Minnesota livestock producers have an additional three weeks to apply for grant money to help prevent wolf attacks. Due to a late harvest that kept producers in the fields longer than average, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grant applications to December 15, 2017.
The Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants is a new program that was authored by Senator Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point) during the 2017 legislative session. There is $120,000 available to producers this fiscal year (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018) and another $120,000 available next fiscal year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019).
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, geese, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine and turkey.
The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on December 15, 2017. Work for this first grant cycle must be done and expenses reported by June 30, 2018.
The application and more information can be found at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/grants/disaster/wolf/wolfconflictprevent.aspx.