Wild game products may not be sold and must be labeled “NOT FOR SALE,” regardless of whether the products come from licensed or license-exempt processors. These products may not be used in any way in a food facility because they are not processed under continuous inspection.
Typically, wild game products cannot be donated because they are not produced under continuous inspection. An exception for the donation of wild game processed at licensed and permitted meat plants is available to processors participating in the MDA Hunter-Harvested Venison Donation Program. These processors may be reimbursed by the MDA in exchange for processing hunter-harvested venison destined for donation to food banks, food shelves, and feeding programs. Processors participating in this program must be licensed.
Typically, wild game products cannot be donated because they are not produced under continuous inspection. An exception for the donation of wild game processed at licensed and permitted meat plants is available to processors participating in the MDA Hunter-Harvested Venison Donation Program. These processors may be reimbursed by the MDA in exchange for processing hunter-harvested venison destined for donation to food banks, food shelves, and feeding programs. Processors participating in this program must be licensed.
Wild game processing is any additional handling or preparing of field-dressed wild game, from cutting and skinning a carcass, to curing, cooking, or smoking. Wild game processors conduct these activities as a commercial business. Processing wild game only for yourself or immediate family, household, or hunting party members does not fall under the wild game processing requirements.
If you exclusively process wild game (no other meat or poultry processing) as an individual you may not need a license or permit to operate, provided you meet all of the following criteria:
- You do not own any other meat, poultry, or food business subject to licensing under the Minnesota Consolidated Food Licensing Law.
- You handle only raw wild game products and do no preparation beyond cutting, grinding, and packaging.
- You return all products directly to the owners/hunters (no sales or donations), and you label all products “NOT FOR SALE.”
- You process no more than 200 deer in a calendar year, or have $20,000 or less in receipts for wild game processing services in a calendar year, whichever is greater.
A wild game processor who does not meet all the above criteria will need to obtain a food handler’s license and custom exempt processing permit issued by the MDA Meat Inspection Program. For more information, go to Custom Exempt Meat Processing or contact the Dairy and Meat Inspection Division at 651-201-6300.
Wild game processors who do meet the exemption criteria are highly encouraged to register with the MDA. By registering, the MDA will acknowledge the processor's exempt license status, which will assist MDA staff with investigations if complaints or other information are received about a wild game processor.
Prior to August 2020, wild game processing facility and operational requirements were similar to those applied to meat products that could be sold, requiring wild game processors to maintain retail food code HACCP plans and meet other requirements intended for meat processed for sale. However, because wild game products can only be processed and returned to the owner of the animal, and are not allowed to be sold, wild game processing operations are more similar to traditional custom exempt processing operations. For this reason, wild game processing was moved under the same regulatory oversight as custom exempt processing, as is appropriate for the level of food safety risk associated with this type of operation. In August 2021, the law was further revised to exempt small scale wild game processors who have no other food handling operations from the requirement to be licensed and permitted as custom exempt processors.
Wild game products may not be sold and must be labeled “NOT FOR SALE,” regardless of whether the products come from licensed or license-exempt processors. These products may not be used in any way in a food facility because they are not processed under continuous inspection.
Typically, wild game products cannot be donated because they are not produced under continuous inspection. An exception for the donation of wild game processed at licensed and permitted meat plants is available to processors participating in the MDA Hunter-Harvested Venison Donation Program. These processors may be reimbursed by the MDA in exchange for processing hunter-harvested venison destined for donation to food banks, food shelves, and feeding programs. Processors participating in this program must be licensed.
Wild game processing is any additional handling or preparing of field-dressed wild game, from cutting and skinning a carcass, to curing, cooking, or smoking. Wild game processors conduct these activities as a commercial business. Processing wild game only for yourself or immediate family, household, or hunting party members does not fall under the wild game processing requirements.
Wild game processing is any additional handling or preparing of field-dressed wild game, from cutting and skinning a carcass, to curing, cooking, or smoking. Wild game processors conduct these activities as a commercial business. Processing wild game only for yourself or immediate family, household, or hunting party members does not fall under the wild game processing requirements.
Demand is high for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) new Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant.
The MDA recently awarded 81 grants to individual producers, producer groups, and local governments to purchase or retrofit soil health equipment. The grants total over $2.35 million.
Interest far outpaced available funding. The MDA received 284 applications for $8.4 million in requests – more than three times the money in this round of grants.
The grants will provide up to 50% cost-share for equipment and parts, up to a cap of $50,000.
“Given the amount of interest in this program, we see Minnesota farmers want to invest in healthy soils that provide important benefits to water quality and our other natural resources,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. “Specialized equipment and machinery can be a financial barrier for most producers trying to implement soil health practices. Yet we can offset costs through the Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant, helping to expand the number of Minnesota farmers and acres engaged in soil health activities.”
The equipment provided by these grants is estimated to be used on more than 141,000 acres annually across Minnesota (SEE MAP). The soil health practices on those acres include cover cropping, no-till planting, strip tillage, incorporation of perennials into cropping systems, low-disturbance nutrient application, and more. The most common types of equipment noted in the grant awards were no-till drills (21) and strip tillage equipment (12).
This is the first full round of the Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant. A pilot program in early 2023 awarded $475,000 to 16 individuals and organizations across 15 counties. The pilot program received more than 230 applications for more than $6.5 million – over 13 times the available funding.
Applications for the next round of the Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant will open in August.
###
Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us
