Agriculture

The following write-ups are produced and maintained by Minnesota House Research Department, with some links provided to other sources.

Farming, Food Safety, & Invasive Species

• Corporate Farm Law
• Food Safety System: An Overview
• Genetically Engineered Crops
• Invasive Species
• A Minnesota Lawmaker's Guide to the Agri-Environmental Policy Landscape
  A 35-page information brief identifying, classifying, and summarizing major state and federal agri-environmental laws. November 2020.

Renewable Energy

• Biofuel Use Mandates

Financing for Farmers

• Rural Finance Authority
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Feedlots

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) regulates animal feedlots in Minnesota.

• Minnesota Rules, Chapter 7020
  The rules governing feedlot regulation.
• Feedlot Fact Sheets
  Provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Archived Materials

The following materials have been archived and may contain some information that is not up-to-date. "Archived" materials are no longer actively maintained by House Research Department and are generally at least five years old. Current materials are provided in the previous topics.

• 1998 Law Changes Affecting Animal Feedlots
  A 12-page information brief summarizing numerous changes to animal feedlot laws made by the 1998 Legislature. August 1998.
• Agricultural Commodity Promotion in Minnesota (Request a copy)
• Alien Farmers in Minnesota: 1851-2004
  An 8-page information brief that explains the state's laws regulating farmland ownership by noncitizens. December 2004.
• Corporate Farm Law 1851-1991 (Request a copy)
• Designing Incentives for Renewable Energy Producers: Fixed v. Variable Subsidies
  A 25-page policy brief that compares two incentives for producers of renewable energy. January 2007.
• The Ethanol Industry in Minnesota
• Farm Products Rule: Farmers, Lenders, Buyers (Request a copy)
• Farm Wineries
  A 5-page information brief that explains how farm wineries are regulated and the state's role in promoting and funding them. June 2012.
• Financial Resources for Minnesota Farmers
• Fixed and Variable Subsidies for Renewable Energy Producers: Two Policy Options
• An Index to Agricultural Legislation Regular and First Special Sessions, 1985 (Request a copy)
• The Minnesota Farmer: Demographic Trends and Relevant Laws
  A discussion of the changing demographics among farmers and how lawmakers have addressed these issues. The second publication in A Changing Minnesota series, a joint project with the State Demographic Center. September 2015.
• Minnesota Partition Fence Law
  A 15-page information brief describing Minnesota's partition fence law, discussing case law that has interpreted it, and reviewing judicial decisions on the law. December 1998.
• Restrictions on Corporate Use of Farm Land (Request a copy)
• State Methane Digester Programs