My Bill, HF 338, amends Minnesota’s Buy the Farm law to capture the original intent of the law and further protect farmers when utilities acquire land to build high voltage transmission lines. According to an article in the Pioneer Press, the need for the changes arose out of complaints from farmers who claim that energy [...]
This Wed. May 4, at 6pm listen to my conversation with Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett-Marroquin, Program Director, Rural Enterprise Center and founder of Hillside Farmers Cooperative. Regi launched the Rural Enterprise Center program of Main Street Project in 2006, but has a long history of successful transnational entrepreneurial leadership. He began working on economic development projects [...]
The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota held its 19th annual conference at St. Olaf College on Saturday, February 20th. SFA’s mission is to support the development and enhancement of sustainable farming systems through innovation, demonstration, education, and farmer-to-farmer networking. Mark Richie, Minnesota Secretary of State gave the keynote address “Farming 2020, A Sustainable Vision.” The [...]
For those of you unfamiliar with Green Acres, it is a program that has been in place for a long while to conserve agriculture land for family farmers and landowners by providing them a property tax rate that wouldn’t “price” them out of their land to developers. In efforts to modernize the program last session, [...]
The MN Dept of Ag will award approximately $2.7 million in matching grants to qualified organizations for the purpose of helping MN develop energy sources that displace fossil fuels with renewable energy technologies. Grants are limited to 50% of the cost of research, technical assistance or equipment related to bioenergy production or up to $1 [...]
Sunday my church made its annual trek to the Valley Grove Church where we worshiped in the beautiful old church surrounded by ripening fields and restored prairie. I volunteered to take the Sunday school class of 16 mixed age (4 to 8) students, which began with a song and a walk outside, looking for things [...]
My friend Richard Levins sent me a book he is publishing called, “Middle Class*Union Made.” It is an excellent analysis of our current economic situation. Dick used to be my neighbor on Lincoln Street but now lives in St. Paul. He is an Ag Economist at the University of Minnesota and wrote an excellent short [...]
I received earlier today an update from Charles Skinner concerning the importance of following the rules when it comes to EAW requirements for operation of feedlots over 1000 animal units. Gordon Cumming will present information to the County Board regarding the Boards consideration of a CUP (conditional use permit) request without an EAW (Environmental Assessment [...]
Thursday evening, after doorknocking, I went to the Farmers Union Rice County Convention. Farmers Union PAC has endorsed me in the 25B race. Some of their priorities last session were promotion of a “seed saver” bill, a lower percentage of permanent easements in the CREP program,ethanol and biodiesel manufacturing and use, restriction of alien ownership [...]