On Monday, April 9, Senator Mark Johnson presented SF 3406 in the Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Finance. The bill allows the Department of Agriculture’s Commissioner to reimburse expenses incurred by university extension agents who provide fair market values for destroyed or crippled livestock, building on legislation carried by Senator Johnson during the 2017 session that appropriated relief for farmers to recoup losses incurred as a result of wolf and elk predation.

 “Last year we passed important legislation that supported Minnesota’s farmers and ranchers from wildlife disturbances and the financial burdens caused by wolf and elk predation,” said Senator Mark Johnson, Vice Chair of Agriculture Finance Rural Development and Housing Policy. “Unfortunately, based on the structure of the U of M Extension and county limitations, expenses have been covered through the state’s general fund rather the Department of Agriculture and depredation program, which we are now correcting.”

As a result of the 2017 law, market valuations for the livestock losses have been provided by University of Minnesota Extension livestock experts. However, due to the county-based structure of U of M Extension, and that fact that many counties with wolf populations do not have Extension livestock experts, it has become quite problematic for existing experts to use their local county paid time to provide their services for losses incurred in other counties.  As a result, the U of M Extension has been receiving compensation for this service out of state general fund rather than the Department of Agriculture’s appropriation. The new law corrects this, allowing the commissioner to cover expenses with funds already appropriated to the department’s depredation program.

The bill went through committee and is laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.