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The MDA is hosting a free waste pesticide collection available to residents in or near Clay County on July 23.

The collection will be held from 9 – 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23 at West Central Ag Services, 334 1st Street SW, Ulen.

The program accepts unwanted, unusable agricultural and consumer-type pesticides including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and rodenticides used in Minnesota. However, crop oils, adjuvants, pesticide rinsate, fertilizer, treated seed, contaminated soil, and empty pesticide containers will not be accepted.

The Ulen collection is open to farmers, homeowners, commercial pesticide applicators, golf courses, lawn care companies, structural pest control operators, and other pesticide users. No pre-registration for the MDA event is required, and the collection site will accept up to 300 pounds of eligible product at no cost. However, the MDA requests pesticide users call 612-214-6843 to provide advance notification if they wish to drop off more than 300 pounds of product.

The MDA has collected approximately 10 million pounds of pesticides around the state since the Waste Pesticide Collection Program started in 1990.

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Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us

St. Paul, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is preparing to treat five sites in Pine, Isanti, and Chisago counties to slow the spread of a spongy moth. Officials will conduct the aerial management activities the week of July 8, beginning as early as 6:30 a.m. each day and continuing throughout the day. The dates are dependent on weather conditions in the area; treatments will take several days.

• There are three treatment areas in Pine County, including one in the City of Hinkley. The two other areas are in rural Pine County near the Wisconsin border.
• There is one site in Isanti County that includes the City of Cambridge.
• There is one site in Chisago County that includes the City of North Branch.

There are maps of the sites available on the MDA website. Residents can also look up their address on an interactive map to determine if they are within any of these blocks.

The MDA will use a method of mating disruption involving the aerial application of an organically certified, waxy, food-grade substance containing pheromones specific to spongy moths that confuses the male moths. This makes it difficult for the male spongy moths to find females for mating, reducing mating success. The result is fewer caterpillars hatching and attacking trees next year. Application is timed just as adult moths emerge in early summer.

The mating disruption product will be applied by low-flying yellow planes contracted by the U.S. Forest Service in a joint project with the MDA. The product is not harmful to humans, animals, birds, or other insects, and will help protect forest health, property values, and the state’s tourism industry.

To help area citizens stay informed, the MDA has set up a Report a Pest Info Line at 1-888-545-MOTH with the latest details about treatment dates and times. On the morning of the treatments, residents can call the phone number with any questions they may have. Simply press 0 (zero) to speak to someone. The MDA's website also has information about spongy moths and control efforts.

Residents can also sign up for updates about treatment progress:

• Text “MNMDA CENTRAL” to 66468 to receive text notifications.
• Text “MNMDA CENTRAL” [your email address here]” to 66468 to receive email notifications.

Or sign up online for text or email notifications.

Spongy moths are among America's most destructive tree pests, having caused millions of dollars in damage to eastern forests. The moths are now threatening Minnesota. If present in large numbers, spongy moth caterpillars can defoliate large sections of forest. Oak, poplar, birch, and willow are among their preferred hosts. The moths spread slowly on their own, but people can unintentionally help them spread by transporting firewood or other items on which the moths have laid their eggs.

Contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at 1-888-545-6684 or reportapest@state.mn.us with questions regarding spongy moth and the planned treatment.

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Contact

Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
brittany.raveill@state.mn.us

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) foster economic opportunity for diverse communities around Minnesota, and new funding is available to help them support more of Minnesota’s farmers. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for its CDFI Technical Assistance Grant, aimed at helping Minnesota’s certified CDFIs expand their agriculture-focused services.

The MDA expects to award approximately $260,000 in one-time funding through a competitive review process, with individual grants of between $10,000 and $200,000 available for certified CDFIs in two main areas of technical assistance:

• Technical assistance provided by CFDIs to farmers (e.g., assisting farmers with loan readiness or expanding outreach efforts toward targeted groups with agriculture-focused financial services).
• Technical assistance for CDFIs to increase their own capacity to serve farmers (e.g., to develop their agriculture lending program or internal knowledge and processes as a foundation to provide financial services to farmers).

The deadline to apply for the grant is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2024. The MDA will notify applicants in October about whether their proposal was funded.

Full grant details and the request for proposals (RFP) can be found on the MDA website.

Applicants must be certified CDFIs who serve or intend to serve farmers in Minnesota and have participated in at least one U. S. Department of Agriculture grant or loan program. A certified CDFI is defined as a bank, credit union, microloan fund, or venture capital provider who has completed a certification process with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund.

An online public information session about this technical assistance grant will take place at noon on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The MDA will review basic information included in the RFP including applicant eligibility, funding timelines, and application questions. Registration is required.

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