Minnesota Fertilizer Research Funding Hangs in the Balance, Could Expire in June

Vital research supporting Minnesota farmers’ efforts to improve environmental sustainability and reduce fertilizer costs could soon be halted due to a looming funding sunset. Since 2008, the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) has distributed more than $1 million to a wide array of research projects, but its funding mechanism, a 40-cent-per-ton fee on fertilizer, is set to expire on June 30.

With projects ranging from soil carbon analysis to nutrient management in potato production, the AFREC-funded research has benefited farmers across the state. “This research helps everyone – it improves water quality, benefits the environment, and helps farmers’ bottom lines,” says Jeff Kosek, an AFREC member and farmer from Hutchinson.

Kosek emphasizes the critical value of updated research, noting that some state fertilizer recommendations haven’t changed in 15 years. “Farmers want to optimize fertilizer use – no one wants to overapply,” he states. The expiration of AFREC funding would leave farmers without a vital source of up-to-date, localized information to guide them.

Funding Extension Urgently Needed

The AFREC was founded in response to an identified need for robust soil fertility research, a legacy of the late University of Minnesota Extension specialist George Rehm. Kosek and other council members are now advocating for the state legislature to extend this funding mechanism for at least another 10 years. Failure to do so will interrupt the flow of research-backed data that drives efficient and responsible fertilizer use in Minnesota.