Legislative Update: MCGA farmer-leaders advocate for priorities during virtual day on the hill
By Amanda Bilek, senior public policy director for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Last week farmer-leaders from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) participated in our annual day on the hill, which was virtual this year. Even though we were not able to sit down with legislators in their St. Paul offices during a busy day at the Minnesota Legislature, MCGA leaders were still very effective in advocating for our ag policy priorities on behalf of members.
Over the course of two days, MCGA met with 17 legislative and administration leaders to advocate for key ag policy priorities. During the virtual meetings MCGA emphasized the following priorities:
- Expand ethanol use in Minnesota by adopting the 15 percent biofuel standard and securing funding for key infrastructure investments that would assist certain retail locations in offering higher blends of ethanol.
- Appreciation for previous tax policy including state conformity on Section 179 and increases in the Ag2School Property Tax Credit while also discussing the need for buffer property tax relief.
- And, the importance of key program support in the agriculture budget including the Agriculture Research, Extension and Technology Transfer (AGREETT) program and biofuel, crop research and value-added investments within the Agriculture Growth Research and Innovation grant program at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
MCGA would like to thank all legislative and administration leaders who took the time to meet with us including Governor Walz, Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, Commissioner Thom Petersen, Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel, Senators Torrey Westrom, Bill Weber, Julie Rosen, Carla Nelson, Carrie Ruud, Gary Dahms, Scott Newman, Erin Murphy and Representatives Mike Sundin, Paul Anderson, Paul Marquart and Greg Davids.
In addition to our virtual day on the hill last week there were a few other key developments at the Minnesota Legislature.
A few key recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Biofuels are contained in HF 1433, which was introduced in the House by Rep. Luke Frederick (DFL-Mankato). The Governor’s Biofuels policy bill contains a move to a 15 percent biofuel standard in 2022 as well as an increase to 25 percent in 2031. It also includes a new equipment compatibility standard for new equipment to enable higher blends of ethanol and the creation of a biofuels marketing and education council at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The bill was heard in the House Agriculture Committee. Brian Thalmann testified for MCGA in support of the bill along with supportive testimony from Minnesota Farm Bureau, Farmers Union and POET. It was laid over for future consideration. Video from the hearing is available here.
On Friday, February 26, Minnesota Management and Budget released the February forecast projecting that the state will have a surplus of $1.6 billion for the next biennium. Strong sales tax revenue in recent months has swung the previous projected deficit of $1.3 billion dollars. Going forward, the legislature and Governor will be able to start crafting the FY 22/23 budget. The Governor will likely release a supplemental budget in the coming weeks to reflect the new surplus.
Be sure to follow the MCGA blog and its social channels (Facebook, Twitter) for updates. You can also follow me on Twitter (@AjBilek).
