Ohio Farm Bureau Growing Tomorrow Grant

The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation's Growing Tomorrow Grant helps young agricultural professionals and entrepreneurs find creative and transformative ways to address challenges facing agriculture today. It provides grants to new or early-stage agricultural businesses, and was established with the support of former Ohio Farm Bureau Trustee Mike Boyert and his wife Patti of Medina County.

Grants focus on sustainable employment in Ohio farming communities, agricultural education and public understanding of farming, techniques that center on environmental stewardship, and farmers working to sustain their communities.

Applications for the 2026 grant are closed. Applications for the 2027 grant will open in May 2027 with similar eligibility guidelines and requirements.

• Ohio Farm Bureau member, in good standing with your county Farm Bureau.

• An individual or a married couple; married applicants may choose to apply individually.

• At least 18 years old when you apply.

• You must own a new agricultural business or have owned the business for less than five years.

• Ag technology businesses (such as software or app development) are excluded.

• In a partnership, LLC or corporation, the other partners must submit a letter of support, and only one partner can apply each year.

• Previous Growing Tomorrow Grant recipients and AFBF Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge or Ag Innovation Challenge competitors are not eligible.

Award. The program intends to award up to $100,000 among the top finalists in late 2026.

Use of funds. Grants may provide startup funds for a new project, or funds to enhance the impact of an existing project, that addresses one or more of the program's challenge areas. Funds must be used only for the awarded project and cannot be used to pay off debt, make distributions to owners, or pay utilities, taxes, rent, lease or loan payments or other business overhead.

Applications for the 2026 grant are closed. Applications for the 2027 Growing Tomorrow Grant will open in May 2027.

Apply through the online application form; no email or mailed applications are accepted. Progress can't be saved once you start, so prepare your content first. The application has two parts:

1. Part A: a 3-5 minute introduction video.

2. Part B: a project plan, including a business plan with a balance sheet and a profit & loss statement or Farm Analysis Tool on the templates provided.

The top three finalists present their business plan in person to a panel of judges. Grant recipients are announced at the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in December and receive their grant money in January.