July 11, 2024

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced the latest recipients of its Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant, awarding nearly $350,000 to 12 projects across the state focused on researching sustainable ag practices and systems.

The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant funds innovative research or demonstration projects that explore the energy efficiency, environmental benefit, and profitability of sustainable agriculture techniques — from the production through marketing processes — on Minnesota farms.

Topics being researched by this year’s grantees range from cover cropping, solar land access, in-row weeding systems, biocontrol techniques, and cut flower production. An overview of each awarded project is provided in the table below.

Grant project updates are published annually in the MDA’s Greenbook, which provides a summary of each active project along with results, management tips, locations of previous projects, and other resources to help encourage widespread adoption of sustainable practices.

The next round of Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grants will open for applications in the fall of 2024. Visit the grant webpage for updates and more information on previous projects.

Funding for this program is made available through the MDA’s AGRI Program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota. The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.

 

Grantee Name

Project Title

Grant Amount

Grantee City

Project Location (County/Reservation)

Amundsen Farms, Inc

Atmospheric Water Collection Project

$48,955

Duluth

Carlton and St. Louis

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

Hemp Wool Matting Pilot Project

$11,101

Osage

White Earth Reservation; Becker, Wadena, and Aitkin County

Anthony Polyakov

Optimizing Crop Productivity and Quality Through Targeted Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure

$24,997.89

Eden Prairie

Scott

Bemidji State University

Computer Vision Guided In-row Weeding System for Organic Farming in Northern Minnesota

$25,000

Bemidji

Beltrami

Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee

Fond du Lac Gitigaaning Regenerative vs. Conventional

$25,000

Cloquet

Carlton and St. Louis

Lakeside Prairie Farm LLC

Restoration of an Oak Savannah Following Buckthorn Removal by Goats

$25,000

Barrett

Grant

Owl Forest Farm

Evaluating Cold-Hardy Roses for Cut Flower Production in USDA Zone 3

$49,830

Iron

St. Louis

Regents of the University of Minnesota

Broccolini: A Broccoli Alternative to Limit Losses Due to Pathogens and Pests

$32,836

Minneapolis

Carver, Meeker, Ramsey, and Rice

Regents of the University of Minnesota

Bounty and Blooms: Integration of Cut Flowers in Urban Vegetable Farms

$48,500

Minneapolis

Ramsey and Hennepin

The Food Group

Enabling Solar Facility Land Access for Emerging and Immigrant Farmer Empowerment

$19,818.48

New Hope

Sherburne

Twin Cities Berry Company

Investigating Biocontrol Techniques to Reduce Spray Usage Inside Affordable, Controlled Environments

$24,577.02

St. Paul

Isanti

Urban Roots MN

Cover Cropping to Remediate Urban Soil Compaction

$11,534.15

St. Paul

Ramsey


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Media Contact
Logan Schumacher
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us