Minnesota Ag Connection - MDA Funds 11 Innovative Farm Ideas

Minnesota Ag News Headlines

MDA Funds 11 Innovative Farm Ideas
Minnesota Ag Connection - 05/24/2016

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's (MDA) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant program has just awarded grants to 11 new projects across the state.

"Farmers never run out of ideas when it comes to profitability, conservation, or how to make farming more satisfying," said Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. "This program promotes innovation by helping reduce the risk of testing new farming ideas."

The projects, which last for two to three years, are located in all regions of the state. Topics include cover cropping, controlling invasive species with goats, bee health, novel rootstock for pear production, integrating livestock into orchards, evaluating the palatability and nutrition of corn varieties for poultry production, and more. There's even an urban agriculture project exploring whether worm composting is an economical way to make a potting medium for greenhouse production.

All projects take place on Minnesota farms and are either led by or involve farmers as primary partners. Projects host public events in their final year to share their findings with other producers and the public. Their findings are summarized in the annual Greenbook, available at www.mda.state.mn.us/greenbook.

The competitive Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program has been supporting farming innovation in Minnesota for 26 years. Applications for the next round of funding will open in late summer and close in December.

Becker, Otter Tail

-- Grow and test the nutrient profile and palatability of novel corn varieties for poultry.

Big Stone

-- Evaluate establishment, production, quality, and harvest of perennial wheatgrass/legume intercrops.

Carver, Hennepin

-- Determine whether interrupting a honeybee hive's brood rearing reduces the number of varroa mites in the hive.

Chisago, McLeod, Todd

-- Try grafting Minnesota pear varieties onto juneberry root stock in order to decrease tree height and increase production of young pear trees.

Fillmore

-- Evaluate hazelnut woodchips (a byproduct of nut orchard management) for their potential as substrate for growing wine cap and shiitake mushrooms.

Goodhue, Rice

-- Evaluate various methods of establishing cover crops in standing corn (V5-V7) on eight farms.

Hennepin

-- Find out whether worm composting on an urban farm will result in a high-quality, profitable greenhouse potting product the farm can use or sell.

Mille Lacs

-- Evaluate feed value, animal gain, and soil/pasture improvements from bale grazing purchased hay.

Nicollet, Sibley

-- Try to establish cover crops and apply liquid N simultaneously into V4-V6 stage corn in June

Rice

-- Find out whether grazing goats during winter can reduce feed costs and control invasive species without harming desirable native plants.

Winona

-- Evaluate economic effect of integrating hogs into an apple orchard. Compare with economics of other hog production systems.

Other Minnesota Headlines