The weekly field guide for Irish farmsFree · Every week · Made in Ireland
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For Irish farmers and advisors

Farm grants and handy tech, without the hours of digging.

Every week we pull together the Irish grant news and closing dates that matter, plus a few practical AI and farm tech tools worth a look. Short, plain English, and free.

Why we started

The money is there. Finding it is a job of its own.

Between TAMS, ACRES, BISS, farm safety measures and all the rest, there's a lot of support for Irish farms. Keeping track of it after a long day is the hard part.

And you can apply for most of it yourself: 12 of the 25 schemes we track are fully do-it-yourself and 9 more need just one certified step. Apply yourself, step by step.

  1. Deadlines slip by

    Schemes open and close in tranches and windows, with notices scattered across gov.ie, press releases and the farming papers. Missing one can mean waiting months for the next round.

  2. The paperwork is heavy

    Terms and conditions, reference costs, quotes and photos. Even with a good advisor, it takes time to get your side of things together.

  3. "AI" is mostly noise

    Everyone is selling something with AI on the box. It's hard to tell which tools actually save time on a working farm and which are just a sales pitch.

The deadline ledger

Dates worth writing on the calendar

Every date here is checked against an official source, with the link. The newsletter adds new schemes as their dates are confirmed.

TAMS 3 tranche closing dates, 2026
SchemeRoundClosesStatusSource
TAMS 3Tranche 14Fri 04 Dec 2026Opengov.ie
TAMS 3Tranche 13Fri 04 Sep 2026Closedgov.ie
TAMS 3Tranche 12Fri 05 Jun 2026Closedgov.ie
TAMS 3Tranche 11Fri 06 Mar 2026Closedgov.ie

Checked on 16 October 2026. Dates can change and the scheme terms and conditions are what count, so always confirm on gov.ie or with your advisor before you act. Other schemes (ACRES, BISS, farm safety and more) are covered in the weekly email once their dates are officially published. See all 20 schemes in the grants ledger.

How it works

Simple as a cup of tea on a Sunday

  1. Sign up for free

    Free

    Pop in your email. Each week you'll get grant news, upcoming deadlines and a few tools worth knowing about, with links to the official source.

  2. Browse the tools directory

    Free

    A growing list of practical AI and farm tech tools: herd records, grass, calving, crops and paperwork. Each one explained by what it does, what it costs and who it suits.

  3. Get matched to grants

    Basic plan

    Fill in a short farm profile once. The Grant Matcher shows the schemes that suit you, with an action plan and a step-by-step guide for each one.

Newsletter

Short enough to read before the dinner gets cold.

No fluff and no hard sell. Each issue follows the same layout, so you know where to look.

GrassGrantInside each issue
  1. 01
    Grant news and deadlinesWhat's open, what's closing and where to check it on gov.ie.
  2. 02
    Three tools worth a lookWhat they do, rough cost and any catches.
  3. 03
    One practical tipSomething you can use on the farm or in the farm office this week.

Grant Matcher

Let the Grant Matcher do the legwork

A paid tool that checks your farm against the scheme rules for you. See how it works or see the plans.

  • A farm profile that you fill in once (farming type, date of birth, land, schemes you're already in)
  • A shortlist of grants that may suit your farm, with links to the official terms
  • Deadline reminders by email before a window closes (texts coming soon)
  • An action plan, step-by-step guides and templates so you can apply yourself

Example demo, sample farm

Video description: an example of the Grant Matcher app with a sample dairy farm in County Cavan. Profile: the farmer types in dairy, Cavan, 45 hectares, aged 34, has a herd number, is in ACRES and plans solar panels on the parlour roof, while a progress bar fills to 100%. Matches: three grants appear with example fit scores, reasons they may fit and things to check: Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (TAMS 3) (closes 4 Dec 2026), Solar Capital Investment Scheme (TAMS 3) (closes 4 Dec 2026) and SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant (solar PV) (closes 6 Jul 2027). Grant detail: the Young Farmers scheme shows a 60% grant, a maximum grant of €54,000 and 49 days left. An eligibility checklist ticks off age under 41, herd number and minimum investment, and flags agricultural education and first time head of holding to confirm. A document checklist ticks off two of four items. Deadlines: a timeline shows the closing dates, and a phone shows a text and an email reminder on 20 November 2026 that the solar scheme closes in 14 days. Drafts: an AI assistant types a note to the farmer's advisor about applying, with an "Advisor review needed" badge. Summary: 3 grants matched, with the published maximums: up to €54,000, 60% of up to €90,000, and up to €325,200, and a note that the amount depends on the approved investment. The video loops and has no sound.

Step 1 of 4

Fill in your farm profile

EnterpriseDairy
CountyCavan
Farm size45 ha
Farmer age34
SchemesACRES

Step 2 of 4

See grants that may fit

  • Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (TAMS 3)Closes 4 Dec 2026

    Aged 34, under the age limit of 41

    To check: Agricultural education, and being head of holding for the first time

  • Solar Capital Investment Scheme (TAMS 3)Closes 4 Dec 2026

    Active dairy farmer, can apply through agfood.ie

    To check: Ranking applies, so compare it with the SEAI grant

  • SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant (solar PV)Closes 6 Jul 2027

    Farms count as businesses for this grant

    To check: Building must have been built and occupied by 31 Dec 2020

Step 3 of 4

Get a reminder before it closes

Step 4 of 4

Get help drafting notes

Draft help · example note

We run a 45 ha dairy farm in Co. Cavan and are thinking about solar panels on the parlour roof to cut electricity costs. Can we compare the TAMS solar grant (60%) with the SEAI grant (45%)? Was the building built before 2021?

A draft only. Check it and edit it before you use it.

Sample profile. Grant names, rates and closing dates come from our grants ledger (checked 16 October 2026).

See the full demo and how the Grant Matcher works

Pricing

Free to read. Fair to upgrade.

The newsletter and tools directory are free and will stay free. The Grant Matcher is a paid plan, from €5 a month.

Free

€0

Always

  • Weekly newsletter
  • Grants list with closing dates
  • Tools directory
Subscribe free

Basic

€5 /month

Billed monthly

  • Matched grants for your farm
  • Full details for every scheme
  • Personalised checklists
  • Step-by-step apply guides and document uploads
  • Registered professionals near you
  • The full newsletter archive
Choose Basic
Suits most farms

Pro

€15 /month

Billed monthly

  • Everything in Basic
  • Ready-made templates (quotes, letters, council and landowner requests)
  • Deadline plan and quote comparison
  • Email deadline reminders (texts coming soon)
  • "What could change" actions
Choose Pro

Advisor

€49 /month

For advisors and consultants

  • Everything in Pro
  • Up to 15 client farm profiles
  • Matches and deadlines for each client
Choose Advisor

Prices include VAT where it applies. Payment is by card through Stripe, monthly, and you can manage your plan from your account. We’re still testing, so checkout runs in Stripe’s test mode and no real payment is taken yet.

FAQ

Fair questions

Anything else? Email hello@grassgrant.ie and a person will answer.

Is the newsletter really free?

Yes. The weekly newsletter and the tools directory are free. We may carry clearly marked sponsor messages to keep it that way, and we'll always say when something is sponsored.

Are you connected with the Department of Agriculture?

No. GrassGrant is independent and isn't connected with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc or any other State body. We link to official sources so you can check everything yourself.

Will GrassGrant submit my grant applications?

No. Most Department schemes are applied for through agfood.ie, often by your advisor. GrassGrant helps you find schemes, keep track of deadlines and get your notes and paperwork ready. You or your advisor still make and submit the application.

Can I rely on the deadlines you send?

We check every deadline against official sources before sending it, and we include the link. Dates can change and terms and conditions are what count, so always confirm on gov.ie or with your advisor before you act.

I'm not great with technology. Is this for me?

Absolutely. The newsletter is a plain email, and the tools we cover are explained in everyday language. If a tool is fiddly, we'll say so.

I'm an advisor. Is there something for me?

Yes. The Advisor plan (€49/month) lets you add up to 15 client farm profiles and see matches and deadlines for each one. It's meant to support the work you already do, not replace it. See the Advisor plan.

What happens to my farm information?

We'll only use it to run the service you signed up for. We won't sell it. A full privacy policy is on the way, and you'll be able to delete your data whenever you want.