2 Key Senate Committees Take Steps Toward
Making Minn. a National Leader in
Sustainable & Organic Farming

CONTACT: Paul Sobocinski, LSP, 507-430-1509

3/8/07
SAINT PAUL, Minn.—Two key Minnesota Senate committees took an important step Tuesday toward making the state a national leader in sustainable and organic agriculturewhen they passed a package of bills related to research, outreach and certification.

“The passage of these bills sends a clear signal that Minnesota is ready to invest in the future when it comes to innovative farming systems,” said Paul Sobocinski, a Land Stewardship Project organizer who produces natural pork near Wabasso, Minn.

The bills are:

• Senate File 1026, Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato): Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture funded at $150,000 a year for sustainable livestock outreach and research.

• Senate File 1027, Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (DFL-Winona):  The “Minnesota Grows Organic” initiative provides $1.1 million dollars annually to the University of Minnesota for organic research and outreach.

• Senate File 1038, Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy): Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Energy and Sustainable Ag Grant Program funded at $250,000 a year for two years.

• Senate File 1039, Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick): Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s organic cost share program funded at $275,000 a year for two years.

The four bills were passed unanimously by the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Committee. The committee recommended that Senate Files 1038 and 1039 be included in the Senate Ag Committee omnibus budget appropriation. The Senate Ag Committee recommended that Senate Files 1026 and 1027 be referred on to the Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Committee. Later on Tuesday, the Higher Ed Finance Committee recommended that Senate Files 1026 and 1027 be considered for possible inclusion in the higher education finance omnibus bill.

The programs supported by these bills have garnered national acclaim for their effectiveness. But as demand for their services has grown in recent years, the budgets of these initiatives have not kept pace. Consumer demand for organic food grew 18 percent a year between 1997 and 2005, reaching $13.8 billion in sales in 2005. Minnesota has over 500 certified organic farmers, and is tops in the nation for production of organic corn and soybeans. The potential for growth in Minnesota’s organic dairy industry could help address the loss of dairy farms in the state. Despite being an early leader in organic dairy production, Minnesota fell from third to seventh between 1997 and 2005.

“We’ve learned organics is not a niche market,” said Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (DFL-Winona), author of a bill that would provide $1.1 million dollars annually to the University of Minnesota for organic research and outreach. “It’s here to stay.”

The farmers and business leaders who testified in favor of the bills Tuesday said that to realize the growth potential of this rapidly growing market Minnesota must reinvest in research in this area. Among those testifying were representatives of Chipotle Mexican Grill, a national restaurant chain that offers pork produced without antibiotics and raised in humane conditions. Chipotle, which has 43 restaurants in Minnesota, gets most of its natural pork from Niman Ranch producers in the Midwest, including over 60 in Minnesota, 

“We’re really proud to offer naturally raised meats but we can’t get enough of it,” said Mike Fuller, a marketing consultant with Chipotle. “We’ve proven there is a demand for this kind of food and funding these research initiatives would make it possible for us to get more of these products locally.”

Loretta Jaus, a Land Stewardship Project member who operates an organic dairy farm with her husband Martin and son Kevin near Gibbon, Minn., said when they started farming they knew nothing about organics. They used a lot of trial and error and eventually benefited from organic systems research being done at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton, Minn.

“But more research is needed to meet the growing demand for organic products,” said Jaus, who produces milk for Organic Valley. “The whole organics industry is screaming for this kind of research and I’d like to see the University of Minnesota provide it, instead of it coming from the East or West Coast.”

House versions of these bills have been passed by the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Committee.

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