State Agriculture Commissioner Announces $1 Million Available for...

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced that $1 million is now available for farm and food businesses to purchase equipment for processing, packing, aggregating, storing, and distributing of New York grown or produced food products through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program. The funding announced today is the second of two grant programs announced last year as part of a cooperative agreement between New York State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service to expand middle of the supply chain work to create a more resilient food system in New York State.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “These equipment-only grants are the second round of funding in the RFSI program, aimed at strengthening and investing in New York’s food systems. Purchasing critical new equipment will be a game changer for so many farm and food businesses and will allow them to connect more New Yorkers to fresh, local foods. I thank all our partners for their work moving this progressive programming forward and look forward to seeing the impact these projects have on our communities.”

Farm and Food Growth Fund President and CEO Todd Erling said, "This second round of RFSI funding offers an opportunity for those who may have important projects that do not include construction or significant operational changes, but are smaller, and slated only for equipment expansions and upgrades. It also allows that for those who were not successful in the very competitive Infrastructure round to apply for the Equipment-Only round and still have meaningful impact on our food system."

Applications for the RFSI’s Equipment-Only grants are open to New York State entities and will provide awards ranging from $30,000 to $100,000. Following USDA’s accelerated timeline for the execution of this program, the application period begins July 7, 2025 and will close July 23, 2025. The Department will award projects as soon as possible, and all equipment must be purchased by December 31, 2025.

The funding may only be used for post-harvest equipment that will expand capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, or distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including value-added food products. Successful projects will focus on increasing the supply of New York-sourced food products available in New York markets. Competitive project applications will benefit multiple producers and multiple markets. There is no match requirement for this funding.

The Department has partnered with Farm and Food Growth Fund, Inc (FFGF) to administer the funding. All applications must be submitted via the Farm and Food Growth Fund Application Portal at  http://ffgf.smapply.us/.  No paper applications will be accepted. 

As part of the RFSI Grant Program, the Department is also partnering with Tierra Viva Collective to provide technical assistance on developing a competitive application and to  facilitate language access assistance for applicants who speak Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Complete information about how to apply for Equipment-Only Grants is available on the Farm and Food Growth Fund RFSI website and the Department’s website. Live Office Hours to provide information about the opportunity will be held July 14 at 12PM. Registration is available here. A recording will be posted.

About the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program

First announced in May 2024, the RFSI Grant Program offers a total of over $14.7 million through two grant opportunities — Infrastructure Grants and Equipment-Only Grants — to provide capital and technical assistance to farmers and food businesses operating at the middle of the supply chain, helping to enhance coordination throughout the food system and improve access to markets for farmers. In June, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 19 farm and food organizations were awarded a total of $13.7 million through the program’s Infrastructure Grants, which support projects focused on the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of agricultural food products.

These investments build on the Governor’s commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York's food supply chain, and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years.

New York State continues to prioritize increasing access to food for all New Yorkers and providing new markets for farmers through a number of programs and initiatives supported in the New York State’s FY 2026 Budget, including Nourish New York, Farm to School Programs, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more.

The Budget includes additional support in key areas to continue to strengthen the agricultural community, provide a boost to New York’s farmers, and create a stronger, more resilient food supply chain. This includes a record investment of over $90 million in agricultural stewardship programs that implement climate resilient and best management practices on farms, and help protect farmland. Additionally, building on last year's commitments to New York’s dairy industry, the state’s largest single agricultural sector, the Budget includes $10 million for the second round of the Dairy Modernization Grant Program and provides additional funding to research and implement climate-resilient practices on dairy farms.