Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, along with the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority Board, have announced grant awards for 10 young farmers and ranchers totaling more than $155,000 through the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Young Farmer Grant program. These dollar-for-dollar matching grant awards are part of a larger effort to promote and sustain Texas’ position as an agricultural powerhouse, as well as support younger ag producers. Applicants received between $5,000 and $20,000 to complete their projects.
The types of projects selected for funding this round included: viticulture, hydroponics, horticulture, an apiary, and various types of livestock and crop operations.
One of the grant recipients, Kamlesh Shukla, plans to use his grant funds to start up a hydroponic operation using a pre-fabricated shipping container to grow crops in the highly populated Collin County. Shukla wants to use his background in information technology to transition to cutting-edge farming. His hydroponic setup will allow him to produce commercially grown food year round using only 10 gallons per day and no pesticides. Shukla is one of our young farmers doing great work to produce the food we need to sustain our lives.
For a complete list of award recipients and more information about the program, click here.
TDA anticipates the next round of funding for the Young Farmer Grant program in the coming months. Send TDA an email to be added to the notification list and be one of the first to know about future grant opportunities.
Source: Texas Department of Agriculture