Eligibility
Which grants you actually qualify for
Federal, state and one-off programs — what fits your farm, what you sell and where you sell it. Many farms qualify for more than they realize.
Free for Farmhand customers
Sit down with the grant writer who’s applied to 100+ programs.
Stephen Ussery founded Stewards Unlimited, which writes grants and business plans for food and farm businesses nationwide. He’s helped several Farmhand farms win the USDA Value Added Producer Grant. Any Farmhand customer can book a free 30-minute consultation with him to find the funding that fits.
- Eligibility — which grants your farm qualifies for
- VAPG — up to $200K in working capital
- Strategy — the most competitive use of the money
- Timing — ready before the window opens
Stephen Ussery
Founder & Lead Steward, Stewards Unlimited
stewardsunlimited.com
Request your session
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A 30-minute video call, one-on-one, at no cost to any Farmhand customer.
On-demand workshop
The $200K grant most farms don’t know they qualify for.
Stephen walks through who’s eligible for the Value Added Producer Grant, what makes an application competitive, and how farms win it more than once. Watch it here, then bring your questions to a free consultation.
Request your sessionWhat to bring him
Come with the thing you're actually stuck on.
Value Added Producer Grant
Up to $200K in working capital
One of the few grants that pays for inputs, processing, labor and marketing. Whether your farm is competitive, how the match works, and how to plan a new market so you can apply again.
Your numbers
Turning sales records into a growth story
Applications start with your last three years of sales. Bring what you have, and Stephen will help you see what it says about where the farm can go next.
Timing
Ready before the window opens
Some programs come around once a year. Others give you two weeks and never come back. How to stay ready so you can move fast when the right one opens.
Who you'll be talking to
Stephen Ussery
Stephen founded Stewards Unlimited to help food and farm businesses get access to capital. His team works nationwide and specializes in USDA programs — finding the funding a business is eligible for, working out the most competitive way to use it, and writing and managing the application.
Businesses are the best way to invest in communities.
They've applied to more than 100 federal and state programs. His favorite is the Value Added Producer Grant, because it can cover working capital — and he's helped several Farmhand farms win it, including Armagh Creamery's expansion into Dallas.
Stewards also runs a grant alert service. Tell them your state and what you grow, and they'll send the opportunities that fit.
Stephen Ussery, Stewards Unlimited
- FirmStewards Unlimited — grant writing and business planning for food and farm businesses, nationwide
- SpecialtyUSDA funding programs
- Track record100+ federal and state programs applied to
- With Farmhand farmsValue Added Producer Grant awards, including Armagh Creamery
For every Farmhand customer
Applying? You get Stephen's preferred rate.
The consultation is free. When it’s time to apply, any Farmhand customer gets two things more.
Ask for your eligibility check- A competitive eligibility checkFind out whether your farm can win, not just whether it can apply.
- Preferred rates on applicationsStephen's Farmhand rate when Stewards writes and manages your application.
How it works
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01
Submit the form
Stephen will review it along with your website, and reach out to coordinate your consultation time.
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02
You talk, he answers
30 minutes, one-on-one, over video.
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Free for Farmhand customers
The consultation costs nothing. If you decide to apply, you also get Stephen’s preferred rate on the application.
Not on Farmhand yet? The free consultation, Stephen’s preferred rate and the eligibility check come with every Farmhand plan.
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