AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant (Protect Grant)

The AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant, also referred to as the Protect Grant, is administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program. AGRI was established to advance Minnesota's agricultural and renewable energy industries and has supported increased productivity, improved efficiency, and agricultural product development. The Protect Grant is intended to help Minnesota livestock producers proactively purchase and install supplies or equipment that prevent the transmission of avian influenza and increase farm biosecurity. The program is authorized under Minnesota Statutes 41A.12 and is funded through the Laws of Minnesota, 2025, Regular Session, Chapter 34, Article 1, Section 2, Subdivision 3(f)(9). Approximately $500,000 is expected to be awarded through a competitive process, with individual awards ranging from $500 to $10,000 and approximately 50 to 60 grants anticipated. Grant funds reimburse up to 80 percent of eligible project costs, and a 20 percent cash match is required. Applicants may reduce their match by up to $2,000 for personal time and labor, subject to the program's limits. Sources of matching funds may include cash, loans, other grants, and liquid capital assets dedicated to the project, but state grant funds cannot be used for the grantee portion. Eligible projects must install measures that prevent avian influenza transmission at Minnesota farms. Examples include isolation or quarantine pens, biosecurity signs, pest control, poultry barn updates or maintenance, electronic animal identification systems, truck washes, air filtration systems, Danish entry systems, exclusion systems, inflatables, lasers, and sound machines. General-purpose equipment, livestock, unrelated facility improvements, cash-paid expenses, mileage and fuel, fundraising, most taxes, political contributions, bad debts, finance charges, and certain purchases involving family members or related entities are among the ineligible expenses. Eligible applicants must be Minnesota residents, business entities authorized to farm in Minnesota, or units of Tribal government. They must be principal operators of Minnesota livestock operations, hold appropriate feedlot registration when applicable, and sell at least $1,000 of livestock products annually or normally sell at least $1,000 in a typical year. Applicants must also be in good standing with the State of Minnesota, including meeting tax, licensing, regulatory, financing, debarment, prior grant performance, and applicable registration requirements. MDA employees, their spouses, and farms owned or principally operated by them are ineligible. Eligible livestock includes animals raised for fiber, meat, animal by-products, or breeding stock, including beef and dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, farmed cervids, ratites, bison, sheep, horses, aquaculture, and llamas. Eligible applicants may collaborate, but collaboration is not required. Only one application per farm will be accepted. Applications opened November 24, 2025 and were required to be submitted through the MDA online application system by 4 p.m. Central Time on January 15, 2026. New users were required to create an account, log in, and select AGRI Protect Grant. Late and incomplete applications are not accepted. The application requests applicant and authorized representative information, farm operation and eligibility information, a project title, livestock type and numbers, descriptions of the farm and proposed project, a current biosecurity plan or uploaded plan, explanations of short-term and long-term project impacts, a detailed project budget, personal time and labor information when applicable, a budget narrative, quotes or other documentation supporting project costs, and a workplan and timeline. Applicants are instructed to use plain language, answer questions completely within stated character limits, and submit only requested materials. Eligible applications are evaluated competitively by MDA staff and external reviewers using a 100-point scoring sheet. Project description is worth 20 points, biosecurity plan 10 points, short-term impact 20 points, long-term impact 10 points, budget 20 points, work plan 10 points, and program priorities 10 points. The priorities award five points to an applicant who has farmed for 10 years or less and five points to an applicant whose farm has not previously received an AGRI Protect Grant. Reviewers may recommend full or partial funding, while the commissioner of agriculture makes final award decisions. Geographic distribution and the applicant's history as a state grantee, including prior performance, regulatory compliance, and capacity to perform the proposed work, may also be considered. Program questions were required in writing by 4 p.m. Central Time on January 9, 2026 and could be emailed to MDA.agrigrants@state.mn.us with Protect Grant in the subject line. Assistance with the online application system was available at 651-201-6500 or through the same email address. All applicants were expected to be notified of their grant status by early April 2026, with contracts anticipated to begin in early May 2026. Grant agreements may last up to three years, and applicants were instructed to anticipate an April 30, 2029 contract end date with no extension. Expenses are reimbursable only after the grant agreement is fully executed, the effective date has been reached, and the state's authorized representative has authorized work to begin. Payments are reimbursement based and require proof of purchase and proof of payment. Annual progress reports are required each fall through 2028 or until grant funds and agreement requirements are completed, whichever occurs first, with final reports and reimbursement requests due within 60 calendar days after the contract expiration date. The RFP does not state that the Protect Grant is recurring or provide dates for a subsequent application cycle.

Use plain and easily understood language; answer all questions completely within character limits; submit early and include all required attachments; review the scoring sheet; clearly describe the project and biosecurity plan; explain short- and long-term biosecurity impacts; document all costs and provide realistic estimates and quotes; explain how the project will be financed; provide a realistic workplan; beginning farmers and applicants that have not previously received a Protect Grant receive scoring priority