2000 Minnesota Statutes

     17.116 Sustainable agriculture demonstration grants. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment.  The commissioner of 
 agriculture shall establish a grant program for sustainable 
 agriculture methods that demonstrates best management practices, 
 including farm input reduction, farm energy efficiency, or 
 usable on-farm energy production.  The commissioner shall use 
 the program to demonstrate and publicize the energy efficiency, 
 environmental benefit, and profitability of sustainable 
 agriculture techniques.  The grants must fund demonstrations on 
 farms of external input reduction techniques or farm scale 
 energy production methods consistent with the program objectives.

    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 demonstrations on farms in the state. 

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

    (1) the ability to maximize direct or indirect energy 
 savings or production; 

    (2) a positive effect or reduced adverse effect on the 
 environment; and 

    (3) profitability for the individual farm. 

    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 
 post-secondary educational institution, 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: 

    (1) direct or indirect energy savings or production; 

    (2) environmental benefit; 

    (3) farm profitability; 

    (4) the number of farms able to apply the techniques or the 
 technology proposed; 

    (5) the effectiveness of the project as a demonstration; 

    (6) the immediate transferability of the project to farms; 
 and 

    (7) the ability of the project to accomplish its goals. 

    (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. 

    HIST: 1986 c 444; 1988 c 688 art 15 s 2; 1997 c 216 s 21,22; 
 1999 c 231 s 27