Grass Run Farm is six months into the process of applying for a federal grant to help grow our business. This particular program -- aimed at helping farmers who add value to the products they sell -- seems to fit us perfectly. After all, we take local agricultural products (cattle and hogs), add value to them by processing them locally and verifying important claims about the standards to which they was raised, and sell them within our region, helping to build a system in which consumers place more and more value on the source and quality of their food.

But it's been a haul.

First of all, if you're considering applying for a federal grant, find someone in your area who has successfully applied for a similar program and wring them for details. Good persuasive writing is only the start; it pays to know how to navigate the many and specific rules for compiling the application, section by section. Even with considerable professional help, we'll hit the deadline hard.

Then, get a firmer grip on your farm's financials than you ever thought necessary. This means mapping out budgets for projected expansion for the next three to five years. It means knowing how much dept/risk you're planning to take (on) to get profitable (or more profitable, if possible). And it means knowing how to track your progress week by week, month by month so that you see any red flags before they unfurl.

I am uncomfortable with the idea of calculated debt. Or any debt at all, for that matter. I makes me feel like a failure. It makes me worry incessantly and lose sleep. I've needed to hear my husband and business partners explain our plan for assuming and mitigating debt at least 100 times as we inch closer to signing a dotted line for borrowed funding. But in the end, I understand that risk is usually the only precursor to reward.

Finally, look hard at the systems in place on your farm. You're going to need them to run nearly without a hitch so you can fulfill the plans laid out in your grant application AND do the paperwork to prove it. It's rare for state and federal grantors to release award money up front. Grant winners usually have to spend their own money, produce receipts for every breath they held while spending it, and wait to be reimbursed.

It sure is a funny way of rewarding those who have already bet their livelihood on products as contentious -- and perishable -- as food.