Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant

A beginning farmer is defined as someone who:

• Started farming within the last 10 years, AND
• Is a principal operator on a farm (see below), AND
• Has some farming experience and knowledge.

A principal operator is the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm, limited liability corporation (LLC), or other nongovernmental organization. The principal operator could be an owner, hired manager, cash tenant, share tenant, or partner.

Only individual beginning farmers are eligible to apply for this grant.

The individual may be the owner of a farm, but this is not a requirement.

Only one application will be accepted per farm and per person. In the case that two individuals share a household, but both are beginning farmers associated with different farms, then both could apply.

Eligible expenses include:

• Agriculture-specific equipment needed to grow crops, raise livestock, or store the related farm products. “Agriculture-specific” refers to equipment that is designed specifically for farm activities. This is different than general purpose equipment. A large variety of items qualify as agriculture-specific, if you want to check the eligibility of a certain type of equipment, contact the grant administrator.

• Farm infrastructure investments related to water access; irrigation; fencing; electricity; walk-in coolers; livestock handling; grain storage; production-related structures such as barns, livestock buildings, and greenhouses; and other farm infrastructure.

Ineligible expenses include but are not limited to:

• General equipment and vehicles that are not specific to agricultural use such as:
  • Mowers
  • Skid steers
  • Semi-trucks
  • Flatbed trailers
  • Trucks, vans, or cars
• General purpose office supplies and equipment such as a computer, tablet or smart phone purchase.
• Improvements to residential infrastructure located on a farm.
• Processing and packaging equipment or infrastructure.

See the Request for Proposals for more information about eligible and ineligible expenses. 

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Apply for this grant through the MDA's online application system.  

• If you’re a new user, you need to create an account first.
• Once you’re logged in, select “Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant.”
• Contact us if you need this information in a different format.

Before applying, read the Request for Proposals.

For questions on the grant program or application, submit them in writing before 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 19, 2026, to MDA grant specialist Emily Toner at beginning.farmer.grant.mda@state.mn.us. 

To consider what type of request might score higher in the grant review process,  take a look at how applications will be evaluated, on page 19 of the RFP, the "Application Scoring Sheet."

That table gives a breakdown of the scoring categories, so you could weigh your different ideas based on how you think they might be scored there.

No. You do not need to own the land where you do the infrastructure improvements. In fact, the grant gives preference to "limited land access" farmers. See full definition of limited land access on page 18 in the grant's request for proposals PDF.

No, the grant funds may only be used for future purchases that are agreed upon in a grant contract with the MDA, and the purchase must occur after the contract is signed by you and MDA. 

If you propose a purchase or infrastructure investment in your application, do not make those investments before hearing back about the application result.

Installing drainage tile is an infrastructure investment and, as long as the tile is laid for the purpose of agricultural production, it would be eligible.

The grant applicant would need to meet the other eligibility requirements which include being a beginning farmer based in Minnesota. 

Vehicles that are general purpose, like a pickup truck, are not eligible expenses for this grant.

To think through whether or not a piece of equipment is agriculture-specific, ask: could it easily be used off the farm for non-farm related tasks? That is what will be assessed by the review committee on all applications.

Yes. Applicants must have sold at least $1,000 — and no more than $500,000 — of farm products in 2024, or 2025 if they did not begin farming until 2025.

No, there are not points or preference awarded for submitting an application ahead of others. All applications submitted by the application deadline will get full consideration.

The grant program uses the language “started farming within the last 10 years” to define eligibility on this point. People who started farming in 2016 or after may apply for this grant.

Awardees of the FY2026/2027 program will have until at least June 2027 to make their grant purchases.

Yes, fencing supplies and installment costs for agricultural crops are eligible. The fencing could be either permanent or temporary/portable.

If you are looking for technical assistance related to fencing installation and supply costs, consider contacting: 

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Damage Management Program at 218-203-4336

If you are contributing your labor to a farm business that has been filing taxes for more than 10 years, unfortunately you will not qualify for this grant.

Keep in mind that you need to be a principal operator on a farm to qualify. A principal operator is the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm, limited liability corporation (LLC), or other nongovernmental organization. The principal operator could be an owner, hired manager, cash tenant, share tenant, or partner.

No, you may not purchase from a direct family member with this grant. Direct family in this case is defined by Internal Revenue Code, section 267(c)(4) which includes, spouse, sisters and brothers including step-sister and step-brothers, parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren.

"Incubator farm" means a farm where:

(1) individuals are given temporary, exclusive, and affordable access to small parcels of land, infrastructure, and often training, for the purpose of honing skills and launching a farm business; and

(2) a majority of the individuals farming the small parcels of land grow industrial hemp, cannabis, or one or more of the following specialty crops as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture for purposes of the specialty crop block grant program: fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, medicinal plants, culinary herbs and spices, horticulture crops, floriculture crops, and nursery crops.

This definition was provided by the Minnesota State Legislature.

In scoring an application, an applicant is given up to 10 points for meeting the definition of experiencing limited land access, which includes farming on an incubator farm.

Yes, as long as this is an activity related to a beginning farmer's business, and not a personal hobby.

Six-row no till planter would be specific enough for the application. This gives flexibility to choose exact make and model after the grant is awarded.

It is not allowed to pay direct family members for services (or equipment purchases) with this grant.