SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORT. The Wisconsin Farmers Union and The Nature Conservancy joined forces to offer up to $2,000 for small farms aiming to improve their environmental sustainability efforts. (Dunn County's Racing Heart Farm pictured)

The final application deadline is approaching for a statewide stipend program to support underserved farmers in Wisconsin.

Thanks to a partnership between the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) and The Nature Conservancy, the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend is offering up to $2,000 for a farm’s efforts to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of their operations.

“The goal of this project is to provide resources to farmers who may have trouble reaching traditional farmer-funding opportunities,” the WFU website reads.

Examples of resources the stipend could go toward include equipment purchases, costs of labor, and costs to attend events where farmers can develop entrepreneurial skills and innovative solutions toward improving a farm's sustainability.

Over the past two years, the application deadlines for this stipend have been staggered. The final submission deadline for the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend this year is Aug. 1.

All applicants will be considered for the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend, though preference will be given to farms with select characteristics. Those include farmers who have been underserved by the United States Department of Agriculture: BIPOC farmers, beginner farmers, veterans, and limited resource farmers.

WFU members — both new and existing — are eligible to apply for the stipend. Complimentary memberships are available to help reduce barriers to entry.

In their July and Aug. news publication, Danielle Endvick, executive director of WFU, shared her thoughts on the importance of environmental education for members of the union.

The WFU staff are determined to enter a new era of the non-profit organization, focused on reinvigorating new ideals to chapters across the state and “engaging farmers and consumers through education — being a voice for the intersection of climate and conservation.”

All applicants will be considered for the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend, though preference will be given to farms with select characteristics. Those include farmers who have been underserved by the United States Department of Agriculture: BIPOC farmers, beginner farmers, veterans, and limited resource farmers, their website reads.

Additional preference will be given to growers who farm in unconventional ways. This can look like urban, regenerative, ethical, organic, or direct-market farmers. Growers who come from a non-farming background — with a goal to share the insights they obtain back into their communities — are also included in this category.

In May, Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Beauvine Enterprises – a Dodgeville farm – to chat with Wisconsin Farmers Union members and farm owners Beau and Rachel. (Photo via Facebook)

“For me, Farmers Union isn’t merely an organization, and this isn’t just a job,” Endvick noted. “It’s a calling rooted in shared values. I believe deeply in the power of what we’re building together, and in the stories we’re shaping.”

According to the WFU website, applicants are encouraged to answer how their proposed initiatives would provide “climate smart” benefits to their community. Examples of these benefits can include, reducing fertility rates, increasing the biodiversity of operations, reduction of miles traveled for work, biodiversity planning, and more.

Since the application window opened in 2024, this stipend's funding has been allocated quarterly. Allocations of the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend are pending approval from five review committee members, who recommend select recipients.

To encourage ease of access and wider reach, the stipend applications are currently available to complete in English, Spanish, and Hmong.

The final application deadline for the Small Farm Sustainability Stipend is on Aug. 2. For more information on this initiative, visit the Wisconsin Farmers Union website online (www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/sustainability-stipend).