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Minnesota farmers, educational institutions, individuals at educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations interested in researching sustainable agriculture practices and systems can now apply for funding through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).

The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program funds innovative projects that explore the energy efficiency, environmental benefits, or profitability of sustainable agricultural techniques or systems, from production through marketing. The MDA will award up to $350,000 in grants using a competitive review process.

Applicants may request up to $50,000 per project. The first $25,000 does not need to be matched by the applicants. For requests between $25,000 and $50,000, applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match on the amount above $25,000.

Past grants have funded a wide range of projects, such as exploring cover crops and crop rotation; conservation tillage; input reduction strategies; integrated pest management; and alternative energies such as wind, methane, and biomass.

Projects may last two to three years and need to take place on Minnesota farms, and grantees must be willing to share what they learn with others. Grant projects 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.

Funding for this program is made available through the 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.

Applications will be accepted through 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2023, and funding will be awarded in early 2024. For more information and application details, visit the AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant webpage.

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

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has recently returned from a business development mission to Japan, joined by a delegation that included state lawmakers and representatives from Minnesota agricultural organizations. Taking place from September 8 through 15, the goal of the mission was to celebrate the rich history of trade and investment between Minnesota and Japan and identify new opportunities for growth for Minnesota agricultural products.

The U.S. is the largest foreign supplier of food and agricultural products to Japan, with Minnesota being the 11th largest U.S. state exporter to the country. Additionally, Japan is Minnesota’s fourth largest export market, representing 8% of Minnesota’s food and agricultural exports (2021), or $752 million. Minnesota’s top export products to Japan include pork, animal feed, soybeans, processed vegetables, dairy products and ingredients, pet foods, and corn.

“This mission offered the unique opportunity to learn first-hand about consumer and market trends in Japan and how Minnesota can help fulfill the country’s import needs,” said MDA Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel. “Being able to lead an in-person tour like this is immensely important to maintaining and strengthening relationships and expanding markets for our producers. We’re thankful to the people of Japan for their continued partnership and support of Minnesota agriculture.”

The mission started in Tokyo, where the delegation toured several food retail businesses and met with United States Department of Agriculture Trade Office and Foreign Ag Service personnel at the U.S. Embassy. They also attended the Food Style Japan food service trade show to tour the U.S. Meat Export Federation pavilion, which showcased over 10 companies selling U.S. beef and pork products for the Japanese market. The group then traveled to Osaka for additional retail tours before concluding the mission, including a food ingredient manufacturer called Sanwa Starch that buys Minnesota corn for their product.

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who were concurrently in Japan for the 2023 Midwest U.S.-Japan Conference, hosted the ag delegation for a reception in Tokyo as well as a luncheon in Osaka. They also joined the MDA group at the Food Style trade show, as did Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek.

The full list of MDA business development mission attendees is as-follows:

• Andrea Vaubel, Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture, MDA

• Emily Jerve, Marketing Supervisor, MDA

• Jeffrey Phillips, International Trade Representative, MDA

• Rep. Samantha Vang (38B), House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee Chair

• Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (63A), House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee Member

• Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (64A)

• Adam Ulbricht, Executive Director, Minnesota Bison Association

• Richard Syverson, President, Minnesota Corn Growers Association

• Mark Dombeck, Council Chair, Minnesota Dry Bean Research and Promotion Council

• Gary Wertish, President, Minnesota Farmers Union

• Brian Schwartz Sr., Executive Board Member, Minnesota Pork Board

• Joseph Smentek, Executive Director, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association

• Kaitlyn Root, Executive Director, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association

• Michael Landuyt, Producer, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association

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

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Mille Lacs and Benton County for the first time. There are now 44 counties in the state, including Mille Lacs and Benton, with EAB.

Tree care professionals in both counties noticed trees with signs of an EAB infestation and made reports to the MDA. The Mille Lacs County infestation was discovered in Milaca along a set of powerlines. The Benton County infestation was found in a neighborhood in St. Cloud.

EAB was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. The trees show several signs of infestation. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae, and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath.

Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Mille Lacs and Benton County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine which limits the movement of firewood and ash material out of the area. The quarantine area for Mille Lacs County will be the southern portion of the county south of County Road 11, from Benton to the Isanti County border. All of Benton County will be under the EAB quarantine.

The MDA issues quarantines for all areas known to have EAB to reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect.

A virtual informational meeting for residents and tree care professionals in Mille Lacs and Benton County will be held on September 28, 2023, from 10 – 11 a.m. Experts from the MDA will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.

Emerald Ash Borer Virtual Informational Meeting:
September 28, 2023
10 – 11 a.m.
Register at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal to add Mille Lacs and Benton County’s emergency quarantine to the state’s formal quarantine. The MDA is taking comments on the proposed formal quarantine now through October 30, 2023, and recommends adopting the quarantine on November 1, 2023. The proposed quarantine language can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab.

Comments can be made during the virtual meeting or by contacting:

Kimberly Thielen Cremers
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Kimberly.TCremers@state.mn.us

There is more EAB information on the MDA website.

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

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now seeking applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Crop Research Grant Program. Grant funding is intended to generate applied crop research that will improve agricultural product quality, quantity, or value within Minnesota’s $13.5 billion crop industry.

Any Minnesota organization, research entity, individual, or business with agricultural research capabilities is eligible to apply and receive funding. Applied crop research projects must have near-term benefits (three to seven years) for Minnesota’s farmers and the state’s economy, and applications must include an outreach plan describing how results will be made available to the public.

Special consideration will be given to research on crops with limited access to other research funds, as well projects with an outreach plan describing how activities or outcomes meaningfully involve, inform, or benefit underserved agricultural producers.

The MDA will award roughly $1.2 million through this round of funding, with a maximum grant amount of $250,000 per proposal. Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

Funding for the Crop Research Grant was established through the AGRI Program, which provides 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.

To access full program details and the online application, visit the AGRI Crop Research Grant webpage.

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

New money is available to Minnesota livestock producers to help prevent wolf attacks. A total of $95,000 will be awarded by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) through the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. Applications are due January 5, 2024.

The grants provide reimbursement for costs of approved practices to prevent wolf-livestock conflicts. Only costs incurred after entering into a grant agreement with the MDA are eligible for reimbursement. Eligible expenses for the grant program will include:

• Purchase of guard animals
• Veterinary costs for guard animals
• Wolf-barriers which may include pens
• Fladry and fencing
• Wolf-deterring lights and alarms
• Calving or lambing shelters

Eligible producers must live within Minnesota’s wolf range, as designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or on property determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture to be affected by wolf-livestock conflicts. Any animal species produced for profit and documented to have been killed by wolves in Minnesota in the past is eligible. This includes bison, cattle, chicken, deer, donkey, duck, geese, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine, and turkey.

The funding also requires an 80:20 matching cost-share, meaning 80% of eligible project costs will be reimbursed by the grant and the remaining 20% will be paid for by the grantee.

The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Work for this grant must be done and expenses reported by August 31, 2024. The application and more information can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/wolfgrants.

This round of funding for the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants is made possible by monies appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature and funding awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the MDA for grant distribution.

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