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SPOTLIGHT: Let’s Make a Deal – Cost Sharing Opportunities for Safety

SPOTLIGHT: Let’s Make a Deal – Cost Sharing Opportunities for Safety

NOVEMBER 2021

Keeping your farm safe is an invaluable investment in protecting the health and safety of farm workers and farm families, but it can also present significant financial challenges.

Minnesota farmers can now apply for funding through two programs from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) that help with the cost of buying, shipping, and installing eligible safety equipment.

Grain Storage Facility Safety Cost Share

Working in and around grain bins is a hazardous job, but fortunately there are opportunities to control the level of risk to protect farmers and workers. The Grain Storage Facility Safety Cost-Share is a public-private partnership with funding from the Minnesota Legislature, previous donors including Cargill and the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. 

This program reimburses 75% of eligible expenses up to $400 per bin or silo and with a limit of $2,400 per farm per fiscal year. Farms may submit one application per fiscal year.

Eligible equipment types:

  • Fall protection systems
  • Engineering controls to prevent contact with an auger or other moving parts
  • Dust collection systems to minimize explosion hazards
  • Personal protective equipment to increase survivability in the event of a grain-bin-related emergency
  • Grain silo air quality monitoring equipment
  • Other grain storage facility safety equipment with prior approval from the MDA

Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) Rebate

The 2021 Minnesota Legislature is providing $100k for farm safety programs for the 2022 Fiscal Year (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022), including the ROPS Rebate Program.  Funds are limited.  Now is the time to get your name on the waitlist.

The Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS) Rebate Program makes tractor safety equipment affordable and simple to order.  The program covers at least 70% of the cost of purchasing, shipping, and installing a rollover protection kit (roll bar and safety belt). The farm’s costs are limited to no more than $500 per tractor.

Minnesota’s ROPS Rebate program is a public-private partnership. In addition to funding from the Minnesota Legislature, previous donors to the ROPS Rebate program include ADM, AgCountry, AgriBank, Cargill, CHS Inc., Compeer Financial, and Land O’Lakes.  Learn more about the National ROPS Rebate Program (NRRP) at ropsr4u.org.