Issue 49 · Week of August 25, 2026 Grant Harvester Weekly funding alerts for the rural entrepreneur |  |
This week: four genuinely new federal opportunities, plus practical openings for cold storage, rural housing, household water systems, disaster resilience, beginning farmers and food-system infrastructure. The most urgent dates are August 26 for Iowa and Missouri programs, August 28 for Alabama and Nevada, August 31 for Utah and the ARC/PLC base-acre review, and September 1 for Iowa water and redevelopment programs. Nonprofits and rural communities have the most action this week; individual farms have fewer grant windows but several strong loan, conservation and tax angles to confirm before harvest. |
Grant Snap We recently started using a satellite imagery tool called Sentinel Ag that records nutrient deficiency in our fields. We didn't even realize that we were able to apply for EQIP 590 until we used Grant Snap. Grant Snap is a free tool that automatically generates a list of programs available specific for your operation. Try it out now! |
🌿 Fresh Dirt Alert · Sponsored | | | Practical Farmers of Iowa — N Rate Risk Protection Program Reducing your nitrogen rate is a financial risk most farmers avoid without data. PFI's N Rate Risk Protection program backs you up: get $5/acre for any enrolled rate reduction, and $30/acre if your yield drops below 95% of your 10-year average. Open to corn farmers in IA, IL, MN, MO, NE, WI and southeastern SD. Enroll by April 30, 2027.
To increase your likelihood of success in this program, Sentinel Ag is a tool you can leverage. Sentinel's daily satellite imagery and advanced data pinpoint exactly which parts of your field need nutrients and when — giving you and your PFI agronomist real field-level evidence to work with, not guesswork. | | |
| Federal Grants & Programs | |
Iowa Rural BOOST Program · Due Aug 26 at 4 p.m. · $10,000 reimbursement grant with $5,000 cash match · Eligible rural communities; expert-assistance projects
Rural Innovation Grant Program · Due Aug 26 at 4 p.m. · Up to $50,000 reimbursement · Innovative rural-housing solutions · $0.50 match per $1 grant
CDBG Water, Sewer & Stormwater Fund · Due Sep 1 · Up to $500,000 for eligible Iowa cities and counties improving water/wastewater/stormwater infrastructure |
Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit · Asset-sale applications due Nov 1, 2026 · 2026 funding cap removed · State tax credits for qualifying sales or leases of ag assets to beginning farmers
MDA Funding Page · Hub · Active source for soil health, nitrogen management, local-food and livestock program windows as they open
FSA Direct Farm Loans · Open · Operating, ownership and beginning-farmer loans; contact your local FSA office for current limits and ranking dates |
Missouri Food Insecure Cost-Share Grant · Due Aug 26 · 75% reimbursement up to $50,000 · Community kitchens, gardens, farmers markets, food production, processing and storage
Urban Agriculture Cost-Share GrantNew · Due Sep 15 · 75% reimbursement up to $10,000 · Infrastructure, distribution, planning and training for urban ag businesses and organizations
MOBUCK$ Ag Linked Deposit Programs · Open · Reduced-interest financing for agricultural, beginning-farmer, livestock and agribusiness needs |
Utah Utah Food Security GrantNew · Due Aug 31 · Up to $9.265M available · Microgrants $1K–$10K; startup awards $10K–$50K; standard awards up to $1M · Food production, processing, storage, distribution and market access
Utah Salinity Reduction ProjectsNew · Due Sep 1 at 5 p.m. · Salinity-reduction projects in Price and San Rafael watersheds; award amount not stated on state page
FSA Direct Farm Loans · Open · Operating and ownership loans for eligible Utah producers |
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| Private & Foundation Opportunities | |
Farm Credit Services of America Working Here Fund
Open · Eligible nonprofits in IA, NE, SD, WY · Up to $5,000 due Sep 30; up to $25,000 due Dec 31 · Ag education, hunger relief, disaster recovery and rural health Beginning with Compeer Grant
Open · Up to $1,500 based on lending relationship + up to $500 for qualifying multi-year training · Beginning farmers in Compeer territory AgCountry Rural Community Grant Fund
Due Oct 31 · Up to $50,000 · Western North Dakota community-development needs including infrastructure, housing, health, safety, environment and education |
Section 179 Expensing — 2026
$2.56M maximum deduction · Phaseout begins when qualifying property exceeds $4.09M · Coordinate asset classification and timing with a tax professional before year-end purchases 100% Bonus Depreciation
100% first-year depreciation for qualifying property acquired after Jan 19, 2025 · Do not assume the same result as Section 179; coordinate with a CPA Federal Fuel Tax Credit — Form 4136
Qualifying nontaxable farm and off-highway fuel use may generate a refundable federal credit · Maintain fuel-use records throughout the year FCSAmerica Young & Beginning Producer Financing
Open · Development Fund up to $250,000 · Startup, livestock, working capital and down-payment support in IA, NE, SD, WY |
| 1. | Iowa rural communities must finish Rural BOOST, Rural Innovation, housing-readiness and child-care planning applications before August 26 at 4 p.m. sharp. | | 2. | Missouri local-food projects should finalize the Food Insecure Cost-Share application today — August 26 deadline. The new Urban Agriculture Cost-Share (September 15) is also worth screening now. | | 3. | Utah farmers and food businesses should apply for the Food Security Grant before August 31. The range from $1,000 microgrants to $1M standard awards makes this worth a serious look for any scale of operation. | | 4. | Every farm owner should review the FSA Base Allocation Summary before August 31, even if no other grant application is on the calendar. This is the first base-acre addition opportunity since 2002. | | 5. | Nonprofits serving rural housing, wells, septic or emergency food organizations should screen the new USDA Housing Preservation, Decentralized Water and Cold Chain rounds now. SAM.gov and Grants.gov setup can consume more time than the narrative. | | 6. | Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture applicants have until August 28. Confirm your project is in the correct targeted geography before submitting. |
ARC/PLC Base Acre Review — August 31 Eligible landowners have through August 31 to review their Base Allocation Summary and address errors, subsequent acres or opt-out decisions. USDA says up to 30 million new base acres can be allocated nationwide — the first broad addition since 2002. FSA details |
FSA Entity & Payment-Limitation Changes — Operating Plans Due Sep 15 Qualifying LLCs, S-corporations and similar pass-through entities receive new payment-limitation treatment for 2026. Affected operations must file updated farm operating plans with FSA by September 15. ARC/PLC payment limits also increased to $155,000 beginning with crop year 2025. FSA details |
Farmer Trivia — Answer: B) About 15% | B) About 15%. USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 153,101 farms and ranches using renewable-energy-producing systems, up from 133,176 in 2017. Solar panels were the most common system. That's roughly a 15% increase over five years. The question: Between 2017 and 2022, by about how much did the number of U.S. farms using renewable-energy-producing systems increase? A) About 5% B) About 15% C) About 35% |
| Watch List / Looking Ahead | |
| Washington Climate Smart Farm Equipment | Applications open Sep 4, close Oct 19 · 75%–85% reimbursement up to $200,000 per farm | | Powering Affordable Reliable Technology (PART) | Letters of interest open Sep 8, close Oct 9 · ~$410M for rural electric infrastructure loans $1M–$100M | | Soil and Water Outcomes Fund | 2027 enrollment active for returning farmers; new farmers may be on waitlist — watch for acreage openings | | Pennsylvania Agricultural Innovation Grant | Prior period closed; state funded a second $10M round — watch for next announced opening |
This issue keeps the all-50-state database running while surfacing only the most actionable items for the week. The August 26–31 cluster is real and worth acting on now. Forward Grant Harvester to a farmer, rural business owner or community leader who could use it. If a program looks promising, start with the linked official source before spending time or money on an application. |
Programs change quickly. Confirm eligibility, funding availability and current deadlines with the administering agency before applying. Grant Harvester · Issue 49 · Week of August 25, 2026
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