WSDA offers food infrastructure grants to farmers, ranchers and food businesses

Applications for the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Infrastructure Grant is open. Deadline is Oct. 28.

WSDA is looking to fund around 70 awards with $4 million worth of funding that will pay for projects between $15,000 a $75,000, according to the grant website.

The grant will fund equipment purchases that will address a specific local food system infrastructure gap or barrier to local market access for a farm, ranch or food business, said Ivy Fox, local food infrastructure specialist for WSDA, in an email.

The grant can also fund minor facility improvements to make equipment usable such as electrical outlets, sink installation, or floor resurfacing.

She stressed that the grants are reimbursement-style awards, which mean recipients pay for a project with their own funds and then are paid back afterward. It can take up to 30 days to receive payment.

With the current grant application period, Fox said people should review the grant guidelines including who is eligible, guidelines, and evaluation criteria. Applicants should also review recorded webinars and sign up for virtual Q-and-A sessions.

For more information, go to https://agr.wa.gov/departments/business-and-marketing-support/small-farm/infrastructure-grant.

WSDA had grants available for larger projects – four between $200,000 to $750,000 – but the deadline took place in September.

The WSDA awarded similar grants in the spring of 2024 with 41 awards being given ranging from $7,360 to $75,000.

Steel Wheel Farm, which is an organic farm growing on 30 acres near Fall City, received more than $16,000 through the grant, which was used to purchase equipment to wash harvested vegetables and to build dry storage and processing systems for organic small grains according to WSDA grant website.

“The infrastructure has been crucial because we would not be able to afford the equipment necessary to grow grain on a small scale,” said Ryan Lichttenegger, owner of Steel Wheel Farm.

The award paid for 10 bins that can hold 2,000 pounds of grain with gates at the bottom, Lichttenegger added.

The Vashon Island Growers Association received $56,900 that would fund equipment for a commercial kitchen that will be part of the Vashon Island Food Hub.

The kitchen will be installed through a partnership with Mukai Farm and Garden and is part of the renovation of the farm’s Fruit Barreling Plant, which is expected to begin construction in the spring of 2026, according to the farm’s website.

The Vashon Island Growers Association provides equipment and support to the farms on the island. “It’s a lot of really small-scale farms,” Board President Terah Ratheheart said. The association represents more than 35 farmers and more than 300 home growers.

The Vashon Island Growers Association started 25 years ago as a farmers market, Ratheheart said. The organization has grown to include writing grants to support local farmers, and improved food access and help with food preservation. For more information about the upcoming kitchen and renovation project, go to www.vigavashon.org, and www.mukaifarmandgarden.org.

— Photo courtesy of Steel Wheel Farm.