Maybe you’ve got a project for your farm and ranch that isn’t solar related, but you’d still like to see whether similar kinds of assistance to those detailed on the AgriSolar Clearinghouse are available? There is a bewildering array of federal support available for everything from agroforestry to aquaponics, but it can be hard to know where to begin looking.

Fortunately, help is available! SARE offers a free online resource titled, Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities: A Guide to Federal Programs for Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, Entrepreneurship, Conservation, Food Systems and Community Development. The same publication is available free in print (for a single copy) from ATTRA.

According to ATTRA’s description, “the guide provides information about program resources pertaining to economic development, farm loans, insurance and risk management, natural resources conservation and management; nutrition and consumer food access, renewable energy and energy conservation, research and outreach, and value added and marketing innovations.”

To complement that overview, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) offers the free online Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs. It “provides an in-depth look at dozens of federal programs and policies most important to sustainable agriculture, and details how they can be accessed by farmers, ranchers, and grassroots organizations nationwide.”

Just a sampling of the program areas covered in NSAC’s Grassroots Guide includes Conservation & Environment, Healthy Food Access, Organic Production, Renewable Energy. These are just a few of many! The guide also includes a quick reference chart to help users rapidly zero in on the most relevant programs for their individual needs.

The entry for each program in the Grassroots Guide covers program basics, eligibility information, success stories, how to apply, program resources, and program history.