Minnesota Statutes Agriculture (Ch. 17-42) § 17.116. Sustainable agriculture demonstration grants

Subd. 2. Eligibility. (a) Grants may only be made to farmers, educational institutions, individuals at educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations residing or located in the state for research or demonstrations on farms in the state.

(b) Grants may only be made for projects that show:

Subd. 3. Awarding of grants. (a) Applications for grants must be made to the commissioner on forms prescribed by the commissioner.

(b) The applications must be reviewed, ranked, and recommended by a technical review panel appointed by the commissioner. The technical review panel shall consist of a soil scientist, an agronomist, a representative from a postsecondary educational institution, an agricultural marketing specialist, two resident farmers of the state using sustainable agriculture methods, two resident farmers of the state using organic agriculture methods, and a chair from the department.

(c) The technical review panel shall rank applications according to the following criteria:

(d) The commissioner shall consider the recommendations of the technical review panel and may award grants for eligible projects. Priority must be given to applicants who are farmers or groups of farmers.

(e) Grants for eligible projects may not exceed $25,000 unless the portion above $25,000 is matched on an equal basis by the applicant's cash or in-kind land use contribution. Grant funding of projects may not exceed $50,000 under this section, but applicants may utilize other funding sources. A portion of each grant must be targeted for public information activities of the project.

(f) A project may continue for up to three years. Multiyear projects must be reevaluated by the technical review panel and the commissioner before second or third year funding is approved. A project is limited to one grant for its funding.