Minnesota Ag Bill Clears Legislature

A major agriculture funding bill is heading to the governor’s desk after passing the Minnesota Legislature with strong bipartisan support. The omnibus ag finance and policy bill passed the House 130-4 and the Senate 58-8, with the final agreement posted online just hours before the vote. The legislation allocates $115 million to the Department of Agriculture for the 2026-27 biennium, along with funding for the Board of Animal Health, broadband development, and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute. House Agriculture Committee Co-Chair Rep. Paul Anderson said, “we kept the heart of the bill in the programs even though they got a bit of a haircut.” Co-Chair Rep. Rick Hansen called the bill “a hybrid” that blends traditional ag priorities with future needs, adding, “you shouldn’t have to have a lobbyist to be able to get public support for farming”.