ST. PAUL, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is awarding a new grant program aimed at combating noxious weeds around the state. Twenty-nine projects will split $300,000 though the Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant.
The money, which is given to local municipalities, counties, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, will be used to purchase equipment and supplies, conduct mapping and outreach activities, and hire private applicators to manage noxious weeds. The awardees include Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District.
“Noxious weeds and invasive plants are a serious threat to Minnesota’s agriculture and forest industries,” said Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. “However, purchasing supplies and providing workshops can be barriers to successful local noxious weed management programs. The Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant tries to fill the gaps so local entities can build their noxious weed programs.”
The MDA received over $800,000 in grant requests, and many of those requests included herbicide application equipment. The 29 grants range from $3,000 to $25,300 and focus on species on the Minnesota Noxious Weed Prohibited-Eradicate list.
Another $300,000 is available through the Noxious and Invasive Plant Grant for the next fiscal year (Fiscal Year 2019: July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019). The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released by September 2018 and will be awarded in 2019.