It came right down to the wire, but the omnibus agriculture bill is on its way to Governor Tim Walz’s desk. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Sundin said it would have been a better bill if more money was available. However, Sundin praised the overall bill. “This state is full of hard-working people in both urban and rural communities who get up every day to make Minnesota a better place and I’m pleased to say this bill will have a positive impact on every one of them.” This bill includes a beginning farmer tax credit and funding to support local and regionalized meat processing. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Torrey Westrom is also pleased with what is not in the final bill. “We blocked new proposals by the House environmental caucus that tried to ban plastic-coated, slow-release fertilizer; we held strong and did not adopt these restrictions.” A total of $18 million is being devoted to drought relief. Over $13 million will support farmers hurt by last year’s drought and $5 million will go to the DNR to replace tree seedlings.
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