1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agricultural trade; providing funding for 
  1.3             an agricultural trade specialist position; 
  1.4             establishing a livestock development program; 
  1.5             establishing a feedlot design and management education 
  1.6             program; providing for grants to agricultural shippers 
  1.7             associations; appropriating money; amending Minnesota 
  1.8             Statutes 2000, section 17.101, by adding a 
  1.9             subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.10            Statutes, chapter 17.  
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 17.101, is 
  1.13  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.14     Subd. 6.  [LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT.] (a) For the purposes of 
  1.15  this subdivision, "local unit of government" means a county or a 
  1.16  group of counties acting jointly. 
  1.17     (b) The commissioner may establish a process, including 
  1.18  criteria and standards, to recognize local efforts to maintain 
  1.19  or expand their livestock sector.  The process, criteria, and 
  1.20  standards must be designed to help establish and maintain a 
  1.21  livestock development effort within the county as well as to 
  1.22  meet the unique needs of each county. 
  1.23     (c) The commissioner may establish and implement a 
  1.24  livestock development grant program to help producers and local 
  1.25  units of government maintain or develop their livestock industry 
  1.26  in an economically viable and environmentally responsible manner.
  1.27     (d) The grants may be used for promotion of livestock 
  1.28  development, development of county agricultural land use plans 
  2.1   or ordinances, evaluating capital improvement needs, or other 
  2.2   services or programs necessary to promote the livestock industry 
  2.3   in the county. 
  2.4      (e) Applications for grants must be made to the 
  2.5   commissioner on forms prescribed by the commissioner.  The 
  2.6   commissioner may establish an ad hoc advisory group to assist in 
  2.7   evaluating grant requests.  The commissioner may make grants for 
  2.8   up to $50,000 to individual local units of government or for up 
  2.9   to $100,000 for two or more contiguous local units of government 
  2.10  acting jointly.  A project may be funded for up to three years; 
  2.11  however, multiyear projects must be reevaluated by the 
  2.12  commissioner before second- and third-year funding is approved.  
  2.13  A project may be funded with additional grants as long as the 
  2.14  total of all grants received for the project does not exceed the 
  2.15  limits provided in this paragraph. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [17.137] [FEEDLOT DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT COMPLIANCE 
  2.17  EDUCATION PROGRAM.] 
  2.18     Subdivision 1.  [DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.] The 
  2.19  commissioner, in conjunction with the Minnesota extension 
  2.20  service and applicable state and federal agencies, shall 
  2.21  establish a program of information, training, and education 
  2.22  activities for livestock producers, state and local technical 
  2.23  staff, and private sector individuals who work with producers. 
  2.24  The program must highlight the requirements and standards 
  2.25  contained in state or federal feedlot laws or rules, 
  2.26  environmental review requirements, and technical standards for 
  2.27  the construction, design, or management of livestock production 
  2.28  operations. 
  2.29     Subd. 2.  [PURPOSE.] The purpose of the feedlot design and 
  2.30  management compliance education program is to: 
  2.31     (1) consult with livestock producers, state and local 
  2.32  technical staff, and private sector individuals who provide 
  2.33  livestock producers services or assistance on research, 
  2.34  information, training, and education needs; 
  2.35     (2) advise and educate livestock producers, state and local 
  2.36  technical staff, and private sector individuals who work with 
  3.1   livestock producers of the requirements of state and federal 
  3.2   laws or rules regarding livestock operations; 
  3.3      (3) educate livestock producers, state and local technical 
  3.4   staff, and private sector individuals of options to modify 
  3.5   operations to comply with applicable laws and rules; 
  3.6      (4) promote the development and use of new technologies or 
  3.7   best management practices to address problems; and 
  3.8      (5) evaluate alternative practices or approaches to 
  3.9   compliance. 
  3.10     Subd. 3.  [REPORT.] By November 15 of each even-numbered 
  3.11  year, the commissioner shall report to the senate and house 
  3.12  policy and finance committees with jurisdiction over agriculture 
  3.13  on activities under this section. 
  3.14     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION; AGRICULTURAL TRADE SPECIALIST.] 
  3.15     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.16  commissioner of agriculture for the biennium ending June 30, 
  3.17  2003, for purposes of employing and supporting, or contracting 
  3.18  for the services of, an agricultural trade specialist.  The 
  3.19  trade specialist must demonstrate thorough knowledge of 
  3.20  Minnesota agricultural producers and products and opportunities 
  3.21  for developing or expanding both broad and niche agricultural 
  3.22  product markets nationally and internationally.  The trade 
  3.23  specialist must coordinate efforts with market development and 
  3.24  trade experts of the world trade center and other public and 
  3.25  private Minnesota entities involved in marketing Minnesota 
  3.26  products.  To the extent practicable, the trade specialist must 
  3.27  provide specific assistance to small agricultural producers and 
  3.28  producers that would benefit from the development of 
  3.29  international markets. 
  3.30     This is a one-time appropriation that remains available 
  3.31  until expended. 
  3.32     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION; SHIPPERS ASSOCIATION.] 
  3.33     $....... is appropriated to the commissioner of agriculture 
  3.34  to assist Minnesota agriculture producers and processors in 
  3.35  forming a nonprofit corporation or member cooperative shippers 
  3.36  association.  The purpose of the shippers association is to ease 
  4.1   marketing and movement from origin to destination of agriculture 
  4.2   and other processed and manufactured products and to assist 
  4.3   small- and medium-sized shippers in services that increase 
  4.4   negotiating power and provide quality transportation services at 
  4.5   a lower cost than is available to individuals. 
  4.6      The commissioner may award grants to entities or shippers 
  4.7   associations that: 
  4.8      (1) enter into collaborative efforts with the department of 
  4.9   agriculture, department of trade and economic development, 
  4.10  department of transportation, farm commodity groups, farm 
  4.11  organizations, processors and handlers of Minnesota agricultural 
  4.12  products, or other public and private entities knowledgeable in 
  4.13  the logistical and financial issues in moving agricultural 
  4.14  products to market; 
  4.15     (2) provide single source billing and tracing, 
  4.16  transportation services from origin shipper to destination 
  4.17  customer, freight forwarding and negotiating of volume 
  4.18  contracts, banking and insurance services, documentation and 
  4.19  government inspection fee services, and truck intermodal 
  4.20  services on containers; and 
  4.21     (3) work with trade and export programs of the United 
  4.22  States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. 
  4.23     Sec. 5.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.24     (a) $....... in fiscal year 2002 and $....... in fiscal 
  4.25  year 2003 are appropriated to the commissioner of agriculture 
  4.26  for livestock development grants under Minnesota Statutes, 
  4.27  section 17.101, subdivision 6. 
  4.28     (b) $200,000 in fiscal year 2002 and $100,000 in fiscal 
  4.29  year 2003 are appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.30  commissioner of agriculture for the feedlot design and 
  4.31  management compliance education program under Minnesota 
  4.32  Statutes, section 17.137.