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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for grants to support innovative sustainability-focused research or demonstration projects on Minnesota farms.

The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant funds projects that explore the energy efficiency, environmental benefit, and profitability of sustainable ag techniques, from the production through marketing processes. Minnesota farmers or individuals from organizations including agricultural cooperatives, educational institutions, nonprofits, tribal governments, and local units of government (such as Soil and Water Conservation Districts) are eligible to apply.

Eligible projects must test and demonstrate on-farm practices that will benefit a broad range of farmers. Past grants have explored topics such as cover crops and crop rotation; conservation tillage; pest management techniques; input reduction strategies; and alternative energies such as wind, methane, and biomass.

The MDA will award approximately $350,000 in this round of grant funding, and applicants may request up to $50,000 per project. No cash match is required for requests below $25,000. However, for requests between $25,000 and $50,000, applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match.

Projects must last two to three years, and grantees are asked to share what they learn through outreach efforts. Project updates are published annually in the MDA’s Greenbook, which provides a summary of each project along with results, management tips, locations of previous projects, and other resources.

The AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant program will accept applications through 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2024. To apply and read the full request for proposals (RFP), visit the grant webpage.

Funding for this grant is made available through the MDA’s AGRI Program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout Minnesota to advance the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.

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

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Emerging Farmers’ Working Group (EFWG) has openings for nine volunteer members for two-year terms. Minnesotans interested in making it easier for new and emerging farmers to create or sustain an agricultural business are encouraged to apply today.

“The work of the Emerging Farmers’ Working Group is critically important in helping identify barriers to entering the field of agriculture and creating resources to support new and emerging farmers in our state,” said Assistant MDA Commissioner Patrice Bailey. “It will become even more so in the coming years, as we staff up our Emerging Farmers Office and build out the MDA’s emerging farmers programs.”

Everyone is welcome to apply. The MDA is particularly interested in the following perspectives:

• Women
• Veterans
• Persons with a disability/disabilities
• American Indian/Alaska Native
• Member of a community of color
• LGBTQIA+
• Young (35 years old and under)
• Urban (reside in cities with 5k+ population)

The deadline to apply for EFWG membership is at noon on October 1, 2024. The MDA website has the membership application and more information on the EFWG page. Email your questions to the Emerging Farmer Office at mda.emerging.farmers@state.mn.us.

Thank you to our current and departing members for your participation.

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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us