Produce Safety Mini-Grant Application | Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Amount available

The Produce Safety Program has approximately $26,400 to distribute via this mini-grant. Funding comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG).

This grant provides reimbursement up to $800 per farm. No matching funds from the applicant are required.

Who can apply?

Minnesota produce farmers that sell one or more of the following crops: Leafy greens, apples, berries, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, herbs, melons, microgreens, mushrooms, onions, peppers, sprouts, summer squash/zucchini, tomatoes.

What expenses are eligible for reimbursement?

Expenses related to improvements in on-farm food safety systems including 1) water testing for generic E. coli and/or 2) other on-farm food safety improvements. Below is a list of items eligible for reimbursement.

Water testing for generic E. coli
- Pre-harvest water: Must be a quantitative testing method for generic E. coli.
- Post-harvest water: Can be presence/absence or quantitative testing method for generic E. coli.
Other on-farm food safety improvements:
- Plastic or paper liners
- Harvest collection tools
- Market containers
- Supplies to build or purchase a portable handwashing station
- Canvas bags
- Sanitizer used for wash water and food contact surfaces
- Consultation fees for developing an on-farm food safety plan
- Supplies to build or purchase portable produce washing station
- Harvest totes
- Carts and pull wagons
- Waxed boxes

Applications are due by March 18, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

For questions, please contact the Produce Safety Program via email at ProduceSafety.MDA@state.mn.us or call 651-539-3648. Questions about the grant must be submitted by March 9, 2023 at 4:00pm.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

I attest that I have read the privacy notice.

Privacy Notice

The data you supply on this form will be used to assess your eligibility for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Produce Safety Mini-Grant. Applying for this grant is voluntary, and applicants are not legally required to provide any of the requested information. Applicants may decline to complete this application without any legal consequence. However, only completed applications will be considered.

Applicant data is initially classified by the Minnesota Data Practices Act as private or nonpublic. Some or all of the data will become public at various points of the application process, as detailed below, unless the data are otherwise classified by state or federal law. Access to private or nonpublic data is limited to those parties authorized by state or federal law, including MDA staff and contractors with a valid work assignment that requires access to the data, parties authorized by the applicant or by a valid court order, Minnesota Management and Budget, Minnesota Department of Administration, the state auditor, and the legislative auditor. If necessary, MDA may also share the data with law enforcement and the Minnesota Office of the Attorney General.

Per Minn. Stat. 13.599:

Names and addresses of grant applicants, and amount requested will be public data after all applications are opened.
All remaining data in the applications (except trade secret information, see below) becomes public data after the evaluation process is complete and all grant agreements have been fully executed.
All data created or maintained by the MDA as part of the evaluation process (except trade secret information, see below) will be public data after the evaluation process is completed and all grant agreements have been fully executed.
Trade secret information (as defined in Minn. Stat. § 13.37) is classified as nonpublic data. To protect data submitted as part of this application as trade secret information, the applicant must, at a minimum:
1. identify the specific formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process that applicant believes legally qualifies for trade secret classification;
2. demonstrate that the information is subject to efforts by applicant that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain the information’s secrecy; and
3. provide an explanation of how the information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.
Determining what constitutes trade secret information is ultimately the responsibility of the MDA, and the MDA cannot guarantee that data marked by an applicant as trade secret information or marked “confidential” or "copyright" will be classified as such. If the MDA determines that data does not meet the definition of trade secret information, that data will be available to the public unless the applicant secures a court order saying otherwise.

Applicant Information

First name

Last name

Farm or company name

Phone

Mailing address

Mailing address city

Mailing address state

Mailing address zip

Farm location (if different than mailing address)

Farm location city

Farm location state

Farm location zip

What is the best way to contact you?

Mail

Additional contact info (optional)

If you would like an additional person to be contacted with updates on your application, please share their contact information here. This could include someone else from your farm business or someone who has helped you fill out the application if you would like their continued assistance.

First name

Last name

Farm or company name

Phone

Does your farm grow and sell one or more of the following crops?

Leafy greens, apples, berries, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, herbs, melons, microgreens, mushrooms, onions, peppers, sprouts, summer squash/zucchini, tomatoes.

Yes

All complete applications that meet minimum eligibility requirements will be considered and are automatically awarded 50 points. Completing the supplemental questions below, designed to prioritize funding decisions, can provide additional points. Maximum point values are indicated for each question. Points are not awarded when No, N/A, or Choose not to answer is selected. Please be sure to sign off on the certification statement at the bottom of this section, even if you do not answer the other questions in this section.

Previous Mini Grant Applicant

Did your farm apply for the Produce Safety Mini Grant in 2022 and receive a denial notice due to unavailable funding?

Yes (5 points)

Choose not to answer

Farm Food Safety Training Information

Have you, or a responsible party associated with your farm, attended one of these trainings?

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule Grower Training (approximately 8 hours), and/or
a Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training of at least a half-day (3+ hours), offered by the University of Minnesota Extension

Yes (5 points)

Choose not to answer

Which training was attended?

FSMA Produce Safety Rule Grower Training

GAPs training

Attendee first name

Attendee last name

Date attended training

Location of training

Training Certificate

Note: We accept scanned or photographed copies of the certificate of attendance. If you do not have your FSMA Grower Training certificate of attendance, please contact us at ProduceSafety.MDA@state.mn.us or 651-539-3648. For your GAPs Training certificate of attendance, please contact Annalisa Hultberg at hultb006@umn.edu or 612-625-1951.

Upload requirements

Produce Commodities Grown

Does your farm grow one or more of the following commodities: leafy greens, microgreens, berries, melons, sprouts, tomatoes?

Yes (5 points)

Choose not to answer

Grower Questionnaire

Has your farm filled out the Grower Questionnaire from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in any year between 2019 – 2023?

The Grower Questionnaire asks questions to determine your farm’s FSMA Produce Safety Rule status.

Yes (5 points)

Choose not to answer

Is your farm considered "covered" under the Produce Safety Rule?

Yes (12.5 points)

Choose not to answer

If you are unsure whether you have previously completed the Grower Questionnaire or have further questions about your farm’s FSMA Produce Safety Rule status, please contact us at ProduceSafety.MDA@state.mn.us or call 651-539-3648.

Demographic Information

The following questions will be used to determine if your farm is operated by individuals who are considered Emerging Farmers for the purposes of this grant. You may select “N/A” if the question does not apply, or “choose not to answer” if you decline to do so. The MDA does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity or expression.

Does the ownership of the farm business identify as socially disadvantaged?

A Socially disadvantaged farmer is a farmer who is a member of a Socially Disadvantaged Group. A Socially Disadvantaged Group is a group whose members have been subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program.

Yes (12.5 points)

Choose not to answer

Have all of the farm's principal operators been involved in the farm's operations for less than 10 years?

This applies to new farms only, not change of ownership in multi-generational farms.

Yes (5 points)

Choose not to answer

I certify that all information provided in the Produce Safety Mini-Grant Application is, to the best of my knowledge and understanding, true and accurate.