StateRolling / continuousTechnical assistanceCA only
University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources
Rolling — contact your county office anytime
County-based farm advisors offering free one-on-one help on production problems, pest and irrigation questions, food safety training, and regulatory navigation. The most underused free resource for California small farms.
- Any California grower or aspiring grower
- Multilingual advising available in many counties
Free advising; workshops usually free or low-cost
Training & farmer educationIndividual producerBeginning / underservedNon-profit
FederalRolling / continuousTechnical assistance
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
Rolling — library open year-round
Free books, bulletins, webinars, and project result databases from the Western region SARE program — covering soil health, cover crops, marketing, and labor. The library behind every SARE-funded farmer research project in the West.
- Anyone; grant programs are limited to the 13 Western states and territories
Free publications and webinars
Training & farmer educationIndividual producerBeginning / underservedNon-profit
Private / NonprofitRolling / continuousTechnical assistanceCA only
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Rolling — funding database updated continuously
California's family-farm advocacy organization maintains a running funding opportunities database, food safety and climate-smart technical assistance, farm-to-market programs, and a statewide job board.
- California farmers and farm organizations
Free resources; some programs include direct cost-share
Training & farmer educationIndividual producerBeginning / underservedNon-profit