2023 Awardees
Learn more about the grantees and the services they are providing for emerging farmers in our award summary and with organizations' links below. If you need help connecting with these organizations, please reach out to jenny.heck@state.mn.us.
| Organization | Project Summary | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| AgCentric | Scholarships and outreach for emerging farmers to enroll in Farm Business Management Programs at state colleges. | Staples |
| Farm Commons | Legal and other business support (workshops and one-on-one support) for farmers in Nagaajiwanaang (Fond du Lac Reservation); also helping farmers enroll in and providing premium payment support for USDA’s Micro Farm Crop Insurance. | Duluth |
| Forty Acre Cooperative | 10-week business mentorship program and rural networking opportunities for BIPOC farmers. | Willow River |
| Friendly Hmong Farms | One-on-one business coaching and marketing support for direct-market farmers’ market farmers. | Minnetonka |
| Kilimo Minnesota | One-on-one mentorship for farmers of African descent, expanding capacity of existing incubator farm program. | Cambridge |
| Land Stewardship Project | Providing group classes and one-on-one business mentorship in English and Spanish; also helping farmers enroll and providing premium payment support for USDA’s Micro Farm Crop Insurance. | Minneapolis |
| MN Farmers Market Association | Helping farmers navigate USDA’s Micro Farm Crop Insurance and supporting farmers with the insurance premium payments. | Nerstrand |
| Renewing the Countryside | Training and supporting 10 farmers’ market food hub managers around the state to provide marketing, food safety, and licensing support for farmers. | Hammond |
Learn more about these grantees in our 2023 press release here on our website. This grant was funded by a one-time appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature. It is not currently funded for future cycles.
At a Glance
Organizations can use the Emerging Farmer Technical Assistance Grant to:
- Provide technical and culturally appropriate services to Minnesota emerging farmers, and/or
- Pay for up to 65% of Minnesota emerging farmers' premium expenses each year up to two years under the USDA Micro Farm Crop Insurance program.
Details
-
Grant minimum: $10,000
- Grant maximum: $100,000
- No matching funds required
- Must be an organization (not for individuals)
- For expenses between August 2023 and June 2024
- Applications were due on June 26, 2023
Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:
- Compensation for staff who provide technical assistance
- Supplies and travel for technical assistance
- Up to 65% of emerging farmers' premium expenses for USDA Micro Farm Crop Insurance
- Outreach for promoting technical assistance and/or crop insurance services
- Up to 10% of the grant may fund an organization's indirect expenses, such as: office and utilities, accounting/bookkeeping services, legal fees, etc.
What Else?
This Emerging Farmer Technical Assistance Grant comes in response to the MDA's Emerging Farmers Working Group, which has identified technical assistance as one of the top needs for emerging farmers.
Technical assistance consists of farm business support, such as helping farmers with:
- Record keeping
- Financial statements
- Business plans
- Permits, licenses, regulations
- Land access
- Applying for loans, grants, and other programs
- Sales and marketing
- Other business support
Emerging farmers include farmers who are American Indian or Alaskan Natives, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, members of a community of color, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, or any other emerging farmers as determined by the commissioner of agriculture.
How to Apply
The application period for this grant closed on June 26, 2023.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) document in the Forms + Resources box on this page detailed the funding, eligibility, application instructions, grantee requirements, application questions, and how we will review and score applications.
Contact Jenny Heck at jenny.heck@state.mn.us or 651-201-6316 for more information.
