How is an incubator farm defined?

"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.

No

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

Are equipment and infrastructure related to beekeeping eligible for this grant?

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

No

It is true that what you look at during the application period regarding used listings may no longer be available when the grant is awarded. We understand that, and it is still useful to quote specific used equipment listings in your application so that you can show the market value of what you are proposing to buy.

It is recommended to save the quotes into a document and upload it as an attachment using the button for attachments under the “Budget Narrative” text box. This is in case the listing is gone before the review committee tries to access it online.

When it comes to pricing, I'm looking at used equipment. I can quote current equipment for sale, however, when grants are awarded in January the same equipment might to be available at the same price. How would the reviewers like pricing to be quoted?

It is true that what you look at during the application period regarding used listings may no longer be available when the grant is awarded. We understand that, and it is still useful to quote specific used equipment listings in your application so that you can show the market value of what you are proposing to buy.

It is recommended to save the quotes into a document and upload it as an attachment using the button for attachments under the “Budget Narrative” text box. This is in case the listing is gone before the review committee tries to access it online.

No

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.

How specific does one need to be with the equipment type? If a 6 row no-till planter is desired does it need to be listed as "6 row no-till planter" or does it need to be more specific like "John Deer 7200 max emerge 6 row no-till planter"?

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.

No

This criteria is for the review committee to rate your application according to the type of impact the grant would have on your farm in a way that it can be compared across other applications. A "sustained" impact would be one where the value of the equipment or infrastructure is still occurring into the future of the farm, and not just a one-time impact the year of the purchase and have no further value after that.

The focus on "transformative" in that criteria is asking the applicant to explain in what way would this investment make a major improvement or change for their farm. In other words, how would this grant award transform your farm in some way?

See the full scoring rubric on page 7 of the Request for Proposals, under the header "Application Evaluation Profile."

Under the scoring rubric, for Impact on Farm, what does "sustained and transformative impact" mean?

This criteria is for the review committee to rate your application according to the type of impact the grant would have on your farm in a way that it can be compared across other applications. A "sustained" impact would be one where the value of the equipment or infrastructure is still occurring into the future of the farm, and not just a one-time impact the year of the purchase and have no further value after that.

The focus on "transformative" in that criteria is asking the applicant to explain in what way would this investment make a major improvement or change for their farm. In other words, how would this grant award transform your farm in some way?

See the full scoring rubric on page 7 of the Request for Proposals, under the header "Application Evaluation Profile."

No

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