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July 6, 2023

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has received $12.25 million through the USDA’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program to help strengthen Minnesota’s food supply chain between the farmer and consumer by investing in infrastructure. The result of these investments will be more and stronger markets for small farms and food businesses to access, as well as an increase in locally made value-added products for consumers throughout the state.

The MDA will work in partnership with USDA to distribute these funds as competitive grants to invest in the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products. Eligible food products include fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products (excluding meat and poultry). The project will also fund business development services for new and established food companies.

The MDA is currently seeking public input to help shape priorities for the grant and business development programs. Interested parties have until July 31, 2023, to submit responses through an online survey. The MDA will also be hosting two virtual listening sessions where stakeholders can provide feedback:

The Minnesota RFSI Initiative will begin distributing funds in 2024.

More information about the four-year RFSI Initiative can be found on the MDA’s Local and Regional Markets webpage. Questions about the program or requests for survey access assistance may be directed to Michael Zastoupil at Michael.Zastoupil@state.mn.us or 651-201-6369.

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

Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure - Listening Session #1

Starts:
Tue, 07/18/2023 - 12:00 pm
Ends:
Tue, 07/18/2023 - 1:00 pm
MDA is a:
Sponsor
Presenter
Link:
Register for RFSI Listening Session #1
MDA Contact:
Michael Zastoupil
Michael.Zastoupil@state.mn.us
651-201-6369

Details:

This is the first of two virtual listening sessions we're hosting to collect public feedback on funding priorities for Minnesota's Resilient Food System Infrastructure (RFSI) program. The second is on July 26.

Partnering with the USDA, we will distribute $12.25 million through competitive grants for RFSI projects that invest in infrastructure to strengthen Minnesota's food supply chain. The result of these investments will be more and stronger markets for small farms and food businesses, as well as an increase in locally made value-added products for consumers throughout the state.

Eligible projects must be for food products including fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products (excluding meat or poultry). The project will also fund business development services for new and established food companies.

If you're unable to attend one of the listening sessions, you can complete the online Food Business Development Needs Survey available through July 31 on our Local and Regional Markets webpage.

Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure - Listening Session #2

Starts:
Wed, 07/26/2023 - 7:00 pm
Ends:
Wed, 07/26/2023 - 8:00 pm
MDA is a:
Sponsor
Presenter
Link:
Register for RFSI Listening Session #2
MDA Contact:
Michael Zastoupil
Michael.Zastoupil@state.mn.us
651-201-6369

Details:

This is the second of two virtual listening sessions we're hosting to collect public feedback on funding priorities for Minnesota's Resilient Food System Infrastructure (RFSI) program. The first was on July 18.

Partnering with the USDA, we will distribute $12.25 million through competitive grants for RFSI projects that invest in infrastructure to strengthen Minnesota's food supply chain. The result of these investments will be more and stronger markets for small farms and food businesses, as well as an increase in locally made value-added products for consumers throughout the state.

Eligible projects must be for food products including fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products (excluding meat or poultry). The project will also fund business development services for new and established food companies.

If you're unable to attend one of the listening sessions, you can complete the online Food Business Development Needs Survey available through July 31 on our Local and Regional Markets webpage.