1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; modifying the Minnesota State College and Universities 
1.3 	mental health grants appropriation; increasing funding for mental health grants;
1.4 	amending Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 3, article 1, section 2, 
1.5 	subdivision 5.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Laws 2021, First Special Session chapter 3, article 1, section 2, subdivision 5, 
1.8 	is amended to read:

1.91.10
	Subd. 5.Administration and Financial 
Assistance
 		9,977,000
		9,839,000
9,861,000
	
1.11 	(a) $474,000 the first year and $474,000 the 
1.12 	second year are for payments to county and 
1.13 	district agricultural societies and associations 
1.14 	under Minnesota Statutes, section 38.02, 
1.15 	subdivision 1. Aid payments to county and 
1.16 	district agricultural societies and associations 
1.17 	shall be disbursed no later than July 15 of each 
1.18 	year. These payments are the amount of aid 
1.19 	from the state for an annual fair held in the 
1.20 	previous calendar year.
1.21 	(b) $387,000 the first year and $337,000 the 
1.22 	second year are for farm advocate services. 
1.23 	Of these amounts, $100,000 the first year and 
1.24 	$50,000 the second year are for a pilot 
2.1 	program creating farmland access teams to 
2.2 	provide technical assistance to potential 
2.3 	beginning farmers. The farmland access teams 
2.4 	must assist existing farmers and beginning 
2.5 	farmers on transitioning farm ownership and 
2.6 	operation. Services provided by teams may 
2.7 	include but are not limited to providing 
2.8 	mediation assistance, designing contracts, 
2.9 	financial planning, tax preparation, estate 
2.10 	planning, and housing assistance. Of this 
2.11 	amount for farm transitions, up to $50,000 the 
2.12 	first year may be used to upgrade the 
2.13 	Minnesota FarmLink web application that 
2.14 	connects farmers looking for land with farmers 
2.15 	looking to transition their land.
2.16 	(c) $47,000 the first year and $47,000 the 
2.17 	second year are for grants to the Northern 
2.18 	Crops Institute that may be used to purchase 
2.19 	equipment. These are onetime appropriations.
2.20 	(d) $238,000 the first year and $238,000
2.21 	$260,000 the second year are for transfer a 
2.22 	pass-through grant to the Board of Trustees 
2.23 	of the Minnesota State Colleges and 
2.24 	Universities Region Five Development 
2.25 	Commission, in collaboration with Minnesota 
2.26 	Farm Business Management: (1) for statewide 
2.27 	mental health counseling support to farm 
2.28 	families and business operators through the 
2.29 	Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of 
2.30 	Excellence. South Central College and Central 
2.31 	Lakes College shall serve as the fiscal agents
2.32 	Minnesota farm and ranch operators, families, 
2.33 	and employees; and (2) for support to 
2.34 	individuals who work with Minnesota farmers 
2.35 	and ranchers in a professional capacity. Region 
3.1 	Five Development Commission may use up 
3.2 	to 6.5 percent of the grant awarded under this 
3.3 	paragraph for administration.
3.4 	(e) $1,700,000 the first year and $1,700,000 
3.5 	the second year are for grants to Second 
3.6 	Harvest Heartland on behalf of Minnesota's 
3.7 	six Feeding America food banks for the 
3.8 	following:
3.9 	(1) to purchase milk for distribution to 
3.10 	Minnesota's food shelves and other charitable 
3.11 	organizations that are eligible to receive food 
3.12 	from the food banks. Milk purchased under 
3.13 	the grants must be acquired from Minnesota 
3.14 	milk processors and based on low-cost bids. 
3.15 	The milk must be allocated to each Feeding 
3.16 	America food bank serving Minnesota 
3.17 	according to the formula used in the 
3.18 	distribution of United States Department of 
3.19 	Agriculture commodities under The 
3.20 	Emergency Food Assistance Program. Second 
3.21 	Harvest Heartland may enter into contracts or 
3.22 	agreements with food banks for shared funding 
3.23 	or reimbursement of the direct purchase of 
3.24 	milk. Each food bank that receives funding 
3.25 	under this clause may use up to two percent 
3.26 	for administrative expenses;
3.27 	(2) to compensate agricultural producers and 
3.28 	processors for costs incurred to harvest and 
3.29 	package for transfer surplus fruits, vegetables, 
3.30 	and other agricultural commodities that would 
3.31 	otherwise go unharvested, be discarded, or 
3.32 	sold in a secondary market. Surplus 
3.33 	commodities must be distributed statewide to 
3.34 	food shelves and other charitable organizations 
3.35 	that are eligible to receive food from the food 
4.1 	banks. Surplus food acquired under this clause 
4.2 	must be from Minnesota producers and 
4.3 	processors. Second Harvest Heartland may 
4.4 	use up to 15 percent of each grant awarded 
4.5 	under this clause for administrative and 
4.6 	transportation expenses; and
4.7 	(3) to purchase and distribute protein products, 
4.8 	including but not limited to pork, poultry, beef, 
4.9 	dry legumes, cheese, and eggs to Minnesota's 
4.10 	food shelves and other charitable organizations 
4.11 	that are eligible to receive food from the food 
4.12 	banks. Second Harvest Heartland may use up 
4.13 	to two percent of each grant awarded under 
4.14 	this clause for administrative expenses. Protein 
4.15 	products purchased under the grants must be 
4.16 	acquired from Minnesota processors and 
4.17 	producers.
4.18 	Of the amount appropriated under this 
4.19 	paragraph, at least $600,000 each year must 
4.20 	be allocated under clause (1). Notwithstanding 
4.21 	Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28, any 
4.22 	unencumbered balance the first year does not 
4.23 	cancel and is available in the second year. 
4.24 	Second Harvest Heartland must submit 
4.25 	quarterly reports to the commissioner and the 
4.26 	chairs and ranking minority members of the 
4.27 	legislative committees with jurisdiction over 
4.28 	agriculture finance in the form prescribed by 
4.29 	the commissioner. The reports must include 
4.30 	but are not limited to information on the 
4.31 	expenditure of funds, the amount of milk or 
4.32 	other commodities purchased, and the 
4.33 	organizations to which this food was 
4.34 	distributed.
5.1 	(f) $250,000 the first year and $250,000 the 
5.2 	second year are for grants to the Minnesota 
5.3 	Agricultural Education and Leadership 
5.4 	Council for programs of the council under 
5.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 41D.
5.6 	(g) $1,437,000 the first year and $1,437,000 
5.7 	the second year are for transfer to the 
5.8 	agricultural and environmental revolving loan 
5.9 	account established under Minnesota Statutes, 
5.10 	section 17.117, subdivision 5a, for low-interest 
5.11 	loans under Minnesota Statutes, section 
5.12 	17.117. The base for appropriations under this 
5.13 	paragraph in fiscal year 2024 and thereafter 
5.14 	is $1,425,000. The commissioner must 
5.15 	examine how the department could use up to 
5.16 	one-third of the amount transferred to the 
5.17 	agricultural and environmental revolving loan 
5.18 	account under this paragraph to award grants 
5.19 	to rural landowners to replace septic systems 
5.20 	that inadequately protect groundwater. No 
5.21 	later than February 1, 2022, the commissioner 
5.22 	must report to the legislative committees with 
5.23 	jurisdiction over agriculture finance and 
5.24 	environment finance on the results of the 
5.25 	examination required under this paragraph. 
5.26 	The commissioner's report may include other 
5.27 	funding sources for septic system replacement 
5.28 	that are available to rural landowners.
5.29 	(h) $150,000 the first year and $150,000 the 
5.30 	second year are for grants to the Center for 
5.31 	Rural Policy and Development. These are 
5.32 	onetime appropriations.
5.33 	(i) $150,000 the first year is to provide grants 
5.34 	to Central Lakes College for the purposes of 
5.35 	designing, building, and offering credentials 
6.1 	in the area of meat cutting and butchery that 
6.2 	align with industry needs as advised by local 
6.3 	industry advisory councils. Notwithstanding 
6.4 	Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28, any 
6.5 	unencumbered balance does not cancel at the 
6.6 	end of the first year and is available for the 
6.7 	second year. The commissioner may only 
6.8 	award a grant under this paragraph if the grant 
6.9 	is matched by a like amount from another 
6.10 	funding source. The commissioner must seek 
6.11 	matching dollars from Minnesota State 
6.12 	Colleges and Universities or other entities. 
6.13 	The appropriation is onetime and is available 
6.14 	until June 30, 2024. Any money remaining on 
6.15 	June 30, 2024, must be transferred to the 
6.16 	agricultural growth, research, and innovation 
6.17 	program under Minnesota Statutes, section 
6.18 	41A.12, and is available until June 30, 2025. 
6.19 	Grants may be used for costs including but 
6.20 	not limited to:
6.21 	(1) facility renovation to accommodate meat 
6.22 	cutting;
6.23 	(2) curriculum design and approval from the 
6.24 	Higher Learning Commission;
6.25 	(3) program operational start-up costs;
6.26 	(4) equipment required for a meat cutting 
6.27 	program; and
6.28 	(5) meat handling start-up costs in regard to 
6.29 	meat access and market channel building.
6.30 	No later than January 15, 2023, Central Lakes 
6.31 	College must submit a report outlining the use 
6.32 	of grant money to the chairs and ranking 
6.33 	minority members of the legislative 
7.1 	committees and divisions with jurisdiction 
7.2 	over agriculture and higher education.
7.3 	(j) $2,000 the first year is for grants to the 
7.4 	Minnesota State Poultry Association. This is 
7.5 	a onetime appropriation. Notwithstanding 
7.6 	Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28, any 
7.7 	unencumbered balance does not cancel at the 
7.8 	end of the first year and is available for the 
7.9 	second year.
7.10 	(k) $17,000 the first year and $17,000 the 
7.11 	second year are for grants to the Minnesota 
7.12 	State Horticultural Society. These are onetime 
7.13 	appropriations.
7.14 	(l) $18,000 the first year and $18,000 the 
7.15 	second year are for grants to the Minnesota 
7.16 	Livestock Breeders Association. These are 
7.17 	onetime appropriations.
7.18 	(m) The commissioner shall continue to 
7.19 	increase connections with ethnic minority and 
7.20 	immigrant farmers to farming opportunities 
7.21 	and farming programs throughout the state.
7.22 	(n) $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the 
7.23 	second year are for grants to the Southern 
7.24 	Minnesota Initiative Foundation to promote 
7.25 	local foods through an annual event that raises 
7.26 	public awareness of local foods and connects 
7.27 	local food producers and processors with 
7.28 	potential buyers.
7.29 	(o) $75,000 the first year and $75,000 the 
7.30 	second year are for grants to Greater Mankato 
7.31 	Growth, Inc., for assistance to 
7.32 	agriculture-related businesses to promote jobs, 
7.33 	innovation, and synergy development. These 
7.34 	are onetime appropriations.
8.1 	(p) $75,000 the first year and $75,000 the 
8.2 	second year are for grants to the Minnesota 
8.3 	Turf Seed Council for basic and applied 
8.4 	research. The Minnesota Turf Seed Council 
8.5 	may subcontract with a qualified third party 
8.6 	for some or all of the basic or applied research. 
8.7 	No later than January 15, 2023, the Minnesota 
8.8 	Turf Seed Council must submit a report 
8.9 	outlining the use of the grant money and 
8.10 	related accomplishments to the chairs and 
8.11 	ranking minority members of the legislative 
8.12 	committees with jurisdiction over agriculture. 
8.13 	These are onetime appropriations. Any 
8.14 	unencumbered balance does not cancel at the 
8.15 	end of the first year and is available for the 
8.16 	second year.
8.17 	(q) $150,000 the first year and $150,000 the 
8.18 	second year are to establish an emerging 
8.19 	farmer office and hire a full-time emerging 
8.20 	farmer outreach coordinator. The emerging 
8.21 	farmer outreach coordinator must engage and 
8.22 	support emerging farmers regarding resources 
8.23 	and opportunities available throughout the 
8.24 	Department of Agriculture and the state. For 
8.25 	purposes of this paragraph, "emerging farmer" 
8.26 	has the meaning provided in Minnesota 
8.27 	Statutes, section 17.055, subdivision 1. Of the 
8.28 	amount appropriated each year, $25,000 is for 
8.29 	translation services for farmers and cottage 
8.30 	food producers.
8.31 	(r) $222,000 the first year and $286,000 the 
8.32 	second year are to maintain the current level 
8.33 	of service delivery.