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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:
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
The Food and Feed Safety Division's Information Desk is available for questions or complaints on food and feed safety. Call 651-201-6222, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm. After hours, you may call 651-201-6027, leave a message, and someone will return your call. If you prefer, you may use the form below to register your complaint.
The Food and Feed Safety Division, or delegated local health agency, has jurisdiction over grocery and convenience stores, bakeries, meat markets, wholesale food manufacturing plants. The Minnesota Department of Health or local health agency, licenses and inspects restaurants, cafes, and alcoholic beverage establishments. If a facility is not licensed by us, we will refer it to the proper local, state or federal agency that has jurisdiction.
If your complaint is a food emergency, please contact the State Duty Officer at 1-800-422-0798.
If you have a pesticide misuse complaint, please use the Pesticide Misuse Complaint Form.
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Starting in the fall of 2023, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will begin identifying potential new weather station locations for expansion of the Minnesota Ag Weather Network. The expansion will occur throughout the main crop production areas of Minnesota. Funding for the Minnesota Ag Weather Network expansion was provided by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The goal of the expansion is to provide agricultural producers with reliable real-time local weather data and weather-related ag tools to guide decisions for effectively managing nutrient inputs and water usage, appropriately time crop chemical application, and reduce leaching and runoff. Accurate and timely weather information is necessary for many precision agriculture technologies and best management practices. This will help farmers optimize management decisions which improves farm profitability, reduces loss of agricultural inputs, and protects surface water and groundwater.
The initial expansion of approximately 40 weather stations will occur in cooperation with several partners over the next two to three years. There will be a separation distance of approximately 18-20 miles between stations. If you are a public and private landowner and are interested in volunteering to host new stations, please:
Please review and consider the following criteria before completing the application.
While not always possible the ideal site has the following characteristics:
The weather station equipment is contained within an area of about 30 feet x 30 feet. The station needs short vegetation within 100 feet (no pavement) and no structures within 300 feet.
The intent is to operate the station 50 years or longer.
After installation, the station will require a regular maintenance check of at least twice per year by a Minnesota Ag Weather Network technician, once in the spring and once in the fall. Additional site visits may be required to correct equipment malfunctions.
A signed access agreement between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the property owner will be required. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of both parties.
Weather station hosts or cooperators will be partners of the weather network and will report visual damage or problems to the MDA, carry out minor maintenance tasks such as clearing snow off the solar panel or similar, and act as a point of contact for the MDA if a malfunction occurs on the weather station.
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