A federal Agriculture Department official in southeastern Minnesota is announcing $17 million in grants to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers.

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan says from Elgin, Minn., that the money will go to 29 institutions around the country to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.

Merrigan says the training and education provided through the grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

She was in Elgin at the Hidden Stream Farm. The proprietors of which were some of the first graduates of a beginning farmer program run by the Land Stewardship Project. The Minnesota-based group is getting more than $400,000 of the grant money.

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On the Net:

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/