Grants Awarded to Grow Sustainable Agriculture Practices on Minnesota Farms
Twelve projects receive nearly $350K in MDA funding
St. Paul, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced the latest recipients of its Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant, awarding nearly $350,000 to 12 projects across the state focused on researching sustainable ag practices and systems.
The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant funds innovative research or demonstration projects that explore the energy efficiency, environmental benefit, and profitability of sustainable agriculture techniques — from the production through marketing processes — on Minnesota farms.
Topics being researched by this year’s grantees range from cover cropping, solar land access, in-row weeding systems, biocontrol techniques, and cut flower production. An overview of each awarded project is provided in the table below.
Grant project updates are published annually in the MDA’s Greenbook, which provides a summary of each active project along with results, management tips, locations of previous projects, and other resources to help encourage widespread adoption of sustainable practices.
The next round of Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grants will open for applications in the fall of 2024. Visit the grant webpage for updates and more information on previous projects.
Funding for this program is made available through the MDA’s 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.
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Grantee
Name
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Project Title
|
Grant Amount
|
Grantee City
|
Project Location (County/
Reservation)
|
|
Amundsen Farms, Inc
|
Atmospheric Water Collection Project
|
$48,955
|
Duluth
|
Carlton and St. Louis
|
|
Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute
|
Hemp Wool Matting Pilot Project
|
$11,101
|
Osage
|
White Earth Reservation; Becker, Wadena, and Aitkin County
|
|
Anthony Polyakov
|
Optimizing Crop Productivity and Quality Through Targeted Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure
|
$24,997.89
|
Eden Prairie
|
Scott
|
|
Bemidji State University
|
Computer Vision Guided In-row Weeding System for Organic Farming in Northern Minnesota
|
$25,000
|
Bemidji
|
Beltrami
|
|
Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee
|
Fond du Lac Gitigaaning Regenerative vs. Conventional
|
$25,000
|
Cloquet
|
Carlton and St. Louis
|
|
Lakeside Prairie Farm LLC
|
Restoration of an Oak Savannah Following Buckthorn Removal by Goats
|
$25,000
|
Barrett
|
Grant
|
|
Owl Forest Farm
|
Evaluating Cold-Hardy Roses for Cut Flower Production in USDA Zone 3
|
$49,830
|
Iron
|
St. Louis
|
|
Regents of the University of Minnesota
|
Broccolini: A Broccoli Alternative to Limit Losses Due to Pathogens and Pests
|
$32,836
|
Minneapolis
|
Carver, Meeker, Ramsey, and Rice
|
|
Regents of the University of Minnesota
|
Bounty and Blooms: Integration of Cut Flowers in Urban Vegetable Farms
|
$48,500
|
Minneapolis
|
Ramsey and Hennepin
|
|
The Food Group
|
Enabling Solar Facility Land Access for Emerging and Immigrant Farmer Empowerment
|
$19,818.48
|
New Hope
|
Sherburne
|
|
Twin Cities Berry Company
|
Investigating Biocontrol Techniques to Reduce Spray Usage Inside Affordable, Controlled Environments
|
$24,577.02
|
St. Paul
|
Isanti
|
|
Urban Roots MN
|
Cover Cropping to Remediate Urban Soil Compaction
|
$11,534.15
|
St. Paul
|
Ramsey
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