AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant

The AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant, also referred to as the Protect Grant, helps Minnesota farmers and ranchers buy and install supplies or equipment to prevent the transmission of avian influenza on their farms.

Amount available

Approximately $500,000 is available for this program. We expect to award 50 to 60 grants.

• You may request between $500 and $10,000 per farming operation.
  • Only one application per operation.
• A 20% cash match is required.
  • You can use your related time and labor costs to reduce the cash match by up to $2,000.

Eligibility 

To apply, you must:

• Be the principal operator of a livestock operation in Minnesota.
• Produce and sell at least $1,000 of livestock products annually.

For the purposes of this grant, livestock includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, bison, sheep, horses, farmed cervids (deer, elk), ratites (flightless birds including emu), and llamas.

Grant funds must be used to install measures to prevent the transmission of avian influenza at farms in Minnesota. Project examples include:

• Lasers (to scare wild species away from livestock operations)
• Sound machines (to scare wild species away from livestock operations) 
• Inflatables (to scare wild species away from livestock operations) 
• Isolation pens
• Truck washes
• Air filtration systems
• Danish entry systems
• Exclusion systems to help keep wild birds and vermin out of livestock facilities
• Electronic animal ID systems (including readers and software)

Note:

• We issue payments on a reimbursement basis and not in advance.
• You may only buy eligible items after grant contract agreements are signed by all parties.
  • We expect to have contracts in place by February 2025.

Applying 

The application period is open until 4 p.m. Central Time (CT) on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

• Carefully read the full Protect Grant Request for Proposals (RFP) (PDF) for eligibility and requirements.
  • If you have trouble opening the PDF, try another browser - Edge and Chrome work well.
• We encourage you to apply online.
  • If you are a new user, you will need to create an account.
  • Once you are logged in, select “Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant AGRI FY25.”

Contact us if you need this information in an alternative format.

Protect Grant Q&A

Here are some common questions about the AGRI Protect Grant. If you have questions that are not addressed here or in the RFP, email them to MDA.AGRIGrants@state.mn.us with "AGRI Protect Grant" in the subject line. We'll post all questions and answers on this page.