VAPG — Value-Added Producer Grants

What this actually is

A grant to turn your raw commodity into something worth more — jam from your berries, cheese from your milk, flour from your grain. Planning grants up to $50,000; working-capital grants up to $200,000. The catch is a 1:1 MATCH — you must bring dollar for dollar, cash or eligible in-kind. Annual cycle, roughly $25 million nationally.

Who qualifies, and what trips people up

You must own and produce more than 50% of the raw commodity and show the value-added product will return greater revenue than the raw one. 10% of funds are reserved for beginning, veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers, mid-tier value chains and market-access food-safety projects. RD advises contacting your state program official first: preparation runs from a few weeks to several months. 7 CFR Part 4284 Subpart J.