Also invests in value-added agriculture opportunities for MN farmers, manufactured housing, & home ownership
The
Minnesota Senate passed bipartisan legislation to fund agriculture, rural
development, and affordable housing in Minnesota on Tuesday. The comprehensive
budget bill places an emphasis on rural broadband expansion, invests in
affordable manufactured housing and home ownership, prioritizes value-added
agriculture opportunities that directly impact farmers and increases resources
for farmer mental health services.
Following the passage of the bill, Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville) issued the
following statement:
“Senate Republicans have worked this session to craft a bipartisan agricultural
budget that focuses on Minnesotan farmers and our rural communities by
prioritizing investments in innovation, mental health, and broadband
infrastructure to drive development across our state. This bipartisan plan
invests in our shared priorities in a conservative way that won’t break the
bank and will best serve the people of Minnesota.”
Specifically, the bill makes a one-time investment in an innovative soybean processing and research facility near the University of Minnesota – Crookston, invests in the “Dairy Modernization and Innovation” program to help small dairy farms finance the modernization of their farm infrastructure, such as robotic milking equipment, funds the “Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium Assistance” program to help dairy farmers with profitability, and increases “dairy development grants” to aid farmers in creating new business plans.
Further, the bill funds the Minnesota Border-to-Border Rural Broadband expansion program at $30 million, a significant increase in the legislature’s appropriation over the last biennium.
Additionally, the budget legislation prioritizes the most affordable forms of housing in Minnesota and emphasizes workforce housing and home ownership. This includes a $2.5 million increase per year for Manufactured Home Park Infrastructure Grants, which was co-authored by Senator Howe.
As a whole, the bill funds the day-to-day operations of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, and the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant Program. In total, this bill allocates over $258 million in funding, an increase of nearly $4 million over the last two-year budget.