Grants Available to Boost Biofuels at Minnesota Service Stations

Aug 23, 2023

Minnesota retail service stations looking to increase access to and sales of motor fuel blends containing at least 15% ethanol are encouraged to apply for funding currently available through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).

The Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Biofuels Infrastructure Grant Program will award up to $3.335 million in this round of funding to offset the cost of replacing or upgrading current station equipment so it can be certified as compatible with E25 or higher motor fuel blends. Examples of eligible equipment include retail petroleum dispensers and fuel storage tanks.

“As consumer demand for cleaner fuel options continues to grow, the MDA is pleased we can partner with service stations to expand their capacity for higher ethanol blends at the pump,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. “Biofuels offer an affordable, immediate step to meeting Minnesota’s climate goals, while supporting our farmers and rural economies.”

Applicants may request between $5,000 and $199,000 for an individual project and must commit at least 35% of the total project cost as a cash match. Grants may be expended over a three-year period and must start after mid-January 2024.

Applicants must be a retail petroleum dispenser in Minnesota with no more than 10 sites, regardless of location. Separate applications must be submitted for each site in Minnesota seeking funding.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.