Applications are now open for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Soil Health Financial Assistance Grants.
These grants are available to individual producers, producer groups, and local governments to purchase or retrofit soil health equipment. Grant awards will provide up to 50% cost-share, with a minimum award of $500 and a maximum award of $50,000. The 2023 Legislature appropriated $2.375 million for this round of grants.
“Good soil health is important to water quality and our other natural resources in Minnesota,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. “It’s important to recognize the financial hurdles farmers face when trying to implement soil health practices because of specialized, expensive equipment and machinery. The Soil Health Financial Assistance Grants will help offset equipment costs, helping to expand the number of Minnesota farmers and acres engaged in soil health activities.”
Examples of eligible new or used equipment include, but are not limited to, no-till drills, air seeders, retrofit projects to allow no-till planting, and more. Parts and materials used to retrofit existing equipment are also eligible.
The Request for Proposals and application link can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/soil-health-grant. Applications are due September 15, 2023. Awards will be announced by January 1, 2024.
This is the first full round of Soil Health Financial Assistance Grants. A pilot program earlier this year awarded $475,000 to 16 individuals and organizations across 15 counties. No-till drills and air seeders were among the most requested pieces of equipment. The pilot program received more than 230 applications for more than $6.5 million – over 13 times the funding available.
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Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us
Minnesota’s meat processing industry has received a boost from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), which has awarded $350,000 in one-time grants through its Meat Education and Training (MEAT) Grant Program.
The MEAT Grant provides the opportunity for Minnesota schools to fund equipment purchases, facility renovation, curriculum development, faculty training, and more processing-related activities at new or established training programs for secondary students. Nine schools received grants through this funding, with a maximum award of $70,000.
“Minnesota’s meat cutting and butchery training programs are vital to the future of our state’s processing industry,” Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “The MDA is pleased to support these nine schools providing new pathways for students to receive more hands-on training experiences and learn about careers in this field.”
A full list of MEAT Grant recipients can be found below. For more information, visit the MDA’s program webpage.
2023 Meat Education and Training (MEAT) Grant Award Recipients
|
School Name |
Project Summary |
Award Total |
|
Ashby Public School |
Partner with West Central Area Schools and West Central Initiative to teach meat processing through the purchase of equipment for a meat processing mobile trailer. |
$41,296.58 |
|
Bertha-Hewitt Schools |
Renovate an existing space to accommodate a walk-in cooler as well as upgraded sinks to allow for proper cleaning of equipment and ensure proper food and student safety. |
$50,000 |
|
Byron High School |
Build upon current programming by developing and adding a meat processing course with local processing partners. |
$27,175.47 |
|
Lac qui Parle Valley High School |
Build a mobile meat processing trailer and collaborate with Ridgewater College to develop a curriculum for meat processing classes. |
$70,000
|
|
Morris Area High School |
Expand the current Ag Processing course to further provide hands-on experiences and in-depth learning about meat cutting and processing, and provide a culinary experience through Family Consumer Sciences classes by preparing the meat in different ways. |
$5,037.80 |
|
Nicollet Public School |
Utilize the National Food Science Safety and Processing Curriculum (CASE) to impact student career readiness in meat science and processing. |
$60,000 |
|
ROCORI Public Schools |
Develop two classes: one focused on meat science and food safety and the second about further processing, safety, and cultural differences. |
$39,527.16 |
|
Sibley East Public Schools |
Update an old Family and Consumer Sciences lab to become a meat cutting lab and develop a pathway in which students will build upon skills every year in grades 8-12, culminating in a work-based capstone. |
$21,962.99 |
|
West Central Area Schools |
Further support the purchase of a meat processing mobile trailer and provide up to 100 hours of hands-on training for one agriculture instructor at a local butcher shop. |
$35,000 |
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Media Contact
Logan Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us
Farmfest 2023 attendees should plan to visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s exhibit for information and resources on a wide variety of agriculture-related programs and topics. Farmfest is August 1 – 3, 2023, at the Historic Gilfillan Estate near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.
Featured Programs (every day):
- Rural Finance Authority Loan Programs – farmers can find low- to zero-interest loans to help recover from natural disasters, improve farm facilities, restructure debt, expand livestock production, or help first-time farmers purchase land.
- Grant Programs – learn more about MDA grant programs available to help increase productivity, improve efficiency, develop new agricultural products, and more.
- Ag Weather Station Network – find out how you can get real-time weather information and air temperature inversion alerts to your cell phone via the 29 Minnesota weather stations incorporated into the North Dakota Ag Weather Network (NDAWN), and learn about the network’s upcoming expansion, thanks to additional funding from the Minnesota Legislature.
- Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program – learn how you can become certified in this popular water quality program and obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years.
- Rural Mental Health Resources – find out about the people and organizations ready to help farmers and their families deal with stress, depression, and suicide.
- Grain Indemnity Fund – The Legislature has established a new grain indemnity fund that will protect producers who have unpaid grain sales when grain buyers or warehouses become financially insolvent. Find out more about how it will work.
The MDA Farmfest Booth is #517S.
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Media Contacts
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-470-0592
larry.schumacher@state.mn.us
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-387-6599
allen.sommerfeld@state.mn.us
