants combine  the Noxious Weed Fund and State and Private Forestry funds. 

To strengthen local food systems and create greater supply chain resilience, the Colorado Department of Agriculture will distribute grant funding to be used for agricultural processing projects. Up to $2 million will be awarded through a competitive Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program to help farmers, ranchers, food processors and manufacturers improve local food systems and drive the development and expansion of agricultural value-added projects. 

Starting today, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will begin accepting applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), a federal grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This application period is in addition to the annual application period that opens in December. CDA has approximately $900,000.00 in stimulus funds to award through this application process.

Applications are now open to Colorado farmers, ranchers, and food businesses looking to show they’re Colorado Proud. The Colorado Proud Marketing and Technical Assistance grant program will award competitive grants to Colorado food and agricultural producers who are looking to broaden their reach and expand into new sales channels.  

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for a competitive grant program to assist with projects that help Colorado anticipate, prepare for, mitigate, adapt to, or respond to any event, trend, or climatological disturbance related to drought or climate.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is pleased to announce it has received $500,000 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to support the vitality and mental wellbeing of Colorado's agricultural workers and producers through community-based efforts to manage the increasing stresses on our agricultural communities.