Suspended USDA Funding Impacts MDA

When Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suspended $129 million in USDA grants to Minnesota. SNAP was a target. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said farmers are seeing the impact, including early indications that funding for avian influenza testing was affected. After working through the congressional delegation, those funds have been restored. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture receives tens of millions of dollars in federal funds each year. “It’s more than ten percent of our annual budget,” said Petersen. “One of the things the letter said to get the federal dollars, there had to be justification and documentation, that’s something the Department already does. Our Department has a sterling record, whether it is regarding fraud or anything else.” Petersen hopes calmer heads will soon prevail in this dispute between the state and federal government. Listen to the interview.