FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 18, 2023
The Forever Green Initiative (FGI) is excited to see support for its crop research and commercialization efforts included in this year’s agriculture omnibus bill, which was signed into law today by Gov. Tim Walz. Drs. Don Wyse and Mitch Hunter, co-director and associate director of FGI, were in attendance at the bill signing in Finlayson, Minnesota.
“We can’t wait to use these funds to advance our work to develop profitable crops that give farmers new tools to protect water and soil,” said Dr. Hunter. “This is a long-term endeavor that requires public investment to achieve commercial viability. We greatly appreciate the support from the committee chairs Sen. Putnam and Rep. Vang, lead bill authors Reps. Brand and Klevorn, and Sens. Gustafson and Seeberger, as well as their colleagues in the Legislature, Gov. Walz and the Department of Agriculture.”
The bill builds on prior legislative investments in “continuous living cover” (CLC) crops and cropping systems, which advance all the key principles of soil health and regenerative agriculture by protecting the soil with plant cover, keeping living roots in the ground, reducing tillage and diversifying crop rotations. These systems have the potential to protect drinking water, clean up lakes and streams, and support pollinators and other wildlife, all while producing new ingredients for food, fuel, and other uses.
Included in the agriculture omnibus bill is a total of $1.604 million per biennium in funding for the Forever Green Initiative (an increase of $344,000). These funds will provide stable, long-term support for FGI’s crop research, development and commercialization efforts.
“This investment will provide the stability we need to make Forever Green crops and cropping systems a reality for Minnesota,” said Dr. Wyse. “These funds will help us retain the best scientists, especially plant breeders, who are the key players driving improvements in our crops.”
In addition, the Clean Water Council recommended $6 million in one-time funding for the Forever Green Initiative via the Clean Water Fund, signaling strong support. The Omnibus Legacy Finance bill includes this funding and awaits Walz’s signature.
This collective funding represents the biggest single-session investment in Forever Green to date.
“This increased investment from the Clean Water Fund will accelerate Forever Green’s research,” said Dr. Wyse. “Past state investments have been leveraged five-fold and have launched research on multiple promising crops.”
Complementary market development grants also included
In addition to the Forever Green research and development funding, the omnibus agriculture bill includes $500,000 over two years to extend the Developing Markets for CLC Crops program established during the 2022 legislative session.
These grants are awarded by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and are available to Minnesota organizations — primarily small businesses — that are working to develop the market for CLC crops.
Said Colin Cureton, FGI director of Adoption and Scaling: “Investing in the businesses that are developing supply chains and markets around these crops will root these new industries in Minnesota, accelerate growth,in rural communities, and foster the market pull needed to move CLC crops onto the landscape.”
Media contact: Mitch Hunter, associate director of the Forever Green Initiative — [email protected]
About University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative
The Forever Green Initiative is a crop research platform within the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. It is focused on developing and improving winter-hardy annual and perennial crops that protect soil and water while driving new economic opportunities for growers, industry and communities across Minnesota. The Forever Green Initiative’s portfolio includes over 15 crops, each supported by a multidisciplinary team that may include expertise in the areas of genomics, breeding, agronomics, natural resource sciences, food science, sociology, economics and commercialization. This collaborative effort draws on additional expertise from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management (CINRAM), and the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA); with major funding support from the Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and USDA NIFA.