The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has a busy week at the Capitol, with key testimony emphasizing the importance of ag innovation and MCGA’s annual Day on the Hill. As the pace of legislative action continues to pick up in St. Paul, the timing of both are favorable.

First up, MCGA President Brian Thalmann testified Tuesday in front on the Minnesota House Committee on Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division. With the committee hearing focused on ag innovation, Thalmann detailed key investments by the state’s corn growers to build a more profitable and sustainable future on the farm.

Thalmann began his testimony by outlining MCGA’s commitment to become the most sustainable and environmentally responsible corn farmers in the nation. With that mission in mind, Thalmann outlined a couple examples.

The first was the investment in ethanol and renewable fuel infrastructure and development, which demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in initiatives that support rural communities and benefit the environment.

Federal officials through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program, state officials, biofuel supporters and the state’s corn farmers worked together to spur tremendous growth in retailers offering 88 Octane (also known as E15) and E85. Locations statewide offering cleaner-burning, ethanol-blended fuels surpassed 300 and 400, respectively, in 2018. With more accessibility, Minnesota had record-breaking ethanol sales last year.

Thalmann also testified on the investment by the state’s corn growers in research at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Polymers. Like ethanol, corn farmers are investing in a high-value and sustainable market for corn with an environmental benefit—replacing petroleum with a renewable source like corn in a variety of consumer and industrial products.

In 2019, corn farmers invested more than $500,000 in research that uses corn as a feedstock source for a sustainable polymer that would replace petroleum in plastics, adhesives, sealants, printer inks and construction chemicals to name just a few. Center for Sustainable Polymers Director Marc Hillmyer joined Thalmann to detail each exciting project.

MCGA Day on the Hill

With the legislative session in full swing, 16 MCGA grower leaders will spend Wednesday at the Capitol meeting with legislators individually to discuss policy priorities in 2019.

Grower leaders will split up to meet with more than 25 legislators, including key legislative leadership and chairs of committees that are important for MCGA policy priorities. The group will also have the opportunity to meet with Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen.

In each meeting, growers will focus on the importance of enacting federal tax conformity through Section 179, and property tax relief for farmers by increasing the Ag 2 School Credit. Farmers will also discuss the importance of providing property tax relief for ag land converted to buffers, and stress the importance of additional funding for the Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transportation Program (AGREETT) at the University of Minnesota. Investing in transportation in Greater Minnesota will also be a focus.

With a revised budget forecast announced last week showing the projected surplus decreased to a little over $1 billion for the current two-year budget period, the work to finalize a two-year budget will kick into high gear for the rest of the legislative session.  MCGA farmer leaders and staff will continue to engage legislators in the coming months to ensure the issues impacting the state’s 24,000 corn farmers are heard.

Be sure to follow the MCGA blog and its social channels (Facebook, Twitter) throughout session for updates from the Capitol.