MDA Announces Continuous Living Cover Grant Recipients
Minnesota’s continuous living cover crops have received a boost to further their advancements across the state. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded a total of $431,637 to 10 new projects under the Developing Markets for Continuous Living Cover Grant. These grants help develop enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stage of commercial development.
Funding was provided to the MDA by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and state’s General Fund.
Continuous living cover (CLC) refers to agricultural systems in which there are living plants and roots in the ground throughout the entire year. This can take many forms, from winter cover crops sown between summer annuals to agroforestry practices, perennial forage crops, perennial biomass crops, and perennial grain production. This includes but is not limited to regenerative poultry silvopasture systems, Kernza® perennial grain, winter camelina, and elderberry.
CLC crops have been shown to enhance water and soil quality, sequester carbon, build soil health, and provide greater biodiversity and pollinator habitat. Significant environmental benefits of these crops will result from widespread production, which requires robust value chains and markets.
| Organization Name | Project Summary | Award Total |
|---|---|---|
| Bang Brewing Company LLC | Increase the percentage of Kernza® in their beer to meet the Perennial Percent™ label and improve marketing. Purchase and convert a van to sell beer as the sole brewer at Mill City Market. | $45,000 |
| Estling Farms Inc | Develop a dedicated seed cleaning line for emerging continuous living cover crops. A new seed cleaning line will reduce the cost of CLC crop seed for farmers in northern Minnesota. | $45,000 |
| Midwest Elderberry Cooperative | Improve the developing regional hub for harvested American elderberries by purchasing a used refrigerated container for storage and paving the driveway to accommodate large trucks. | $45,000 |
| Midwest Hazelnuts LLC | Purchase the equipment, supplies, and services needed for one aggregation station at a Midwest Hazelnuts LLC Go First Farm in Minnesota. | $44,772 |
| Perennial Pantry | Create marketing content and strategies to enhance capacity and increase sales of CLC products. | $45,000 |
| Perennial Promise Growers | Continue market expansion for Kernza® and value-added products through customer lead generation/qualification/cultivation, provision of samples to prospective users, placement and fulfillment of orders, post-sale customer service, and coordination with value-added partners. | $45,000 |
| Regenerative Agriculture Alliance | Purchase and distribute improved Midwest Hazelnut LLC plant material directly to growers involved with the Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agroforestry ecosystem. This project will also fund training opportunities for growers. | $35,865 |
| Sturdiwheat Inc. | Modify existing recipes to include 1-5% perennial grain flour and update the packaging design to highlight the perennial grains. | $45,000 |
| SUN Consulting Inc. | Build a self-propelled, mound bed cutter to sever the new woody stem of hazelnuts below the new root base, to harvest 2-year-old, farm-ready, bare root “whips” from propagation beds. | $36,000 |
| Tree Range Farms | Increase operational capacity to market the silvopasture poultry to Minnesota schools, communities, retailers, and restaurants. | $45,000 |
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Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us
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