The application period for the 2021 Agricultural Drought Relief Program is closed.
- We received nearly 3,000 applications with almost $19 million in eligible expenses.
- This is more than double the $8.1 million provided by the Minnesota Legislature for the program, so we are pro-rating payments to farmers.
- Checks will be pro-rated to 41.9% of the amount a farmer is eligible to receive in drought relief payments. For example:
- A farmer eligible for $7,500 will receive a check for $3,143 ($7,500 x 41.9%).
- A farmer eligible for $5,000 will receive a check for $2,095 ($5,000 x 41.9%).
- As of August 22, 2022, we started to mail checks to farmers and will process the rest as quickly as we can.
The 2021 Agricultural Drought Relief Program (ADRoP) reimburses Minnesota livestock farmers and specialty crop producers for expenses related to the 2021 drought. Eligible farmers and producers may receive up to $7,500 for actual expenses incurred after June 1, 2021, and before May 23, 2022.
Who may apply?
- Principal operators of a livestock or specialty crop farm in an eligible area
- Applicant must be a current Minnesota resident.
- Farms must be in a county designated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a primary natural disaster area after July 19, 2021, and before January 1, 2022, or in a county contiguous to a designated county.
- All counties in Minnesota are eligible EXCEPT Goodhue, Rice, Wabasha, and Winona.
Definitions
- Principal operator: the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day operations of the farm
- Farm: any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year. This definition includes nurseries, greenhouses, and certain non-profit organizations that operate farms.
- Livestock: includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, bison, sheep, horses, farmed Cervidae (deer), Ratitae (flightless birds including emu), and llamas
- Specialty crop: an eligible crop under the USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
- "Loaded" mile: the measure of distance used when a vehicle is transporting water, feed, or livestock. This does not include the return trip.
What you will need
- Completed application form with your signature
- IRS Form W-9
- A list of drought-related expenses
Eligible expenses
Expenses must have been purchased and paid for after June 1, 2021, and before May 23, 2022. Expenses are only eligible if they were incurred solely because of the drought, and you would not have had them if there was not a drought. This program can only pay for actual expenses incurred, not lost revenue.
The following lists include eligible expenses. If you have expenses that are not listed, contact the ADRoP team to see if they will qualify.
Specialty Crop
- Water handling equipment such as water tanks, pipeline, water wagons/trailers; water hauling; wells (new, improvements, fixes, replacement pumps); irrigation equipment, including drip irrigation, soil moisture sensors, nozzles; replacement specialty crop seeds, seedlings, or started plants (including site prep, replanting, and technical assistance); extra straw/plastic tarps; additional hired labor; farmers’ market fees for cancelled markets or farmers’ markets producers were unable to attend due to lack of product
- Transportation – specialty crop farmers may receive up to $6/loaded mile for transporting water for irrigation of specialty crops.
Livestock
- Water handling equipment such as water tanks, pipeline, water wagons/trailers; water hauling; wells (new, improvements, fixes, replacement pumps); irrigation equipment; nitrate testing; feed, feed transportation, custom baling, equipment rental; feed storage and handling supplies such as silage tubes and TMR mixers; livestock transportation; livestock pond dredging; cover crop, pasture, or forage replanting (including seeds, site prep, and technical assistance); fencing supplies such as posts, wires, solar chargers; grazing rights; additional hired labor; herd reduction expenses
- Transportation – livestock farmers may receive up to $6/loaded mile for:
- Transporting feed to livestock or livestock to feed (up to 25 miles per trip). Miles for returning livestock to their originating location are not eligible. Miles for livestock transported to a feedlot are not eligible. You also cannot claim mileage if the same miles are being covered through the USDA’s Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP).
- Bringing livestock to a point of sale. This is only for livestock that would not have been sold if there was not a drought.
- Transporting water to livestock.
You do not need to include receipts, invoices, timesheets, cancelled checks, or bank statements with your application, but you must save them for at least six years (and show them to the MDA, State Auditor, or Legislative Auditor if requested).
Applying
The application period is closed.
Detailed information about the program is in the ADRoP application (PDF).
More information
More information about the program is available on the program’s webpage or by contacting the ADRoP Team (drought@state.mn.us) or calling the Grants Line at 651-201-6500 (interpreters available).
Macluumaad dheeraad ah oo ku saabsan barnaamijka ayaa laga heli karaa bogga internetka ee barnaamijka ama iyada oo lala xiriirayo Kooxda ADRoP (drought@state.mn.us) ama iyada oo laga soo wacayo Khadka Deeqaha 651-201-6500.
Puede obtener más información sobre el programa en la página web del programa, o escribiendo al equipo del ADRoP (drought@state.mn.us) o llamando a la Línea de Subsidios al 651-201-6500.
Kom paub ntau dua txog qhov kev pab no yeej muaj nyob rau hauv qhov program lub vas sab los yog tiv tauj rau pawg neeg ADRoP team ntawm (drought@state.mn.us) los yog hu rau tus xov tooj pab pob nyiaj ntawm tus xov tooj Grants Line 651-201-6500.
