Deadline: 9-Dec-21
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has announced the applications for Agri Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program to support innovative on-farm research and demonstrations. It funds projects that explore sustainable agriculture practices and systems that could make farming more profitable, resource-efficient, or personally satisfying.
Priorities
This grant will prioritize:
- Projects led by a farmer or group of farmers.
- Emerging farmers, including historically underserved communities, such as immigrants, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) or Native American Tribal Communities, and other minorities.
Funding Information
A total of $250,000 is available in Fiscal Year 2022. Applicants may request up to $50,000 per project. For requests between $25,000 and $50,000, applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match on the amount above $25,000.
Eligible Projects
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Projects must show:
- The ability to maximize direct or indirect energy savings or production;
- A positive effect or reduced adverse effect on the environment; or
- Increased profitability for the individual farm by reducing costs or improving marketing opportunities.
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Every project must:
- Be located in Minnesota.
- Publicize and hold an outreach event in the form of a field day or other virtual event in the final season/year of the project. Examples of outreach events include, but are not limited to field days, video diaries, how-to guides, blog posts, podcast interviews, presentations at ag-based conferences or meetings, etc.
- Not start until the grant contract is signed by all parties and has reached its start date.
- Be completed in three years or less. Contracts cannot be extended beyond three years.
Project Eligibility
They fund projects that explore the profitability, energy efficiency, and environmental benefits of sustainable agriculture practices or systems. Projects can include, but are not limited to:
- practices that increase environmental sustainability and improve soil health;
- conservation tillage and weed management methods;
- novel cover crops and crop rotations;
- input reduction strategies, including nutrient and pesticide management;
- on-farm energy production, such as wind, methane, or biomass, or improvements in energy efficiency;
- developing/refining/improving marketing opportunities, including season extension and post-harvest storage and handling;
- novel enterprise diversification, including organic production, using traditional and non-traditional crops and livestock; and
- other creative ideas that focus on environmental benefits, energy savings or production, profitability, and/or farmers’ quality of life.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications from Minnesota farmers receive priority, but the program also funds Minnesota nonprofits and educational organizations that meaningfully involve Minnesota farmers in projects. Projects must last two to three years and grantees must be willing to share what they learn with others.
- Minnesota farmers, educational institutions, individuals at educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. Other government entities such as municipalities and counties are not eligible. Applicants must be Minnesota residents. Projects must take place on Minnesota farms. Projects led by a farmer or group of farmers receive priority. An applicant may be awarded only on grant in this round of grants.
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Applicants must:
- Be in good standing with the State of Minnesota.
- Owe no back taxes.
- Have no defaults on Minnesota State-backed financing for the last seven years.
- Have acceptable performance on past MDA grants.
- Be compliant with current state regulations.
For more information, visit Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
For more information, visit https://www.mda.state.mn.us/business-dev-loans-grants/agri-sustainable-agriculture-demonstration-grant
