No. If you were eligible for an exemption under the Produce Safety Rule in 2024, your farm does not qualify for the mini-grant funding category of farms that were confirmed to be fully covered and subject to routine inspection in 2024.

Please contact the Produce Safety Program to verify you have previously filled out a Grower Questionnaire. You also have the option to newly complete the 2025 Grower Questionnaire at the time of your application. 

We understand the inconvenience of having to submit similar information in multiple places. However, in order to maintain data privacy, we are asking you to submit your mini-grant application separately from your Grower Questionnaire. If we used the data from your questionnaire response for the mini-grant application, all of your questionnaire data could become public. 

A wash station may be considered an eligible expense if it is portable. Permanent fixtures are not eligible for reimbursement under this grant.

No, stainless steel tables and shelving are not eligible expenses under the current mini grant.

No. Permanent fixtures, or repairs to permanent fixtures, are not eligible for reimbursement under this grant. 

No, renting or buying a porta potty is not an eligible expense. All expenses must fit under the following categories in order to be eligible:

• Water testing for generic E. coli
• Market containers
• Supplies to build or purchase a portable handwashing station
• Supplies to build or purchase a portable produce washing station
• Sanitizer used for wash water and food contact surfaces
• Waxed boxes
• Harvest totes
• Carts and pull wagons

No, expenses associated with the cost of receiving a USDA GAP audit are not eligible expenses for the mini-grant. There are alternative funding sources that may assist with that type of expense, however. The MDA offers a Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) Certification Cost-Share Program. The USDA’s Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program may also be an option.