Friday, January 17, 2025 10:51 am

Farmers with value-added products or those who plan to include new value-added endeavors may want to attend one of three workshops being offered across the state to assist with applications for USDA Value-Added Producer Grants. The Insight to Developing a Strong Application for the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program will be conducted in three workshops in February 2025.

These in-person workshops are designed to help producers with value-added enterprises develop a strong application for a value-added producer grant. The USDA program offers competitive grants that help producers fund value-added activities related to processing and marketing new products. The focus of the workshops will be helping producers develop their ideas for the grant program.

UT Extension experts will present an overview of the value-added producer grant program. Attendees will also receive tips for developing a strong application, learn from past recipients of the grant, examine how applications are scored and receive tips on how to prepare a grant proposal.

Grant applications will be submitted online this year.

Grant and matching funds may be used for planning activities (such as a feasibility study or business or marketing plan) or for working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product.

Register online for the Insight to Developing a Strong Application for the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program at tiny.utk.edu/VAPGInsightReg.

Workshops will begin at 10 a.m. local time and conclude at 3 p.m., with lunch provided. There is a registration fee of $15 per person and registration must be completed five days prior to the workshop date.

Dates and locations of the meetings are February 10, 2025, Clinton, Tennessee; February 12, 2025, Jackson, Tennessee; and February 17, 2025, Columbia, Tennessee.

Attendance at one of the three meetings will fulfill a Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) special requirement in the Value-Added Producer Diversification Sector in Application B.

More information about the workshops is available online at the Center for Profitable Agriculture website.

Contact Troy Dugger questions or Aaron Buckley at the Center for Profitable Agriculture at 931-486-2777 or by email at pdugger2@utk.edu or abuckle2@utk.edu.