The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Value-Added Grant.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 10/23/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This grant provides funding for value-added businesses (including bioenergy producers and hemp processors) to invest in equipment. The program is intended to increase sales of Minnesota agricultural products by investing in production capacity, market diversification, and market access for value-added products. For the purposes of this grant, value-added is defined as the addition of value to an agricultural product through processing.
The AGRI MPEM Grant is available to facilitate the start-up, modernization, or expansion of meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing businesses. The program aims to increase sales of Minnesota-raised livestock products by investing in equipment and physical improvements that support processing, capacity, market diversification, and market access.
Priorities
This grant program serves to increase sales of Minnesota agriculture products by investing in production capacity, market diversification, and market access for value-added products. The program will prioritize:

Projects that increase food safety.
Projects that increase hemp fiber processing capacity.

Funding Information

Approximately $2.5 million is available between the Value-Added and MPEM programs.
The AGRI Value-Added Grant is a reimbursement grant. The maximum equipment award is $150,000, and the minimum award is $1,000. Although applicants may request up to $150,000, applicants should expect that very few, if any, applicants will receive more than $100,000. There will only be one round of funding this fiscal year.

Eligible Projects and Expemnses 
Projects must aim to increase sales of Minnesota agricultural products by increasing production capacity, diversifying markets, or increasing market access for value-added products. Project must be conducted in Minnesota.
Project examples include but are not limited to:

Purchase and installation of equipment used in the production of value-added agricultural products
Aquaponics systems
Grading, packing, labeling, packaging, or sorting equipment
Equipment that helps to maintain the identity and traceability of products
Processing equipment or physical improvements to a value-added processing facility to reduce food safety risks
Cooler walls and refrigeration units
Contractor costs and materials for installation of approved equipment, including plumbing, drainage, venting, and electrical work
Refrigerated trucks to access new markets (not routine replacement)
Equipment that improves process efficiency at biofuel plants
Renewable energy production equipment, particularly biothermal where the biomass is sustainably sourced from agricultural products (including biomass sourced from agroforestry).

Eligibility Criteria 

Applicants must:

Intend to or be engaged in the processing of Minnesota agricultural products.
Be an individual (including farmers), business, agricultural cooperative, nonprofit, educational institution, a local unit of government, or Native American tribal government.
Be located or reside in Minnesota and be authorized to conduct business in Minnesota.

MDA employees, their spouses, and businesses owned by them are not eligible to apply.
Examples of applicants:

Fruit and vegetable processors, including Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms
Honey processors
Renewable energy producers
Soy processors
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies

For more information, visit MDA.