Your farm's thinking machine

Find farm funding

Government grants, cost-share, loans and tax rules for Washington and Oregon farms, with what each one actually covers, what you pay up front, and whether drones count. Free, no sign-up, and every line checked against the official page.

28 programs, last full check October 14, 2026. If you have farmed ten years or fewer, 6 of them mention better terms for you. Prefer the filters? Browse everything.

Ask about your farm

Answers come only from the verified program records on this site. Every answer shows the agency's own words and the date we checked them. When the records don't say, it tells you to ask the agency.

Not live yet: the assistant is being built. Until then, use the program pages and the contact on each one.

Example answer (illustrative)

"I've farmed 6 years near Walla Walla. Can an FSA microloan buy a spray drone?"

Possibly, and at a beginning-farmer rate. FSA lists equipment as an allowed microloan purpose up to $50,000, and for beginning or veteran farmers the interest rate is capped at 5%. FSA's loan texts never mention drones, so your county loan officer decides whether a drone is "essential" and "proportionate" for your operation. Ask before you buy.

Where this comes from

FSA Operating Microloan · "Operating Microloans provide up to $50,000 per loan." · verified Oct 14, 2026

FSA Operating Microloan · rate capped at 5% for beginning or veteran farmers · verified Oct 14, 2026

Ask the agency

Whether a drone counts as essential equipment is the loan officer's call. Find your county FSA office at farmers.gov/service-locator. Question to ask: "Would a [make, model] spray drone be treated as farm equipment essential and proportionate to my [acres, crop] operation?"

Open right now

All open programs →

Open nowFederal · 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.

Applications: Same cutoffs as EQIP (Washington December 18, 2026; Oregon November 13, 2026)
Paid: Annual payment each contract year

Pays for the practice, not the drone

Verified Oct 14, 2026

What it covers →

Open nowFederal · 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%.

Applications: Washington: December 18, 2026
Paid: After the practice is certified complete; historically underserved producers may take an advance of at least 50% to be spent within 90 days

Pays for the practice, not the drone

Verified Oct 14, 2026

What it covers →

Open nowOregon · statewide · grant

OWEB Restoration Grants (organizations)

Set per project.

Applications: February 1, 2027
Paid: Reimbursement to the grantee

Drones named as eligible

Verified Oct 14, 2026

What it covers →

Three steps, no surprises

Find a program

Three questions or the full filters. Every listing shows the day it was last checked against the official page.

Check eligibility and cash

See what it pays, what you pay up front, when the money arrives, and whether drones are named, unaddressed or excluded.

Apply with the agency

Every page ends with the official application link and the person to call. Nothing is filed through this site, and nobody here sells anything.

Drones, within the rules

Farmers can spray and spread with a drone under rules written for crop dusters. Carrying a load across the farm with the same aircraft is a different question. Here is what the FAA allows today, in the FAA's own words, and what we are asking for.

On the farm, with a drone	Today	Under
Spray, spread or seed with a drone under 55 lb	Permitted with the right certificates	A Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate and a Part 107 remote pilot certificate, plus an exemption from the FAA. 14 CFR 137.11(a): no person may conduct agricultural aircraft operations without, or in violation of, an agricultural aircraft operator certificate issued under this part. FAA, dispensing chemicals page: may operate under 14 CFR Part 107 and require exemption from Section 107.36 Carriage of hazardous material as well as several Part 137 regulations (govinfo.gov, checked October 15, 2026)
Map, scout and count a crop	Permitted	Under Part 107 with a remote pilot certificate, for aircraft under 55 lb. FAA, Section 44807 page: The Small UAS Rule (14 CFR Part 107) is only applicable to unmanned aircraft (drones) that weigh less than 55 pounds at takeoff. (faa.gov, checked October 15, 2026)
Lift or carry with a drone of 55 lb or more	No rule to fly under	Part 137 covers dispensing only. Each operation would need its own 44807 exemption, and we found none granted for farm lifting. Cargo petitions for the DJI FlyCart 30 filed in June 2026 were pending. 14 CFR 137.3, widest prong of the definition: engaging in dispensing activities directly affecting agriculture, horticulture, or forest preservation, but not including the dispensing of live insects. FAA list of approved UAS under 44807 (Oct 2, 2026): This list alone does not grant authorization to operate any UAS on this list. (govinfo.gov, checked October 15, 2026)

Every row on the rules page links the regulation or FAA page it quotes and the date it was checked. Quotes above were verified on October 15, 2026.

What you may do today What we are asking for

Add your voice

Two things you can sign up for, separately. Funding alerts: one email when a program you care about opens, a deadline moves, or a listing changes after we re-check it. Supporter updates: at most monthly, plus a note when a public comment period opens on drone rules, with a template you can make your own.

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Who we are

Let Farmers Fly is run by farmers and people who work for them in Walla Walla, Washington. It takes no money from equipment makers or dealers, sells no data, and sends no sales email. Corrections are published within one business day.

How we verify