Louisiana Agricultural Workforce Development Program

Grant helping Louisiana agricultural businesses establish internship programs. Participating businesses are reimbursed up to 50% of intern hiring costs, to a maximum of $5,000. Interns must be Louisiana secondary/postsecondary students or beginning farmers/ranchers, work at least 130 hours (not exceeding 1 year), and be paid at least the FLSA minimum wage; businesses must carry Workers' Compensation insurance. Administered by the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority (LAFA).

Louisiana agricultural producers, entities engaged in agriculture, and businesses providing related support activities or services.

Award size and cost share. "Participating businesses may receive reimbursement of up to 50% of the intern hiring costs, with a maximum award amount of $5,000." Both limits bind, so the effective payout is the lesser of half your intern costs or $5,000 — reaching the full $5,000 requires at least $10,000 of eligible intern hiring cost. No minimum award is published.

How you get paid. Reimbursement to the business after the fact, so the business funds the internship first and claims back its share.

Order of review, not scoring. "Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis" — this is a queue, not a competitive round, so timing matters more than proposal polish.

Conditions attached to the internship itself (all must hold for the cost to qualify): "Internships should offer at least 130 hours of work experience, not exceeding 1 year in duration, and interns must be paid at least the minimum wage rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Businesses are required to carry Workers' Compensation insurance." The intern must be a Louisiana secondary or postsecondary student or a beginning farmer/rancher.

A second application step after selection. "If selected, the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority (LAFA) will provide an internship application to be submitted by the intern or beginning farmer" — so the intern also has paperwork to file before the placement is complete.

Match: none beyond the business's own 50%+ share of intern costs. No fee or interest applies — this is a grant, not a loan.

Current status affecting access: the "Application period is CLOSED" and "The new application window will be announced soon," so the terms above describe the program as it will reopen rather than a live window.

Complete the Application Form and Supplemental Questions and email both in a single email to agworkforce@ldaf.state.la.us; reviewed first-come, first-served. Application window currently CLOSED — the next window will be 'announced soon.'