Patrick County’s Stanburn Winery was recently award a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Virginia Rural Development office. The grant may be used for marketing, labor and supplies.
This grant was one of 20 in the USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program, which is designed to aid in developing new bio-based products and expanding markets for Virginia farms and businesses. The total amount awarded to various Virginia enterprises was $3.68 million.
“We have a strong history working with local producers and small rural businesses through the VAPG program, and we continue to give the program careful attention each year because those who benefit are innovative leaders working to expand their businesses,” said Acting USDA Rural Development Virginia State Director Janice Stroud-Bickes.
Grant applicants may receive priority if they are a beginning farmer or rancher, a socially-disadvantaged farmer or rancher, a veteran, a small or medium-sized farm or ranch structured as a family farm, a farmer or rancher cooperative, or are proposing a mid-tier value chain. Grants are awarded through a national competition.
The grants are awarded as part of a national competition, and require matching funds for 50 percent of the projects’ costs. Since 2009, the Value-Added Producer Grant program has been a key tenet of the USDA “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative to promote local and regional food systems.
