High Desert Food and Farm Alliance receives three-year $522K USDA grant to assist new farmers and ranchers

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The US Department of Agriculture has announced an investment of $23.7 million for 46 projects as part of its Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (BFRDP), including a grant of over $500,000 to the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance.

BFRDP funds projects that provide education, mentoring and technical assistance initiatives. Funded projects provide outreach, training and technical assistance to individuals and aspiring farmers to go into farming as farm businesses, as well as improve skills, tools, and knowledge of farmers to sustain farming operations for generations to come.

One of those projects will take place in Central Oregon. High Desert Food and Farm Alliance (HDFFA)’s project Enhancing Resilience, Inclusion, Accessibility, Connection, Business Viability, and Food Sovereignty in Central Oregon has been awarded $522,575 over three years to expand its support of our region’s farmers and ranchers.   

HDFFA’s five objectives for this project include:

1.  Hire a Small Farms Technical Assistant in 2025.

2. Begin a 6-month cohort model that brings Beginning/Farmer Ranchers together to learn and network with each other.

3. Work with Central Oregon agritourism sites to improve their accessibility.

4. Work with other nonprofit and government entities on convenings to address water issues affecting our area's producers.

5. Expand support for Warm Springs Community Action Team in support of Warm Springs' Food Sovereignty Plan.

HDFFA’s Agricultural Support Manager Andrea Smith attended the 2024 BFRDP and 2501 Program Project Directors Meeting in Charlotte, NC the week of Oct. 21 to collaborate and network with nationwide participants, USDA officials, and other industry partners. Smith further presented a poster from HDFFA’s previous BFRDP grant findings. 

She reflected, “As a second-time awardee of the BFRDP, we are excited to develop new programming that targets a growing population in Central Oregon and help transition new farmers into pillars of our region’s local food economy. We were thrilled to represent Central Oregon at this conference and to learn with our colleagues on how to best engage with and serve our community.”

HDFFA gratefully acknowledges the support of USDA NIFA for our region.