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Ten years or fewer is USDA's "beginning farmer"; better terms are marked on cards.

Kind of help
Status
Drones
Open nowFederal · USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service · annual payments

NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

Annual payments under a five-year contract, with a $4,000 minimum payment in most years; Washington, Oregon and Idaho enhancement rates were not retrieved.

Pays for the practice, not the drone: Enhancement E595B names drones as a monitoring tool; the payment is per acre for the practice, not for the aircraft

Your cash up front:
None; payments are annual
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowBeginning-farmer termsFederal · USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service · cost-share

NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Up to 75% of the estimated practice cost; historically underserved producers (beginning, veteran, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, Tribes) get at least 25% more, capped at 90%, and may take an advance of at least 50%.

Pays for the practice, not the drone: EQIP pays for practices, never for owning equipment

Your cash up front:
You pay for the practice and are paid after it is certified complete, unless you qualify for and take the advance payment option
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowOregon · statewide · Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board · grant

OWEB Restoration Grants (organizations)

Set per project.

Drones named as eligible: Confirmed for grantee organizations' surveying and monitoring; equipment must stay with the grantee; aerial application by drone is not addressed

Your cash up front:
Not applicable to individual farms
Repay:
Not a loan
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowOregon · statewide · Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board · grant

OWEB Small Grant Program, through SWCDs and watershed councils

Up to $20,000 per project.

Drones excluded: In OWEB's budgeting guide the footnote symbol SG marks an item as not eligible in Small Grants, and the guide attaches SG to drone-related expenses and its Drones chapter and says equipment purchase is strongly discouraged; equipment bought with OWEB money must reside with the grantee, not the landowner

Your cash up front:
25% match in cash, labor or materials
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowIdaho · statewide · Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission · direct loan

Idaho SWCC Resource Conservation and Rangeland Development Program loan

Up to $600,000; 3% for up to 7 years, 4% for 10, 5% for 15, 6% with new or used equipment and second mortgages as collateral.

Ask the agency about drones: "Precision ag equipment" is named, drones are not; an unlisted item may need special-practice approval

Your cash up front:
Collateral; draws during installation
Repay:
Repaid with interest; repayment starts within two years
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowOregon · Sherman County · Sherman County Soil and Water Conservation District · cost-share

Sherman County SWCD County Cost Share

75% cost share on projects up to $20,000.

Drones not addressed: A drone-applied weed treatment or seeding as the practice method is a question for the district

Your cash up front:
The remaining 25%; pre-approval and payment timing not confirmed
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Open nowOregon · Wasco County · Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District · cost-share

Wasco County SWCD District Cost Share

50% of a general conservation project, up to $7,500.

Ask the agency about drones: A precision-agriculture category exists; drones are not named

Your cash up front:
100% up front, reimbursed after receipts; the grant is taxable (1099-G)
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeWashington · by district · Washington State Conservation Commission, through your conservation district · cost-share

Conservation-district cost-share and the Voluntary Stewardship Program

District rate, 50% by default and up to 100%; $100,000 per landowner per fiscal year.

Pays for the practice, not the drone: Cost-share pays for the practice

Your cash up front:
100% up front, reimbursed after the practice is certified
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeBeginning-farmer termsFederal · USDA Farm Service Agency · direct loan

FSA Direct Farm Operating Loan

Up to $400,000 per loan at 5.375% (October 2026 rate).

Ask the agency about drones: "Farm equipment" is an allowed purpose

Your cash up front:
No down payment; FSA takes security worth 100% to 125% of the loan instead
Repay:
Repaid with interest over the useful life of the equipment or 7 years, whichever is less; longer for some purposes
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeBeginning-farmer termsFederal · USDA Farm Service Agency, through a commercial lender · loan guarantee

FSA Guaranteed Farm Operating Loan

Up to $2,558,000 for FY2027; guarantee of up to 90%, or 95% for beginning farmers or land under Tribal jurisdiction.

Ask the agency about drones: "Farm equipment" is listed, drones are not; the lender's credit judgment comes first, then FSA

Your cash up front:
Lender terms; a guarantee fee of 1.5% on the FY2026 chart (FY2027 fee not confirmed)
Repay:
Repaid with interest on the lender's terms; the lender's rate is capped (SOFR plus 6.75% for short fixed rates, or the 5-year Treasury plus 5.5%)
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeBeginning-farmer termsFederal · USDA Farm Service Agency · direct loan

FSA Operating Microloan

Up to $50,000 per loan and $50,000 total FSA operating debt; 5.375% in October 2026, capped at 5% for beginning or veteran farmers.

Ask the agency about drones: "Equipment" is an allowed purpose; drones are not named anywhere in FSA loan texts

Your cash up front:
No down payment and no 125% extra-security rule
Repay:
Repaid with interest over 1 to 7 years
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeOregon · statewide · Oregon Department of Revenue and county assessors · tax rule

Oregon tax rules for farm machinery

Not a payment.

Ask the agency about drones: Neither "drone" nor "aircraft" appears in ORS 307.394; county assessors decide

Your cash up front:
Not applicable
Repay:
Not applicable
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeFederal · Internal Revenue Service · tax rule

Section 179 expensing and 100% bonus depreciation

Section 179 limit $2,560,000 for tax years beginning in 2026, phased out above $4,090,000; 100% bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.

Ask the agency about drones: An agricultural drone meets Publication 225's four depreciable-property tests on their face, but the IRS names no recovery class for drones and has aircraft-specific rules whose application to UAS is not addressed

Your cash up front:
You pay the full price; the benefit is your marginal tax rate times the deduction, decided on the return
Repay:
Not a loan
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeWashington · Eastern Washington · Spokane Conservation District · direct loan

Spokane Conservation District Direct Seed Loan Program

Loan-to-value at most 75%; interest rate and maximum not published.

Drones not addressed: Direct-seed equipment categories; drones are not addressed

Your cash up front:
25% down payment, verified
Repay:
Repaid with interest over 5 to 10 years; first payment due one year after funds are dispersed; rate not published
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeFederal · USDA Rural Development, through a local Microenterprise Development Organization · direct loan

USDA Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) microloan

Up to $50,000, or 75% of the project cost; fixed rate; up to 10 years.

Ask the agency about drones: Equipment is an allowed purpose; drones are not named; the local organization decides

Your cash up front:
At least 25% of the project cost
Repay:
Repaid with interest over up to 10 years
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeWashington · statewide · Washington Department of Revenue · tax rule

Washington tax rules that touch farm equipment and drones

Not a payment; a parts exemption and a B&O classification.

Drones not addressed: Whether an unmanned aircraft is "aircraft" for the parts exemption is not addressed anywhere; a 2016 bill to exempt agricultural-aircraft parts died

Your cash up front:
Not applicable
Repay:
Not applicable
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Applications any timeBeginning-farmer termsWashington · statewide · Washington State Housing Finance Commission with AgWest Farm Credit · direct loan

WSHFC Beginning Farmer/Rancher Program (tax-exempt bond loan)

Up to $682,700; up to $250,000 for depreciable farm property and $62,500 for used equipment.

Ask the agency about drones: Equipment is financeable; drones are not named; AgWest underwrites

Your cash up front:
Lender terms through AgWest
Repay:
Repaid with interest on AgWest's terms
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and how to apply →
Terms not publishedBeginning-farmer termsOregon · statewide · Business Oregon with the Oregon Department of Agriculture · direct loan

Beginning and Expanding Farmer Loan Program (Aggie Bond)

Total $520,000; new depreciable property up to $250,000; used depreciable property up to $62,500.

Ask the agency about drones: Whether a drone is depreciable agricultural property used for farming on agricultural land is not addressed

Next step:
call 503-986-0123
Repay:
Repaid with interest on the lender's terms
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and who to call →
Terms not publishedFederal · USDA Farm Service Agency · direct loan

FSA Emergency Loan

Up to $500,000 or 100% of the actual loss, whichever is less; 3.750% in October 2026.

Ask the agency about drones: Only as replacement of equipment destroyed in the disaster; a first drone is not a loss purpose

Your cash up front:
None stated; security required
Repay:
Repaid with interest; 1 to 7 years for non-real-estate losses
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Details and who to call →
Closed Oct 23, 2025Washington · statewide · Washington State Department of Agriculture · grant

WSDA Local Food System Infrastructure Grant, Equipment Plus

$15,000 to $75,000, no match.

Drones excluded: Field equipment is excluded as a pre-harvest expense; the guideline does not name drones, so the harness records this as excluded by category, not by name

Your cash up front:
None; reimbursement grant
Repay:
Not a loan; nothing to repay
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →
Closed Mar 31, 2026Oregon · statewide · Oregon Department of Agriculture · grant

ODA Farm to School Equipment and Infrastructure Grant

Per-award limit not on the ODA page; ODA oversees $210,000 for the 2025-27 biennium.

Ask the agency about drones: Production equipment is eligible if it serves school sales; drones are not named

Your cash up front:
Not on the ODA page
Next round:
not announced
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →
Closed Apr 22, 2026Federal · USDA Rural Development · grant

USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG)

Planning grants up to $50,000; working-capital grants up to $200,000 (FY2026 round); dollar-for-dollar match.

Drones excluded: Equipment purchase is an unallowable cost under the regulation, so a drone cannot be bought with the grant; the official text does not name drones, so the harness keeps this as not confirmed

Your cash up front:
Matching funds equal to the grant
Next round:
not announced
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →
Closed May 15, 2026Washington · statewide · Washington State Conservation Commission · cost-share

Sustainable Farms and Fields, through conservation districts

$100,000 per landowner per fiscal year across Conservation Commission programs; $112,000 per applicant organization for FY2027; reimbursed at the district's cost-share rate.

Drones not addressed: Not addressed in the guidelines, FAQ, practice list or webinar; the only precision practice listed is GPS precision guidance

Your cash up front:
100% up front, reimbursed at the district's rate after purchase
Next round:
not announced
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →
Closed Sept 11, 2026Washington · statewide · Washington State Department of Agriculture · reimbursement grant

WSDA Climate Smart Farm Equipment Grant

75% of eligible equipment and delivery costs, up to $200,000 per farm per year; 85% for qualifying farms.

Ask the agency about drones: Drones, UAS and sprayers do not appear on the program page or in WSDA's 338-item eligible-equipment list

Your cash up front:
100% up front, then reimbursed
Next round:
not announced
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →
ClosedFederal · USDA Rural Development · loan guarantee

USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)

Guaranteed loans up to $25 million; grant share when open up to 50% of eligible cost.

Drones not addressed: Energy projects only; tillage equipment and vehicles are ineligible, so a drone is practically outside the program

Your cash up front:
The rest of the project cost; lender terms on the loan
Repay:
Guaranteed loans are repaid with interest; grants are not
Checked:
Oct 14, 2026
Plan for the next round →

Not sure which of these fits your operation? Each program page ends with the official link and the person to call.

Ask about your farm