NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) is accepting applications from agricultural, food and forestry businesses to receive cost-share funding through its Agricultural Enterprise Fund (AEF) program.

The program supports the priorities of Gov. Bill Lee and TDA for rural counties. Grants are awarded to starting or expanding businesses in Tennessee that demonstrate a strong potential for impact on local farm income, access to markets, increased capacity or agricultural innovation.

“The strategic investments from our AEF program create a ripple effect throughout rural communities and agriculture – our state’s number one industry,” Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M., said. “Our team will be looking for projects that create new job opportunities and market options for producers. In addition, the Business Development Division will conduct a virtual meeting ahead of the deadline to help business owners with the application process.”

The application for the AEF program can be found online at agriculture.tn.gov/AEF/AEF_Application/Create, and the deadline to apply is Dec. 5, 2022. Businesses must include proof of financing and a business plan with their application for it to be considered. The virtual meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams on Nov. 21. Follow the TDA Facebook page for an announcement on the time of day and a link to join the meeting.

In total, the fund has awarded nearly $7.5 million in funding to Tennessee businesses, leading to more than $104 million in private investments from agriculture and forest-product business development since the program’s launch in 2017. You will find more information about the fund at www.tn.gov/aef or by emailing Will Freeman at william.h.freeman@tn.gov.