Principal Investigator: Carl Rosen
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) anticipates awarding up to $250,000 to demonstrate and publicize the energy efficiency, environmental benefit, or profitability of sustainable agricultural techniques or systems, from production through marketing.
The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program’s Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant program will accept applications through 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, 2021.
Applicants may request up to $50,000 per project. The first $25,000 does not need to be matched by the applicants. For requests between $25,000 and $50,000, applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match on the amount above $25,000.
Funding will be awarded in 2022. Projects must last two to three years and grantees must be willing to share what they learn with others.
Projects are published annually in the MDA’s Greenbook, which provides a summary of each project along with results, management tips, locations of previous projects, and other resources.
Past grants have funded a wide range of projects, such as exploring farm diversification; cover crops and crop rotation; conservation tillage; input reduction strategies; and alternative energies such as wind, methane, and biomass.
Minnesota farmers, educational institutions, individuals at educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. Applicants must be Minnesota residents, and projects must take place on Minnesota farms.
Proposals are required to be submitted through our online application system.
Funding for this program is made available through the 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.
For more information, visit the AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant webpage.
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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us
September Food Safety and Defense Task Force Meeting
The Governor's Food Safety and Defense Task Force has continuously met since 1990 to discuss issues affecting Minnesota's food system. The Task Force is composed of sixteen members, nine of whom are appointed by the Governor's office, representing food regulatory agencies, agricultural industries, food related non-profit associations, and the University of Minnesota. Meetings of the Task Force are held every other month and are open to anyone interested.
Due to precautions against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in conformance with Minnesota Statues Section 13D.021, upcoming meetings of the FSDTF have been scheduled and will be changed from in-person meetings to video-conference meetings with a phone-in option.
Attend the September 14th meeting using WebEx
Or you can call in via audio conference (sorry, this is not a toll-free line) by calling: +1-415-655-0003
Access code: 146 789 5430
Individuals with a disability who need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event please contact Natasha Hedin at 612-247-5888 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 711 as soon as possible.
The purpose of this form is to assist you in filing an MDA program discrimination complaint. For help filling out the form, you may call 651-201-6657 or 800-967-2474 or 711 TTY. You are not required to use the complaint form. You may write a letter instead. If you write a letter it must contain all of the information requested in this form and be signed by you or your authorized representative. Incomplete information will delay the processing of your complaint.
You may also send a complaint by FAX 651-201-6118 or e-mail sabrenia.young@state.mn.us. We must have a signed copy of your complaint, so if you send your complaint by e-mail, be sure to attach the signed copy to your email. Incomplete information or an unsigned form will delay the processing of your complaint.
Mail completed form to:
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Sabrenia Young
625 Robert Street North
Saint Paul, MN 55155
Filing Deadline
A program discrimination complaint must be filed not later than 180 days of the date you knew or should have known of the alleged discrimination, unless the time for filing is extended by MDA. Complaints sent by mail are considered filed on the date the complaint was signed, unless the date on the complaint letter differs by seven days or more from the postmark date, in which case the postmark date will be used as the filing date. Complaints sent by fax or email will be considered filed on the day the complaint is faxed or emailed. Complaints filed after the 180-day deadline must include a ‘good cause’ explanation for the delay. For example, you may have “good cause” if:
- You could not reasonably have been expected to know of the discriminatory act within the 180-day period;
- You were seriously ill or incapacitated;
- The same complaint was filed with another Federal, state, or local agency and that agency failed to act on your complaint.
MDA Policy
Federal law and policy prohibits discrimination against you based on the following: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family/parental status, public assistance program, and political beliefs. (Not all bases apply to all programs). MDA will determine if it has jurisdiction under the law to process the complaint on the bases identified and in the programs involved. Reprisal that is based on prior civil rights activity is prohibited.
Property Address
If this complaint involves a farm or other real estate property that is not your current address, write in the address for that farm or real estate property. Otherwise, this part of the form can be left blank.
Important Legal Information
Consent
This MDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form is provided in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. §552a, and concerns the information requested in this form to which this Notice is attached. The MDA requests this information pursuant to 7 CFR Part 15. If the completed form is accepted as a complaint case, the information collected during the investigation will be used to process your program discrimination complaint. Disclosure is voluntary. However, failure to supply the requested information or to sign the form may result in dismissal of your complaint. If your complaint is dismissed you will be notified. The information you provide in this complaint may be disclosed to outside parties where MDA determines that disclosure is: 1) Relevant and necessary to the Department of Justice, the court or other tribunal, or the other party before such tribunal for purposes of litigation; 2) Necessary for enforcement proceedings against a program that MDA finds to have violated laws or regulations; 3) In response to a Congressional office if you have requested that the Congressional office inquire about your complaint or; 4) To the United States Civil Rights Commission in response to its request for information.
Reprisal (Retaliation) Prohibited
No Agency, officer, employee, or agent of the MDA, including persons representing the MDA and its programs, shall intimidate, threaten, harass, coerce, discriminate against, or otherwise retaliate against anyone who has filed a complaint of alleged discrimination or who participates in
any manner in an investigation or other proceeding raising claims of discrimination.
Privacy Notice / Tennessen Warning:
MDA is requesting you complete this form so that MDA staff can assess your claim of discrimination. Upon the form’s submission, MDA staff will use the information you provide as the basis of an investigation. You are not legally required to provide MDA with the data requested on this form; you may refuse to do so. However, failure to complete this form in its entirety may make it more difficult for MDA to accurately assess the circumstances that led to your complaint, and may impact the investigation’s conclusions. Some of the data being requested on this form will be classified as private data under Minnesota law. Parties that may gain access to private data include MDA staff and contractors with a valid work assignment to access the data, parties authorized by you or by a valid court order, Minnesota Management and Budget, Minnesota Department of Administration, the state auditor, the legislative auditor, and any other person or entity authorized by state law, federal law, federal regulation, or federal subpoena to receive the data. If necessary, MDA may also share the data with law enforcement and the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General.
BYLAWS OF
Minnesota Fertilizer Research and Education Council
Minnesota meat, poultry, egg, and milk processors seeking to start up, modernize, or expand their meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing businesses are encouraged to apply for a new grant program aimed at assisting them.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) anticipates awarding up to $750,000 through its Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing Grant program, using a competitive review process. The maximum equipment award is $150,000, and the minimum award is $1,000.
The intent of the program is to increase sales of Minnesota-raised livestock products by investing in equipment and physical improvements that support processing, capacity, market diversification, and market access for meat, poultry, eggs, and milk.
“We’ve seen how much meat processing demand and capacity can change in a short time,” Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “This new grant can help processors become more agile and resistant to disruptions in the processing supply chains.”
Applicants must:
- Be engaged with livestock slaughter or processing, including meat, poultry, egg, and milk.
- Be an individual (including farmers), business, agricultural cooperative, or a local unit of government (including Tribal governments).
- Currently reside in Minnesota or be authorized to conduct business in Minnesota.
Grantees are responsible for at least 50% of the total cost for the first $25,000 and 75% of the total cost for every dollar after as a cash match. Funding for the AGRI Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing Grant will be awarded in one round.
Grant applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021.
If a grant application is not selected for an AGRI Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing Grant, it will be considered for the AGRI Value-Added Grant that is expected to open in January 2022.
Proposals must be submitted through our online application system.
For more information, visit the AGRI Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing Grant webpage.
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Media Contact
Larry Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6629
Larry.Schumacher@state.mn.us
Agriculture Research, Education, Extension, And Technology Transfer (AGREETT) Advisory Panel
The Agriculture Research, Education, Extension, And Technology Transfer (AGREETT) panel advises the Commissioner of Agriculture and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota on investments to achieve long-term agricultural productivity increases through improved infrastructure, vision, and accountability in agricultural research and technology transfer, agriculture rapid response, and agricultural education.
For more information, see the AGREETT state statute.
- Join AGREETT Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 96124566055, passcode: DEA3jy)
- Join using SIP: 96124566055@zoomcrc.com (passcode: 970004)
- Join by phone: +16513728299,,96124566055#,,,,*970004# US (Minnesota)
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging farmers to take part in its annual pesticide and fertilizer survey. This year the survey will focus on best management practices (BMPs) for corn and soybean farmers. Due to COVID-19, this year the survey will be a mailed survey with a follow-up phone call for non-responses. The data helps the MDA track the awareness, adoption, and use of nitrogen and pesticides BMPs and provides guidance to education and research programs.
The mailed survey is being sent this week to the 7,600 Minnesota farmers selected for this project. Farmers that have not returned their questionnaire by mail will be contacted by phone in mid-September.
The survey is conducted for the MDA by the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service out of their regional offices in Missouri.
Minnesota farmers may be getting calls from multiple agencies and companies conducting a variety of surveys this time of year, but the information gathered from this survey is critical for research and educational purposes.
If you have questions about the MDA’s annual survey, or if you wish to view results of previous surveys, visit the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/pesticidefertilizersurveys. Producers can also call the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at 651-261-1993 from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday – Saturday.
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Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us