Supplemental and Alternative Crops
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-06-08. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you're scaling a new crop variety, improving its agronomics, or building supply chains for alternative crops, USDA will fund acreage expansion and market proof.
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What this is
This USDA program funds research and commercialization projects that increase domestic production of alternative crops—including oilseeds, grains, legumes, and pseudocereals—for human food, animal feed, industrial feedstocks, and biofuel use. Applicants propose strategies to expand acreage, improve crop viability, and create profitable markets in response to commodity price volatility and shifting consumer demand. Awards range from $230K–$460K and typically support agronomic research, market development, supply chain work, and farmer adoption pilots.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants include universities, non-profits, for-profit businesses, and producer associations; see the full text for specific organizational requirements. Citizenship and location restrictions not detailed in this excerpt; refer to CFDA 10.200 and Additional Information section for full eligibility.
Eligible applicant types
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Full description — from the agency
The SAC program, Assistance Listing Number 10.200, supports projects that lead to expanded adaptation and increased acreage in the United States of alternative crops grown for food/feedstuff, oil, and feedstocks for industrial value-added products. Such crops are important to U.S. agriculture in that these can provide new and profitable cropping options in response to low commodity prices and changes in consumer demand for new agricultural-based products. Oilseed, grain, and feedstock crops have major uses in healthy human foods and animal feeds, as natural pest control when used as cover crops, and as a feedstock in industrial chemical manufacture and biofuel production. Grains/pseudocereals and legumes/pulses can play an important role in the cropping rotation for food/feedstuff and/or feedstock for industrial value-added purposes, as cover crops, and as habitat for pollinators.
Topics: alternative crops · oilseeds legumes · agricultural feedstocks · sustainable farming · crop adaptation · industrial bioproducts
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.