Apply for MN Department of Agriculture Livestock Processing Grant

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture Livestock Processing Grant program is intended to increase the sales of local Minnesota raised livestock products. "We've seen how much meat processing demand and capacity can change in a short time," Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson said. "This new grant can help processors become more agile and resistant to disruptions in the processing chains."

I am not sure if this grant program was around before the COVID-19 pandemic began but I am sure it has gotten a lot more attention because of it! When meat processing plants began to shutdown many livestock producers had nowhere to take their livestock to be processed.

Here are the requirements from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture news release:

Applicants must:

Be engaged with livestock slaughter or processing, including meat, poultry, egg, and milk.
Be an individual (including farmers), business, agricultural cooperative, or a local unit of government (including Tribal governments).
Currently reside in Minnesota or be authorized to conduct business in Minnesota.

Grant Applications can be accepted until Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 4:00 pm. If an application is not accepted it will be considered for the AGRI Value Added Grant which is expected to be open in January of 2022. All proposals for the Livestock Processing grant must be completed on line:

Most Visited State Parks In Minnesota: Is Your Favorite in the List?

Minnesota has 66 beautiful state parks. The parks have an average of 9,700,000 visitors each year. Interestingly enough, nearly 19% of park visitors come from other states and countries, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Now, my favorite State Park is Jay Cooke in Carlton, MN, but it did not break into the top 5.

Categories: Ag Business