AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant is sponsored by Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Offers funding for on-farm improvements to reduce disease risk and enhance biosecurity for livestock producers.

AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant | Minnesota Department of Agriculture Business Dev, Loans, Grants Corporate Farm Information Food Business Development Exporting & International Trade Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Farm, Property, Real Estate Listing (MN FarmLink) Disaster & Cleanup Assistance Agriculture Chemical Response & Reimbursement Account Livestock Dealer Licensing Agricultural Best Management Practices (AgBMP) Loan VIEW ALL Grants & Funding Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant Local Food Purchase Assistance Down Payment Assistance Grant Agricultural Growth, Research & Innovation (AGRI) Program Livestock Investment (AGRI) More Business Development, Loans, Grants Topics Environment, Sustainability Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program Best Management Practices Minnesota Organic Conference Governor's Council on Biofuels AGRI Bioincentive Program AGRI Biofuels Infrastructure Grant Clean Water Fund Activities Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program Water Monitoring Programs Agriculture in a Changing Climate More Environment, Sustainability Topics VIEW ALL Specific Pesticides Apply, Register, Store, Sell Pesticide Use & Sales Data Monitoring Pesticides in Water Regulation, Inspection & Enforcement Integrated Pest Management Apply, Register, Store, Sell Fertilizer Use & Sales Data Monitoring Nitrate in Water Anhydrous Ammonia Program Certified Testing Laboratories (soil & manure) Pesticide Container Recycling Pesticide & Fertilizer Complaints Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting & Inspection Fees Pesticide Dealer Licensing & Sales Reporting Registered Product Search Find Pesticide, Fertilizer Products Clean Water Fund Activities Clean Water Fund Activities Best Management Practices Pest Control without Pesticide BMPs More Pesticide & Fertilizer Topics Resources for New Food Businesses How to Start a Food Business Licensing Liaison Request Meat & Poultry Processing Recent Recall Notifications Food & Feed Inspection Programs Manufactured Food Inspection Program Commercial Feed & Pet Food Secure Milk Supply Program Food Ingredients/Allergens Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Feed & Pet Food Business Info VIEW ALL Insect Pests & Diseases Report a Plant, Pest or Disease Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Bacterial Canker of Tomato Biological Control of Emerald Ash Borer Nursery Certification and Plant Regulation Export Certification Program More PLANTS, INSECTS topics Pesticide Dealer Sales Reporting Learn, Apply, Renew or Train Fertilizers, Pesticides & Chemicals Food – Cottage, Retail, Wholesale Produce, Fruits, Vegetables View all Licensing & Inspections AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program supports the advancement of Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy industries.

AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant The application period for this program is closed. The AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza Grant, also referred to as the Protect Grant, helps Minnesota farmers and ranchers buy and install supplies or equipment to prevent the transmission of avian influenza on their farms.

The application period for the Protect Grant was from November 17, 2025, to January 15, 2026. If you're seeking funding to strengthen resilience on your farm to extreme weather events, visit the AGRI Prepare Grant webpage . Approximately $500,000 is available for this program.

We expect to award 50 to 60 grants. You may request between $500 and $10,000 per farming operation. Only one application per operation.

A 20% cash match is required. You can use your related time and labor costs to reduce the cash match by up to $2,000. Be the principal operator of a livestock operation in Minnesota.

Produce and sell at least $1,000 of livestock products annually. For the purposes of this grant, livestock means animals raised to produce fiber, meat, and animal by-products for sale or as breeding stock, including but not limited to beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, farmed cervids (deer, elk), ratites (flightless birds including emu), bison, sheep, horses, aquaculture, and llamas.

Contact us with questions regarding the eligibility of other species. Grant funds must be used to install measures to prevent the transmission of avian influenza at farms in Minnesota.

Project examples include: Isolation/quarantine pens Update or maintenance of poultry barns including woven wire or fixing holes Electronic animal ID systems (including readers and software) Exclusion systems to help keep wild birds and vermin out of livestock facilities Inflatables (to scare wild species away from poultry operations) Lasers (to scare wild species away from poultry operations) Sound machines (to scare wild species away from poultry operations) We issue payments on a reimbursement basis and not in advance.

You may only buy eligible items after grant contract agreements are signed by all parties. We expect to have contracts in place by May 2026. The application period for this program closed on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

We're tentatively planning to release the next round of funding in fall 2026. Details on this page and in the 2026 AGRI Protect Grant Request for Proposals (PDF) apply to the past round of funding and are subject to change. Contact us if you need this information in an alternative format.

Here are some common questions about the AGRI Protect Grant. If you have questions that are not addressed here or in the RFP, email them to MDA. AGRIGrants@state.

mn. us with "AGRI Protect Grant" in the subject line. We'll post all questions and answers on this page.

We have two farm sites that would benefit from the Protect Grant. Can we apply for funding for each farm site? Only one application will be accepted per farm.

If the farm sites are owned by one organization the organization would submit one application. I raise animals that are not listed as eligible species. Is my operation eligible?

No, the protect program is very specific on the species eligible. The list of "Livestock" includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, goats, mules, bison, sheep, horses, farmed cervids, ratites (flightless birds including emu), and llamas. I do not raise livestock, but my business works with livestock and livestock producers (e.g., veterinary clinic, feed production, animal rescue, zoo, etc.) Is my operation eligible?

No, the Protect Grant is designated for operations that are directly involved in livestock production and must be considered a farm. A farm is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year. Would an isolation pen be an eligible project and are there specific criteria for the pen that is required?

Yes, an isolation pen is an eligible project. There are no specific criteria for the isolation pen, but you are encouraged to review the scoring criteria in the RFP as you are writing your responses to the questions. I am looking to apply for a mortality incinerator.

A mortality incinerator is not listed in the project examples. Is this an eligible project? Yes — the project examples are just a few items that would qualify for the grant.

Overall, projects must be used to install measures to prevent the transmission of avian influenza, but producers can apply for what meets their needs within those criteria. We encourage you to review the scoring criteria in the RFP as you are writing the responses to the questions. Are consumables, such as soap or feed additives eligible?

No, consumables are not eligible for this program. Should I be collecting bids for this grant application? Yes, bids, quotes, and other source documents are required.

The project description allows for 2,000 characters, including spaces. Will I receive full points if my responses are below the character limit? The character limits provided are the maximum characters allowed and are not a requirement.

For questions that include a narrative response, be sure to give enough details for reviewers to be able to evaluate your response. I plan to hire labor for my project. Where do I include hired labor costs?

Hired labor costs should be included in the budget table. Only include your personal labor in the labor table.

Fiscal Year 2025 Grantees Grantees by Legislative District Legislative District Jacob Thompson, Four Hill Farms, Inc. Clayton Barg, Barg Seven Mile Creek Ranch Michael Barber, M & M Turkeys, LLC Jolene Schlander, Animals R Us Beef cattle, bison, dairy cattle, horses, llamas, mules, poultry, ratites, sheep/goats, swine Ian Olson, Ian Olson Farms Tara Meyer, Meyer Dairy, LLC Jennifer Olson, Golden Banty Farm Matt Herdering, Klaphake Feed Mill, Inc. Shane Wilhelm, Richmond Turkey Farm, LLC Beef cattle, horses, poultry, sheep/goats Beef cattle, poultry, sheep/goats, swine Brandon Deutz, Deutz Brothers, LLC Beef cattle, dairy cattle Michael Mohr, Mohr Pork, LLC Jessica Westbrock, Sunflower Farms Kyle Compart, KA Enterprises, LLC Sara Betcher, JB Farms, LLC Josh Lingen, Lingren Dairy Melissa Runck, SMR Cattle Beef cattle, horses, poultry Annette Junak, Son-D-Farms, Inc. Annette Junak, Son-D-Farms, LLC Tony Heppner, Golden Hawk Farms Beef cattle, poultry sheep/goats, swine Brian Heymer, Red Bridge Farms, Inc. Jennifer Kozlowski, Monarch Acres Nathan Holden, Holden Farms, Inc. Fiscal Year 2024 Grantees Grantees by last name First Name Last Name City County Types of Livestock Jonathan Adrian Mountain Lake Cottonwood Poultry Katarina Amdahl Lanesboro Fillmore Poultry Dave Askelson Medford Steele Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Jeff Barber Worthington Nobles Poultry Caara Bergeron Bemidji Beltrami Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Loren Brey New Ulm Nicollet Poultry Jerry Campbell Pequot Lakes Cass Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Lisa Christensen Canby Yellow Medicine Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Dustin Compart Nicollet Nicollet Swine Kylie DeMarais Foley Benton Cervids (elk, farmed deer) David Dorow Maple Lake Wright Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Dustin Ebersviller Vergas Otter Tail Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Doraisamy Farm Garfield Douglas Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Ellie Fox South Haven Stearns Cervids (elk, farmed deer) John Fredrickson Welch Goodhue Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Richard Hafstad Owatonna Steele Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Dale Hartung Melrose Stearns Poultry Todd Heieie Brooten Stearns Dairy Cattle Matt Herdering Melrose Stearns Poultry Brian Heymer Princeton Isanti Poultry Laura Hillyer Askov Pine Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Ardy Johansen Underwood Otter Tail Poultry Jamie Johnson Minnetonka Hennepin Poultry Sam Knudsen New London Redwood Poultry Steven Krage Houston Houston Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Gary Larson Chisholm Saint Louis Cervids (elk, farmed deer) David Luedeke Miltona Douglas Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Mark Luedtke Bowlus Morrison Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Deven Lundin Dassel Meeker Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Dean Mace Detroit Lakes Becker Poultry Raymond Matejcek Owatonna Steele Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Tim Miller Hanska Brown Poultry Roger Nietfeld Melrose Stearns Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Glen Olson Parkers Prairie Otter Tail Poultry Robert Orsten Willmar Kandiyohi Poultry Dan Parsons Owatonna Steele Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Braden Rahn Good Thunder Blue Earth Swine Michelle Saari Elk River Anoka Poultry Erica Sawatzke Kensington Douglas Poultry Aaron Seitz Tenstrike Beltrami Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Brad Snelling Park Rapids Becker Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Clinton Stucky Ogilvie Kanabec Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Dennis Suelflow Sauk Centre Todd Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Crystal Swanson Spicer Kandiyohi Poultry Jake Vlaminck Lake Lillian Kandiyohi Poultry Nick Vonohlen Alpha Jackson Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Brian Wagner Howard Lake Wright Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Cory Walker Villard Pope Poultry Dale Wippler Ramsey Anoka Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Kraig Wurst Plainview Wabasha Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Glen Zebarth Brandon Douglas Cervids (elk, farmed deer) Candice Zimmermann Brainerd Crow Wing Llamas Ag Marketing & Development Kami.

Schoenfeld@state. mn. us Ag Marketing & Development MDA.

AGRIGrants@state. mn. us