Expand Your Farm

You’ve been farming for a little while and you’re hitting your stride – now it's time to take things to the next level. Whether it’s expanding your production, investing in on-farm infrastructure, or looking to sell into new markets, the resources below will help you grow and scale your farm business.

New York State is preparing to offer a new round of grants for Beginning and Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Farmers to help farmers get a foothold in their business and scale up. The Department is currently identifying administrators for these funds and they will be publicly available to farmers soon.

Many of the same lenders who can help you start your farm also offer programs to help expand it. Aside from loans, there are a few other programs that help new farmers get funding for critical projects to support their growing farm business. See the list of programs below.

Hands-on technical assistance can make all the difference in helping you set goals and achieve them, no matter your stage of business. Below are some good resources designed to help you scale your operation.

There are several technical assistance programs located across the state that can provide information on anything from construction to water management to funding opportunities for beginning farmers.

Many new farmers find that direct to consumer sales are a great fit for early stage farm operations. As your farm enterprise matures, though, you may want to spend less time at market and more time moving what you grow into larger volume sales and distribution channels.

Wholesale Distribution

Many wholesale buyers look for GAP certification or equivalent food safety training. Our NYS Grown & Certified Program helps you prepare to sell into those channels.

Cornell Small Farms also offers Baskets to Pallets Trainings to help farmers move into wholesale channels. 

Procurement

Selling to institutional buyers can also be a boon for some growing farm businesses. Procurement Technical Assistance Centers can offer help to small businesses looking to sell into government procurement channels.

• Become a registered Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise.
• New York State Farm to School Initiatives

Exporting

Export markets may sound intimidating, but New York has supports in place if you’re looking to do business beyond our nation's borders. Learn more:

• Food Export Northeast
• NYS Export Assistance

The New York State Department of Labor houses information about wages and what’s required in terms of insurance to protect your employees and interns.

• Learn more about New York State Labor Laws related to farm and food processing and farm labor (including workers compensation).
• Farm Labor and Minimum Wage