2009 Grants for Family Farm Agriculture
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 In addition to Farm Aid’s work throughout the year to build a thriving family farm-centered system of agriculture, Farm Aid funds family farm and rural service organizations through our annual grant program. We view our grantees around the country as on-the-ground partners in the movement to keep family farmers on the land, producing good food for all.
In 2009, Farm Aid distributed $503,500 to 72 family farm and rural service organizations nationwide. These funds were invested in programs that help farm families stay on their land, build local markets, confront the threat of corporate control of agriculture, train new farmers and support farmer-to-farmer programs for more sustainable agricultural practices. Funds will also support efforts to ensure that legislation enacted in the 2008 Farm Bill is implemented in ways that serve the interests of family farmers. Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund provided $67,100 in grants and emergency relief to farm families affected by weather disasters in 2009.
This year Farm Aid received a record number of grant applications. With your gift, we can continue to support farm groups helping family farmers on the local level all over the country.
Details of each grant and organization are available below.
Taking Action to Change the System
Working to promote fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns to defend and bolster family farm-centered agriculture.
- Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, Salinas, CA —$5,000 in general support for the Leadership Development and Civic Engagement Program, which will build the capacity of disenfranchised farmers to be vital voices in food and farm policy and advocacy. www.albafarmers.org
- American Corn Growers Foundation, Washington, DC — $5,000 for its Renewables for the Future program, which conducts educational workshops to promote the production and use of renewable energy in rural America. www.acga.org
- California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), Sacramento, CA – $5,000 to address the role of agriculture in climate change mitigation and adaptation through the California Farmers Allied for Climate Change Solutions program. www.calclimateag.org
- Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, Columbia MO – $5,000 for an action-oriented effort to stop the policies and practices of corporate agribusiness and government entities that are environmentally destructive and further corporate concentration in agriculture.
- Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons NE – $7,500 to continue work solidifying beginning farmer and rancher 2008 Farm Bill victories. www.cfra.org
- Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis CA – $5,000 for general support to develop and implement policy and advocacy strategies that promote sustainable food, farms and communities. www.caff.org
- Community Food Security Coalition, Portland, OR – $7,500 to advocate for and conduct education about federal programs that support farm-to-school and food systems development initiatives. www.foodsecurity.org
- Dakota Resource Council, Dickinson, ND – $5,000 for the Prosperous Farms and Healthy Foods Campaign, to benefit farmers and ranchers in the profitable marketing of their products and foster increased ability of consumers to obtain safe and healthy food. www.drcinfo.com
- Farmer to Farmer Campaign on Genetic Engineering, Stoughton WI – $8,500 to support work on agricultural biotechnology rulemaking, education and organizing associated with the Seed Report and the Farmers Rights, Farmers Choices Campaign. www.nffc.net/Issues/FarmertoFarmer/page-farmertofarmer.htm
- Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG), Saint Paul, MN – $10,000 to provide legal and technical assistance to farm organizations and federal officials to implement new regulations that restore competition and diversity to the nation's livestock sector. www.flaginc.org
- Food Democracy Now, Clear Lake, IA – $5,000 to coordinate groups working toward food democracy and advance the dialogue on food, family farm, environmental and sustainability issues at the legislative and policy level. www.FoodDemocracyNow.org
- Friends of Family Farmers, Molalla, OR – $6,000 to support the Farmer Delegate Program and the development of an Agricultural Reclamation Act for the State of Oregon. www.friendsoffamilyfarmers.org
- Georgia Organics, Inc., Atlanta, GA – $5,000 to address the lack of small-scale poultry processing opportunities for small Georgia farmers seeking to raise pastured poultry. www.georgiaorganics.org
- Idaho Rural Council, Bliss, ID—$6,000 to support the grassroots Stopping Factory Farms while Sustaining Family Farms campaign. www.idahoruralcouncil.org
- Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Des Moines, IA – $5,000 for the Factory Farm Accountability project, which aims to stop construction of new factory farms and the expansion of existing factory farms, while ensuring the enforcement of existing laws. www.iowacci.org
- Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Columbia, MO – $15,000 in general support for efforts that offer positive alternatives to the current agribusiness corporation model and rebuild the food system by linking family farmers directly to consumers. www.patchworkfamilyfarms.org
- National Family Farm Coalition, Washington D.C. – $20,000 for general support to expand its reach and effectiveness by implementing strategic program activities, strengthening its leaders and membership, and establishing sustainable farm and trade policies. www.nffc.net
- National Family Farm Coalition, Washington D.C. – $5,000 to provide support for ongoing efforts to organize family farmers around the credit crisis and promote legislative and administrative solutions. www.nffc.net
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Washington, D.C. - $18,000 for working to create federal policies that increase the number of family farmers producing healthy food in an environmentally-sound manner, improve the long-term viability of sustainable and organic farming systems, strengthen rural economies and increase consumer access to healthy farm products. www.sustainableagriculture.net
- Northeast Organic Dairy Producers, Deerfield, MA – $5,000 to be an independent voice representing the interests of organic dairy farmers, working to ensure the integrity of the organic seal and providing ongoing resources to farmers for negotiating fair prices. www.nodpa.com
- Northern Plains Resource Council, Billings, MT – $5,000 to support the Family Farm Protection Project, which ensures that Montana’s family farms and ranches remains a vital component of the state economy. www.northernplains.org
- Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Columbus, OH – $5,000 to support the Farm Policy Matters program, which works to inform, inspire and empower its members and the public to champion policies supportive of family farmers and sustainable farming. www.oeffa.org
- Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA –$7,500 for general program support to expand organic agriculture in the United States and take advantage of historic opportunities for change in US agriculture as a whole. www.ofrf.org
- Powder River Basin Resource Council, Sheridan, WY – $5,000 for the Wyoming Ranchers Preserving Our Heritage project, which aims to minimize corporate control in livestock production and marketing so that both producers and consumers are satisfied with a quality product at a fair price. www.powderriverbasin.org
- Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, Pittsboro, NC – $7,500 to fund the National Organic Action Plan, a pro-active strategy for building organic food systems and generating new opportunities for farmers and farmworkers, as well as their local communities. www.rafiusa.org
- Rural Vermont, Montpelier, VT – $5,000 for the Food with Dignity project, which aims to create a “direct sale exemption” in Vermont that allows for the direct sale of a broad spectrum of farm products through CSAs, farm stands and farmers markets, with scaled regulation that promotes food safety and ensures a fair price for farmers. www.ruralvermont.org
- Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Fayetteville, AR – $5,000 to grow and strengthen the Southern Agriculture and Food Policy Network. www.ssawg.org
- Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) Education Project, Billings, MT – $7,500 to revitalize rural communities through grassroots action that fosters sustainable agricultural practices, grows markets for locally grown and processed food, supports farmer and community-scale biodiesel production, and fights for cooperative, fair competition in agricultural markets. www.worc.org
- Wisconsin Farmers Union, Chippewa Falls, WI – $5,000 to support the Wisconsin Rural Sustainability Network, a coalition of health, farm, conservation and local activist organizations that aim to ensure that State legislation encourages farms that sustain families, communities and the environment. www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com
Growing the Good Food Movement
Creating and implementing innovative programs that build local and regional food systems, connecting farmers directly to consumers and creating new markets for family farmers.
- Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC), New York, NY – $3,000 to support the Learn It, Grow It, Eat It project to improve access to good food in underserved communities while educating young people and their families about healthy food choices. www.cenyc.org
- Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC), New York, NY – $5,000 to grow the Youthmarkets program, which increases low-income communities’ access to fresh produce and offers job skills and training to urban youth. www.cenyc.org
- Community Farm Alliance, Frankfort, KY – $5,000 to expand a local integrated food economy program through market development, policy advocacy, and educational programs. www.communityfarmalliance.org
- Crossroads Resource Center, Minneapolis, MN – $5,000 to expand outreach to local development officials, encouraging them to invest in local foods systems development. www.crcworks.org
- Dakota Rural Action, Brookings, SD – $5,000 to support the South Dakota Food and Agriculture Sovereignty Project, which will grow the number of South Dakota farmers and bolster consumer demand and access for locally grown food. www.dakotarural.org
- Ecotrust, Portland, OR – $5,000 to support the development of FoodHub, an online marketing and distribution tool for farmers and institutional, retail and restaurant buyers in the Pacific Northwest. www.ecotrust.org and www.food-hub.org
- Just Food, New York, NY – $5,000 to support ongoing efforts to introduce and recruit regional farmers to direct market relationships with New York City consumers. www.justfood.org
- Nuestra Raices, Holyoke, MA – $5,000 for the Tierra de Oportunidades (Land of Opportunities) program, an urban community farm project that provides land and training for farmers and community gardeners in a low-income population. www.nuestras-raices.org
- Ogallala Commons, Nazareth, TX – $5,000 for the Rebuilding Local, Sustainable Food Systems in the High Plains Project. www.ogallalacommons.org
- Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Millheim, PA– $5,000 in general support for their continued work to sustain farms and farmers in Pennsylvania. www.pasafarming.org
- Red Tomato, Canton MA – $5,000 to support ongoing work building a regional supply chain for mid-sized family farmers into supermarkets. www.redtomato.org
- Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership, East Wareham, MA – $5,000 to support the continuation and expansion of the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign with social service agencies that serve meals. www.umassd.edu/semap/
- Sustainable Food Center, Austin, TX — $5,000 for its Farm Direct project to increase sales for family farmers by facilitating purchases by institutions, schools and workplaces. www.sustainablefoodcenter.org
- The Food Project, Boston, MA – $5,000 to expand the Boston Bounty Bucks program, which enables low-income urban residents to double their buying power at city farmers markets. www.thefoodproject.org
- The Food Project, Lincoln, MA – $4,000 to expand and develop the Real Food Challenge to educate, organize and train students to develop farm-to-cafeteria programs at their colleges. www.thefoodproject.org
Helping Farmers Thrive
Providing farmers with the tools and resources they need to access new markets, grow sustainably, produce renewable fuels and survive natural disasters.
- Angelic Organics Learning Center, Caledonia, IL – $5,000 to train new and transitioning farmers, provide business planning training and advanced mentoring to new farm enterprises and host workshops throughout Illinois. www.learngrowconnect.org
- Area Ag Information Center Inc., Thief River Falls, MN - $5,000 to assist Minnesota farmers affected by cold spring weather and flooding with legal and credit counseling, mediation, seminars and referrals.
- EarthDance, St. Louis, MO – $5,000 to develop an organic farming apprenticeship program in St. Louis, Missouri. www.earthdancefarms.org
- Family Farm Defenders, Madison, WI – $5,000 to provide support for ongoing efforts to organize dairy farmers around the dairy crisis and promote legislative and administrative solutions. www.FamilyFarmDefenders.org
- Family Farm Defenders, Madison, WI – $300 for emergency assistance to a farm family.
- FamilyFarmed.org, Oak Park, IL – $5,000 to support producers in developing on-farm food safety plans through a free online tool. www.FamilyFarmed.org
- Farmer Veteran Coalition, Davis, CA – $6,000 to support work creating new farmers from the ranks of returning post-9/11 veterans. www.farmvetco.org
- Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Saint Paul, MN – $20,000 to support work providing legal support for individual family farmers as they struggle with legal, financial, and bureaucratic challenges that threaten their life on their land. www.flaginc.org.
- FARrMS (Foundation for Agricultural & Rural Resources Management & Sustainability), Medina, ND – $4,000 to support its Sustainable Farming Mentoring Program, a one-on-one mentoring service for producers in its Grants to Grow program, which funds new farming enterprises in North Dakota. www.farrms.org
- Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, East Point, GA –$20,000 to support its Land Retention, Cooperative Development and Self-Sufficiency Program for small and minority landowners across the South. www.federation.coop
- Florida Organic Growers, Gainesville, FL – $7,500 to support ongoing initiatives for organic/sustainable transition, natural disaster assistance, social justice standards for organic farmers and farm workers and farmer access to 2008 Farm Bill support. www.foginfo.org
- Harvest of Hope, Madison, WI – $3,000 for emergency assistance to dairy farm families.
- Holistic Management International-Texas, Johnson City, TX – $30,000 to provide drought mitigation training for family farmers in Texas devastated by drought. www.hmitexas.org
- Hoosier Organic Marketing Education, Clayton, IN – $300 for emergency assistance to a farm family.
- Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE – $7,500 to fund the Nebraska Rural Response hotline and voucher services, an established and successful farm advocacy and mental health program that serves Nebraska farm families and rural residents. www.interchurchministries.org
- Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, Kansas City, KS & MO – $5,000 for the Juniper Gardens Training Farm and Farm Business Development Program, which helps low-income individuals start their own farms by providing intensive training in farm and business skills. www.kccua.org
- Kentucky Minority Farmers, Brandenburg, KY – $2,100 for emergency assistance to farm families.
- Kentucky Minority Farmers, Brandenburg, KY – $500 for emergency assistance to farm families.
- Louisiana Interchurch Conference, Baton Rouge, LA – $12,500 to support its longstanding Farm Advocacy Program, which offers direct service to farmers in Louisiana and surrounding states by helping them to find possible alternatives to foreclosure, assisting them with their paperwork and helping them with USDA administrative appeals. www.lainterchurch.org
- Lutheran Social Services of Texas, Austin, TX – $10,000 to provide emergency assistance for family farmers in Texas devastated by drought. www.LSSS.org
- National Family Farm Coalition, Washington D.C. – $5,000 to provide support for ongoing efforts to organize dairy farmers around the dairy crisis and promote legislative and administrative solutions. www.nffc.net
- New England Farmers Union, Shelburne Falls, MA – $5,000 to bring more New England Farmers into the Carbon Credit Program of the Farmers Union. www.newenglandfarmersunion.com
- New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Lowell, MA – $5,000 to host a series of four livestock “field schools” on sustainable poultry, sheep, swine and beef cattle production for beginning and experienced livestock farmers in the Northeast. www.nesfp.org
- Practical Farmers of Iowa, Ames, IA – $300 for emergency assistance to a farm family.
- Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, Pittsboro, NC – $12,500 for the Farm Sustainability Program, which provides technical assistance to empower farmers to transition from financial crisis to financial stability. www.rafiusa.org/programs/farmsustainability
- Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, Pittsboro, NC -- $300 for emergency assistance to a farm family.
- Sustainable Food Center, Austin, TX – $10,000 to provide emergency assistance for family farmers in Texas devastated by drought. www.SustainableFoodCenter.org
- Tennessee farmer – $500 for emergency assistance to a dairy farm family.
- Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association, Corsicana, TX – $5,000 to provide emergency assistance to family farmers in Texas devastated by drought. www.tofga.org
- Texas-Mexico Border Coalition, San Isidro, TX – $10,000 to provide emergency assistance for family farmers in Texas devastated by drought. www.tm-bc.org
- The Carrot Project, Somerville, MA – $5,000 to provide agricultural financing for Northeast family farmers and the know-how to secure and use it wisely. www.thecarrotproject.org
- Tilth Producers of Washington, Seattle, WA – $4,000 to support the Walk Farm Program, an on-farm, farmer-to-farmer educational effort to teach organic methods of production. www.tilthproducers.org
- Wisconsin farmer – $500 for emergency assistance to a dairy farm family.
- Women, Food and Agriculture Network, Ames, Iowa – $3,000 for general support to continue to serve as a resource for Midwestern women in their sustainable agriculture and food systems work. www.wfan.org
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