The MDA is supporting research projects to identify processes that affect water quality and evaluate the costs and benefits of specific agricultural practices.
Read detailed information about each of our 43 Supported Research Projects and their status.
MDA's Research Program
Since 2008, the MDA has announced nine requests for research proposals. Any organization, research entity, or individual may apply for these funds. Once all the proposals are received, a committee comprised of state agency and non-agency representatives with expertise in agricultural water quality and quantity issues review the proposals and select those that will receive funding. A Technical Advisory Committee, comprised of subject matter experts, provides input on projects to ensure they produce relevant and useful information for a diverse group of stakeholders.
Goals of the Research Program
- Identify underlying processes that affect water quality
- Evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs)
- Develop technologies to target BMPs to critical areas of the landscape
Research priorities are developed with input from multiple stakeholders including agricultural groups, state agencies, and researchers.
Forever Green Initiative
The University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative brings together researchers from multiple departments including plant breeding, agronomy, food science and economics. Their goal is to develop new high value commodity crops for conservation purposes.
