2026 County Promotion & Outreach Grants

Interested in applying for a 2026 County Promotion & Outreach Grant? County Farm Bureaus can apply for up to $1,000 in grant support for 2026 programming in one of two categories — or split between them. 

Grant funds support new or expanded consumer-engagement or county-fair visibility activities — but not added to resources already allocated for existing programs. The intent is to help counties amplify, modify or develop new outreach efforts.

Here are those two categories:

Connecting Communities: To support county Farm Bureau efforts to connect and engage with local, adult consumers through social events, outreach at existing venues consumers frequent, advertising to promote agriculture, and agricultural career outreach.

County Fairs: To increase county Farm Bureau visibility at county fairs through engaging opportunities for members, exhibitors or consumers. County fair grant awards will match county Farm Bureau investments. (For a $1,000 project, the county invests $500 and can apply for $500 in County Fair grant funds.)

There are many ways to utilize these funds. MFB encourages creative, innovative ideas to showcase county Farm Bureaus and your county’s unique agricultural identity. Here are some ideas to consider if your county Farm Bureau is looking for how to apply fair grants:

• Real Farmers, Real Answers: Utilize the new Real Farmers, Real Answers Booth-in-a-Box to engage fairgoers in conversations about agriculture and answer questions about where their food comes from.
• County Pancake Breakfast: Select a day of the fair (preferably a day with a livestock auction or showing) and host a free pancake breakfast to bring together 4-H, FFA, Farm Bureau members and the non-farm community together and showcase your county’s largest agricultural organization.
• Member Appreciation Day: Partner with fair board and youth organizations to promote a day of free fair admission for members, who should help with booths and activities promoting membership.
• Taste of (Your) County: Promote local agriculture and encourage local engagement by connecting with local producers and vendors to represent a sector, display equipment, plants, food, beverages and allow taste tests for participants to sample a variety of locally produced food products.
• Make-n-Takes: Host hands-on educational activities for youth that show how food comes from farms. Counties can reference the Make-N-Take Book activity ideas and age-appropriate lessons.
• Contests: At any booth or learning station, incorporate a light-hearted contest with prizes! Challenge fair-goers to guess the weight, height, or breed of livestock animals. Pose county-specific trivia questions; guess how many seeds are in a jar, or how many bushels per acre, etc. Winners take home prizes from local businesses or producers.
• Scavenger Hunt: Plan a scavenger hunt with learning at every stop. Incorporate various components of Michigan agriculture with prizes for participants at the end.
• County Pails: Purchase county Farm Bureau pails from the MI Ag in the Classroom Store to give to livestock exhibitors as a way to recognize participation and promote Farm Bureau involvement.

The ideas above are just a small sample of the countless possibilities for impactful local fair outreach. Applying for a 2026 County Promotion & Outreach Grant creates opportunities for county Farm Bureaus to explore engaging new ways to promote membership and advocate for Michigan agriculture. 

Spring cycle applications are due March 15. 

Check out the next Farm Gate, March 3, for ideas about effectively using grant funds in the Connecting Communities category. Drop us a line with any questions!