Finance & Grant

Commercial Lending Sources

Farmers in Seneca Co. have expressed that local lenders support their businesses. Farm businesses that secure mortgage and operating loan money usually have necessary collateral, repayment capacity, and management experience.

Farm Service Agency 

The USDA Farm Service Agency can provide loans for farm inputs such as seed and fertilizer and financing for cattle, machinery, buildings, and land to farmers who have been denied credit from commercial lending sources. FSA can provide guaranteed loans and financing for first time farmers, women and minority farmers.

The Seneca Co. Farm Service Agency is located at Academy Square, 12 North Park St., Seneca Falls, NY 13148-1475, phone number 315/568-6346. To learn more about loan programs available through the Farm Service Agency, contact the Ontario County FSA office at 315/946-9912.

Seneca County Industrial Development Agency 

The Seneca County IDA does not provide financial resources to production agriculture. It does have resources for processing equipment for value-added production on farms and in the agri-service sector. Before contacting the IDA, potential clients should have a business plan. Contact the IDA at phone: 315/539-1725.

Grant Funding 

Securing grant funding for a farm operation can be challenging. Most grants do not fund “traditional” farm operations or value-added processing. Grant funding may be available for new and innovative projects or research. People securing these grants maybe required to share information they have learned in developing a process or product. Grants may require the applicant to donate cash, labor or other resources through an “in-kind match.” Most grants will not fund buildings, property, machinery or animals. Grants may provide funding for technical assistance for project advisors but not necessarily the farm operator who is involved in the project. Some grants require a not-for-profit partner. All grants will require an application and may require a legally binding contract for the successful applicant and periodic reports to the funder to document that the project is on track.

United States Department of Agriculture 

Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) can be used for planning activities and for working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farm cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures. Contact the USDA Rural Development office in Canandaigua, NY at (585) 394-0525, ext. 4.

The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) provides funding to mitigate soil erosion and improve water quality. People interested is participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), or Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) and other NRCS programs should contact the NRCS District Conservationist at the Seneca Co. Soil and Water Conservation District office, phone no. 315/568-6346 x 191.

Know Your Farmer Know Your Food is helping communities scale up local and regional food systems and strengthen their economies. Funding may be available to individual farmers to help them access local markets, farm markets, and local communities interested in procuring local foods and developing a local food system.

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is open to not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, state, local and Indian tribal governments to enhance the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops. Funding is made available from the USDA to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. Other programs maybe available as well.

The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council periodically has funds available for business development. Persons seeking funding have to complete the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA).

Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (NESARE) Farmer Grant is for commercial farmers who want to test a new idea using a field trial, on-farm demonstration, marketing initiative, or other technique.

The NY Farm Viability Institute is a farmer-led nonprofit group that awards grant funds for applied research and outreach education projects to help farms increase profits and provide models for other farms. The Farm Viability Institute promotes practical solutions to challenges facing NYS farms.

Last updated July 26, 2019