Minnesota Senate Passes Bipartisan Agriculture Budget

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Senate passed a bipartisan Agriculture budget bill late Wednesday afternoon with a vote of 43-23.

The legislation, authored by Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud), addresses challenges facing the agricultural community through investments in food security, farm health, and avian influenza response.

With Minnesota food shelves experiencing record high visits, the bill allocates $1 million to the Local Food Purchasing Program. The program allocates funding to buy food from local farmers and distribute it at no cost to communities across Minnesota, helping to offset recent cuts to food assistance programs.

The bill also calls for a $600,000 increase for Farm to School programs, which grant students access to fresh, locally sourced meals in childcare settings while supporting local producers.

The first cases of bird flu were confirmed in March of 2022, and continue to pose a threat to Minnesota’s poultry and dairy industries. Following the recent federal suspension of milk testing, this bill bolsters the state response capabilities through funding grants for poultry producers, supporting emergency response efforts, providing grants for meat inspection, and expanding the Board of Animal Health’s capacity.

The budget invests $250,000 for mental health outreach, support services, and farm safety grants. It is aimed at helping farmers stay safe, healthy, and supported following challenges such as the avian influenza outbreak, extreme weather, market instability and tariffs.

“Farmers always live with a lot of uncertainty, but extreme weather, the cost of inputs, animal disease emergencies, and an unreliable federal government have made it particularly hard to be a farmer today. Despite having to make budget cuts, this bill meets this moment by providing the resources and flexibility to respond to these challenges. In passing this bill, the Minnesota Senate is standing up for Minnesota Agriculture.”

Last Thursday, the House passed the 2025 Agriculture Budget bill on Thursday with overwhelming bipartisan support in a 130-3 vote.

The bill now moves to conference committee for further consideration.

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