1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; establishing a dairy stabilization conservation assistance 
1.3 	program; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. DAIRY STABILIZATION CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Program. The commissioner shall administer a dairy stabilization 
1.7 	conservation assistance program to recognize and support the conservation efforts of 
1.8 	Minnesota dairy producers.
1.9 		Subd. 2.Eligibility; payments. (a) The commissioner shall award a grant to each dairy 
1.10 	producer who submits the information required by the commissioner and certifies that the 
1.11 	producer owns or operates a Grade A or Grade B dairy farm, is in full compliance with 
1.12 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 32D, and Minnesota Rules, chapter 7020, and has achieved a 
1.13 	minimum level of conservation stewardship as determined by the commissioner.
1.14 	(b) The commissioner must award an additional payment to each dairy producer who 
1.15 	satisfies the criteria in paragraph (a) and has achieved a higher level of conservation 
1.16 	stewardship, as determined by the commissioner, including but not limited to certification 
1.17 	under the Minnesota agricultural water quality certification program or participation in the 
1.18 	federal conservation security program or a private whole-farm environmental stewardship 
1.19 	program approved by the commissioner.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Payment amounts. The commissioner shall determine the amount of each 
1.21 	payment awarded under subdivision 2 by dividing available funding by the number of 
2.1 	eligible applicants in each category. An eligible applicant may receive a payment in both 
2.2 	the first and second years of the program.
2.3 		Subd. 4.Eligibility determination. The commissioner shall allow applicants to 
2.4 	self-certify program eligibility. If the commissioner determines that a producer who received 
2.5 	funding under this section knowingly provided false information or otherwise falsified 
2.6 	eligibility, the producer must repay to the commissioner all funding received under this 
2.7 	section plus a penalty equal to 50 percent of the amount of funding received.
2.8 		Subd. 5.Expiration. This section expires June 30, 2021.

2.9 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.10 	(a) $....... in fiscal year 2020 and $....... in fiscal year 2021 are appropriated from the 
2.11 	general fund to the commissioner of agriculture for purposes of section 1. These are onetime 
2.12 	appropriations.
2.13 	(b) Of the amount appropriated each year, $....... is for an additional payment to dairy 
2.14 	producers who achieve a higher level of conservation stewardship. The commissioner must 
2.15 	allocate the remainder of the appropriation each year as follows:
2.16 	(1) 45 percent is for payment to dairy producers who produce less than 2,500,000 pounds 
2.17 	of milk per year;
2.18 	(2) 35 percent is for payment to dairy producers who produce 2,500,000 to 5,000,000 
2.19 	pounds of milk per year; and
2.20 	(3) 20 percent is for payment to dairy producers who produce more than 5,000,000 but 
2.21 	less than 20,000,000 pounds of milk per year.