Lakeville, Minnesota needs to utilize the Biofertilizer Innovation & Efficiency Program to protect local water quality, mitigate nuisance odors for growing suburban neighborhoods, and help farmers transition away from raw manure. The program provides state financial incentives to reduce reliance on commercial nitrogen fertilizers. 
Why Lakeville Needs the Program
  • Water Quality Protection: Excess nitrogen and traditional manure runoff can leach into the area’s lakes and groundwater aquifers. Using biological alternatives reduces this environmental strain while boosting long-term soil health. 
  • Odor Mitigation: As Lakeville's suburban borders expand and meet active agricultural zones, raw manure application creates significant, long-lasting odors for nearby residents.
  • Financial Incentives: Participating farmers can earn up to $15 per acre by reducing commercial nitrogen application rates by at least 15% (or 30 lbs per acre). 
  • Fostering Innovation: The program encourages adopting precision ag technologies paired with biofertilizers (which use natural bacteria and fungi to fix atmospheric nitrogen directly into the soil). 
Key Program Rules
  • Exclusions: Raw manure does not qualify for this specific initiative unless heavily altered and registered as a commercial specialty fertilizer or soil amendment.
  • Availability: Farmers can enroll between 40 and 3,000 acres. Funding is divided across the 2026 and 2027 growing seasons.