1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; providing for a study of the 
  1.3             usefulness of developing a revolving loan fund to 
  1.4             support value-added activities associated with short 
  1.5             rotation woody crops; requiring a report. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [FORESTRY STUDY.] 
  1.8      Minnesota forest industry representatives anticipate a 
  1.9   shortage of harvestable pulp in the future.  The purpose of this 
  1.10  section is to study the usefulness of developing a revolving 
  1.11  loan fund to support value-added activities associated with the 
  1.12  production, marketing, and processing of short rotation woody 
  1.13  crops.  This would facilitate a short-term cash infusion for a 
  1.14  sustainable alternative agricultural crop.  
  1.15     The department of agriculture and the University of 
  1.16  Minnesota's college of natural resources, college of 
  1.17  agricultural, food, and environmental sciences through the 
  1.18  center for integrated natural resources and agricultural 
  1.19  management (CINRAM) shall work with the Minnesota Agro-Forestry 
  1.20  Cooperative to complete the study and report to the house of 
  1.21  representatives agriculture policy and agriculture and rural 
  1.22  development finance committees and the senate agriculture and 
  1.23  rural development committee and environment and agriculture 
  1.24  budget division by September 1, 1999. 
  1.25     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.1      This act is effective the day following final enactment.