U.S. Ag Department Announces Investment in America's Small/Medium Size Farms

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 -- 9:02 AM

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an $11.5 million research investment to help ensure America’s small and medium-sized farms become more profitable and improve the quality of life in American farm communities.

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded 24 grants to 20 universities and organizations through their Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading and largest competitive grants program for agricultural sciences.

These research efforts focus on alternative crop enterprises, marketing, and scaling up fruit and vegetable production to overcome marketing constraints.

For example, UW-Madison will receive $473,756 to study “The Relationship between Farm Size and Farmer Opportunities to Profit from Natural Resources on their Land.”

By focusing on these key elements, small and medium-sized farm operators can increase their competitiveness in local markets and can provide greater access to food for their communities. This is extremely critical as we build back a stronger, more equitable food and farming system.

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