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Yes, it the funds come from the recent appropriation. Even though it’s non-competitive, we still have to have an application process to make sure the grantees are accountable for the grant funds. That being said, there are several criteria spelled out in the appropriation that counties are supposed to meet, and we don’t expect everyone to have met those criteria prior to applying for the grant. Those criteria will have to be met before we reimburse the grant awards, and the Accountability and Reporting Requirements section of the RFP spells out what needs to be in the final report to meet those criteria.

Yes, grants could be extended into the next fiscal year. There will also be another round of CAI grants available for FY27.

Yes, if the county currently employs a CAI or CDE, they are eligible. Training will need to be completed before the county gets reimbursed for the grant, and we’ll have several opportunities for counties to complete the required criteria before the end of the grant cycle. There are several criteria spelled out in the appropriation that counties are supposed to meet, and we don’t expect everyone to have met those criteria prior to applying for the grant. Those criteria will have to be met before we reimburse the grant awards, and the Accountability and Reporting Requirements section of the RFP spells out what needs to be in the final report to meet those criteria.

We received 124 applications for the 2025 Produce Safety Mini-Grant. $42,400 was available and we were able to award funds to 55 of the applicants.

• Appetite for Change Inc.
• At Your Convenience LLC
• Brand Farms LLC
• California Street Farm
• Caliton's Family Farm
• Cedar Crate Farm
• Cimarron Community Farm
• Costa Produce Farm & Greenhouse
• Diction LLC
• Earthly Berry Farm LLC
• F2F DBA Forest to Fork
• Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables LLC
• Flourish plant company
• Gary Pahl
• Hilltop Harvest Strawberry Farm LLC
• Homegrown Gardens
• In-Cider Orchard LLC
• Julia's Neighborly CSA
• Kandi Produce Inc
• Keenes' Greens
• Kossow Family Farm
• Lakeview Greenhouses
• Leuer Gardens LLC
• LV Garden
• Lyndale Farmers LLC
• Marvin's Gardens
• Mini Micro Farms LLC
• Nature's Holistic Farm LLC
• Night Owl Farm
• Nutri-Harvest Farms
• Olesen Orchard
• Owl Bluff Farm
• Primo Farm
• R&R Cultivation
• Rustic Roots Farm LLC
• Rusty Patch Farm
• Schmitz Florals & More
• Seeds Farm LLC
• Singing the Blooms
• Southwind Orchards
• Stoney Brook Farms Inc
• Svihel Vegetable Farm
• Sweetland Orchard
• Taylor Ventures
• The Crafted Orchard & More LLC
• The looney bus
• Twin Organics LLC
• Urbanize, LLC
• Valerie's farm and flower
• Vandyke Produce
• Vine Valley Farms Inc.
• Walking Plants Orchard
• Way of the Root Farm
• Willie Nillie Farm LLC
• Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center

If the nitrogen fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) are implemented on more than 80% of the cropland in your area, and residual soil nitrate levels do not increase, or nitrate levels in the public water supply do not increase, then regulations will not be required. Otherwise the Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA) can move to a regulatory level.

In cropland areas with high nitrate concentrations in the groundwater, the MDA strongly encourages farmers to consider using Alternative Management Tools (AMTs). In the rule, Alternative Management Tools are defined as “specific practices and solutions approved by the commissioner to address groundwater nitrate problems.” Examples of AMTs include, but are not limited to, type of precision agriculture, nitrification inhibitor, cover crops, annual crops, and alfalfa. The MDA will maintain a published list of approved AMTs. This list will be updated on an annual basis. Under the Groundwater Protection rule, land with AMTs in place will be considered BMP compliant in the BMP survey.