1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; appropriating money for study 
  1.3             of expanding agriculture education and the development 
  1.4             of the center for applied rural and regional research. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.7      $500,000 from the general fund in fiscal year 2000 is 
  1.8   appropriated to the board of trustees of the Minnesota state 
  1.9   colleges and universities to be allocated to Southwest State 
  1.10  University to conduct a feasibility study of changing and 
  1.11  expanding agriculture education to better meet current needs and 
  1.12  to develop a center for applied rural and regional research. 
  1.13     The study shall examine agriculture education needs of the 
  1.14  state and particularly the southwest region, current programs 
  1.15  available to meet those needs, availability of faculty and other 
  1.16  necessary staffing, the state of current facilities and 
  1.17  equipment, and other factors relevant to academic decision 
  1.18  making.  The study shall recommend needed changes in agriculture 
  1.19  education, efficient and effective ways to meet the needs, and 
  1.20  the estimated associated costs.  Southwest State University 
  1.21  shall conduct the study in collaboration with the University of 
  1.22  Minnesota and Minnesota West Community and Technical College and 
  1.23  report its findings to the board of trustees, the board of 
  1.24  regents, and the higher education and agriculture committees of 
  1.25  the legislature by February 1, 2000. 
  2.1      The center for applied rural and regional research will 
  2.2   conduct collaborative research on issues and topics directly 
  2.3   related to understanding the transformation of contemporary 
  2.4   rural Minnesota.  The center will also house an agriculture and 
  2.5   rural leadership training program.