Grants

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is sending $110,000 to Mesa County to evict an unwanted visitor: the Japanese beetle.

This invasive pest, which was discovered within the city limits of Grand Junction in the summer of 2022, can cause great damage to both ornamental horticulture and agricultural operations on the Western slope. Japanese beetles feed on more than 300 species of plants, many of which are essential to western Colorado’s agricultural economy, including peaches, grapes, sweet corn, and many other ornamental plants in urban spaces, including turf grass.

To help promote multi-faceted uses of agricultural land, the Colorado Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Grant Program. Open for the second year in a row, the program funds projects that demonstrate and research the use of solar generation on agricultural land.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is offering more than $3 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across Colorado’s food system supply chain.

The second round of grants through the Community Food Access program is now available for small food retailers and small family farmers. This opportunity allows these small food businesses to apply for up to $50,000 to expand opportunities for Coloradans living in low-income, low-access communities to purchase healthy groceries.

To help demonstrate one of the many ways agriculture can contribute to addressing the effects of climate change, Colorado is investing $500,000 in projects that help advance the use of agrivoltaics in the state. 

Agrivoltaics is the practice of co-locating solar energy installations and agriculture, with crops or grazing land beneath or between rows of photovoltaic panels. Now, farmers, ranchers, and other landowners with innovative ideas on how to use agrivoltaics in Colorado will have a chance to apply for funding for their projects. 

Jerome and Ann Wheeler love their work. But even more than that, they love the animals who put the “family” in family operations. 

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is committed to expanding access to learning and leadership opportunities for future generations in agriculture. In the fall of 2022, CDA announced the brand new NextGen Ag Leadership Program offering small grants to organizations advancing youth education and leadership in agriculture.  Through that new program, CDA awarded $186,820 to 13 organizations across the state as part of the NextGen Ag Leadership Program. 

Producers who grow specialty crops can submit their applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA). CDA is accepting applications for the grant program in the form of a concept proposal through February 24, 2023.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture was the only Colorado project selected to receive one of 55 grants awarded in the America the Beautiful Challenge. CDA will receive $4 million for this project, which will support dozens of agricultural and conservation partnerships and prioritize five major watershed areas of Colorado.