FOND DU LAC — A program providing legal and business support for farmers in the Fond du Lac Reservation is the recipient of a state grant intended to support underrepresented farming communities.
Nearly $48,000 was awarded to Farm Commons, which also helps farmers enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Micro Farm Crop Insurance program.
The grant funds can be used to pay up to 65% of emerging farmers' premium expenses under the insurance program.
The funding comes in response to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Emerging Farmers’ Working Group and the first-of-its-kind Emerging Farmers Office.
These groups identified technical assistance as one of the top needs for emerging farmers.
Technical assistance includes helping with record keeping, financial statements, business plans, licenses and regulations, land access, applying for grants and loans, sales and marketing, and other business support.
Emerging farmers include farmers who are members of a community of color, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, or any other emerging farmers as determined by the commissioner of agriculture.
The working group also features northern Minnesotans, including Nikki Crowe, tribal conservation collaboration coordinator for the Fond du Lac Band, and Cindy Hale, who is co-owner of Clover Valley Farms near Two Harbors.
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