The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing (MPEM)
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/12/2023
Size of the Grant: $1.25 million
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
Grant funds are 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.
The AGRI Value-Added Grant Request for Proposals is available to all eligible value-added businesses (including bioenergy producers and hemp processors) to invest in equipment, with the intent of increasing sales of Minnesota agricultural products by investing in production capacity, market diversification, and market access for value-added products.
Priorities
It is the policy of the State of Minnesota to ensure fairness, precision, equity, and consistency in competitive grant awards. This includes implementing diversity and inclusion in grant-making.
This grant program serves start-up, modernization, or expansion of meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing facilities and will prioritize:
- Operations owned by individuals in historically underserved communities or businesses that reflect historically underserved communities in the operation’s priorities. Historically underserved communities include businesses owned by women, veterans, persons with disabilities, American Indian or Alaskan Natives, members of a community of color, young people, and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA+).
- Projects that increase food safety.
- Projects that expand local meat or poultry slaughter capacity and increased access to Kosher or Halal markets.
Funding Information
- It expects to award $3 million through the AGRI Value-Added and AGRI MPEM Grants. Of this amount, at least
- $1.25 million will be awarded for projects impacting meat, poultry, egg, and milk processors.
- 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 Expenses
Projects must:
- Aim to increase sales of Minnesota livestock products by increasing production capacity, diversifying markets, or increasing market access for meat, poultry, egg, and milk products.
- Include matching funds from non-State sources; see the Matching Funds section.
- Not start until the grant contract agreement is signed by all parties and has reached its start date. No purchasing or contracting of goods and services may occur prior to the full execution of the grant contract agreement or start date, whichever is later.
- Be completed in three years or Grant contract agreements cannot be extended beyond three years.
- Be conducted in Minnesota.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Intend to or be engaged with livestock slaughter or processing, including meat, poultry, eggs, or
- Be an individual (including farmers), business, agricultural cooperative, non-profit, educational institution, a local unit of government, or Tribal government.
- Be in good standing with the State of Minnesota:
- No back taxes owed
- No defaults on Minnesota state-backed financing for the last seven years
- Acceptable performance on past MDA grants.
- Compliant with current state regulations, including the MDA’s Dairy and Meat Inspection division.
- Currently reside in Minnesota and be authorized to conduct business in Minnesota. MDA employees and their spouses are not eligible to receive grants from this program.
For more information, visit MDA.
