- 2023 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2022 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2021 Federal Fiscal Year (USDA Farm Bill funding)
- 2021 Federal Fiscal Year (USDA Stimulus funding)
- 2020 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2019 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2018 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2017 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2016 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2015 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2014 Federal Fiscal Year
- 2013 Federal Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year 2023
| Organization Name, | Industry Sectors or Specific Specialty Crops Targeted | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hmong American Farmers Association, Dao Yang | Tree fruit: apples, pears, plums, etc. | Training Hmong farmers to access new markets and increase availability of locally grown tree fruit. | $97K |
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Nora Shields-Cutler | Specialty crops for child nutrition programs | Harvest of the Month programming for Minnesota's youngest eaters. | $60K |
| Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association, Kathy Zeman | Specialty crop communications for producers | Translations of field conditions and price reporting for Minnesota specialty crops in multiple languages. | $125K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Michelle Grabowski | Apples, nursery crops | Identifying best management practices for red star rust, an invasive pathogen of apple and nursery crops. | $125K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Nicole Baysal | Specialty crop food safety | On-farm produce safety improvement grants and Produce Safety Rule grower training. | $125K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Rachel Wandrei | Specialty crop marketing | Statewide promotion of Minnesota Grown specialty crops. | $94K |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota, Brandon Miller | Nursery crops | Jumping worm management in container nursery crops. | $125K |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota, Daniel Kaiser | Dry beans | Improving dry bean profitability in Minnesota by optimizing nutrient management. | $125K |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota, Matthew Clark | Fruit: caneberries | Assessing Rubus wild crop relatives for caneberry genetic improvement. | $107K |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota, Vera Krischik | Grapes, hops, berries, apples | Development of a biocontrol agent for Japanese beetle in Minnesota wine grapes, hops, berries, and apples. | $125K |
| Sprout MN, Taran Skwira | Specialty crop education & marketing | Specialty crop value education and expanding marketing efforts to rural communities. | $110K |
Fiscal Year 2022
| Organization Name, | Industry Sectors or Specific Specialty Crops Targeted | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Cities Berry Company, Andrew Petran | Strawberries | Developing climate resilient practices for high-density strawberry production within protected culture structures, allowing new and emerging farmers to overcome spatial and environmental hurdles to financial sustainability | $123K |
| University of Minnesota, Mary Rogers | Small fruit/berries: raspberries, strawberries | Investigating botanical-based repellents to prevent infestation of small fruit by spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) and facilitate the rearing and release of Ganaspis brasiliensis in Minnesota for biological control of SWD | $125K |
| University of Minnesota, Chengyan Yue | Cherry tomatoes, delicata squash, cucumbers, melons, kale, onions | University of Minnesota personnel will create enterprise budgets for six crops in Minnesota that have been identified as most desirable for school food service professionals and develop decision-making tools about which crops to grow for Farm to School markets, and at what scale. | $125K |
| University of Minnesota, Matthew Clark | Grapes | This project by the University of Minnesota uses differential thermal analysis to assess grape buds for hardiness to inform breeding decisions, make selections and variety release decisions, speed up the breeding process, and understand the genetics of winter survival in grape | $125K |
| Farm Commons, Chloe Johnson | Botanicals and herbs, producer education | Farm Commons will empower botanical producers with essential business law information that enables them to create resilient botanical production operations and value-added enterprises. Farm Commons will increase the resilience and ability of botanical growers and value-added ventures to expand by providing training on business law issues facing these producers. | $74K |
| University of Minnesota, Eric Watkins | Turf grass: hard fescue | Optimizing hard fescue seed production in northern Minnesota through agronomics and breeding, aiming to optimize hard fescue establishment in a seed production system for farmers in northern Minnesota. | $125K |
| University of Minnesota, Yuxin Miao | Potato | This University of Minnesota project will develop and evaluate variable rate nitrogen and irrigation management strategies to increase nitrogen and water use efficiencies and reduce nitrate leaching losses to support sustainable potato production in Minnesota. | $125K |
| University of Minnesota, Carl Rosen | Potato | This University of Minnesota project will improve potato production sustainability in the Midwest by adopting a new variety with improved tuber quality, long-term storage, and reduced chemical use. | $125K |
| University of Minnesota, Angie Ambourn | Landscape conifers: hemlock | This project will determine the host effect on cold hardiness of elongate hemlock scale. | $125K |
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Erin McKee | Specialty crops for child nutrition programs | IATP seeks to support the success and formally evaluate MDA’s grant program reimbursing schools for purchases from MN farmers as the program grows beyond its pilot. | $73K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Grown | Fruits, vegetables, honey, maple syrup, Christmas trees | Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown Program is the statewide program charged with promoting locally grown fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops. The program includes an online platform and directory to connect consumers with producers; an extensive array of marketing materials for member farms and retailers; and advertising/PR activities. | $84K |
Fiscal Year 2021 (USDA Farm Bill-Funded)
| Organization Name, | Industry Sectors or Specific Specialty Crops Targeted | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota, Gary Muehlbauer | Hop | Develop, evaluate, and preserve powdery mildew resistant germplasm for hop growers in Minnesota. | $148K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Grown | Apples, Christmas trees, honey, maple syrup, vegetables | This project increases sales and awareness of Minnesota specialty crops with statewide marketing, through a two-year statewide earned media public relations campaign. | $147K |
| University of Minnesota, Alan G. Smith | Tree fruit | Development of a genetic test to identify American highbush cranberry (native, edible fruit, ornamental) from the nearly identical European (non-native, inedible fruit) will increase use of the native, and reduce genetic pollution and invasiveness. | $148K |
| University of Minnesota, Matthew Clark | Grapes, nursery crops | Implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics for early detection of grapevine trunk diseases will provide Minnesota fruit growers and nurseries with insight to improve climate-appropriate management practices and identify sources of disease. | $131K |
| University of Minnesota, William D. Hutchinson | Grapes | Novel research, via GIS and an "Attract & Kill" strategy will be implemented in commercial grape vineyards to manage Japanese Beetle, a pest of more than 300 host plants, and one of the most damaging, invasive pests of specialty crops in Minnesota. | $149K |
| University of Minnesota, Jerry D. Cohen | Tree nut: hazelnuts | New methods to induce rooting in the micropropagation of hybrid hazelnuts will be developed using a chemical biology approach to overcome barriers when working with difficult to root varieties. | $150K |
| Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Michael Neumann | Vegetables: sprouts and microgreens | The proposed initiative will advance non-seasonal consumption of nutritionally enriched sprouts and microgreens as specialty crops to counter health disparities and co-morbidities in the Native American communities worsened by COVID-19 pandemic. | $150K |
| University of Minnesota, Neil O. Anderson | Ornamentals, cut flower flax | The project goal is to test our perennial flax (Linum) selections for cut flower production and postharvest storage conditions that enhance vase life. | $150K |
| University of Minnesota, Nancy Jo Ehlke | Turf grass: perennial ryegrass | The integration of an insect (armyworm) monitoring and trapping program coupled with a perennial ryegrass seed production and endophyte survey to improve the profitability of turf grass seed production in northern Minnesota. | $60K |
Fiscal Year 2021 (USDA Stimulus Bill-Funded)
| Organization Name, | Industry Sectors or Specific Specialty Crops Targeted | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Valerie Gamble | Fruits and vegetables | This project will help produce growers understand the FSMA Produce Safety Rule by offering multi-lingual continuing education related to the rule, and evaluation of those services for continuous improvement. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota, Cindy Tong | Broccoli | We will investigate the extent of swede midge spread in Minnesota; find sustainable, non-pesticidal methods to prevent swede midge damage to broccoli crops; and prepare commercial growers to respond to this emerging pest. Learn more by visiting the VegEdge swede midge profile and the UMN Extension swede midge webpages. | $145K |
| University of Minnesota, Jane Jewett | Small-scale farmers; vegetables | Comprehensive wholesale readiness training will prepare produce farmers who have been direct marketing to consumers to make the leap to wholesale, diversifying their marketing mix and increasing produce availability in local food systems. | $117K |
| The Good Acre, Anna Richardson | Food Hub; produce and other specialty crops | This project will connect BIPOC growers in Minnesota with markets where they have historically been excluded, expanding the diversity of producers represented in these markets and increasing consumer access to high-quality, locally grown produce. | $146K |
| Hmong American Farmers Association, Dao Yang | Mixed vegetables | This project focuses on developing a bilingual, bicultural post-harvest training program to build the capacity of small-scale, immigrant Hmong and BIPOC farmers to implement best practices, extend produce shelf life, and expand market opportunities. | $36K |
| University of Minnesota, Alan G. Smith | Nursery crops | Amur maple is very popular with nurseries and consumers, but it is a non-native invasive plant causing environmental damage, this proposal will select and test seedless Amur maple trees for development of alternative non-invasive cultivars. | $76K |
| The Food Group, Laura Mirafuentes | Organic vegetables; perennial crops such as fruit trees, grapes, nuts, berries, asparagus, culinary herbs | Through its Big River Farms training program and organic incubator farm, this project will educate beginning, socially disadvantaged farmers in organic vegetable production, with new curriculum and demonstration plots focused on perennial crops. | $149K |
| Kilimo Minnesota, Moses Momanyi | Organic vegetables, mixed | This project focuses on training small-scale, immigrant African farmers on farm management and vegetable production skills, which increases regional availability of produce and improves farmers’ economic livelihood. | $72K |
| University of Minnesota, Linda Kinkel | Potato | Optimizing potato soil microbiomes using soil management practices to better understand the relationship between microbial diversity, function, and biomass as well as soil carbon diversity and potato soil health and productivity. | $149K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Grown | Apples, berries, grapes, Christmas trees, nursery crops, honey, garlic, hops, squash, maple syrup | This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing, including search engine advertising, promoted social media posts and social media advertising. | $60K |
| University of Minnesota, Julie Grossman | Vegetable crops | This project will improve specialty crop producers’ capacity to optimize cover crop productivity as part of their vegetable rotations in cold climates by selecting high nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria for use with the cover crop legume hairy vetch. | $125K |
| North Dakota State University, Andrew Robinson | Potato | The University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University potato agronomy program will determine how narrow row spacing can improve sustainability of fresh red- and yellow-skinned potato production in Minnesota. | $114K |
| University of Minnesota, Daniel Handeen | Microgreens | Project personnel, in partnership with three deep winter greenhouse operators, will develop, prototype, and test thermal curtain materials and deployment mechanisms intended to reduce nighttime heat loss from deep winter greenhouses. | $137K |
| Midwest Elderberry Cooperative, Christopher J. Patton | Perennial bush, native elderberry | This project will increase the production acreage of Minnesota elderberry growers to provide Minnesota food and beverage companies with a dependable supply of native, high quality elderberry ingredients. | $90K |
| University of Minnesota, Laura Shannon | Potato | We will innovate artificial intelligence methods for predicting potato Nitrogen status using drones and identify high yielding potatoes, with improved quality traits, and reduced nitrogen requirements for potential cultivar release from the University of Minnesota breeding program. | $122K |
Fiscal Year 2020
| Organization Name, | Industry Sectors or Specific Specialty Crops Targeted | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hmong American Farmers Association, Dao Yang | Ginger, day-neutral strawberries | This project focuses on training small-scale, immigrant Hmong farmers on best practice growing methods for ginger and low tunnel day-neutral strawberries, increasing regional availability, and improving farmers’ economic returns. | $98K |
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Erin McKee VanSlooten | Specialty crops for child nutrition programs | The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy will support and evaluate the implementation of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s pilot grant program reimbursing schools and early care providers for purchases from local farmers. Learn more about Farm to School in Minnesota. | $88K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Angie Ambourn, cooperator Brian Aukema | Christmas trees | The exotic elongate hemlock scale was found in Minnesota on imported Christmas trees in 2018 and 2019. This project’s purpose is to determine the potential of this insect to survive in Minnesota and its impact on this important specialty crop - learn more about holiday greenery best management practices. | $95K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Paul Hugunin | Fruits, vegetables, garlic, hops, Christmas trees, nursery crops, honey, maple syrup | This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing, including search engine advertising, promoted social media posts and social media advertising, and specialty crop advertising in the printed Minnesota Grown Directory. | $100K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Valerie Gamble | Fruit and vegetables | Produce Safety Program staff will help produce growers understand the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule by offering grower trainings at a reduced cost and help growers implement on-farm food safety improvements through a mini-grant opportunity. | $100K |
| Minnesota Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, Jenna Untiedt | Broccoli | This project will screen for black rot (Xanthamonas campestris pv. campestris) resistant/tolerant cultivars of spring and fall broccoli to address the persistent black rot disease which has resulted in up to 90% yield loss for fresh market growers. See the 2021 trial results. | $34K |
| University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Greg Schweser | Tomatoes | This project seeks to expand the Deep Winter Greenhouses (DWG) production season by incorporating tomatoes for late spring/early summer markets. The project also includes a DWG tomato profitability analysis and outreach on DWG production. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota Extension, Annalisa Hultberg | Fruits and vegetables | University of Minnesota Extension will provide Good Agricultural Practices education, materials, and technical assistance to Minnesota produce growers to reduce risks and increase market access and to schools to increase local produce purchasing and consumption in farm-to-cafeteria and school garden programs. Publications include Food Safety for School Gardens Manual, New design for low-cost fruit and vegetable washing station, and Conversation guide to talk with your farmer about produce safety. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center, Ian MacRae | Potatoes | This project assesses and develops controls for mechanical, and biological factors that help spread Potato Virus Y, a disease limiting the yield and quality of seed potatoes and threatening the Minnesota commercial potato industry. | $90K |
| University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center, Steven R. Poppe | Apples, raspberries, grapes, aronia berries, and honeyberries | Grass weed control in orchards and vineyards will be achieved without chemicals using high-velocity abrasive grits derived from residues of Minnesota-based natural products. | $81K |
| University of Minnesota, Alan G. Smith | All specialty crops | This project will identify grower and consumer barriers to adoption of biotechnology (genetically engineered or gene-edited) improved specialty crops in Minnesota to reveal opportunities that improve efficiency and quality of specialty crop production. Find out more at the Specialty Crop Biotechnology Forum website. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota, Eric Watkins | Turfgrass | This project will make use of genomic approaches to improve a low input turfgrass species, strong creeping red fescue, for enhanced sod-forming ability. | $92K |
| University of Minnesota, Matthew Clark | Grapes | This project will explore high-throughput techniques for measuring fruit quality combined with genetic mapping to improve the efficiency of developing new cold-hardy hybrid grapes and improve production practices and sustainability for Minnesota farmers. | $99K |
Fiscal Year 2019
| Organization Name, Principal Investigator | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Angie Ambourn | As Minnesota’s brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) populations continue to increase, this project seeks to expand monitoring within Minnesota apple orchards to identify emerging problem areas and lay the groundwork for implementation of biological control. To learn more, read the Status of Invasive Threats to Fruits and Vegetables (PDF), Extension's FruitEdge: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug webpage, and the MDA's Plant Pest Insider - February 14, 2022. | $94K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Danielle Daugaard | This campaign increases revenue for apple growers by developing the market for new early season apple varieties at retail orchards and grocery stores. It builds on a previous Specialty Crop Block Grant. | $84K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group, Inc, Danielle Daugaard | This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing, including sponsored search advertising (pay-per-click), promoted social media posts, and promotion of specific specialty crops in the printed directory. Visit the online Minnesota Grown Directory to find specialty crops grown in Minnesota. | $93K |
| Renewing the Countryside II, Jan Joannides | Having refined a model where Farmers’ Markets serve as Aggregation hubs for sales of specialty crops to wholesale markets, this phase of the project garners community support to drive sales to a level that ensures long-term success of the model. Read about what was learned and go to Minnesota Farmers' Market Hubs for more resources. | $99K |
| Sustainable Farming Association, Theresa Keaveny | The Sustainable Farming Association will increase profitability of farmers and beginning farmers by increasing premium garlic production, training farmers on best garlic growing/marketing practices, expanding markets and supply chains, and researching improved cultivation methods. Learn more by reading the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project Field Trials Report (PDF), Garlic Selection Assistance Chart (PDF), and Garlic Marketing Report. | $92K |
| The Good Acre, Anna Richardson | The Good Acre will help growers improve record-keeping, prepare for the Food Safety Modernization Act, and partner with a group of higher education and healthcare institutions to develop inventory-distribution systems to expand institutional sales for beginning and underserved farmers. To learn more, read The Good Acre is Building Equity by Supporting Farmers and Eaters. | $98K |
| University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Kathryn Draeger | University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships will work with Minnesota specialty crop farmers and rural grocery stores to increase Minnesota specialty crop farmer access to larger regional markets by opening new farm-to-rural-grocery market channels. | $73K |
| University of Minnesota - Dept. of Horticultural Science, Stan Hokanson | This project will determine the phytochemical differences between susceptible and resistant specialty crop cultivars and the correlation of metabolomic and genomic information to develop new control measures for Japanese beetle in specialty crops. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota Extension, Annie Klodd | Develop the young Minnesota cider apple industry by identifying apple cultivars that are well adapted and produce desirable cider traits, and by educating Minnesota orchardists and winemakers on the best practices for high-quality cider products. Read "The good, the bad and the maybe" article starting on page 22 of October's Good Fruit Grower. | $94K |
| University of Minnesota Northwest Research & Outreach Center, Ian MacRae | This project proposes to develop tactics that will provide better risk estimates and management of Potato Virus Y, a disease limiting the yield and quality of seed potatoes and threatening the Minnesota commercial potato industry. | $75K |
| University of Minnesota, Emily Hoover | The project goal is to expand day-neutral strawberry production in Minnesota by evaluating a tabletop system that increases labor efficiency, reduces inputs, and allows for crop production on marginal land. Read this blog post and article, plus watch this video to learn more. | $97K |
| University of Minnesota, Dr. Carl J. Rosen | This project will improve potato production sustainability in the Midwest through development of a new clone with improved tuber quality, long-term storage, and reduced chemical use. The clone will be evaluated for commercial production potential. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota, Gary Muehlbauer | We will identify wild hop germplasm that confers field-level resistance to powdery mildew and enhanced agronomic potential. In addition, we will identify genetic markers associated with powdery mildew resistance for use in breeding. Learn more in the Journal of Plant Registrations: Registration of seven powdery mildew-resistant wild hop germplasm lines. | $73K |
| University of Minnesota, Lois Braun | With this project, we will begin scale-up of the Upper Midwest hazelnut industry by expanding micropropagation capacity for our 1st Generation hybrid hazelnut selections to enable faster distribution of plants to growers. | $21K |
| University of Minnesota, Mary Rogers | This project will investigate fertility optimization, cultivar selection, and biocompatibility of insecticides with biological control to develop integrated pest management practices for local hydroponic vegetable crop industries. Find out more on Extension's small-scale hydroponics website, including the different growing systems that can be adopted for home gardeners, small farms, and larger commercial facilities. Visit Spark-Y Resources for a virtual interactive aquaponics introduction and posters on garden pests. | $95K |
Fiscal Year 2018
| Organization Name, Principal Investigator | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Federal Award Amount (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc., Stephen Carpenter | Specialty Crop Farmers' & Marketers' Guides to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2.0 and Direct-Marketing Contracts. See the Farmers Guide to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2). | $75K |
| Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Michael Neumann | Initiative to reduce health disparities in Native American communities by improving production of health targeted sweet potato and increasing access to sweet potato through education and design of value-added baby food and maternal health products. | $75K |
| Minnesota Ag in the Classroom, Sue Knott, Keri Sidle | Increase Minnesota students' knowledge and consumption of specialty crops. Watch these YouTube videos featuring a Minnesota specialty crop farmer and elementary and middle school aged students: Carrots | Cucumbers | Tomatoes | $22.5K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Danielle Daugaard | This campaign increases revenue for apple growers by developing the market for new, early season apple varieties at retail orchards and grocery stores. | $45K |
| Minnesota Farmers' Market Association, Kathy Zeman | Minnesota specialty crop grower organizations will collaborate to converge their annual conferences into one annual conference, maximizing educational efforts and minimizing costs. | $55K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group, Danielle Daugaard | This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing including sponsored search advertising (pay-per-click), promoted social media posts, and promotion of specific specialty crops in the printed directory. Visit the online Minnesota Grown Directory to find specialty crops grown in Minnesota. | $94K |
| Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, Hannah Mathers | The overall goal of this project is to reduce the incidence of drift and carryover injury in Minnesota nurseries by finding the levels and times of applications of glyphosate and dicamba that are least problematic to nursery stock. | $100K |
| Organic Seed Alliance, Kitt Healy | This project improves the quality and availability of sweet peppers adapted to Minnesota organic agriculture while increasing farmers’ capacity to do on-farm breeding projects and engage with grassroots efforts to strengthen the regional seed system. | $60K |
| Renewing the Countryside II, Jan Joannides | This project builds upon and enhances the Farmers’ Market Aggregation project that develops new sales for specialty crop farmers to wholesale buyers. In addition, we will conduct a financial analysis to evaluate the sustainability of this system. Find more information and manuals on the Minnesota Farmers' Market Hubs page. | $99K |
| Sustainable Farming Association, Theresa Keaveny | The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota (SFA) will work with beginning and operating farmers to increase production of asparagus in Minnesota through improved soil health practices and expand supply chain networks and markets. See the SFA's Minnesota Asparagus Project and the Growing Asparagus in Minnesota guide for more information. | $52K |
| University of Minnesota, Greg Schweser | Researchers will improve Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG) designs, create business planning and financing tools, and conduct workshops in winter production. Check out the DWG Enterprise Budget and Estimator and the Farm Scale Winter Greenhouse construction document. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota, Changbin Chen | This project will investigate several aspects of goji berry as a new crop for Minnesota farmers, including selecting elite traits, developing techniques for clonal propagation, establishing a long-term trial location(s), and breeding for new cultivars. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota, Ian MacRae | This is a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to develop drone-based remote sensing techniques for Potato Virus Y, a severely limiting disease in seed potato production. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota, William D. Hutchinson | The Department of Entomology will develop new early warning forecast tools for specialty crop (raspberry, grape) growers in Minnesota to aid in managing the invasive Japanese beetle that has recently been defoliating these crops. Learn more in these articles: Japanese Beetle: an Emerging Pest of Fruit Crops and New Forecasting Model for Japanese Beetle in Minnesota. | $98K |
| University of Minnesota, Matthew Clark | Quantification and evaluation of the effects of soil (terroir) and harvest timing on two cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties, Marquette and Brianna, grown in Minnesota and North Dakota. Find out more in this webinar series, What to do now in the vineyard. | $93K |
| University of Minnesota, Anne Sawyer | This project provides food safety education and technical assistance to Minnesota specialty crop growers, helping them prepare for Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule implementation through creation of an online Good Agricultural Practices training program and in-person workshops. See the Food Safety Fact Sheets created with this grant. | $91K |
| University of Minnesota, Cindy Tong | This project will test cellphone record-keeping app designs and improve a Beta version to produce a version that can be released to farmers to help them comply with requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act. | $36K |
Fiscal Year 2017
| Organization Name, Principal Investigator | Project Summary & Link(s) to Results | Project Total (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Cook County Community Center / Extension, Diane Booth | The purpose of the project is to assess the economic impact of growing local cut flowers and to identify their niche markets along the North Shore of Lake Superior. | $14K |
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Erin McKee | To continue our successful Farm to Head Start program that brings fresh, healthy, local specialty crops into early care settings, and to begin bringing specialty crops to summer food programs through leveraging our Head Start partnerships. Read more about the Farm to Early Care process. | $100K |
| Minnesota Certified Seed Potato Growers Association, Randy Schmidt & Justin Dagen | Implement marketing strategies to increase industry awareness of the quality and variety of Minnesota grown certified seed potatoes to increase sales and industry reach. | $15K |
| Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Nikki Deyle | The Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association will strengthen Minnesota’s specialty crop industry by providing tailored on-farm instruction in production, marketing and financial management, and networking opportunities for beginning growers. | $71K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group, Paul Hugunin | This project increases sales of Minnesota specialty crops through statewide marketing including sponsored search advertising (pay-per-click), promoted social media posts, and promotion of specific specialty crops in the printed directory. Visit the online Minnesota Grown Directory to find specialty crops grown in Minnesota. | $80K |
| Renewing the Countryside II, Jan Joannides | Farmers often have the capacity to produce more specialty crops than can be sold to individual customers at farmers' markets, so this project will help vendors expand sales and income streams by having market managers facilitate wholesale sales (also called aggregation). Find more information and manuals on the Minnesota Farmers' Market Hubs page. | $99K |
| Sustainable Farming Association, Theresa M. Keaveny | The Sustainable Farming Association will increase the profitability of farmers and beginning farmers by increasing premium garlic production, training farmers on best garlic growing/marketing practices, expanding markets and supply chains, and researching improved cultivation methods. Learn more on the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project website. | $100K |
| The Good Acre, Andrew Bernhardt | With 1:1 business development and on-farm production and food safety technical assistance, The Good Acre and partners will increase farmer readiness to access wholesale markets and increase farm sales of Minnesota-grown specialty crops. Watch videos about the On-Farm Good Agricultural Practices Education Program to learn more. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota, Adrian Hegeman | Determination of the effects of nitrogen fertilization, seed source, and plant community on the production of beneficial phytochemicals in fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) for use in natural care products. | $51K |
| University of Minnesota, Mary H. Meyer | This project will increase native grass sales and improve public knowledge and awareness of the benefits of native grasses through an educational program, customer surveys, and point of sale displays at many garden centers in Minnesota. Visit the Native Grasses as Pollinator Food website for more information. | $57K |
| University of Minnesota, James Luby | Optimum harvest and postharvest periods, traits affecting consumer appeal, and consumer preference will be determined for kiwiberry varieties adapted to Minnesota. Find out more: Meet the Kiwiberry video, Exploring the invasive potential of kiwiberry, and Fruit quality of kiwiberry in Minnesota. | $91K |
| University of Minnesota, Cindy Tong | In order to extend the season for cool season crops and marketing opportunities for farmers, we will use shading in low tunnels and pre-chilling to improve field production of locally grown lettuce and cauliflower with flavor acceptable to consumers. Read the journal article, Artificial Shading Can Adversely Affect Heat-tolerant Lettuce Growth and Taste, with Concomitant Changes in Gene Expression. | $93K |
| University of Minnesota, Matthew D. Clark | This project will optimize the methodologies to advance the techniques necessary to efficiently produce seedless table grape breeding lines for cold-hardy climates. | $97K |
| University of Minnesota, Steven R. Poppe | To sustainably control weeds in perennial fruit plantings, the University of Minnesota will investigate the use of decomposable grit applied via an air blast sprayer with the long-term goal of enhancing economic and environmental sustainability. | $97K |
Fiscal Year 2016
| Grantee | Project Summary | Project Total (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Central Lakes College | Evaluate the cost savings and effectiveness of in-furrow fungicide and starter fertilizer and top dress applications of nitrogen to increase seed yield and quality of dry edible beans. | $36K |
| The Good Acre | Help small-scale farms increase sales of specialty crops by providing food safety training to member farms as well as aggregation, distribution, and logistical services that would enable them to access wholesale markets; develop plans that all small-scale farms can use to add necessary infrastructure to become Good Agricultural Practice certified; and to develop food safety curriculum and industry models that will be shared around the state. | $94K |
| Jim Gehrke/Minnesota Valley Action Council | Protect the investment already made in existing food hubs by facilitating the rapid growth necessary for each to reach a self-sustaining level of development. | $100K |
| Latino Economic Development Center | Develop a pilot project to guide immigrant farmers in the efficient production of salad mix using specialized equipment and high-tunnel production for sale to chef-driven restaurants. | $25K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Increase market access opportunity, sales, and new distribution relationships for Minnesota specialty crop sellers and organizations. | $72K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Assess their distribution of pests as well as incidence/abundance and help growers monitor for them to mitigate losses. | $94K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group | Increase sales and competitiveness of Minnesota specialty crops through sponsored search advertising, increased exposure for specific specialty crops in the printed Minnesota Grown Directory, and development and distribution of new promotional materials for vegetable growers. | $74K |
| Sweetland Orchard | Assess the suitability of growing 12 cider apple varieties on two different rootstocks at eight geographically and climactically distinct locations in Minnesota. | $32K |
| University of Minnesota | Develop research-based management programs for Colorado potato beetle that exclude neonicotinoid insecticides. These programs will incorporate defoliation-based thresholds, new scouting methods, and resistance management tactics. | $95K |
| University of Minnesota | Provide research-based information to specialty crop producers regarding the benefits of legume cover crops in rotation with vegetable crops and extend this information to immigrant farmer communities. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota | Improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Minnesota fruit producers by developing an improved pest alert warning system for the highly damaging economic pest, the Spotted Winged Drosophila. | $50K |
| University of Minnesota | Development of novel tomato varieties and hybrids to meet the need of growers who reside in north and short season locations, providing locally grown fresh tomatoes to these areas. | $50K |
| University of Minnesota | Build supply chains to increase access to the University of Minnesota’s new or improved specialty crops [edible dry beans, organic potatoes, and hazelnuts]. | $100K |
| University of Minnesota | Increase awareness of and demonstrate Deep Winter Greenhouse technology including production of an online training manual and workshops. | $50K |
| University of Minnesota | Improve potato production sustainability in the Midwest through validation of biochemical markers to predict sugar end development under field conditions for better storage management. | $50K |
| University of Minnesota | Develop sustainable mechanisms to harvest ginkgo seeds for medicine and food, thereby preventing the removal of mature female ginkgo trees that produce malodorous seeds in the urban environment. | $25K |
Fiscal Year 2015
| Grantee | Project Summary | Project Total (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Central Lakes College | Help meet the growing need for technical support for the wine and grape growing industries in Minnesota and to lead the effort to negotiate and implement rules concerning the Food Safety and Modernization Act by educating winemakers and grape growers and giving them access to personalized instruction from a seasoned professional. | $97K |
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy | Increase the local sale of Minnesota grown specialty crops in the childcare marketplace through technical assistance and outreach to Minnesota’s 33 county-level Head Start programs, including coordination with farmers, distribution and processing partners, and Head Start staff. | $90K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Increase demand and market access for Minnesota specialty crops with potential for wholesale distribution through promotional assistance at domestic trade shows such as the National Restaurant Association. | $42K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Gather key data directly from actual customers of Minnesota specialty crop growers, including demographics, distance traveled, amount spent, reasons for choosing the farm they did, social media usage, and other key market data. | $75K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Increase the awareness and consumption of locally produced specialty crops by creating new specialty crop educational materials and professional development opportunities for teachers including videos, a lesson booklet, and a student AgMag. | $74K |
| Minnesota Farm Winery Association | Increase awareness and sales of Minnesota wine made from Minnesota grown grapes, fruit, and honey by promoting Minnesota wineries as “points of destination” for travel/tourism, community-based business meetings, and social/recreational gatherings. | $70K |
| Minnesota Food Association | Increase the marketability of traditional Asian, African, and Latino crops by developing, evaluating, and eventually providing training on techniques to improve the efficiency of these crops. | $83K |
| Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association | Better equip fruit and vegetable producers for economic success by providing them with production and marketing information to make them more competitive in local markets, offering them strategies to increase customer loyalty and ways to effectively use social media to maintain and create connections, and conducting a beginning grower workshop to help new vegetable growers build a foundation for success. | $41K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group | Development and distribution of new promotional materials for vegetable growers and honey producers, development of a new series of videos promoting specialty crops, sponsored search advertising, search engine optimization, and increased exposure for specific specialty crops in the printed Minnesota Grown Directory. | $99K |
| North Dakota State University | Increase potato production by working to eradicate potato emergence disorder by determining whether the interaction between the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans and fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum is the cause of this problem. | $99K |
| Renewing the Countryside | Improve local producers’ access to new, institutional markets for edible specialty crops by providing regional farmer-buyer networking events that include food safety and local food procurement introductory workshops and by putting farm-to-cafeteria enhancement teams in place to develop the skills of buyers to purchase from specialty crop producers. | $98K |
| Seven Songs Organic Farm | Expand production of ginger and turmeric by testing a cost-efficient model for growing ginger (and turmeric which has similar requirements) in the Upper Midwest, while also creating better crop rotation, lowering overhead costs, and meeting public demand for this high-value specialty crop. | $52K |
| University of Minnesota | Provide needed food safety technical assistance and education to specialty crop growers in Minnesota using innovative and experiential learning opportunities including on-farm workshops, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, participation in national food safety courses, and a new online food safety plan short course. | $97K |
| University of Minnesota | Increase consumer knowledge on the benefits of native grasses, especially as larval food for pollinators, while increasing sales and use of native grasses through point-of-purchase marketing and educational materials at five garden centers in Minnesota. | $76K |
Fiscal Year 2014
| Grantee | Project Summary | Project Total (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Central Lakes College | Provide Minnesota Wineries with a quality testing program which would monitor wine quality, reward quality wines with an approved label, and increase sales of Minnesota grown wines through market expansion. | $48K |
| Cooperative Development Services | Increase specialty crop farmer knowledge of financial metrics pertinent to various food hub models by obtaining regional specialty crop-based food hub metrics, assessing the desires of Minnesota-based specialty crop participants, developing proforma templates for several types and scales of businesses, and disseminating the findings to specialty crop producers via web access and group seminars. | $37K |
| Farm Commons | Help specialty crop farmers understand techniques for negotiating and drafting sales agreements that help all parties achieve their goals and comply with emerging regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act. | $43K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Minnesota fruit producers by determining the best Integrated Pest Management practices for the economically damaging and invasive pest, the Spotted Winged Drosophila. | $100K |
| Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association | Strengthen the specialty crop industry and local foods movement by providing comprehensive, individualized production and management instruction for beginning fruit and vegetable growers. | $79K |
| Minnesota Grape Growers Association | Provide growers of cold-hardy grapes information, techniques, and best viticultural practices for growing high quality, cold-hardy grapes for maximum economic gain and personal satisfaction by developing a publication and accompanying videos. | $48K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group | Increase sales by creating innovative new promotional materials for wineries and vegetable growers, by creating new ads promoting apples, Christmas trees and berries, and by providing detailed information regarding apples, Christmas trees, pumpkins, berries and wineries in 170,000 copies of the Minnesota Grown Directory. | $99K |
| North Dakota State University | Reduce lost profits and wasted food through the identification of blemish problems commonly found in tuber potatoes and develop agronomic practices. | $90K |
| Renewing the Countryside | Help specialty crop producers grow their businesses in a manner that leads to expanded specialty crop sales and increased profitability and sustainability by providing them with customized assistance. | $94K |
| Sustainable Farming Association | Grow the demand and the supply of locally produced herbs through targeted producer and consumer testing and educational initiatives. | $53K |
| Third Sector New England | Research and test the market for cosmetically imperfect fruit and vegetables “seconds” grown by small and mid-size farmers in Minnesota through in-depth research with Minnesota fruit and vegetable growers and fresh-cut processors as well as market testing with area colleges and universities. | $96K |
| University of Minnesota | Enhance economic and environmental sustainability of strawberry production by investigating innovative production systems that couple new strawberry cultivars with innovative organic production methods and educating specialty crop growers on using these systems to extend the season until October. | $83K |
| University of Minnesota | Encourage rural grocers to purchase locally grown specialty crops by developing a how-to guide for specialty crop farmers to sell their produce to rural grocers, developing a produce handling toolkit and deliver on-site training for rural grocers, and developing a local food buying guide. | $70K |
| University of Minnesota | Create research-based management recommendations for leaf mold of high tunnel tomatoes by conducting research to characterize the biology and life cycle of the leaf mold pathogen, Passalora fulva, identify potential sources of the pathogen, and determine the ability of the pathogen to overwinter in Minnesota high tunnels. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota | Reduce losses from downy mildew and sustain a viable hop industry by characterizing diseases of hops in Minnesota, evaluating management options for hop downy mildew control, and educating hop growers about viral and fungal diseases of hops and their management. | $99K |
| University of Minnesota | Develop an in-field method of using spectral reflectance and chlorophyll content to determine potential infection of seed potato plants by Potato Virus Y, a viral disease of potatoes which, if present, precludes certification of seed potatoes, negatively impacting their commercial value. | $100K |
Fiscal Year 2013
| Grantee | Project Summary | Project Total (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy | Increase purchasing from Minnesota’s specialty crop growers by the childcare and school sectors through outreach activities to increase grower’s knowledge of how to sell to childcare programs, curriculum dissemination on how to incorporate farm to school into classrooms, and the development of a formal network. | $79K |
| Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Increase producer awareness of specialty crop enterprises and opportunities, increase profitability, diversify the agricultural landscape and enhance the quality of life for farmers and rural communities by developing and running farmer-to-farmer radio broadcasts highlighting 12 Minnesota specialty crop producers and their successes. | $30K |
| Minnesota Food Association | Engage in a strategic development process to explore the need and potential for offering additional "food hub" services such as aggregation, sales and distribution to beginning and immigrant farmers growing organic vegetables in the Twin Cities. | $40K |
| Minnesota Grown Promotion Group | Increase sales of Minnesota specialty crops by promoting and improving the printed and online versions of the Minnesota Grown Directory; creating innovative new promotional materials for wineries, vegetable growers and nurseries/garden centers; and creating a public television feature program highlighting specialty crops. | $99K |
| Renewing the Countryside | Expand markets and increase sales of specialty crops in southern Minnesota by conducting a local foods tradeshow to connect buyers and producers, local foods expo, and creative marketing campaigns. | $68K |
| Sweetland Orchard | Increase understanding of the market demands for cider varieties by measuring the state of Minnesota’s hard cider industry through annual surveys of the state’s hard cider producers and sharing results with the Minnesota Farm Winery Association, the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, and the Minnesota Apple Growers Association. | $10K |
| University of Minnesota | Improve producers’ knowledge of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and food safety practices by providing technical assistance, education, and tools necessary to support increased adoption of GAPS by specialty crop growers, including Hmong growers. | $88K |
| University of Minnesota | Ensure public food safety of locally grown leafy greens by enhancing farmer training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), studying current on-farm postharvest practices and their effects on greens' bacterial loads, and consulting with farmers on the feasibility of GAPs recommendations. | $88K |
| University of Minnesota | Evaluation of microbial inoculants and soil carbon amendments for their efficacy alone and in combination in reducing incidence and severity of scab, Verticillium wilt, and other soilborne diseases of potato. | $94K |
