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USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher contact for Colorado: , . Give her the county, type of operation (row crop?), and whether you own or lease the land. She may set you up with an appointment with NRCS or FSA. If not, you’ll want to connect with them.USDA National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): They can help with figuring out the soil type, assessing slope/drainage, planning irrigation, etc. Will help you get ready for EQIP application and develop a conservation plan (AD-1155).USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA): Will help with registering your farm (gives you a farm number)
Some more day-to-day questions about how you’ll juggle things, where your skills are, goal setting, etc.
Equipment: Compact tractor (tiller attachment?), hand tools for harvesting?Greenhouse: High-tunnel supplies, irrigation stuff?Processing: Distiller, drying racks/screens, airflow/climate equipment? (industrial fans, dehumidifier, etc.)Labor: If needed during harvest windowPackaging: Materials, maybe logo/design/marketing services?
: Will need one for grants/proposals. Can be simple, describing the operation, crop plan (lavender varieties, processing method, etc.), budget (equipment, plants, labor), timeline. May also help to have things like what differentiates the product, ideal customer profile, etc.Business type: I was thinking registering as an LLC would be appropriate, but I’m not great at tax stuff, so I don’t know which is most appropriate. have some more info, and the FSA folks may know what’s typical for your situation or point you toward more info.You’ll register the business through the state of CO. I’m not sure if this overlaps with the FSA part where they register your farm and give you a farm number.Once the business is registered (or maybe it happens during?) you can get .Land/property tax: I’m not sure if the property is currently classified as agricultural or if this offers any benefits/is needed, but you can get the land assessed as agricultural for property tax purposes. .Insurance stuff: Those first few links on this page have some more info about insurance/risk management options, if you may want/need them. Note that these can be a very small bonus point in some applications because it shows you have less risk
Eco-friendly spins: Think about elements of the farm that we can point to as evidence of eco-friendly practices, like things that attract pollinators, improve soil health, reduce water waste, or offer natural pest control (e.g., bat/owl boxes). Energy efficiency: It doesn’t sound like this would have much energy consumption, but if some components of the greenhouse are more energy efficient, that helps. For example, gravity-fed irrigation or solar powered lighting or fans, if needed.Risk reduction: Grantors like to see that you are a low-risk “investment” for them. Where you can show that you have reduced risks, such as assessing the environment (the land, the market, potential buyers, etc.), completing training/education, and planning how you’ll ensure/measure the quality of your oils. A risk reduction plan could be good to cover different aspects of the farm, from the species of lavender you’ve picked to the resilience of a high-tunnel greenhouse in the climate of Paonia.Resources: Similarly, as a small/beginning farmer, they want to know that you aren’t so overconfident that you’re going to rush into a poor business plan. They want to know that you’ve worked with your community and are leveraging the resources of experts, such as NRCS and the Colorado State University Extension.A mentorship program may be good as well. There are likely two angles to this. There’s the farming itself, which may not be necessary if Rob has a lot of experience there (we can mention his awards as proof). There’s also the small business owner angle, which might fall more to Cheryl. I believe the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (the contact for Elizabeth With) can connect you with someone here.
First Steps
Contact USDA Service Center (includes NRCS and FSA)
Resources/Reading
Other resources:
Budgets/Estimates for Supplies and Operational Costs
They don’t need to be crazy detailed, but besides actually mapping out where the funds will go, grantors/lenders like to see that you’ve thought things through and know what’s needed to make it all work (e.g., if you needed to run a ton of power to a structure they’re funding, have you considered the costs of powering it, such as connecting the power line or setting up solar. If it ends up being so expensive you can’t do it, then the project has a higher risk of failure). In addition to budgets/estimates for things you need, it helps to map out what you already have access to for different parts of the process. This starts to overlap with a risk management plan, but you’ll eventually also want to think about what kinds of contingencies you have in place (if your tractor breaks down during harvest season, is there a nearby rental facility you can use temporarily?).
Make a rough estimate of costs for needed supplies:
Kashmir lavender
Admin/Legal Steps
Funding and Grants
Many of these will need some of the admin stuff complete first (e.g., registering your farm and business, completing a conservation plan), so the FSA/NRCS offices may have a better idea of when it’s a good idea to apply for them. You’ll also eventually need a SAM.gov/UEI, which can take a few weeks to process and is required for the federal (USDA) grants.
Some award-related things to consider as you build your plans:
Grant Name
Amount
Potential Uses
Award Timing
USDA NRCS: EQIP High Tunnel Initiative
The only potential snag with this one that I see is that you must have made more than $1k in ag products (but less than $1m in off-farm income) in the year prior.
Status as a woman-owned and beginner farmer gives you bonus points in the application and a higher payment rate. It also allows you to get up to 50% of the funding as an advance payment instead of as a full reimbursement, which is how it typically works.
Will require a conservation plan in place, which the NCRS office can help with. They should also help you get everything in place for the application.
Significant, I believe up to 90% of the cost
High-Tunnel Structure/Supplies
Mostly covers the structure itself - including supplies, labor, minimal site preparation, etc. Will not cover a tractor.
Applications accepted continuously, but awards are made in cycles
NWRM Business Builder
This one is good for processing activities and matches well for a small business expansion project. It’s distributed by the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center (NWRM).
Their website isn’t great, but you may want to contact the Colorado NWRM () to see what kind of application requirements they’ll need (e.g., plans, assessments, etc.) when it opens up.
$3k-$100k grants
Post-harvest business, marketing, and supply chain development
, see the list under “What can I pay for with this grant money?” for examples.
Not sure — last year’s was due Jan 10th but I would expect a release by now if that was the case this time.
USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG)
Competitive, but as a woman-owned farm, you get bonus points in scoring. The application process all seems to be online, so you may not need to reach out to them at all unless you have questions. If you do, it’s the Colorado Rural Development State Office (720-544-2903 or ).
Processing, marketing, packaging
Working capital (marketing, packaging, labor for processing the oil). Doesn’t buy equipment but can free up cash for that. Could use it for a feasibility study, business plan, marketing plan, etc., or for processing costs.
February-ish
Last year’s closed in April, so this is my guess.
Others
Likely lower chances of winning but very broad eligibility/use terms.
You wouldn’t be in the priority areas this year (nonprofits or certain states), but still might be worth a submission.
I made a login for this one to see the application, and two things stuck out out to me. 1) They ask for the farm website and social media sites, so they may prefer farms that have a bit of a presence built up (e.g., so it reaches enough people). 2) Their questions are mostly framed as in “what do you already produce” — so a not-yet-in-production farm might not be their target. I mention that in a “this may be a long shot at first but we could always try again later” kind of way. It’s not a long application anyway.
Both are up to $5k
Both are very broad in usage, but the FruitGuys fund is sustainability-focused. Would need to spin it about the high-tunnel greenhouse (e.g., extending season w/o excessive water/power consumption, other environmental benefits, etc.)
FruitGuys is open now, due January 30th, but they ask for a budget, project timeline, measurable outcomes, etc. Depending on how detailed they want those, I’m not sure if we could have those lined up by then.
Brighter Future Fund: Maybe summer? Ran in July in 2024
There are no rows in this table
Microloans
(CAFL): Fixed interest rates (as low as 4%), under $50k. Specifically designed for non-traditional borrowers, like a new farm. Can be used on the tractor, irrigation supplies, and the plants themselves. If interested, I would sign up soon as there’s a long wait (12 months) for the first part of the app.
There are also for up to $50k, but you have to have applied to a bank/private lender first and been rejected. If you go this route, you get bonus points for being a beginning farmer/woman-owned farm. They are more accessible than some other funding applications and some are tailored to specialty crops and new/small-scale farmers. The Colorado FSA would be the contact for getting this started.
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