Practical Farmers of Iowa Produce Safety Cost-Share

Practical Farmers of Iowa offers a cost-share program for specialty crop farmers seeking to make on-farm food safety improvements. Participants receive up to $3,000 reimbursement for on-farm food safety improvements such as walk-in coolers, handwashing stations, harvest totes, packing-area enclosures, wildlife exclusion fencing, produce washing equipment, sanitizers, and third-party GAP certification. Funding was made possible by The Builders Initiative.

• Must be a specialty crop producer in Iowa.

• Must have a PSA Grower Training certificate on the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, or plan to attend one before May 1, 2026.

• Must own or operate a farm business; nonprofit organizations are not eligible.

• Eligible expenses (of $3,000 or more) must be made by May 1, 2026; single-use packaging, disposable items, farmers-market tents, and plant-nutrition water-testing equipment are not eligible.

Applications will open in fall 2026. If accepted, participants must complete the qualifying purchases, a 20-minute consultation call, a program kickoff webinar in February, a payment request form with proof of purchase, and a cost-share program survey.