The MDA and University of Minnesota (UMN) co-lead the Statewide Cooperative Partnership.
July 11, 2024
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced the latest recipients of its Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant, awarding nearly $350,000 to 12 projects across the state focused on researching sustainable ag practices and systems.
The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant funds innovative research or demonstration projects that explore the energy efficiency, environmental benefit, and profitability of sustainable agriculture techniques — from the production through marketing processes — on Minnesota farms.
Topics being researched by this year’s grantees range from cover cropping, solar land access, in-row weeding systems, biocontrol techniques, and cut flower production. An overview of each awarded project is provided in the table below.
Grant project updates are published annually in the MDA’s Greenbook, which provides a summary of each active project along with results, management tips, locations of previous projects, and other resources to help encourage widespread adoption of sustainable practices.
The next round of Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grants will open for applications in the fall of 2024. Visit the grant webpage for updates and more information on previous projects.
Funding for this program is made available through the MDA’s AGRI Program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota. The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.
|
Grantee Name |
Project Title |
Grant Amount |
Grantee City |
Project Location (County/Reservation) |
|
Amundsen Farms, Inc |
Atmospheric Water Collection Project |
$48,955 |
Duluth |
Carlton and St. Louis |
|
Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute |
Hemp Wool Matting Pilot Project |
$11,101 |
Osage |
White Earth Reservation; Becker, Wadena, and Aitkin County |
|
Anthony Polyakov |
Optimizing Crop Productivity and Quality Through Targeted Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure |
$24,997.89 |
Eden Prairie |
Scott |
|
Bemidji State University |
Computer Vision Guided In-row Weeding System for Organic Farming in Northern Minnesota |
$25,000 |
Bemidji |
Beltrami |
|
Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee |
Fond du Lac Gitigaaning Regenerative vs. Conventional |
$25,000 |
Cloquet |
Carlton and St. Louis |
|
Lakeside Prairie Farm LLC |
Restoration of an Oak Savannah Following Buckthorn Removal by Goats |
$25,000 |
Barrett |
Grant |
|
Owl Forest Farm |
Evaluating Cold-Hardy Roses for Cut Flower Production in USDA Zone 3 |
$49,830 |
Iron |
St. Louis |
|
Regents of the University of Minnesota |
Broccolini: A Broccoli Alternative to Limit Losses Due to Pathogens and Pests |
$32,836 |
Minneapolis |
Carver, Meeker, Ramsey, and Rice |
|
Regents of the University of Minnesota |
Bounty and Blooms: Integration of Cut Flowers in Urban Vegetable Farms |
$48,500 |
Minneapolis |
Ramsey and Hennepin |
|
The Food Group |
Enabling Solar Facility Land Access for Emerging and Immigrant Farmer Empowerment |
$19,818.48 |
New Hope |
Sherburne |
|
Twin Cities Berry Company |
Investigating Biocontrol Techniques to Reduce Spray Usage Inside Affordable, Controlled Environments |
$24,577.02 |
St. Paul |
Isanti |
|
Urban Roots MN |
Cover Cropping to Remediate Urban Soil Compaction |
$11,534.15 |
St. Paul |
Ramsey |
###
Media Contact
Logan Schumacher
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us
2022 baseline data
In 2022, the Partnership designed and conducted three surveys to collect baseline data from M
July 18, 2024
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Rural Finance Authority (RFA) has announced details for the next round of funding for its popular Down Payment Assistance Grant program, which will open for applications on August 1, 2024.
The Down Payment Assistance Grant offers up to $15,000 for qualified farmers to purchase their first farm. Eligible applicants must earn less than $250,000 per year in gross agricultural sales, and each award must be matched with at least $8,000 of other funds.
While all eligible farmers are encouraged to apply, priority for this round of grants will be given to applicants with no more than $100,000 in annual gross farm product sales or applicants who are producers of industrial hemp, cannabis, or specialty crops. Applicants cannot be related by blood or marriage to the owner of the farmland that they intend to acquire.
After the application window closes, all eligible requests will be placed in a randomized lottery to determine the order in which grants are awarded, with the identified priority applicants being given precedence. If funding remains after the MDA has awarded grants to all priority applicants, the MDA will award as many grants as funding allows to all remaining applicants in the order of their lottery placement.
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on September 15, 2024, and applicants will be notified of award decisions in late September.
Awards will remain valid for purchases closing within six months after award approval or until June 30, 2025, whichever is sooner. Farm purchases must take place after approval of the application. The MDA cannot award grants retroactively for purchases that have already happened.
To view the full grant eligibility requirements and access the RFP, visit the MDA website.
Leading up to the opening of the application window, the MDA and Farmland Access Hub are partnering to host a series of informational webinars for prospective applicants. Each webinar will focus on a different topic related to the grant program and the farm-buying process. Details on each session and how to join are below.
- Grant Overview and Preparation for Buying a Farm
- Tuesday, July 23, 4-5 p.m.
- Join through Zoom.
- Affordability and Financing Your Farm Purchase
- Wednesday, July 24, 4-5 p.m.
- Join through Zoom.
- Finding and Securing Farmland
- Tuesday, July 30, 4-5 p.m.
- Join through Zoom.
- Detailed Review of Grant RFP
- Wednesday, July 31, 4-5 p.m.
- Join through Zoom.
###
Media Contact
Logan Schumacher
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us
