MDA publishes 2016 Greenbook

29 articles profile sustainable approaches on MN farms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, August 9, 2016

MDA publishes 2016 Greenbook

29 articles profile sustainable approaches on MN farms

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is pleased to announce the publication of the 2016 Greenbook, a set of research findings produced by 29 sustainable agricultural demonstration projects taking place on Minnesota crop, livestock, fruit, and vegetable farms.

“The Greenbook is an important part of our Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program,” said Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. “This publication is where we show that innovative ideas can create sustainable solutions that work in real Minnesota agricultural operations.”

Now in its 26th year, the Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program provides grants for testing farming ideas that focus on conservation, energy, profitability, or farmers’ quality of life. Each project submits an annual report to the MDA, which is then edited into a short article for the Greenbook so farmers statewide can benefit from grant investments.

The 2016 Greenbook is more than 140 pages long and includes articles and findings from 29 projects, including several on cover cropping, energy efficiency on dairy farms, solar-powered drip irrigation, compost tea, beneficial insect habitats, and controlling thistle in organic blueberries.

The online version of the Greenbook is available at http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwODA5LjYyNDU3MjQxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDgwOS42MjQ1NzI0MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODQ1Nzk4JmVtYWlsaWQ9aW5mb0ByZWRsYWtlbmF0aW9ubmV3cy5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWluZm9AcmVkbGFrZW5hdGlvbm5ld3MuY29tJnRhcmdldGlkPSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://www.mda.state.mn.us/greenbook. To request a free hard copy, call 651-201-6012 or email alison.fish@state.mn.us.

Applications for the next round of the Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program are now available at http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwODA5LjYyNDU3MjQxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDgwOS42MjQ1NzI0MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODQ1Nzk4JmVtYWlsaWQ9aW5mb0ByZWRsYWtlbmF0aW9ubmV3cy5jb20mdXNlcmlkPWluZm9AcmVkbGFrZW5hdGlvbm5ld3MuY29tJnRhcmdldGlkPSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://www.mda.state.mn.us/grants/grants/demogrant.aspx.