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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for a grant to develop enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stage of commercial development.

Continuous living cover (CLC) refers to agricultural systems in which there are living plants and roots in the ground throughout the entire year. This can take many forms, from winter cover crops sown between summer annuals to agroforestry practices, perennial forage crops, perennial biomass crops, and perennial grain production. This includes but is not limited to regenerative poultry silvopasture systems, Kernza® perennial grain, winter camelina, and elderberry.

This is the third request for proposals under one-time funding provided to the MDA from the General Fund and the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. A summary of the previous 11 grant-supported projects can be found on the Developing Markets for CLC Crops webpage.

CLC crops have been shown to enhance water and soil quality, sequester carbon, build soil health, and provide greater biodiversity and pollinator habitat. Significant environmental benefits of these crops will result from widespread production, which requires robust value chains and markets.

The goal is to provide grants to CLC crops and cropping systems value chain enterprises for equipment infrastructure and business and market development. For example, this could include customized equipment to harvest the crop, clean and store seeds, and process crops for food products. The intended outcome is supply chain and market development that can increase CLC crops and cropping systems on agricultural lands in Minnesota.

Applicants must:

• Be an organization in Minnesota, including a company, government, tribe, urban American Indian Community, partnership, and any type of civil or political association of people.
• Focus on continuous living cover.

The MDA will use a competitive review process to select grantees. The minimum award is $10,000 and the maximum award is $45,000.

The Developing Markets for CLC Crops Grant application must be received by 4:30 p.m. Central Time on Monday, July 15, 2024, through the MDA’s online application system.

For more information and to see the complete request for proposal (RFP), visit the Developing Markets for CLC Crops webpage.

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