Sunflower State News

The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) has opened applications for a second round of grants under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. In 2023, the agency received nearly $6.46 million through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which funded 49 grants in 2024 during the initial round.

This new round offers Simplified Equipment-Only Grants, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, without requiring cost sharing or matching. These fixed-price grants will cover equipment purchases up to $50,000 and must be used by December 31, 2025.

Eligible applicants include Kansas food and farm businesses, nonprofit organizations, local government entities, Tribal governments, and institutions such as schools and hospitals. Entities that received a grant in the first round are not eligible for this second round.

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. CT on July 18, 2025. More information is available on the KDA website at agriculture.ks.gov/RFSI. The application process involves a competitive review in cooperation with USDA–AMS, evaluating projects based on need, outcomes, feasibility, impact on local food supply chains, and community benefits.

The RFSI program aims to enhance resilience in the middle of the food supply chain by funding projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling or distributing local and regional agricultural products. It focuses on crops and products for human consumption but excludes meat and poultry products.

"The vision of the Kansas Department of Agriculture is to provide an ideal environment for long-term sustainable agricultural prosperity and statewide economic growth," said KDA officials. They aim to achieve this by advocating for sectors at all levels and providing industry outreach.

Information from this article can be found here.