Isabella Frank and Cecilia Stevens

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service offered opportunities for small‑scale producers to apply for infrastructure grants designed to strengthen farm operations and meet the growing demand for local foods. Many local food producers face challenges in processing, storing and distributing their products into local and regional food chains. Unlike large commercial operations, many smaller farms lack the capital to invest in cold storage, transportation and postharvest processing. Infrastructure grants are essential to helping these producers meet market demands.

Five Louisiana farmers — James McCreedy, a hydroponic grower in Ouachita Parish; Ashley Armstrong, a vegetable farmer in Morehouse Parish; Stacy McGraw, a vegetable farmer and rancher in Concordia Parish; and Sierra Torres and Becks Hilliard, vegetable farmers in Tangipahoa Parish — shared how grant support has helped them make inroads on the backroads of local food processing and distribution.

Small farms often operate with limited equipment or make do without essential tools while saving for upgrades. Refrigerated storage and transportation are among the most critical needs for expanding market access. One of the farms required specialized postharvest infrastructure, including a freezer-cooler combo, greens cutter, washing station, spinner and pallet jack, to scale up leafy green processing. One first-generation farm lacked inherited resources and had to build a farm from the ground up.

All four farms received funding through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program through the USDA AMS, with amounts around $100,000 each. Other organizations that contribute grant funding to farmers include the Young Farmer Coalition, Campti Field of Dreams, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA), and the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition. Grant support enabled each farm to construct on-site cold storage and acquire refrigerated vehicles or trailers, enhancing product preservation and expanding delivery capacity.

Beyond the farmers’ own persistence, institutional support played a meaningful role in helping them navigate the grant landscape. Carl Motsenbocker, executive director of LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success Program, provided Armstrong with a letter of support during her application process — a reminder that producers need not pursue these opportunities alone.

Across the LSU AgCenter, extension agents routinely share grant announcements and guidance with their stakeholder communities, helping connect small-scale growers with resources they might not otherwise encounter. This network of encouragement and information sharing has become an important part of how farmers access the tools they need to strengthen their operations. For example, all five of the producers cited in this article have participated in training programs offered by the LSU AgCenter to enhance their production practices and professional knowledge.

Many of the farms pursue grants to support expanding operations and meet the growing demand for fresh, local foods in both public markets and schools. With guidance from Seeds to Success, the Ouachita Parish farm strengthened its ability to effectively communicate with school nutrition purchasing programs. In Concordia Parish, the farm’s involvement in the Farm to School Institute and in a northeast region farmers market training offered by extension agents highlighted the need for local foods, leading to successful partnerships that now help fill that gap.

Although infrastructure grant funding helped these farms take major steps forward, ongoing challenges continue to limit their growth. Farmers continue to face financial barriers for costly additions, such as enclosed, insulated buildings for postharvest processing and storage — essential tools for food safety and worker comfort, especially during extreme heat.

“Some days we shut down early,” Armstrong said. “I don’t want anyone passing out from the heat.”

Torres and Hilliard echoed the need for a renovated barn to meet food safety standards as their production expands. Applying for grants proved to be a time-intensive process for all. From navigating complex paperwork to learning the language of grant writing, producers emphasized the importance of patience and seeking help.

“You can get to the point where you just want to push it away and quit, but it’s definitely worth it if you can keep going,” Armstrong explained.

Many grants operate on a reimbursement basis, requiring farmers to make purchases using private funds upfront before receiving funds — a model that can be inaccessible for small producers.

“Many farmers don’t have thousands of dollars lying around,” Torres said. “They have it tied up in their crops, which come with so much uncertainty as it is.”

The farmers offered advice for others navigating the grant process.

“If you have one person who could just concentrate on the grant, that’s good,” Armstrong said. “It’s really hard when you are trying to get a grant and take care of your farm every day.”

Torres and Hilliard emphasized the importance of storytelling.

“Funders want to know who you are. They want to know where their money is going,” adding that farmers should attend grant writing workshops and seek one-on-one support. “They can help you take your story and put it into a format that programs are looking to fund.”

Infrastructure grants have not only strengthened individual farms — they’ve also helped grow regional food systems across Louisiana. McGraw has used her refrigerated truck and cold storage to support other producers at farmers markets.

“If I have the chance to work with another farmer and help them get something delivered, I can,” she said.

Her vision for a collaborative delivery route could streamline access to fresh, local produce for more consumers.

In Morehouse Parish, Armstrong is helping fill a critical gap in fresh vegetable access to neighbors and institutions in the area. Her upgraded processing capacity has allowed her to assist other producers with tasks like pea processing while also improving product quality and shelf life.

“We can produce more with less waste and have a higher quality product because it is not exposed as long to the heat,” she said.

McCreedy’s refrigerated trailers have expanded their reach to schools, grocery stores and distributors, permitting consistent delivery of produce.

“We can now cast a wider net and reach customers further than ever,” McCreedy said. Their added capacity has also opened doors for neighboring farmers to share transport space and access new markets.

Torres and Hilliard used grant funding to build high tunnels and purchase a delivery van — key infrastructure that has expanded their reach into urban markets like Baton Rouge and New Orleans. With their new delivery capacity, they hope to begin working with other small-scale producers in their region to help distribute local goods more efficiently and strengthen the broader food community.

These farmers are proving that with the right support, small-scale agriculture can thrive. Seeking grant funding not only helps build better farms, but also creates stronger connections between growers, markets and communities across Louisiana.

Isabella Frank is an extension associate with the LSU AgCenter Grow Louisiana Beginning Farmer Training Program and Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program. Cecilia Stevens is a program manager for Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program from the LSU AgCenter.

This article appears in the winter 2026 edition of Louisiana Agriculture.

Sierra Torres (left) and Becks Hilliard are owners of a farm in Tangipahoa Parish. They emphasized the importance of storytelling to get grant funding, as donors like to know where their money is going. Provided photo

A Morehouse Parish farm is one of the small businesses that have taken advantage of funding through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program through the USDA-AMS. Photo by Ashley Armstrong