Michelei Tancayo from Aina May LLC purchased a chipper to mulch trees and branches with a prior Maui County Agricultural Micro Grant.

Informational sessions on the Maui County Agricultural Micro Grant Program 4.0, offering up to $25,000 in grants to small farmers and ranchers, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 4, at Maui Economic Opportunity and Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani.

MEO Business Development Center staff will be conducting the sessions that both run from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The session at MEO, 99 Mahalani St, also will be available on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85194431094?pwd=hkySkYtPxVzTzhlQXGIdNb5dtIObCB.1.

Grant application and award information will be presented to help farmers and ranchers understand the process and the documents required.

Applications for the program will be available beginning, Tuesday, Oct. 17, on the MEO website at https://www.meoinc.org/agricultural-micro-grant-program/ or in-person at MEO’s Wailuku office.

The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, Nov. 30.

The $3 million Maui County-funded program, administered by MEO’s Business Development Center, is open to operating farms on less than 12 acres and livestock ranches up to 40 acres possessing a county business or state general excise license as of July 1, 2023. Preference will be given to women and Native Hawaiians.

For more information, contact the MEO Business Development Center by phone at (808) 249-2990 or by e-mail at bdcinfo@meoinc.org.