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Omnibus ag bill increases agriculture's budget Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Agri News staff writer
ST. PAUL -- The omnibus ag bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor last week increases agriculture's budget and restores the ethanol producer payments.
The Department of Agriculture, like other departments, saw its budget cut four years ago when the Legislature and the governor balanced the state's budget shortfall without raising taxes.
Ethanol producer payments were cut to 13 cents with the amount of subsidy spread out over a longer time. This session's bill puts those payments back to 20 cents, said Rep. Al Juhnke, DFL-Willmar, who chairs the House ag and veterans affairs finance committee.
In total, agriculture spending is up 21 percent from the last budget appropriation cycle, he said.
"It's a very good increase to ag," Juhnke said.
As ethanol plants come off the state subsidy, other ag programs will receive that funding, Juhnke said. The money is going toward value-added research and NextGen ethanol now.
The Legislature took the governor's Next Gen ethanol proposal and set up the NextGen Energy Board. The board's task will be to advise the Legislature as the state moves into the next generation of renewable fuels.
Sen. Steve Dille, R-Dassel, said the bill has two highlights for him. First, it fully funds the Board of Animal Health and its bovine tuberculosis eradication program. Second, it sets up a Minnesota Agriculture Fertilizer Research and Education Council. The council is given $600,000 in the first year to award as grants for fertilizer research.
The council funding comes from the general fund, Dille said. The original proposal was to tax fertilizer, but farmers prefer to spread the burden, he said. The funding source will be examined next session.
He's also happy that AURI got funded at $6 million.
"They can always use more money," Dille said. Minnesota's Agricultural Utilization Research Institute is swamped with work.
Since 1987, AURI has been instrumental in value-added research, Juhnke said. The organization will be coordinating the many renewable energy efforts under way in Minnesota through its Renewable Energy Roundtable.
The omnibus bill funds necessary services, such as the critical dairy profitability and enhancement program, and other important organizations, such as MAELC, said Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview. Funding is provided by education, county fairs, renewable energy and grain inspection.
The comprehensive bill meets the needs of agriculture now and prepares for the future, Welti said.
A Food Safety Task Force is set up to monitor and watch food safety issues. Funding has been increased for a program that puts fresh milk into food shelves in the state and the Minnesota Grown program is expanded.
When visiting a grocery store, it's not unusual to see signs for low-carb, low-fat or low-sugar products, Juhnke said.
"As the ag chair, I'm thinking how come I don't see the Minnesota Grown signs," he said.
The bill also includes a 25-by-25 goal that the state's agricultural, forestry and working lands provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the state by 2025. This is similar to a bill proposed at the federal level by Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Juhnke said.
Another contentious issue to be resolved is equine tooth floating. An Animal Husbandry Working Group was formed to address tooth floating, animal chiropractic and artificial insemination of animals other than cattle and swine. The group is due to report to the Legislature by Jan. 15, 2008.
The bill includes veteran's issues as well. A substantial amount of money was appropriated to help veterans with emergency needs and counseling, Dille said. County veteran's service officers will receive more money for outreach to veterans. |
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