MCGA holds Day on the Hill
Above: MCGA grower-leaders Dana Allen-Tully, Angela Guentzel, Tim Waibel and D.J. VanKlompenburg meet with state Sen. Carla Nelson (middle).
Today, Minnesota Corn grower-leaders met with bipartisan lawmakers to advocate for policies that increase opportunities for the state’s corn farmers. The meetings were part of the annual Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) Day on the Hill event at the state Capitol.
Grower-leaders met with nearly 20 state officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller and House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt. They also met with House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Sundin, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Torrey Westrom, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Gary Dahms and Senate Tax Committee Chair Carla Nelson, among others.
A key point of all discussions was MCGA’s top legislative priority for 2022: passage of a statewide E15 standard to ensure all Minnesotans have access to cleaner-burning, lower-cost Unleaded 88. The statewide E15 bill is sponsored in the state House by reps. Sundin, Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck), Luke Frederick (DFL-Mankato), Dave Lislegard (DFL-Aurora) and Barb Haley (R-Red Wing). In the Senate, it’s sponsored by Westrom.
An E15 standard will deliver lower carbon emissions today, while saving consumers 3 cents to 40 cents less per gallon at the pump. Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half compared to gasoline, and it also has higher levels of engine-boosting octane.
MCGA thanks this bipartisan group of lawmakers for sponsoring this bill and looks forward to it being heard in the coming weeks.
Grower-leaders also urged lawmakers to support increasing the Ag2School tax credit that reduces the disproportionate burden family farms can face because of local referenda. Additionally, they urged lawmakers to support buffer tax property relief and easing the estate tax burden in the state.
Other priorities MCGA grower-leaders voiced support for included a best-management practices grant program for soil health and the maintenance of important crop-protection tools.
MCGA will continue to advocate for policies that benefit corn farmers and all Minnesotans during the final two months of the 2022 legislative session. To learn more about MCGA’s legislative priorities, and to read updates on the 2022 legislative session, visit mncorn.org/blog.
