The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for the 2026 Preparing for Extreme Weather Grant (Prepare) Program.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/15/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
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 will specifically prioritize:
- Beginning farmers and farms owned or principally operated by beginning farmers. A beginning farmer is defined as someone who has farmed 10 years or fewer.
The Preparing for Extreme Weather Grant Program, also referred to as the Prepare Grant, helps Minnesota livestock and specialty crop producers buy and install supplies or equipment that will help make their operations more resilient to extreme weather, including:
- Drought
- Flooding
- Hail
- Severe weather events like storms, tornadoes, and straight-line winds
Funding Information
Approximately $500,000 is available for this program. You may request between $500 and $10,000 per farming operation for projects costing between $1,000 and $20,000; a 50% cash match is required.
Eligible Operations
These types of operations are eligible for Prepare Grant funds:
- Livestock: For the purposes of this grant, livestock means animals raised to produce fiber, meat, and animal by-products for sale or as breeding stock, including but not limited to beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, farmed cervids (deer, elk), ratites (flightless birds including emu), bison, sheep, horses, aquaculture, and llamas.
- Specialty crop: Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, and floriculture.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be:
- A resident of the state of Minnesota, a business entity authorized to farm in Minnesota, or a unit of Tribal government.
- The principal operator of a livestock or specialty crop operation in Minnesota and sell at least $1,000 of livestock products annually or normally would sell at least $1,000 of livestock products in a typical year.
- In good standing with the State of Minnesota and not suspended or debarred from doing business with the State of Minnesota or federal government.
For more information, visit MDA.
