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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now seeking applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Crop Research Grant Program. Grant funding is intended to generate applied crop research that will improve agricultural product quality, quantity, or value within Minnesota’s $13.5 billion crop industry.

Any Minnesota organization, research entity, individual, or business with agricultural research capabilities is eligible to apply and receive funding. Applied crop research projects must have near-term benefits (three to seven years) for Minnesota’s farmers and the state’s economy, and applications must include an outreach plan describing how results will be made available to the public.

Special consideration will be given to research on crops with limited access to other research funds, as well projects with an outreach plan describing how activities or outcomes meaningfully involve, inform, or benefit underserved agricultural producers.

The MDA will award roughly $1.2 million through this round of funding, with a maximum grant amount of $250,000 per proposal. Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

Funding for the Crop Research Grant was established through the AGRI Program, which provides grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota. The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.

To access full program details and the online application, visit the AGRI Crop Research Grant webpage.

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Media Contact
Logan Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us

New money is available to Minnesota livestock producers to help prevent wolf attacks. A total of $95,000 will be awarded by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) through the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. Applications are due January 5, 2024.

The grants provide reimbursement for costs of approved practices to prevent wolf-livestock conflicts. Only costs incurred after entering into a grant agreement with the MDA are eligible for reimbursement. Eligible expenses for the grant program will include:

• Purchase of guard animals
• Veterinary costs for guard animals
• Wolf-barriers which may include pens
• Fladry and fencing
• Wolf-deterring lights and alarms
• Calving or lambing shelters

Eligible producers must live within Minnesota’s wolf range, as designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or on property determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture to be affected by wolf-livestock conflicts. Any animal species produced for profit and documented to have been killed by wolves in Minnesota in the past is eligible. This includes bison, cattle, chicken, deer, donkey, duck, geese, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine, and turkey.

The funding also requires an 80:20 matching cost-share, meaning 80% of eligible project costs will be reimbursed by the grant and the remaining 20% will be paid for by the grantee.

The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Work for this grant must be done and expenses reported by August 31, 2024. The application and more information can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/wolfgrants.

This round of funding for the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants is made possible by monies appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature and funding awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the MDA for grant distribution.

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Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Brittany.Raveill@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed emerald ash borer (EAB) in Cass County for the first time. There are now 45 counties in the state, including Cass, with EAB.

An MDA employee noticed a cluster of ash trees near Remer with suspected signs of EAB. The employee was able to find EAB larvae and collect samples. Federal identification confirmed emerald ash borer.

EAB was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Often, the trees show several signs of infestation because of this. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae, and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath.

Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Cass County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine for an eastern portion of the county, which limits the movement of firewood and ash material out of the area. The south and east side of the quarantine is the county border. The northern edge of the quarantine follows Minnesota Highway 200 west to County Road 129, County Road 129 south to County Road 7, and County Road 7 west to Minnesota Highway 84. The western border of the quarantine is Minnesota Highway 84 to County Road 79 and east to the county line (SEE MAP).

The MDA issues quarantines for all areas known to have EAB to reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect.

A virtual informational meeting for residents and tree care professionals in Cass County will be held on November 9, 2023, from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Experts from the MDA will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.

Emerald Ash Borer Virtual Informational Meeting:
November 9, 2023
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Register at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal to add Cass County’s emergency quarantine to the state’s formal quarantine. The MDA is taking comments on the proposed formal quarantine now through November 27, 2023, and recommends adopting the quarantine on November 29, 2023. The proposed quarantine language can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab.

Comments can be made during the virtual meeting or by contacting:

Kimberly Thielen Cremers
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Kimberly.TCremers@state.mn.us

There is more EAB information on the MDA website.

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Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Brittany.Raveill@state.mn.us