St. Paul, MN – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Agriculture and Broadband budget bill following a bipartisan compromise reached with the Senate. The legislation, which funds the operations of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Board of Animal Health, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), and the Office of Broadband Development, includes new strategies and investments to strengthen farming and food production in Minnesota. State Representative Todd Lippert (DFL - Northfield) served on the bicameral working group that crafted the legislation and authored several provisions.
“Minnesota’s farmers were facing tough times before COVID-19, and for many, the pandemic has only exacerbated challenges,” said Rep. Lippert. “Our budget reaches a compromise that delivers resources to our farmers and farming communities, while also helping to usher in a new generation in agriculture. Our family farms are the backbone of communities throughout the state, and all of Minnesota won’t experience a full recovery from the past year without these important investments.”
The legislation includes several key priorities House DFLers included in the original House Agriculture Budget including the extension of the Farmer Lender Mediation Act, authored by Rep. Lippert. Rep. Lippert also contributed legislation doubling the funding for the Farm To School program, which helps farmers growing food for local communities sell directly to school districts and early learning centers, providing the freshest, most nutritious food for our students. Another provision of Rep. Lippert’s increases the funding for Ag Best Management Practices loans, which help farmers buy the equipment needed to put more soil health building practices on the land - practices that make the land more resilient in the face of extreme weather due to climate change, preventing erosion, and helping the land retain more water as well.
The bill also includes increased funding for emerging farmer outreach at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Urban and Youth Agriculture Program, the Good Food Access program, and new investments in small-scale meat processing. To help struggling farmers, the agreement increases investments in the Farm Advocate program, with $150,000 specifically targeted toward farm transitions. To better compensate advanced and renewable biochemical and biofuel producers, the budget increases bioincentive payments by $1.5 million per year.
Among other items, the budget also funds:
· Second Harvest Heartland grants for milk and protein purchases
· The state’s noxious weed and invasive plant program
· International trade efforts
· Farm safety grants
· Mental health outreach
· Livestock production grants
· Restoration of AURI’s Meat Scientist position
· Replacement of aging lab equipment at MDA
· An increase in the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) budget at MDA
· Meat and poultry inspections
· Reimbursement for wolf depredation and elk damage
In reaching a compromise, Senate Republicans refused to agree to continue funding Market Bucks, a program that helps low-income Minnesotans purchase fresh food at farmers markets. The final budget also didn’t include new requirements for seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, the Climate Smart Farms program, and a new fee on gross pesticide sales, which were all provisions the House originally included in its budget. Additionally, while the budget funds operations for the Office of Broadband Development, funding for the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program will be considered separately in a capital investment funding package.
A spreadsheet of the investments contained within the legislation is available here. The bill will next travel to the Senate for that body’s consideration. Video of the House Floor session will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.