Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Purpose: 

The NJDA Wildlife Fencing Program makes cost-share funding available for the installation of wildlife fencing on unpreserved farms. Unpreserved farm owners, operators, or tenants in New Jersey may receive up to 50 percent matching funds ($50,000 maximum) if their application is approved.

Eligible Applicants: 

The owner, operator, or lessee of a commercial farm that does not include preserved farmland, who meets each of the four following eligibility criteria:

1.The applicant’s farming operation must meet the definition of a “commercial farm” at N.J.S.A. 4:1C-3, pursuant to at least one of the following criteria:

1. 1. It is a farm management unit of no less than five acres producing agricultural or horticultural products worth $2,500 or more annually, and satisfying the eligibility criteria for differential property taxation, pursuant to the Farmland Assessment Act of 1964, P.L. 1964, c. 48 (N.J.S.A. 54:423.1 et seq.);
   2. It is a farm management unit of less than five acres, producing agricultural or horticultural products worth $50,000 or more annually and otherwise satisfying the eligibility criteria for differential property taxation, pursuant to the Farmland Assessment Act of 1964, P.L. 1964, c. 48 (N.J.S.A. 54:423.1 et seq.); or
   3. It is a farm management unit that is a beekeeping operation producing honey or other agricultural or horticultural apiary-related products, or providing crop pollination services, worth $10,000 or more annually;

2. The applicant’s farming operation must have had a minimum of $10,000 in gross sales from agricultural or horticultural products grown or derived from the applicant’s farm operation as reflected in either personal or business Federal tax return forms;

3. The applicant must be willing and authorized to enter an agreement pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:20-6.1.d(1), which imposes a requirement to maintain the land for eight years in agricultural or horticultural production, and other requirements, including an obligation to repay the grant on a pro rata basis if the land is not farmed for the full eight-year period; and

4. If the applicant is a lessee (tenant) or operator who does not own the farmland, the applicant will need to provide written approval to install the fencing on the land from the owner of the land on which the fencing is to be installed. Such written approval is required at the time of application for a grant. 

Funding Available:

Funding for projects up to $5,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants after April 1, 2025.

How to Apply:

The NJDA is now accepting applications for WFCS Grants.  There is no deadline to apply. Applications will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis until all available WFCS Grant funds are exhausted. As awards will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, it is highly recommended that applicants submit their completed application using email to njdadeerfence@ag.nj.gov.

If an application is incomplete or missing any required documentation, the remaining WFCS Grant funds may be depleted by the time the applicant submits the required information. It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to ensure that their application is complete. 

Program Webpage:  Wildlife Fencing

Contact:

Director - Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

New Jersey Department of Agriculture

200 Riverview Plaza, 3rd Floor

Trenton, NJ 08625-03360  

njdadeerfence@ag.nj.gov 

Purpose:

The purpose of this grant is to advance the continued implementation of the NJDA Animal Waste Management rules. There are limited resources to help farmers develop and implement AWMPs. At this time, only NJDA staff are conducting technical assistance for AWMP development, while in the past external agencies, such as extension agents, played a role.  An additional aspect of this grant is to assist with the cost of BMP installation — a major barrier to reducing Nonpoint Source (NPS) pollution on farms. NJDA is looking for a straightforward, cost-effective way to implement BMPs. 

Eligible Applicants:

Any Soil Conservation District organized pursuant to N.J.S.A. 4:24-1 et seq., may apply.  An applicant need not be located in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, or Salem counties, but the activities to be funded through this grant must be directed at and used exclusively for the benefit of farms that are located in those counties. 

Funding Available:

A grant award of up to $100,000 is available to accomplish activities over a 24-month period, with the opportunity to seek an extension of the period of performance. 

How to Apply: 

Completed applications must be submitted by email (preferred, through PDF format) to denise.cannuli@ag.nj.gov

or

USPS Mailing Address:

NJDA, Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources  

Attention: Denise Cannuli

PO Box 330  

Trenton, NJ 08625 

Program Webpage:  Animal Waste Management Plan Outreach, Development and Implementation Grant

Contact: Denise Cannuli- denise.cannuli@ag.nj.gov    

Please note: FY26 Gleaning and Seafood Recovery Support Program application period has closed.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has received funds under the State Food Purchase Program, which may be allocated to support gleaning activities (the Gleaning Support Program).  Gleaning Support Program funds to support gleaning activities may be requested from the NJDA by interested eligible nonprofit entities who are gleaning from New Jersey farms and distributing such gleaned food to New Jersey organizations to help feed New Jersey’s hungry. 

Eligible Applicants:

Public and private non-profit New Jersey-based organizations may apply for funding to support farm gleaning or seafood recovery activities. Applicants must be legal entities and have the legal capacity to contract. Single organizations and institutions are encouraged to apply as project partners. Organizations that currently receive State Food Purchase Program funding are not eligible to apply for this grant. 

Funding Available:

A total of $518,000, subject to the availability of funds, is anticipated to be accessible to eligible non-profit applicant organizations. 

How to Apply: 

Completed applications must be submitted by email to both rose.chamberlain@ag.nj.gov and david.defrange@ag.nj.gov no later than noon, 12:00 P.M., on August 29, 2025. Incomplete and/or late submission will be determined ineligible. 

Program Webpage:  Farm Gleaning and Seafood Recovery Support

Contact: William Conners - NJDA.Grants@ag.nj.gov

Please note: FY26 New Jersey Wine Industry Project Grants application period has closed.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture / New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council (NJWIAC) awards grants for wine industry projects to address research, development, and promotion of the New Jersey Wine Industry. 

Eligible Applicants:

The NJWIAC will accept grant applications for projects benefiting the wine industry through research and development concerning the viticultural and wine-making processes in the State and for the promotion of the New Jersey Wine Industry. Proposed projects must benefit the wine industry as a whole and funded project activities may not exclude any plenary and/or farm wine licensee whose sales of New Jersey wine contribute to the Wine Promotion Account and who wishes to participate.

Funding Available:

The available funds, to be used during grant period of 10/1/25 through 9/30/26, are equal to $468,980.75.

How to Apply:

Completed applications should be submitted no later than May 5, 2025 to:

New Jersey Department of Agriculture
New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council 
Division of Marketing and Development
Attn: Kristin Rue
PO Box 330
Trenton, New Jersey 08625 or
E-mail: kristin.rue@ag.nj.gov with “NJ Wine Grant Application” in the subject line

Program Webpage:  New Jersey Wine Industry Project Grants

Contact: 

For questions or more information, email or call the Division of Marketing and Development at: kristin.rue@ag.nj.gov or (609)-913-6516

Please note: The application period for this program has closed.

Purpose:

The purpose of this grant is to advance the continued implementation of the NJDA Animal Waste Management rules. There are limited resources to help farmers implement AWMPs. A foundational component of AWMP implementation is nutrient management. 

Farms of any size are required to follow BMPs for the land application of manure. However, many farms lack the equipment that is needed to efficiently and effectively transport and spread manure. This grant opportunity seeks to provide funding to bring critical tools to farms for the implementation of nutrient management BMPs.   

Eligible Applicants:

The NJDA seeks applicants who are qualified to purchase and maintain a manure spreader and to establish a community use program for the manure spreader that includes supporting nutrient management BMPs in the community and among users of the manure spreader.  

Applicants may be New Jersey-based:

• Individuals
• Businesses
• Cooperatives
• Not-for-profit organizations (NFPs), or;
• Government agencies

Applicants should have a strong working relationship with agricultural producers in their local community, and applicants will be required to ensure that AWMPs containing Nutrient Management Plans or nutrient budgets are developed (or updated) and implemented at a minimum of five farms at which the manure spreader will be used.

Funding Available:

The Department has a total funding pool of $100,000 available for the award of individual grants of up to $25,000.

How to Apply:

Applicants must present their grant proposal by completing an application form, a copy of which is available on the program website or upon request by email sent to anr.grants@ag.nj.gov. 

Program Webpage:  NJDA Nutrient Management Assistance Grants

Contact: 

anr.grants@ag.nj.gov. 

Please note: the application period for this program has closed.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) is inviting applications for funding opportunities under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program. Grant funding is available for projects that aim to enhance the capacity of aggregating, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distributing locally and regionally produced food products. These include specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products. Ineligible products include meat and poultry, wild-caught seafood, exclusively animal feed and forage products, fiber, landscaping products, tobacco, or dietary supplements.

Eligible Applicants:

• Agricultural producers or processors or groups of producers/processors
• Nonprofit organizations operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities
• Local government entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities
• Tribal governments entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities
• Institutions such as schools, universities or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers.

Funding Available:

The NJDA was allotted a total of $3,437,002.00 in program funding. There are two ways to apply for RFSI funding:

1. Infrastructure Grant Application – Projects requesting more than $100,000 that intend to develop new, middle-of-supply-chain infrastructure for eligible agricultural products. The USDA has defined a funding range of $100,000 - $3,000,000 per application, but it is important to consider that the NJDA intends to award our total allotted federal funding ($3,437,002) equitably across multiple industries and projects. Applications must provide a 50% match in funding, 25% if the applicant entity qualifies for a reduced match. See RFSI program scope and requirements for more information.
2. Simplified Equipment-Only Application – Projects requesting between $10,000 and $100,000 for equipment purchases related to middle-of-supply-chain activities. There is no match requirement for simplified equipment-only projects.

How to Apply:

The NJDA requests that all interested organizations representing New Jersey’s Food Systems Infrastructure industry submit project proposals via e-mail to deelip.mhaske@ag.nj.gov for consideration for this funding on or before March 15, 2024 at 5 p.m. EST. Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

Program Webpage:  Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program

Contact: 

For questions, please contact Deelip Mhaske at (609) 913-6628 or deelip.mhaske@ag.nj.gov.

Please note: the 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grant application period has closed. The 2026 application period is expected to reopen in Winter 2026.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) requests applications for funding made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

For the purpose of this grant program, “specialty crops” are defined as: vegetables and fruits, including grapes for wine, nuts, horticultural products including Christmas trees, honey, herbs, potatoes, sweet corn, and other specialty crops, including algae.

Agricultural commodities which are not eligible for these grant funds include, but are not limited to: feed crops, food grains, seafood, livestock, dairy, and poultry products, including eggs, range grasses, and oilseed crops.

Eligible Applicants: 

Eligible applicants include organizations who submit projects that enhance the competitiveness of New Jersey Specialty Crops in either domestic or foreign markets. Applications for grant funds should describe how the project potentially affects and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public, rather than a single organization, institution, or individual.

To strengthen the competitiveness of your application, single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate and apply as project partners.

Funding Available:

Funding for projects up to $40,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants at a date to be determined.

How to Apply:

The NJDA requests that all interested organizations representing New Jersey’s specialty crop industry submit project proposals through SimpliGov on or before May 10th, at 5:00 PM EST. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

To access the application portal, please click here.

Program Webpage:  Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Contact:

William Conners, Grants Coordinator, Office of the Secretary
609-913-6620
william.conners@ag.nj.gov 

Please note: The application period for this program has closed.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is making grant funds available to counties and municipalities to battle the spotted lanternfly (SLF) for 2024-26.

Eligible Applicants: 

Interested counties and municipalities may apply to receive funds from the Department. The Legislature has provided funding to the Department to reduce SLF populations and minimize their spread

Funding Available:

A total of up to $50,000 per county, and up to $20,000 per municipality, subject to the availability of funds, to be encumbered on a first-come, first-served basis, will be provided to reimburse for eligible costs incurred for SLF chemical treatment activities.

How to Apply:

All interested county and municipal agencies must submit a new application to participate for 2024-2026 SLF treatment reimbursements.  All monies dedicated to this program must be encumbered by November 30, 2024, and fully expended by November 30, 2026.  Applications received after November 30, 2024, will not be considered.  

Program Webpage:  2024-26 Spotted Lanternfly Treatment Funding Information For NJ Counties, Municipalities

Contact:

Joseph Zoltowski, Director

Division of Plant Industry, NJDA

joseph.zoltowski@ag.nj.gov

(609) 406-6939 

Please note: The application period for this program has closed.

Purpose:

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) requests applications for the funding available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), and the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (H.R. 133) to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to build upon the SCBGP’s mission to enhance New Jersey’s specialty crop industry through our community of underserved farmers, including those who are Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning or Military Veteran farmers of Specialty Crops in the state of New Jersey.

Eligible Applicants: 

Organizations must be majority-owned (51% or greater) by individuals who identify as either Socially-Disadvantaged (including women), Beginning, or Veteran Farmers. Eligibility will be determined by a self-certification process, outlined in the project profile template.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please go to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service webpage for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers.

Organizations who received funding through this program’s previous funding rounds are considered ineligible to apply for this round of Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmer Mini-Grant funding.

Funding Available:

Funding for projects up to $5,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants after April 1, 2025.

How to Apply:

The NJDA requests that all interested and eligible organizations representing New Jersey’s underserved specialty crop industry submit project proposals via email to NJDA.grants@ag.nj.gov for consideration for this funding on or before Friday, February 28, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST. Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

Program Webpage:  Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program

Contact:

Deelip Mhaske: deelip.mhaske@ag.nj.gov or (609) 913-6628

Billy Conners: william.conners@ag.nj.gov or (609) 913-6620

NJDA Grants Inbox: NJDA.grants@ag.nj.gov     

The State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) provides cost-sharing grants to landowners in the permanent or eight-year preservation programs to fund approved soil and water conservation projects. These projects not only protect soil and water resources, but increase productivity and profitability for the farmer. Projects include terrace systems; diversions; water impoundment reservoirs; irrigation systems; sediment retention, erosion or water control systems; drainage systems; animal waste control facilities; and land shaping and grading.

Click here for more information on Soil and Water Conservation Grants.