MCGA-supported grant program honored
A Minnesota nonprofit has honored a state-run, Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) supported soil health grant program.
The Soil Health Financial Assistance Program, run by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), received the Rural Vitality Award from Environmental Initiative during the organization’s 30th annual awards program on June 5. The Rural Vitality Award recognizes efforts to solve community-scale challenges in rural areas, such as grassroots revitalization and beautification efforts, alternative land-use strategies, and policy initiatives contributing to economic prosperity and environmental stewardship.
Created by the State Legislature in 2022 as a pilot program, thanks in part to MCGA’s grassroots advocacy, the Soil Health Financial Assistance Program provides grants to help offset the cost of purchasing and/or retrofitting soil health equipment. The Legislature made the program on-going during the 2023 session and provided it with funding from the general fund and the Clean Water Fund.
The program, which is voluntary and inclusive of a wide range of practices, is open to farmers, producer groups, and local government units. Eligible expenses include parts and materials to retrofit existing equipment, down payments on equipment, subscriptions or equipment technology for precision agriculture, technical assistance for conservation plans, and more. Grants can range from $500 to $50,000.
To date, in two rounds of funding, MDA has awarded 97 grants totaling over $2.8 million to farmers, producer groups, and local government units across Minnesota. Equipment purchased and/or retrofitted through the program has included no-till drills, drones for cover crop seeding, air seeds, strip till units, portable corral systems for livestock grazing, vertical tillage tools, and more. MDA estimates the equipment will be used on about 172,000 acres annually.
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The department plans to open the program for a new round of grant funding in August and will have about $2.8 million available for grants, including $495,000 specifically for southeast Minnesota counties. The State Legislature allocated the funding for southeast Minnesota counties during the 2024 session.
MCGA thanks the state lawmakers from both political parties who supported the creation of the Soil Health Financial Assistance Program and MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen for his administration of it. To learn more about the program, visit mda.state.mn.us/soil-health-grant.
