USDA's 2009 Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program

Official USDA website for VAPG
Some basics about VAPG
VAPG training
Are you eligible?
USDA's "Notification of Solicitation of Applications" (NOSA) for 2009
VAPG Application Requirements
NEBRASKA Templates
2006 VAPG Award Winners
A 2005 Report on VAPG from the Center for Rural Affairs
Hire a Grant Writer or Do-It-Yourself?
What to Consider When Hiring a Grant Writer
Tips and Pitfalls in Submitting a VAPG Proposal
A list of Grant Writing Consultants

Official USDA website for VAPG

• The USDA-VAPG contact person for Wisconsin is Mike Daniels: 715-345-7615 Ext 155 ; mike.daniels(AT)wi.usda.gov
• Before you get too far into it, talk to Mike and make sure your idea meets the program's requirements.

Some basics about VAPG

• The 2009 Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) was re-issued on September 1, 2009. Proposals are Due November 30th, 2009. Be sure to register at grants.gov ahead of time to avoid trouble with your electronic submission.
• Be sure to carefully review the Notice of Soliciation for Applications for information about program requirements.
• This program enables eligible agricultural producers to develop businesses that produce and market value-added agricultural products.
• Applicants must be an independent producer, agricultural producer group, farmer or rancher cooperative, or a majority-controlled producer-based business.
• 1-to-1 matching funds are required.
• The maximum amount is $100,000 for Planning Grants and $300,000 for Working Capital Grants.
• The 2009 NOSA "highlights the inclusion of Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, as well as operators of Small and Medium-sized farms or ranches that are structured as a Family Farm" and reserves funds for " Mid-Tier Value Chain projects."

VAPG Training

Three workshops will be offered to help farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs develop strategies to access state and federal grants. Attendees will learn how to successfully submit a Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG), an Agricultural Development and Diversification Grant (ADD), and The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program application. These programs provide research and development, planning and working capital funds to farmers and farmer-based enterprises to develop and implement ventures.

The training workshops will take place on:

• Friday, October 23rd - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
  Northeast Technical College, 2740 West Mason St, Rm SC128, Green Bay, WI
  To register, contact: Valerie Dantoin or (920) 498-5568

• Monday, November 2nd - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
  Washington Town Hall, 5750 Old Town Hall Rd, Eau Claire, WI
  To register, contact: Pam Herdrich or 715-834-9672 or 800-226-967

• Thursday, November 5th - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
  Dane County UW-Extension Fen Oak Building, 1 Fen Oak Court, Madison, WI
  To register, contact: Jane Kleven or 608-262-5200
  
  A registration fee of $15 will cover the cost of lunch and materials.

• A video of a portion of this training has been made available courtesy of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
  View the video

For more information about these workshops, download the workshop poster and agenda

The materials from past trainings are posted below.

• Overview of USDA Value Added Producer Grants Program, by Barbara Brewster, USDA
• Scoring Criterion, by Carl Rainey, DATCP
• Developing a Successful VAPG Application: Selected Ideas and Elements, byJim Gage, DBIC

Are you eligible?

• The link above is to the USDA's on-line eligibility questionnaire that will help you answer that question.

USDA's "Notification of Solicitation of Applications" (NOSA) for 2009

• This is the official "call for proposals" from May 2009. This notice has been recsinded for some additions but the forthcoming NOSA is expected to be very similar. The official notice will be posted as soon as it is available. Before applying to the program, we suggest that you print it out and read through it multiple times. Highlight major points.

VAPG Application Requirements

• This page on the USDA website has all the required application components as well as explanations and templates.

NEBRASKA Templates

• That's an "N" for Nebraska. Last year, the Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln modified the USDA templates and added more tips, examples, and organized everything very well. They have been updated for 2007. Take a look and see if these can be useful.

Past Awardees

• National list
• Wisconsin list

A 2005 Report on VAPG from the Center for Rural Affairs

• This excellent summary report came out in September 2005. It includes a breakout of the funding year-to-year, the percentage of proposals funded each year, and by commodity, and other information.

Hire a Grant Writer or Do-It-Yourself?

One of the first decision you need to make is whether to write your proposal entirely on your own, or to seek outside assistance.

Some questions to consider are:

• Do I have the time to write the grant application?
• Do I have the grant writing experience necessary to write a successful grant?
• Am I a detail-oriented person who can write a complete grant application?

If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, you may want to consider hiring a professional grant writer to work with you on completing the grant application on time.

What to Consider When Hiring a Grant Writer

• Ask for a resume that includes a description of their past grant writing work.
• Ask for and check their references.
• Ask if they have worked on VAPG proposals in the past.  If they have, have those proposals been funded?  If not, why not?
• Ask how many other proposals they are working on while working on yours (do they have the time to spend on your proposal?)
• Ask if they have worked with agricultural or rural businesses before.

Tips and Pitfalls in Submitting a VAPG Proposal

When you hire a grant writer it is important to remember that you will need to take the time to work with them to complete the application.  You are the best source of information on your business and your business plan.  Working successfully with a grant writer will require that you invest time in the process to have the best application possible. 

Some tips:

• You will need to work with the grant writer to have all the necessary financial statements in order for the application.  Determine how the financial forms will be completed early on in the process as this can take time.
• Leave time to review the grant writer’s work.
• Pay attention to the VAPG application check-list.  You must turn in all required documents and forms for your application to be considered.

Some pitfalls:

• Not planning the time needed to work with the grant writer.  Remember it is a cooperative process.
• Incomplete applications.  You must review the check-list to determine if all the forms and documents are submitted.  Don’t leave this to the last minute.

A list of Grant Writing Consultants

The following people have expressed interest in providing assistance with VAPG proposals. The AIC and our partners do not "endorse" these writers. It is the responsibility of the VAPG applicants to screen any consultants they may hire. We must emphasize that successful grant applications typically require significant involvement from the applicant.

Want feedback on your idea? Fill out our AIC Contact Form.