The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Livestock Investment Grant and the AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant. The AGRI Livestock Investment Grant helps Minnesota livestock farmers and ranchers improve, update, and modernize their infrastructure and equipment. The AGRI Protect grant helps livestock producers purchase equipment that reduces the risk of avian influenza transmission on their farms.
Up to $1.5 million is available for the AGRI Livestock Investment Grant, applicants may request $400 up to $25,000. Up to $250,000 is available for the AGRI Protect Grant, applicants may request $500 up to $10,000. Both are reimbursement grant programs and require recipients to contribute matching funds.
“Livestock production accounts for nearly half of Minnesota’s $22 billion agricultural economy and is essential to the strength of our rural communities,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. “Investments in equipment, infrastructure, and biosecurity not only help farmers strengthen their operations, but when livestock farms do well, so do the feed mills, veterinarians, processors, cooperatives and other local businesses that work with them, creating jobs and keeping dollars circulating in communities across the state.”
Both grant programs give priority to applicants who have farmed for 10 years or less. The AGRI Livestock Investment Grant also prioritizes:
- Generational farm transitions
- Technology improvements, including robotic dairy milking equipment
- Projects that respond to and prepare for extreme weather
Applications for both programs must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17. Visit the AGRI Livestock Investment Grant webpage and the AGRI Protect Grant webpage for eligibility requirements, application instructions, and as well as information about previously funded projects.
Since the start of the Walz-Flanagan administration, the MDA has invested more than $10.3 million through the AGRI Livestock Investment Grant to help producers improve and modernize livestock operations across Minnesota.
Funding for both grant programs is made available through the MDA’s AGRI Program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout Minnesota to advance the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.
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Media Contact
Nikki Warner, MDA Communications
651-238-7909
Nikki.Warner@state.mn.us
