Administrative costs are costs incurred by the partner organization (grant applicant) so it can perform work on the grant. For example, part of the grant coordinator’s salary or office space rental could be considered administrative costs. Sign-on bonuses and housing relocation assistance for meat processor employees are not administrative costs.
Partner organizations must agree to minimize administrative costs as a condition of the grant. The MDA expects that applicants request to use no more than 10% of the total award for administrative costs, but the MDA will consider reasonable costs more than this amount. All anticipated administrative costs must be justified in the proposal.
Administrative costs are costs incurred by the partner organization (grant applicant) so it can perform work on the grant. For example, part of the grant coordinator’s salary or office space rental could be considered administrative costs. Sign-on bonuses and housing relocation assistance for meat processor employees are not administrative costs.
Partner organizations must agree to minimize administrative costs as a condition of the grant. The MDA expects that applicants request to use no more than 10% of the total award for administrative costs, but the MDA will consider reasonable costs more than this amount. All anticipated administrative costs must be justified in the proposal.
Childcare stipends are for new meat processor employees who may need financial assistance with childcare. Eligible expenses such as childcare stipends, employee relocation assistance, tuition reimbursement, etc. are intended for new meat processor employees only. Expenses that incentivize current employees, the meat processor owner, etc., are not eligible. See pages 3-4 of the Train and Retain RFP for more information.
Childcare stipends are for new meat processor employees who may need financial assistance with childcare. Eligible expenses such as childcare stipends, employee relocation assistance, tuition reimbursement, etc. are intended for new meat processor employees only. Expenses that incentivize current employees, the meat processor owner, etc., are not eligible. See pages 3-4 of the Train and Retain RFP for more information.
Updated 4/17/2025
Dicamba products XtendiMax®, Engenia®, and Tavium®, formerly registered for over-the-top (OTT) use on dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybeans in Minnesota, can no longer be sold, distributed, or used in 2025. Existing stocks can be returned to registrants or properly disposed of through the MDA’s waste pesticide collection program. For more information, visit the MDA’s Dicamba website, or contact us at Pesticide.Registration.MDA@state.mn.us.
Updated 4/17/2025
Dicamba products XtendiMax®, Engenia®, and Tavium®, formerly registered for over-the-top (OTT) use on dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybeans in Minnesota, can no longer be sold, distributed, or used in 2025. Existing stocks can be returned to registrants or properly disposed of through the MDA’s waste pesticide collection program. For more information, visit the MDA’s Dicamba website, or contact us at Pesticide.Registration.MDA@state.mn.us.
The application of nitrogen fertilizer in the fall and on frozen soils will be restricted in areas with vulnerable groundwater or DWSMAs that are at or exceed 5.4 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen. An area with vulnerable groundwater is an area where nitrate can move easily through soil and into groundwater.
The criteria used to determine vulnerability include coarse textured soils, karst geology, or shallow bedrock. View the interactive Vulnerable Groundwater Area Map to see where application of nitrogen fertilizer will be restricted. Vulnerable quarter sections are shown in purple and DWSMAs are in green on the map.
In areas where 50% or more of the quarter section has vulnerable groundwater or is in a DWSMA, with high nitrate, applications of nitrogen in the fall and on frozen soils will not be allowed in the entire quarter section. If less than 50% of the quarter section has vulnerable groundwater, the restrictions do not apply.
Updated 9/19/2025 The EPA has finalized two strategies (Herbicides and Insecticides) to protect endangered species. These strategies have resulted in new pesticide label requirements. To help applicators and agricultural landowners understand and implement these changes, the MDA has created a series of webpages focused on the new language.
To learn more about the Endangered Species Act and what the updated label language means for you, visit the MDA’s Pesticides and the Endangered Species Act webpages.
For questions after reviewing the information, please contact us at: PTU.MDA@state.mn.us.
