State Department of Agriculture Launches Biofertilizer Innovation and Efficiency Pilot Program

(KNSI) — Central Minnesota farmers have a new opportunity to get paid for reducing synthetic fertilizer use this growing season.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has launched the Biofertilizer Innovation and Efficiency Pilot Program, offering $15 per acre to farmers who reduce their use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer and use a qualifying biofertilizer product. Applications are available for the 2026 and 2027 growing seasons. Farmers can enroll 40 to 3,000 acres, but the MDA reserves the right to limit enrollment per applicant.

To qualify, farmers must reduce their nitrogen fertilizer application rate by the lesser of 15% or 30 pounds per acre while using a biofertilizer product registered with the MDA. The program is open to all crops with a University of Minnesota-recommended nitrogen fertilizer rate. Qualifying products must deliver nitrogen through living microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi.

Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns Counties are among those statewide eligible.

Applications are open now and close at 4:00 p.m. on May 1st, or earlier if the program reaches capacity, and are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications for 2027 will open next year, with $500,000 total split between the two years.

To apply, farmers must first register in the state’s SWIFT system to obtain a vendor number, then submit an electronic application through the MDA. Grant agreements must be signed by May 29th. Farmers will be paid after submitting documentation verifying their nitrogen reduction and biofertilizer use by November 30th, 2026.

A full list of eligible counties and application details are available by clicking here.

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