Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)

Growers should contact a FARMS staff member to determine project eligibility and funding prior to beginning the application process. District staff do a site visit, then the applicant submits a complete FARMS Funding Application signed by the property owner (joint application with the owner if the land is leased). The Governing Board reviews every request; approved applicants sign a FARMS Cooperative Funding Agreement and must have District authorization before incurring reimbursable expenses.

Deadline text on the page: Governing Board Policy (eff. 10/19/2021): 'Applications will be accepted any time during the fiscal year; however, funding is limited and complete applications for projects will be recommended only as long as funding is available'. Brochure: 'Completed FARMS applications are submitted to the District's Governing Board on a monthly schedule.'

Carole Estes

General office

FARMS is SWFWMD's agricultural cost-share reimbursement program for best management practices&#x2004;that cut withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer, such as surface-water or tailwater irrigation pumps, weather stations and soil-moisture telemetry, riser culverts, fertigation, remote zone controls and cold-protection measures. Water-quality and natural-systems BMPs can also be cost-shared in priority areas like the Shell, Prairie and Joshua Creek watersheds, the Upper Myakka River watershed, the SWUCA and the Dover/Plant City freeze area. Growers run their own projects and are reimbursed for approved expenses under a 5–10 year contract with the District.



FARMS is SWFWMD's agricultural cost-share reimbursement program for best management practices that cut withdrawals from the Upper Floridan aquifer, such as surface-water or tailwater irrigation pumps, weather stations and soil-moisture telemetry, riser culverts, fertigation, remote zone controls and cold-protection measures. Water-quality and natural-systems BMPs can also be cost-shared in priority areas like the Shell, Prairie and Joshua Creek watersheds, the Upper Myakka River watershed, the SWUCA and the Dover/Plant City freeze area. Growers run their own projects and are reimbursed for approved expenses under a 5–10 year contract with the District.

- Agricultural operation located within the District (all or part of 16 west-central Florida counties: Levy, Marion, Citrus, Sumter, Lake, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte)
- Must have a District-issued water use permit and comply with all applicable laws, rules and District permits; components already required by permit are not eligible
- Project must use an alternative water supply or technology to reduce groundwater use, and/or improve irrigation water quality and watershed ecology by reducing reliance on poorer-quality groundwater
- Applicant provides at least 25 percent of total project costs; combined funding from all sources (NRCS EQIP, FDACS, etc.) may not exceed 75 percent
- Irrigation retrofits/conversions must have had funding assistance deferred by NRCS EQIP or a similar program, and must use a Mobile Irrigation Lab evaluation (or document efficient delivery)
- Must enroll in the FDACS-adopted agricultural BMP program through a Notice of Intent (NOI)

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Up to 50% (one FARMS goal) or 75% (two goals) of total project costs, not to exceed 100% of FARMS Eligible Costs (hardware/equipment; Model Farms Costs benchmark). Consultant services, earthwork, labor and other non-hardware costs are not reimbursable but can count as the applicant's match. Contract duration generally 5–10 years; growers get permits and must modify their Water Use Permit to reflect the project; permitted water use allocations are not reduced. Funding authorized yearly by the Governing Board, first-come first-served until exhausted.

Published amounts: Reimbursement can amount to as much as 75 percent of total project costs with water quality and groundwater quantity savings / conservation BMPs; and as much as 50 percent with water quality or groundwater quantity savings / conservation BMPs. (Brochure: 'Meet one FARMS goal and get up to 50%, meet two and you can be eligible for up to 75% of total project costs.') No dollar cap published.

Schedule a pre-application meeting with District FARMS staff, enroll in the FDACS BMP program (NOI), then submit the Mini-FARMS cost-share application (in the handbook, signed via DocuSign, with the Maintenance Agreement), two itemized quotes if the cost exceeds $10,000, and the District's substitute W-9. Items can NOT be purchased/installed before the application is approved. After installation and payment, provide invoice and proof of payment, District does a site visit, and the grower completes a Request for Reimbursement; the District releases payment within 30 days.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline published; rolling. Handbook: 'Applicants may be approved for up to two (2) projects per NOI and/or Water Use Permit(WUP) area within the same District fiscal year not to exceed five (5) applications during the Mini-FARMS Program lifetime.'

Matt Vinzant

Project Manager - FARMS Program

Mini-FARMS is the small-project spin-off of SWFWMD's FARMS program: it reimburses 75% of the cost, up to $10,000 per project, for water-conservation and water-quality BMPs on smaller farms. Eligible items include soil moisture probes, weather stations, riser-board culverts, surface-water pumps and filtration, pump-station and zone automation, flow meters, rainwater cisterns, high-to-low-volume irrigation conversions and fixed fertigation systems. Growers apply through FARMS staff and are reimbursed after installation.



- The property must be actively engaged in agriculture for the last two years
- The property must be located within the District's boundary
- The property must enroll in the applicable FDACS BMP program (Notice of Intent)
- The property must be in compliance with District regulatory requirements
- The irrigation system must have been evaluated by a Mobile Irrigation Lab within the last 18 months, or be scheduled for one within 18 months after approval
- Up to 2 projects per NOI/WUP area per District fiscal year, maximum 5 applications in the program lifetime
- FARMS Programs page describes it as for 'agricultural operations of 100 irrigated acres or less' (not repeated in the FY24 handbook)

75% reimbursement of total project cost, capped at $10,000 per project; reimbursement after installation and verification; applicant must register as a District vendor.

Published amounts: Handbook (Amended FY2024): 'A 75% Cost share program with up to $10,000 per reimbursement'; 'The District is offering cost share incentives, up to 75% of total project cost, not to exceed $10,000'. Brochure (VISAV 03-20-2025): 'reimburse growers 75% of their project costs up to $10,000 per project.' (The FARMS Programs web page still shows an older $8,000 cap; the FY2024 handbook and the 2025 brochure both say $10,000.)

Fill out the QWIP Application Form; District QWIP staff inspect the well and notify the landowner of the eligible reimbursement. The landowner then contracts a licensed Florida water well contractor to plug the well within 90 days of the claim form date; District staff or another permitting authority must witness the plugging, then the District issues reimbursement.

Deadline text on the page: Rolling: 'Qualified wells will be considered for reimbursement in the order by which they are reported.' Contractor must plug the well within 90 days of the claim form date.

Reed Putnall

QWIP reimburses landowners for having a licensed Florida water well contractor properly plug abandoned, free-flowing or deteriorating artesian wells that waste water or let poor-quality aquifers contaminate good ones. District staff inspect the well and set the eligible amount from a depth-and-diameter schedule, and the plugging must be witnessed. It is limited to mapped artesian areas in west-central Florida counties.



- Well located in specific artesian well areas: DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota, and portions of Charlotte, Pasco, Polk and Highlands counties
- Four inches in diameter or greater
- At least one year old
- Drilled for a water supply

Up to $6,000 per well and $18,000 per landowner per year; reimbursement = schedule amount or contractor invoice, whichever is less.

Published amounts: Reimbursement amounts are not to exceed $6,000 per well and $18,000 annually per landowner. Amounts are based on well depth and average diameter (reimbursement schedule); District pays the schedule amount or contractor invoice, whichever is less.

List of Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Funding Opportunities