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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Produce Safety Mini-Grant. This funding opportunity helps reimburse produce growers for expenses that improve on-farm food safety systems.

The MDA anticipates awarding approximately $42,400. Awardees will receive reimbursement up to $800 per farm. No matching funds are required.

To be eligible, applicants must farm in Minnesota and have grown and sold one or more of the following crops in 2024: leafy greens, apples, berries, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, herbs, melons, microgreens, mushrooms, onions, peppers, sprouts, summer squash/zucchini, or tomatoes. In addition, applicants must have completed the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Grower Questionnaire, or otherwise verified their farm’s Produce Safety Rule status with the MDA, at least once between 2022-2025.

Expenses must occur on or after November 1, 2023 or be planned to take place before June 30, 2025. Eligible expense categories include:

• Harvest totes
• Waxed boxes
• Market containers
• Carts and pull wagons
• Water testing for generic E. coli
• Sanitizer used for wash water and food contact surfaces
• Supplies to build or purchase a portable handwashing station
• Supplies to build or purchase a portable produce washing station

Applications will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on March 22, 2025.

Additional information and the online application are available on the MDA website. Farmers can contact the MDA Produce Safety Program at 651-539-3648 to request a paper copy.

Funding for the Produce Safety Mini-Grant was made possible by a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.

Note: Due to recent Executive Orders, federal funding may be reduced or canceled. Publishing this request for proposals (RFP) does not commit the state to awarding any federal funds.

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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and partner organizations are proposing to manage spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) infestations this summer in nine counties across eastern Minnesota.

Spongy moths are ranked among America’s most destructive tree pests and can cause significant environmental and economic impacts. Spongy moth is a leaf-eating insect that has caused millions of dollars in damage to forests across the United States. This pest is found in most of Wisconsin and is now establishing itself in northeastern and southeastern Minnesota.

The MDA monitors for spongy moth each year, surveying for emerging infestations. When an infestation is found, the department conducts aerial management and targets the infestation before it can spread. The number of spongy moths detected in Minnesota in recent years has increased, and populations continue to push westward.

Forty-three treatment areas totaling approximately 115,000 acres are proposed in Aitkin, Anoka, Carlton, Fillmore, Houston, Itasca, Pine, St. Louis, and Winona counties. The areas will be managed with either: Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk): a biological insecticide that is organically certified for use on food crops, or mating disruption, a substance containing pheromones specific to spongy moths that confuse the male moths and prevent mating. Residents can view an interactive map on the MDA website to determine if they are located within any of the proposed management areas. 

Management will be conducted from May through July, depending on insect development and weather.

The MDA has successfully treated dozens of spongy moth infestations across eastern Minnesota. These successful treatments help postpone the full-scale invasion of spongy moth. They also save local communities and homeowners money and protect the health of the state’s urban and natural forests.

Residents in proposed treatment areas and the public are invited to attend an informational meeting to learn more about the insect and the treatment methods.

To register for virtual meetings, visit the MDA website.

Residents in proposed management areas will also be receiving a postcard with more information. Citizens can also find info on spongy moth management, sign-up for text or email notifications, and see proposed management area maps on the MDA website.

Comments on any of the proposed management activities are being accepted through April 15, 2025. Comments should be submitted in writing via mail or email to:

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

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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 notifying consumers of a recall of Thousand Hills Local Farms beef products from Lakewinds Food Co-op of Richfield due to metal contamination. This recall is being issued after staff at the Richfield Lakewinds location and a customer identified metal shot or BBs in beef products. It is unknown at this time how the contamination occurred.

The recalled product was sold fresh (not frozen) from the Lakewinds Food Co-op located at 6420 Lyndale Ave S. in Richfield and can be identified by the lot code on the package sticker (see photo below). The following two lots of products are being recalled:

• Lot code 25024
• Lot code 25034

The following Thousand Hills beef products with the above lot coding are being recalled out of an abundance of caution:

• Bottom round roasts
• Stew meat
• Top round steaks and roasts
• Stir fry meat
• Sirloin tip steaks and roasts
• Eye of round steaks and roasts
• Ground beef

No other lots of Lakewinds Food Co-op beef or Thousand Hills products are affected by the recall. If you have recalled product in your home, you should throw it out or return it to the Richfield Lakewinds Food Coop for a full refund. Consumers with questions can contact the Richfield Lakewinds Food Co-op directly by calling 952-512-2199 or by email at lakewinds@lakewinds.com.

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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us

Three community development organizations in Minnesota will receive grant funding to strengthen agriculture-focused financial services through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA)’s new Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Technical Assistance Grant.

The MDA awarded $270,000 in total to three CDFIs for the following purposes:

• African Economic Development Solutions: $80,000 to train staff on resources for farm businesses, establish partnerships with agriculture-related organizations, and create new loan products, programs and policies to serve farmers.
• Hmong American Partnership: $90,000 to increase staff expertise in agricultural financial services, enhance farmers’ knowledge through loan readiness workshops and technical assistance, and develop tailored loan products to fit the financial needs of farmers.
• Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC): $100,000 to strengthen their agricultural lending program through a new ag loan policy manual, a dedicated ag loan fund, technology and processes that deploy capital to farmers faster, and professional development for LEDC staff to better serve farmers.

Awardees for this grant are certified CDFIs who serve or intend to serve farmers in Minnesota and have participated in at least one U. S. Department of Agriculture grant or loan program. A certified CDFI is defined as a bank, credit union, microloan fund, or venture capital provider who has completed a certification process with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund.

The grants were offered to CDFIs in two main areas of technical assistance:

• Technical assistance provided by CFDIs to farmers (e.g. assisting farmers with loan readiness or expanding outreach efforts toward targeted groups with agriculture-focused financial services).
• Technical assistance for CDFIs to increase their own capacity to serve farmers (e.g. to develop their agriculture lending program or internal knowledge and processes as a foundation to provide financial services to emerging farmers).

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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us