Search

Holiday greenery and Christmas trees bring joy throughout the season, but they can also hide dangerous pests. Diseases and invasive species can make their way into our landscapes on trees and boughs brought into Minnesota from other states.

To protect our environment, the State of Minnesota is asking residents to take these steps to properly dispose of greenery and trees after the holiday season:

• The best option is to use a curbside tree collection or bring trees to a designated drop-off site. Check with your waste hauler, city, or county to see what services are offered in your area. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has a map of yard waste compost locations; contact locations directly to see if they accept trees and greenery.
• Don’t toss trees and greenery into your backyard woods or residential compost pile, which can spread the invasive species or disease.
• Wreaths and other decorative greens can be disposed of in trash cans.
• If your city or county does not have an organized pick-up or drop-off, the last resort is to burn the greens. Always check fire danger conditions and burning restrictions before burning and follow local ordinances.

Pests of concern include elongate hemlock scale, a small insect established in the eastern U.S. where many decorative Fraser firs are grown. Feeding damage caused by this invasive insect can cause the needles of hemlocks, firs, and spruces to yellow and prematurely drop. Also, boxwood blight, a fungal disease, and round leaf bittersweet, an invasive noxious weed, are sometimes found on wreaths and centerpieces and can endanger native trees and other landscaping.

If you suspect your greenery or tree may be infested with an invasive insect or disease, contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Report a Pest line at 1-888-545-6684, reportapest@state.mn.us, or through the online reporting form.

###

Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Brittany.Raveill@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for funding to support the development of agricultural cooperatives in the state.

The Cooperative Development Grant Program is designed to help new cooperatives looking to finance business development strategies that will aid in the successful production, processing, or marketing of agricultural commodities, products, or services produced in Minnesota.

“Farmer-owned cooperatives have been the backbone of Minnesota agriculture for more than a century,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “With this grant program, we can help further strengthen the agricultural cooperative network across our state and expand opportunities for locally produced commodities, products, or services.”

The MDA will award approximately $160,000 in this round of Cooperative Development Grants. Projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

Applicants may request between $2,500 and $50,000 per project and must commit to matching at least 50% of the total project cost.

Grant applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Review the request for proposals (RFP) posted on the Cooperative Development Grant Program webpage for full application details.

###

Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us

Minnesota is among the first states in which hemp seed meal may be used in certain animal feed, opening new market options for industrial hemp growers.

The Association of American Feed Control Officers (AAFCO) earlier this year added hemp seed meal as a tentative ingredient definition for laying hens. Minnesota allows tentative ingredients to be used in animal feed and pet food.

Hemp seed meal is obtained by grinding or milling the cake that remains after most of the oil has been extracted from the seeds of Cannabis sativa L., said Daniel King, an MDA feed specialist and board member of AAFCO.

“It’s an opportunity to expand the availability of hemp in the market,” he said. “Producers can market it as a specialty ingredient.”

Hemp seed meal can make up no more than 20% of the laying hens’ diet as a source of protein and fat.

The Food and Drug Administration set the final standards with a limit of 2 parts per million (ppm) for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 20 ppm for cannabidiol (CBD). More research and testing will take place over the next year to make sure the THC and CBD levels in the hemp seed are correct.

The AAFCO process may take a year or more before moving from tentative approval to full approval for an ingredient, King said. Once full approval is granted, it could be expanded to meal uses for other animals, he said.

The application period for a license to grow hemp in Minnesota in 2025 is open now through April 30, 2025. Anyone wanting to grow hemp in Minnesota must obtain a license.

The 2018 Federal Farm Bill legalized hemp cultivation for commercial purposes. In Minnesota, in 2023, there were 230 licensed hemp growers and 158 licensed processors.

Hemp is the same Cannabis sativa L. plant as marijuana, but with a THC concentration of no more than 0.3% by dry weight.

###

Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Rural Finance Authority (RFA) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Beginning Farmer Tax Credit, an annual program available to landlords and sellers (asset owners) who rent or sell farmland, equipment, livestock, and other agricultural assets to beginning farmers.

Total funding available for the 2025 Beginning Farmer Tax Credit program is $4 million. The credits are funded in a first-come, first-served manner, so applicants are highly encouraged to apply early in the year before the stated deadlines. Both the asset owners and beginning farmers must submit applications with lease and/or sale documents to be eligible for funding and to hold their place in line. They may apply before sales close, if needed.

Asset owners can claim credits in one of the following categories in a given tax year for each beginning farmer they lease/sell to:

Qualifying asset owners can include individuals, trusts, or qualified pass-through entities renting or selling land, livestock, facilities, buildings, or machinery used for farming in Minnesota to a beginning farmer. Through changes made to the program during the 2023 legislative session, parents, grandparents, and siblings are now eligible for the tax credit if they sell farmland to a direct family member. However, this does not apply to leases or non-land sales (e.g., livestock, equipment).

A beginning farmer is defined as a Minnesota resident with the desire to start farming or who began farming within the past 10 years. They must provide positive projected earnings statements, have a net worth less than $1,013,000, and enroll in or have completed an approved Farm Business Management (FBM) program.

Beginning farmers are also eligible for a nonrefundable Minnesota tax credit equal to the amount paid for FBM tuition, up to a maximum of $1,500. This tax credit is available for up to three years.

Full eligibility requirements and application materials can be found on the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit webpage. Questions may be directed to Jenny Heck at Jenny.Heck@state.mn.us or 651-201-6316.
 

Informational Zoom session:
Monday, January 6 
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Register in advance or drop-in
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu2srDouHtENcJ63mL4AJpiz8_M_VYED

###

Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Brittany.Raveill@state.mn.us
 

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has partnered with Minnesota to award $9.5 million through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems.

Through this program, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will fund 11 Infrastructure Grant projects to support middle of the supply chain infrastructure (Project summaries are listed below).

“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program are building strength and resilience in Minnesota’s food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers, and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is grateful for Minnesota’s support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”

“We thank the USDA for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program which benefits Minnesota businesses, farmers, and consumers by investing in the middle of the food supply chain in our state,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “These grants highlight the diversity of Minnesota’s food and ag sector, as the funding will benefit a wide range of industries, locations, and sizes of organizations and businesses.”

The Infrastructure Grants are part of a program that will fund projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transportation, wholesaling, or distribution of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. Funding for the RFSI Program is authorized by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

In addition to the grant awards, free technical assistance is available to producers, businesses, cooperatives, and other organizations that are part of the middle of the food supply chain in Minnesota through the RFSI Program. Assistance will be available until Spring 2027.

Technical assistance services are focused on:

• Supply chain coordination
• Food business development
• Market development services for local and regional food products
• Consultation on grant applications and grant administration guidance

For more information, visit the MDA’s RFSI Program webpage.

Project Summaries

Bongards’ Creameries, Bongards, MN -  $1,572,259.50

Bongards' Creameries, a dairy cooperative owned by 176 farmer-producers, will purchase and install a new sliced cheese wrapper and diverter lane at the end of the production line and upgrade the two existing wrappers in its Bongards location. The investments will expand capacity for the manufacturing of Minnesota-made sliced processed cheese by 5.5M pounds per year.

Concept Processing, Melrose, MN - $304,780.84 

Concept Processing will purchase and install automated gallon and 5-gallon bag milk fillers, two refrigerated milk trucks, and equipment for a walk-in cooler. The new equipment will expand Concept Processing’s capacity to efficiently package fluid milk from their seventh-generation dairy farm in Melrose into value-added bagged products, strengthening its ability to supply seven wholesale distributors and grow the farm-to-fork milk program with Minnesota public schools and universities.

Featherstone Farm, Rushford, MN - $250,535.90

Featherstone Farm in Rushford will expand and upgrade its warehouses and walk-in cooler facilities, and make equipment investments in a food safety compliant wash, dry, and pack line for salad crops; returnable plastic containers (RPCs); and a machine to sanitize the RPCs. The upgrades will allow greater aggregation, processing, storing, and distribution of Featherstone Farm’s Minnesota-grown vegetables and crops, as well as products from other Minnesota farms and food producers.

Green Acres Milling, Albert Lea, MN - $1,500,000

Green Acres Milling in Albert Lea will purchase cleaning and kilning equipment systems for a new innovative oat milling facility that will enhance the local food system and support rural development by filling a middle-of-the supply-chain gap for oat processing infrastructure. Green Acres Milling will work with over 100 local farmers within a 120-mile radius known as the "Oat-Shed" to source oats, offering them a reliable market with fair pricing, enabling production of an estimated 364,800 cwt of high-quality oat groats yearly, and meeting growing consumer demand for traceable, non-GMO, and allergen-free oats.

Hmong American Farmers Association, Hastings, MN - $1,680,351.38

The Hmong American Farmers Association will construct a new processing, storage, and kitchen facility for value-added food production on their incubator farm in Hastings. The facility will be enclosed and climate controlled so HAFA’s 104 Hmong farmer-members have access to a facility to process their fresh produce year-round and take advantage of winter sales opportunities.

Hoyo, Minneapolis, MN - $668,034.70

Hoyo will build out the new Hoyo Food Production Facility with the goal of increasing critical employment for Somali immigrants from the local community and meeting the needs for food production from local sources to support community cultural food demands in the middle of a food and employment desert in Minneapolis. Infrastructure improvements and specialized equipment will enable Hoyo to immediately double its production capacity, with long-term potential to increase production capacity by fivefold as sales grow.

Manna Food Cooperative, Detroit Lakes, MN - $304,198.19

Manna Food Cooperative will create and outfit a new commercially licensed processing kitchen, purchase processing equipment, and expand food-grade storage capacity for the benefit of local producers. The processing kitchen at Manna Food Co-op in downtown Detroit Lakes will provide the processing capacity onsite to lightly process and store fruits and vegetables for member suppliers and give them the opportunities to generate value-added products for wholesale buyers, particularly Minnesota schools.

Midwest Processors, Pierz, MN - $530,483.56

Midwest Processors, a family- and farmer-owned processor of sunflowers in Pierz, will purchase milling and screening equipment, install conveyors and temporary storage, and integrate packaging into the production line. The infrastructure investments will allow Midwest Processors to enhance value throughout the supply chain through innovative upcycling of sunflower meal into high-protein meal, establishing access to premium markets for Minnesota producers.

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Redby, MN - $872,410

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, through its Department of Agriculture, will expand its existing processing capacities to support new wholesale and retail opportunities of locally grown produce and value-added products. The project includes constructing a new food processing and storage facility adjacent to its greenhouse in Redby, purchasing and installing necessary processing equipment and technologies for the facility, and obtaining food safety consultation and training.

Sno Pac Foods, Caledonia, MN - $1,572,500

Sno Pac Foods Inc., a grower and processor of organic fruits and vegetables in southeastern Minnesota, will construct a new cold storage facility in Caledonia to store their own products, as well as provide additional storage for other agricultural companies. The new storage facility will be constructed on property adjacent to Sno Pac Foods' existing processing plant and office and will be substantially more efficient, saving time, fuel, labor, and leasing expenses, while filling a drastic need in this part of the state for cold storage.

The Food Farm, Wrenshall, MN - $222,006.22

The Food Farm, a diversified organic vegetable farm in Wrenshall, will construct a cooler and pack house addition to its current storage facility; install new equipment to clean, store, and package produce for markets across northeast Minnesota; and purchase a larger delivery vehicle with a liftgate. These improvements will enable the Food Farm to expand markets and offer middle-of-the-supply-chain capacity to other nearby producers so that newer farmers can grow and develop with less risk.

###

Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us