How Beginning Farmers In Minnesota Can Access Grant Funding

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- Farmers looking to get a leg up can apply for a state grant this month. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is accepting applications for the Beginning Famer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant. Projects eligible for the grant include the purchase of ag equipment specifically used to grow crops, raise livestock, and store farm products. Items may also include on-farm infrastructure investments like water access, fencing, and grain storage.

Who is eligible for the grant?

In order to be considered a "beginning farmer," a person must be in their first 10 years of farming, with priority being given to farmers with under $100,000 in recent farm sales, and limited access to land as defined in statute. MDA may award up to $700,000 in total grant money, and applicants can request between $1,000 and $10,000 with a 25% match required for awards over $2,000. It is a reimbursement grant. Interested farmers can learn more during an online information session on February 19th at 11:00 a.m.

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LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton