Colorado Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program

To strengthen local food systems and create greater supply chain resilience, the Colorado Department of Agriculture distributed grant funding to be used for agricultural processing projects. Up to $2 million was awarded through the competitive Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program to help farmers, ranchers, food processors and manufacturers improve local food systems and drive the development and expansion of agricultural value-added projects. Colorado's legislature adopted Senate Bill 21-248, creating the Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program within the Colorado Department of Agriculture in response to food supply chain weaknesses revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant funds could be used only for agricultural processing projects -- meaning the transforming, packaging, sorting, storage, or grading of Colorado livestock, livestock products, agricultural commodities, plants, or plant products. Value-added products generally go through a production or manufacturing process (for example, making meat into jerky or fruit into jam; processing barley into malt; or segregating a product in a way that enhances value).

Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural processing businesses were eligible to apply if they are residents of and operate in the state of Colorado. The maximum grant award amount for any one project was $150,000.

A one-time COVID-recovery grant, now concluded. Terms as published by the Colorado Department of Agriculture: "The maximum grant award amount for any one project is $150,000." No match or cost-share is stated. Total pool: "Up to $2 million will be awarded through a competitive Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program," split as "For each award period, $1 million will be available for grants, with up to $2 million to be awarded by June 30, 2022."

What the money could pay for: "Grant funds can be used only for agricultural processing projects -- meaning the transforming, packaging, sorting, storage, or grading of Colorado livestock, livestock products, agricultural commodities, plants, or plant products." CDA framed this as investment "into new equipment and technologies" for value-added production — jerky, jam, malt, juice, graded eggs.

Who could apply: "Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural processing businesses are eligible to apply if they are residents of and operate in the state of Colorado."

Timing, for the record: two rolling award periods, with applications due November 30, 2021 (Period 1) and February 28, 2022 (Period 2). The program was created by Senate Bill 21-248 as a one-time stimulus measure and no successor round has been announced — do not plan around it. For current Colorado value-added and processing money, look at the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure and Colorado Agricultural Future Loan programs instead.

Applications were reviewed in two Award Periods: applications received by November 30, 2021 were reviewed for Award Period #1, and those received by February 28, 2022 were reviewed as part of Award Period #2. For each award period, $1 million was available for grants, with up to $2 million to be awarded by June 30, 2022. This program has concluded.