MDA Awards Boost Sustainable Crop Projects

By Scout Nelson

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced the recipients of the Developing Markets for Continuous Living Cover Grant. A total of $431,637 will support 10 innovative projects designed to strengthen markets, supply chains, and enterprises for continuous living cover (CLC) crops.

Funding for this initiative was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the state’s General Fund.

Continuous living cover refers to agricultural systems that maintain living plants and roots in the soil year-round. This includes winter cover crops, perennial grains like Kernza, perennial forages, biomass crops, agroforestry, and regenerative systems such as poultry silvopasture. These systems improve soil and water quality, boost biodiversity, and support carbon sequestration.

Among the funded projects, Bang Brewing Company LLC will expand the use of Kernza in its beer and market it at Mill City Market. Estling Farms Inc will establish a seed cleaning line to lower CLC crop seed costs. The Midwest Elderberry Cooperative will upgrade storage capacity for elderberries. Midwest Hazelnuts LLC will build an aggregation station for processing.

Other recipients include Perennial Pantry and Perennial Promise Growers, who will boost marketing and sales for Kernza products. The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance will distribute improved hazelnut plants and offer training. Sturdiwheat Inc. plans to update its product recipes and packaging to feature perennial grains.

SUN Consulting Inc. will build specialized equipment for harvesting hazelnut plants, and Tree Range Farms will grow its capacity to market silvopasture poultry.

These projects will help make CLC systems more viable and accessible. “Significant environmental benefits of these crops will result from widespread production, which requires robust value chains and markets,” the MDA stated.

With these grants, Minnesota takes a strong step toward more sustainable agriculture by supporting innovation, local economies, and environmental health through continuous living cover practices.

Photo Credits:minnesota-department-of-agriculture