Purpose: A farmer-led program to advance soil fertility research, technology development, and education.
Mission: To fund research and education on agricultural fertility that is environmentally and economically sound.
The Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) consists of twelve members who are either farmers or provide agricultural professional services such as crop retailers or consultants.
The Minnesota Legislature established the funding mechanism for the program by raising the MDA’s fertilizer tonnage fee. The current fee is 40 cents per ton of fertilizer sold. Each year, the MDA announces a Request for Proposals (RFP) for projects using funds generated from fertilizer sales.
Though dependent upon the previous year’s fertilizer sales, AFREC typically awards over $1,000,000 annually.
The enabling legislation establishing the governing Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (referred to as “AFREC” or “Council”) are Minnesota Statutes 18C.70, 18C.71, and 18C.80.
