Friends and neighbors,
Our local farmers are being hit hard by the alternating floods and drought. I previously shared that my colleagues and I in the Senate are working this legislative session to help address the droughts affecting our farmers. And this week in the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Finance and Policy Committee, which I serve on as a member, we moved forward with a meaningful proposal to help Minnesota farmers.
The $10 million bill, SF 3479, will go a long way to mitigate the damage farmers experienced due to the drought as well as invest in measures to combat future challenges.
The drought relief bill would appropriate $6.5 million for grants of up to $5,000 for livestock and specialty crop farmers in counties that were designated as a primary natural disaster area by the USDA between July 20 and Dec. 31, 2021. This is projected to cover all or parts of 67 Minnesota counties.
Under this proposal, the grants would be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The Rural Finance Authority would also be reimbursed $1.5 million for drought relief loans that they have already processed or are currently processing.
Additionally, African Swine Fever (ASF) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) also serve as impending animal disease threats facing our farmers. And recently, HPAI was detected in a commercial poultry facility in northwest Iowa along with a commercial turkey farm in Indiana. Additionally, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is another animal disease threatening our farmers. This is a topic I have regularly heard deer and elk farmers in our local area, along with farmers across the state, express strong concerns with.
Therefore, to help prevent an animal disease outbreak, the proposal also includes $1 million for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota to purchase equipment to test for HPAI, ASF, CWD, and other animal diseases.
This proposal would also appropriate $428,000 from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Emergency Account to purchase poultry drinking water tests for HPAI. Finally, $500,000 would be transferred into this account for additional animal disease testing and response.
Our farmers serve as good stewards of the environment and their work plays a fundamental role in our state and local communities. It critical to help farmers devastated by last year’s drought, and I believe the proposed grants will offer great support to provide for current drought relief along with helping to prepare for future threats.
I want to hear from you, my constituents, on drought relief and other issues that are important to you. Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. As session moves forward, I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as legislation comes before me. You can contact my office at sen.bruce.anderson@senate.mn or 651-296-5981.
Sincerely,
Bruce Anderson