HOW I GOT $50,000 IN GRANTS TO FUND MY BACKYARD FARM!

What if I told you that I built this whole farm with the help of tens of thousands of dollars in federal subsidies? Money, that you don't have to pay back? I also have tens of thousands of dollars in interest-free loans with a loan term of up to 21 months. About 5 years ago I turned my Vorstadtgarten into a thriving, profitable vegetable farm. And in today's video I'll show you exactly how I financed it and how you can do it too. Hey, how are you all? If you're new on this channel, I'm Chef Mikey. I'm a former chef who became an urban farmer. And this is my garden, and that upstairs is my house. When we bought this plot, we didn't want to open a commercial vegetable garden. We just wanted a little piece of land to enjoy our own Essen. I had a full-time job and worked in the garden on weekends. But I quickly realized that I was spending about $300 a week on my hobby gardening. To cover the costs, I started selling some of my excess products to the workers. At that time I decided to create an LLC so I could write off my expenses. At first I financed everything from my own pocket with money from my job. I sold excess vegetables to a colleague and invested every dollar I earned back into the garden. I even went so far as to post on Facebook And while explaining, that all the money in my greenhouse form would flow. So it made it for my friends more space, to buy me, that they knew what the money was being used for. And you could follow, how everything developed, while I posted updates And they could follow on social media, how my Gewächshäuser were built. I built my first three houses with credit cards with 0% interest and a term of 12 to 21 months to pay them off. These cards even guarantee credits of 900 dollars on your account. If I spent $3,000 in the first 90 days, I was essentially getting a $900 discount on my grocery store. It is important to know that these are Credit Cards for Businesses, which have high limits and high credits on their bank statements. They are usually not available to individuals. You must first establish a business to qualify for these credit cards, so that these large acquisitions can be taxed. I have a company called Einpersonen GmbH, and I have a tax exemption from the agricultural tax, so I don't have to pay sales tax on these large purchases. I would strongly recommend that you apply for a real business start-up and tax exemption before you start infrastructure improvements. Otherwise, you'll just give the government money for nothing. It should also be noted that I had the necessary cash at my disposal to pay these purchases, and also a solid plan, how I would repay the debt before I paid interest. Usually a harvest in the Nebensaison can pay the entire remainder of one of these Hochtunnels, which I bought. However, should something go wrong, you must find a way to get out of the debt. I would not recommend buying a Hochtunnel with a credit card if you don't already have the necessary cash. I simply used my excellent creditworthiness to receive the credit of $900 on my account and 21 months of interest-free payments, so that I had my cash as working capital at my disposal. If I get into trouble with the payments, I'll have the money to pay them. However, when I quit my job and left exclusively on the farm to pay my bills, it became too risky to raise my own money. I had savings, but I didn't want to spend them. I remembered a YouTube-video, which I had seen about NRCS-Hochtunnel-Zuschüsse. I tried to Google information about how to get a Hochtunnel-Zuschuss from NRCS, but it's not so easy to find the information I was looking for. Deep down inside I had the feeling that a Hochtunnel-Zuschuss probably wouldn't be something for a man like me to qualify for, since I only cultivated a quarter hectare of land in my Vorstadtgarten. I didn't think they'd take me seriously, but after I did some research on the Internet, I found an e-mail address and sent an e-mail, asking how I could apply for a Hochtunnel-Zuschuss. The next day a lady from the United States Department of Agriculture and the NRCS came to my farm and spoke to me. I was very impressed by them, which I had done on my own Faust. The Commission also applied for a grant for irrigation, a grant for a low-level tunnel and a grant for the installation of water conduits from the main line directly into the garden to enable more efficient irrigation connections. However, it is not as simple as filling out online forms and receiving cheques. The United States Department of Agriculture has a lot of paperwork and the processing can take a lot of time. After the Lady went to war that day, it took about a year before I heard anything from her again. I had already written it off quickly and had to pay my next Hohentunnel finally from my own pocket. But then I received a call from the Ministry of Agriculture from the sky, telling me that I had received the approval for a Hohentunnel with Irrigation, a Low-Level Tunnel and the Verlegung der Wasserleitung. The total cost of the first round of financing is estimated at about 12 000 dollars. My patience paid off. After the approval I ordered my fourth Farmers Friend Caterpillar Tunnel and had it installed immediately. I also created an efficient low-water tunnel system of three meter long electrical pipes, which I used with a 1.20 meter long Biegegerät, which I bought from Johnny Collected Seeds, to recycle. I bought a pool-up-deckroll and a 300 meter long roll agribond 50. I have designed an efficient low-water tunnel system, with which I can protect my garden efficiently from frost. It'll only take a few minutes instead of hours. The subsidy for the low-level tunnel was about $1,500 for 300 square feet. That's a lot of money, covering 300 square feet of garden space. I also spent all the money on enough material to cover my entire garden. When you come to look at it, ask yourself, why did you make more than 300 square feet? I told you, you gave me way too much money for 300 square feet. I also spent everything to cover my entire garden. They said, okay, well, I'll give you more money, since you took over more than the planned amount, But I don't think I can get more than $2,500. I said I'd take it, and they sent me a deposit of more money than we had planned. In addition, the garden has an inclination of 8%, but the NRCS-standards are not applicable. That you don't choose a tunnel with a slope of more than 5%. They told me I had to take it before I could build my Hochtunnel. I saw her and said, in no case, nobody drives heavy machinery in my garden. That would be an absolute exclusionary criterion and I would in this case simply pay it out of my own pocket. I'll tell you, I've been building my soil for years without soil treatment. And always covered him with compost and wood-chips. Heavy machinery behind here would cause far more damage than improvement. I showed you how I built my three previous Hochtunnels, I've removed the interim graben, so that the water can flow away from the garden. I also have the Gräben ausgekleidet with Holzschnitzelmulch, A risk of erosion from discharging water from the Hochtunnels is to be avoided. After a while, Hin und Her finally agreed to meet me. That a unification of the Geländes would cause far more harm than good. They also granted me an exemption so I could build the Hochtunnel on an 8% incline. I'm telling you this only so you understand that you can violate your standards, As long as you can give them practical reasons for it, Why the Protocol in its context might not make sense. I've learned that everything is decided from fall to fall and exceptions can be made. It is important to know, however, that such subsidies are not alms. It is a financing programme. You must buy the equipment, you must build the infrastructure yourself. and when they have completed the project, the NRCS will reimburse them a fixed amount per square foot. If I for example received the Permission for a High Tunnel Scheme, They didn't just give me a greenhouse. I had to pay it in advance and build it myself. But they reimbursed me for all the costs after I finished the construction. They usually choose per square meter. It also doesn't matter if you spend 1,000 dollars or 100,000 dollars on a tunnel. They only pick them for about three to five dollars per square foot. This may not always cover the entire cost, but at least part of the cost. Depending on their size and the additional functions they have, such as ZB, automated rollwalls or heating. I've decided to buy the Low-Tech-Variant and Farmers Friendly Caterpillar Tunnel. This not only covered all the costs, but even a little more. I think I have an end of the baus about 100 dollars verdict. You have also paid for the Watering of the High Tunnels. It seems to be no matter how much money I spend or not spend. They just chose me the same amount. In both cases, the charge is either per meter for the water infrastructure or per square foot for all other purposes. It must be remembered that the USDA did not make the process as simple as possible. I want to make sure that he is serious about fulfilling his obligations. Otherwise, many people would apply for free Hochtunnel subsidies. You are not really in a position to fulfill this obligation. As soon as the project is completed and the standards are met, The Commission notes that the Commission has not yet received any information on the amount of the aid. To expand faster, as if you were self-financing everything. The Commission has not yet decided whether to grant the aid. I could build a more efficient and profitable operation. And after I had set up this system, I could use the extra capital, I'm going to reinvest in my company, help set up and expand further. The application for the grant is not easy. The paperwork is extensive and the financing is competitive. The district has a limited pool of funds. As a city landlord in Knoxville, Tennessee, I had one advantage, however. Unlike in agricultural areas, there are not many Bauernhöfe in the Stadt. Fewer applications mean less competition. If you're also like me an urban landwirt, it's probably easier for you, Art von Financing to obtain these for someone from a more competitive area. The rapid implementation of the projects and the respect of their standards not only ensure That I was quickly replaced, but also made me an outstanding example of this, The Commission has already given its opinion on the proposal. The NRCS was so impressed, they invited me, The Commission has also decided to extend the period of validity of the scheme to cover the following categories of projects: to help other farmers achieve similar successes. A pretty cool performance for someone who's never worked on a farm in his life. But I didn't listen up, I started asking more questions. On the bottom of these papers are codes. How can I get more? Do you have any other Zuschüsse? Well, it turns out you have some. And you are qualified. This year I received another grant for the Hochtunnel for Mulchen und Zwischenfruchtanbau. I will receive $6,000 a year for the next five years for the implementation of Intermediate Fruits and Mulch. That's $35,000 for that, I was already dead, And several thousand more dollars to turn my Seitengarten into a Bestäuberlebensraum zu verwandeln. We will build the Hochtunnel next month and have the area for the best habitable space already covered with a plane, The plant will be planted next spring. I will present all the projects as soon as we have them completed. By receiving these grants for my Heimgrundstück I was able to reinvest and expand. When I get access to Pachtland on the grounds of a friend, I have the capital to buy it without financial burden. I have now applied for dieselben Zuschüsse für das gepachtete Grundstück. And given my success record and my connections within the USDA and the NRCS I'm optimistic that I'll be approved. These subsidies will help to take the agricultural operation to the next stage. You may be wondering how you can get these grants for your yard or garden? Now, the most important thing first, there is no simple online form. The process can be a little intimidating, as much paperwork is involved. But don't let it scare you. The first step is to go directly to the local USDA or NRCS office. Do not call and write an e-mail, but go personally and talk to the person at the reception. You may not be immediately accessible, but if you appear in person, you will immediately attract their attention. Anyone can send an e-mail, but very few people make the effort to come and ask questions in person. So they will be judged. If you are there, arrange a visit with a NRCS-Representative. This person will examine your Hof oder Garten, talk to you about your objectives and help you determine which benefits you qualify for. When you come to your farm, make sure everything is clean and orderly. The last thing you wanted was to see a disorderly court. You want to see a professional business, you want to invest in it. This is about building trust and credibility. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Many employees of the United States Department of Agriculture and the NRCS may not even know about some of these subsidies. Many of you have just come from the University and have not yet got acquainted with the Fundamentals. I asked for Kurz, whom I had seen in the Unterlagen, and for Zuschüssen, whom I had never heard of. At first you didn't know what these schisms were about, but you made the effort to find out. And so I have received the Zuschuss für Zwischenfruchtanbau und Bestäuberhabität. Ask these questions, even if you feel that you are pushing your limits. If you don't know, you'll find out for yourself. And if you think that's too unlikely, ask anyway. The worst thing you can do is say no, and you're in the same situation as before. But in the best case, you may get funding for something you never imagined. I have, for example, asked for a grant for the installation of a 20,000 gallon rainwater collection plant. And you said, not in this round, but maybe in the future. The war is not clear, no, but only one, diesmal nicht, Kumpel, aber egal. It didn't matter if you said no, what if you said yes? If you're also thinking about starting your own vegetable garden, or are already busy with it, I have many more videos on my channel, that will help you with everything, From building your own business to making money. Also, much luck with your Fördermittelanträgen and we'll see you next time. Thank you all!