Rapid Agricultural Response Fund
Internal — Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station only
Rapid Agricultural Response Fund supports University of Minnesota researchers studying urgent threats to address challenges facing Minnesota’s agricultural and natural resource industries.
This grant was recently updated
Proposals are now being accepted for the FY28/29 biennium. Full RFP details are available on the MAES intranet.
Funder: Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station
Due Dates: FY28/29 proposals being accepted; see internal RFP for deadlines
Funding Amounts: Approximately $2 million awarded across 10 projects for FY26/27 (historical funding)
Summary: Supports University of Minnesota research responding to urgent challenges facing Minnesota’s agricultural and natural resource industries.
Key Information: Open only to University of Minnesota researchers; applications are administered through the MAES intranet.
Description
The Rapid Agricultural Response Fund (RARF) supports research addressing urgent issues and emerging threats facing Minnesota’s agricultural and natural resource industries. First authorized by the Minnesota legislature in 1998, the fund is overseen by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES). Projects are awarded every two years.
Supported work has addressed crop pests, herbicide-resistant weeds, poultry and livestock diseases, and natural resource challenges. Research has included soybean aphid, emerald ash borer, spotted wing drosophila, chronic wasting disease, and influenza in livestock. Recent projects also examine fertilizer contributions to groundwater nitrate challenges, high-oleic soybeans as livestock feed, and the spread of noxious weeds through manure.
