The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for a new round of grants to support the development of enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stages of commercial development. Continuous living cover refers to agricultural systems that maintain living plants and roots in the soil throughout the entire year, including the following:
Winter annual cover crops grown between summer annuals
Agroforestry and silvopasture systems
Perennial forage and biomass crops
Perennial grain production
Integrated regenerative systems such as poultry silvopasture
The goal of this grant program is to accelerate the development of continuous living cover value chains by supporting equipment, infrastructure, business development, and market development activities. Eligible projects may include the following:
Customized equipment for harvesting, cleaning, or storing continuous living cover crops
Processing infrastructure for food, feed, fiber, or bio‑based products
Market development or commercialization activities
Supply‑chain coordination among farmers, processors, and buyers
The intended outcome is a stronger, more connected marketplace that enables more Minnesota farmers to adopt continuous living cover crops and cropping systems. Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $100,000.
