REMINDER: Grant Money Available to Minnesota Livestock Owners for Prevention of Wolf Attacks

St. Paul, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reminding livestock producers that new money is available to help prevent wolf attacks. A total of $60,000 will be awarded through the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. Applications are due January 31, 2020, to the MDA.

The grants provide reimbursement for costs of approved practices to prevent wolf-livestock conflicts. Eligible expenses for the grant program will include any or all of the following items:

• Purchase of guard animals

• Veterinary costs for guard animals

• Installation of wolf barriers which may include pens, fladry, and fencing

• Installation of wolf-deterring lights and alarms

• Calving or lambing shelters

• Other measures demonstrated to effectively reduce wolf-livestock conflicts

Producers must live within Minnesota’s wolf range, as designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or on property determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture to be affected by wolf-livestock conflicts. Any animal species produced for profit and documented to have been killed by wolves in Minnesota in the past is eligible. This includes bison, cattle, chicken, deer, donkey, duck, goose, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine and turkey.

The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m. on January 31, 2020. Work for this grant must be done and expenses reported by August 31, 2020. The application and more information can be found at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/wolfgrants.

This is the third round of the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants and is being funding through the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The first two rounds of grants were originally funded by the Minnesota Legislature in 2017. Those grants awarded $240,000 between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2019. Grantees used the money for items like fencing, guard animals, and motion lights – all deterrents to wolves.