Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant (BFEI)

The Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant supports new farmers in Minnesota in accessing equipment and developing infrastructure crucial to the future of their farm business. The program is funded by the Minnesota Legislature and administered by the MDA through a competitive review process.

Through this grant, beginning farmers can pay for:

• Agriculture-specific equipment needed to grow crops, raise livestock, or store the related farm products. "Agriculture-specific" refers to equipment designed specifically for farm activities, as distinct from general-purpose equipment.

• Farm infrastructure investments related to water access; irrigation; fencing; electricity; walk-in coolers; livestock handling; grain storage; production-related structures such as barns, livestock buildings, and greenhouses; and other farm infrastructure.

Ineligible expenses include general equipment and vehicles not specific to agricultural use (mowers, skid steers, semi-trucks, flatbed trailers, trucks, vans, or cars), general-purpose office supplies and equipment such as a computer, tablet, or smart phone, improvements to residential infrastructure located on a farm, and processing and packaging equipment or infrastructure.

Applicants must be:

• A beginning farmer, defined as a person who started farming within the last 10 years, is a principal operator on a farm, and has some farming experience and knowledge. A principal operator is the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm, LLC, or other nongovernmental organization, and may be an owner, hired manager, cash tenant, share tenant, or partner.

• Farming within the borders of the State of Minnesota.

• In good standing with the State of Minnesota.

Additional requirements published for the FY26/27 round:

• Only individuals are eligible to apply; only one application per farm (and per person) is accepted.

• Individuals who received this grant previously are not eligible to apply.

• Applicants must have sold at least $1,000 and no more than $500,000 of farm products in 2024 (or 2025 if they did not begin farming until 2025). Farm products must be something the applicant grew or raised; agricultural services, equipment sales, and rental income do not count.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

• Land ownership is not required. The grant gives scoring preference to farmers experiencing "limited land access," which includes farming on an incubator farm.

• Purchases must occur after a grant contract is signed by both the awardee and the MDA; prior purchases cannot be reimbursed. Purchases may not be made from direct family members as defined in Internal Revenue Code section 267(c)(4).

For the Fiscal Year 2026/2027 program, the MDA expected to award approximately $700,000 through a competitive review process. The maximum award is $10,000 and the minimum award is $1,000. The MDA expected to award between 70 and 95 grants, with the final number depending on award sizes as determined through proposal review.

Match and reimbursement structure:

• For proposals requesting up to $2,000, no match is required and 100% of costs can be reimbursed.

• For proposals requesting more than $2,000, grantees may be reimbursed up to 75% of their costs, up to $10,000 (i.e., a 25% match is required for requests over $2,000).

The grant is paid as reimbursement after purchase under a signed contract. Awardees of the FY2026/2027 program have until at least June 2027 to make their grant purchases, and may complete a project in parts and request partial reimbursements over the life of the contract.

Applications for the FY26/27 round were due by 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

To apply, read the full FY26/27 Request for Proposals (PDF) for eligibility and requirements, then apply through the MDA's online application system at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=statemn. New users must create an account first; once logged in, select "Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant."

Awardees are selected through a competitive process in which applications are evaluated by a review committee against criteria described in the RFP (see the "Application Scoring Sheet" in the RFP). Program questions go to MDA grant specialist Emily Toner at beginning.farmer.grant.mda@state.mn.us.

• FY26/27 Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant RFP (PDF): https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2026-03/FY26-27\_BFEIgrantRFPrevised.pdf

• How to Fill Out Your Online Application (PDF): https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-10/MDA%20Online%20Grant%20Application%20Guide%202019.pdf

• Reimbursement Guide FY26/27 (PDF): https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2026-06/BgngFrmrEquipInfrstrctr-PrchsReimbrsmntGuide-FY26\_0.pdf

• Reimbursement Worksheet FY26/27 (XLSX): https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2026-06/Reimbursement\_Worksheet.xlsx

• Program Q&A / FAQs: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/beginning-farmer-grant

• Information session recording (Feb 19, 2026)