Minnesota livestock farmers and specialty crop producers who incurred expenses due to last year’s drought can apply for up to $7,500 per farm in reimbursement through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) 2021 Agricultural Drought Relief Program (ADRoP) when it opens in mid-June.
The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $8.1 million for ADRoP, which will reimburse farm operators for drought-related expenses incurred after June 1, 2021, and before May 23, 2022.
Farms must be located in a county designated by the United States Department of Agriculture as a primary natural disaster area after July 19, 2021, and before January 1, 2022, or in a county contiguous to a designated county. All Minnesota counties except Goodhue, Rice, Wabasha, Winona are eligible.
MDA anticipates that the application will be available approximately June 21. The application window will run approximately 10-12 business days; MDA encourages applicants to submit their application through the online grants management system to ensure it is received in a timely manner. MDA will announce the application window when it is finalized.
“We encourage farmers and producers to collect and organize needed documents and records now, so they are ready to apply when the application window opens,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. “This is a short timeframe; however, we want to ensure payments quickly get to those who need the help.”
More information about drought relief for farmers is available at www.mda.state.mn.us/droughtrelief. Once the application opens, farm operators can email drought@state.mn.us or call the Grants Line at 651-201-6500 with any questions.
People can also sign up to receive email or text updates about the ADRoP application window and further details about the application process, including which expenses will be eligible for reimbursement.