Dairy Improvement Grants Program

Application Instructions

DEADLINE: Applications must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday, April 28th. We will not accept late applications.

Check to see that your business and project meet the eligibility requirements on page 1 of the Application Guidelines. Read through the entire Application Guidelines, Application Questions, and Business Plan components before beginning your application.

Make sure your business plan explains the need for the project, or provides adequate rationale for the type of investment or project you’re seeking funding for.

Submit online, or by mail or email.

Online application (PREFERRED METHOD):

How to use Wufoo: We prefer to have all applications electronically submitted through an online system called Wufoo. You should complete the application, narrative question attachment, and business plan and save to your computer or to an external drive BEFORE entering information on the Wufoo site. You will be submitting narrative questions and your business plan as attachments, so those should be saved as separate word documents.

Wufoo application:

Saving your application:The Wufoo site DOES NOT save data so if you leave the site for any reason, all the data that you have entered will be lost! Note that Wufoo will automatically reset after 24 hours so even if you do not leave the site your data will be lost. Be ready to complete your entry in one sitting and submit it. You will get an email copy from Wufoo when you submit the application.

Please try to access the Wufoo site at least a week before the deadline. If you experience difficulties with this system and need assistance, please email us no later than one week before applications are due. If you do not have reliable access to the internet or continue to experience difficulty with the online application, you can submit by email or in hard copy. See instructions below.

Mail or email application:

Fill out the application form (available in hard copy on , or download from). You are welcome to handwrite the basic information and budget, but the narrative questions and business plan must be typed. If possible, PLEASE SUBMIT DOUBLE SIDED MATERIALS.

Email the completed materials to Liz Gleason, , or mail to (POSTMARKED BY 5PM APRIL 28th):

Liz Gleason

Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program

58 E. State Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

Dairy Improvement Grants Program

A. APPLICANT AND FARM INFO

Contact Name:

Farm Name:

Mailing address:

Town:, VT Zip:Email:

Location (i.e. Street & Town, if different):

Telephone:Website:

Have you participated in the Vermont Farm Viability Program?

If so, when and who was your business advisor?

B. GRANT REQUEST

Grant funds: You can apply for between $5,000* to $40,000 for the following kinds of projects:

Construction (labor and/or supplies)
Equipment downpayments
Machinery or facility upgrades
Energy efficiency or renewable energy projects
Conservation improvements (including as matching funds for EQIP or other conservation funds)

Matching funds: A minimum of a 1:1 match (matching funds equal to or more than the amount of grant funding you are requesting) is required for all projects.The matching funds must be directed to the same project for which you are requesting funds. Eligible match sources include:

your own cash or savings
loans or expected loan receipts
grants from private or public sources
outside investment capital
your/your employee’s labor that is devoted to the project:

Your own or your employee’s ordinary operating labor is NOT eligible for Viability Program grant funding or as match. However, it is OK to count labor costs you incur to carry out your project as match. For example, you might request $25,000 to help expand a barn. Your total project cost is $50,000. Your budget could include

$25,000 of Farm Viability funds allocated to purchasing building supplies and construction materials. Your

budgeted match (non-Farm Viability funds) could include $5,000 of your own labor in planning and building, and a $20,000 loan for materials.

Grant funds and matching funds cannot be used for activities or purchases that occur before June 1st, 2014.*

*In special circumstances, program staff may provide a waiver for grant requests below the $5,000 minimum, or for grant projects that must begin before June 1st. Please contact Liz Gleason in advance of the deadline to request a waiver, if desired.

Please provide a Project Title and brief description, and how much funding you are requesting.

Project Title: ______

Project Description (1-3 sentences):

Grant Funding Request: $______

Match Funding Amount: $______

CONFIDENTIALITY

By submitting your application materials, you agree to allow your business plan and application materials to be read by members of the Farm Viability Review Committeeand by staff of the Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Programin accordance with our program’s Confidentiality Policy. No other persons will have access to your business plan, and all copies will be collected for safekeeping following the meeting of the Review Committee.

Signatures: The information provided in this application and all attachments is true to the best of my (our) knowledge. We agree to allow the above-mentioned committee and staff members to read our application.

Signature(s)Date

Dairy Improvement Grants Program

C. NARRATIVE QUESTIONS

Answers must be typed.

Overview of Farm Business

Please provide a basic description of your farm business, including a brief overview of the farm, number of cows, volume of milk produced, other on-farm products, production practices, acreage used, farm management (you may use the same language from your business plan).

Proposed Project Description

Please describe the proposed project for which you are now seeking assistance.

Coordination with your Business Plan

Please describe how this project fits with your business plan. It will be most helpful to your application for you to reference specific portions of your plan and/or provide page numbers.

Project Outcomes, Benefits and Impacts

What are the outcomes that you expect from this project - how will it benefit your farm, your family, your community? In particular, please address how the project will impact milk production and farm viability. Please express impacts in terms of profitability, productivity, return on investment, viability, quality of life, and/or other specific outcomes.

Project Timeline

Please provide an estimated timeline for the project.

Contingencies and Permits

Please list any other applications upon which your project is contingent (i.e., other grants or bank loans). Please list any federal, state, or local permits or approvals that will be necessary for you to implement this project, and the status of these applications or processes.

Dairy Improvement Grants Program

D. BUDGET SHEET

Please show estimated amounts for the proposed project. Fill in as many lines as are appropriate.

The 1st column of the budget should describe the cost category and exactly what you will use the funds for.
The 2nd column should show how much grant funding you are requesting.
The 3rd and 4th columns identify matching funds, such as savings, loans, grants, you r labor on this project, etc.
Fill in all gray highlighted areas with totals across the bottom and down the right side of the budget.

EXAMPLE: barn improvement

Cost Category and Description / Farm Viability Funds / Match Funds / Match Source / Project Total
Labor:
Builders – $10,000 / $10,000 / $10,000
Materials & Supplies:
Building materials - $15,000 / $5000 / $10,000 / Farm savings / $15,000
Equipment:
Lighting - $4000; Installation - $1000 / $5000 / Bank loan / $5,000
Other:
Total / $15,000 / $15,000 / $30,000

YOUR PROJECT EXPENSES:

Cost Category and Description / Farm Viability Funds / Match Funds / Match Source / Project Total
Labor:
Materials & Supplies:
Equipment:
Other:
Total

COMPONENTS OF A FARM BUSINESS PLAN

The following outline should be used as a guide to write your business plan, or as a list of requirements to make sure your plan meets program requirements. If you already have a business plan, make sure that it includes the following information – however, it does not necessarily need to be in the same order, or with the same headings.

Cover Sheet & Table of Contents

I. Summaries

a. Narrative Summary: an overview of the purpose of the plan and most critical farm issues and goals.

b. Financial summary: an overview of findings from the most relevant financial statements.

II. Farm Description

Description of your land base, history, labor, production, facilities, markets, and other significant facts.

III. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT Analysis)

Please list the top 2-3 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to the Business.

a. Strengths are internal to the business (such as excellent herd management)

b. Weaknesses are internal to the business (such as no exit strategy for older generation)

c. Opportunities are external to the business (such as increased consumer interest in specialty dairy products)

d. Threats are external to the business (such as disease or fluctuating milk prices)

IV. List of proposed Business Ideas and Strategies

Description of all the actions you plan to take to maintain, improve, or grow your business.

V. Implementation Plan

A description of the schedule or timeline (including target dates for completion) of the proposed business ideas and strategies.

VI. Financials:

a. Current Balance Sheet: a snap-shot of financial condition showing assets and liabilities

REQUIRED: 2013 year-end or current balance sheet

OPTIONAL: previous years’ balance sheets

b. Historical Income Statement: a listing of farm income and farm expenses (also known as Profit &Loss)

REQUIRED: 2013 (or most recent historical income statement)

OPTIONAL: previous 3 years’ income statements

c. Cash-flow Projection or budget for 2014: typical monthly projections of the movement of cash into (payments received the business) and out of (payments made) the business; should take into account all income and expenses that affect cash available.

REQUIRED: 2014 projections

OPTIONAL: 2015 projections

VII. Appendices (optional)

Farm Pictures & Maps (if applicable)

Building Plans, Cost Estimates, etc. (if applicable)