Greetings,
I have been busy meeting with local groups in the district of late and look forward to a two-day tour of six ag.-related facilities around the state next week.
House committees pertaining to ag. finance and ag. policy (I chair the latter) will conduct the tour jointly. On Tuesday, stops will include Jennie-O in Faribault, Hormel in Austin and a bio-diesel refinery in Albert Lea. We will return to St. Paul that night before departing Wednesday for tours of two Willmar facilities (a poultry testing lab and MinnWest Technology Campus) and an ethanol plant in Granite Falls.
The poultry lab in Willmar is emerging as an important facility in helping us combat future outbreaks of avian influenza. The Legislature provided bonding money to that facility earlier this year, allowing upgrades to be conducted so tests can be conducted on the ground in Willmar – a central city in Minnesota's turkey production – instead of having to ship samples to St. Paul for results.
The state's turkey population is starting to come back and some of the Jennie-O workers laid off in Faribault are returning to work. Farms are being restocked with turkeys, but reports say it could take up to two years to fully rebuild flocks. Meantime, let's continue doing our part to support the poultry industry as consumers to help with the recovery.
In other news, I encourage area cities, counties, businesses, non-profits, and other eligible applicants to apply for a grant to continue the expansion of Minnesota's broadband infrastructure.
The grants are available as a part of a $10.58 million Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program approved by the Legislature and enacted this year. Applications must be submitted by Sept. 15.
Eligible applicants include incorporated businesses or partnerships, political subdivisions, Indian tribes, Minnesota non-profits, cooperative associations and limited liability corporations. Broadband projects must be located in unserved or underserved areas.
Some of the smaller towns in our area are at a disadvantage in terms of fast, reliable Internet connections. This especially puts local businesses at a disadvantage as they work to compete in national and international economies. There was one grant awarded in the Sauk Centre area through this program last year and it would be nice to see more successful applications from our area this time around.
More details regarding program qualifications and application materials can be found by clicking here for the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development website. Also, anyone in need of assistance, including a letter of support for their application, can call me at 651-296-4317 or email rep.paul.anderson@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Paul