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2022 Minnesota Legislative Session Wrap-up — Maybe?

More Undone than Done, but Some Key Wins LSP is Eager to Build on

By Amanda Koehler
May 25, 2022

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During an LSP virtual town hall meeting, Member Christina Traeger, owner of Rolling Hills Traeger Ranch and Grillin Meats, secured Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s support for investments in local meat processing.
LSP member Liz Dwyer, a livestock and CSA farmer, testifying in a Senate hearing about the urgent need for drought relief for specialty crop farmers.

The 2022 Minnesota legislative session held incredible promise in the form of a historic budget surplus that had the opportunity to deliver tangible progress on the biggest challenges we face. For example, the Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus, chaired by Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL-Minnetonka), began the session with a bang, proposing a $1 billion investment in climate solutions, including $100 million for agriculture.

Unfortunately, the end of this legislative session left more undone than done. In numerous budget areas, members of the Senate Majority refused to negotiate or delayed so much that an agreement came too late. Luckily, one of the few omnibus bills that crossed the finish line was the budget for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Bills that included funding for the Board of Water and Soil Resources, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program did not make it across the finish line in time.

We are hoping the Legislature will come back together to do its job and deliver the funding people and the land need and deserve. However, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller has made it clear that the Senate Republican Caucus has no interest in doing so.

It’s not too late to demand that lawmakers come back to the table. You can take just two minutes to contact Senator Miller here.

What was on the table
and what passed?

Governor Tim Walz and the House of Representatives originally proposed robust budgets for the MDA of over $70 million and $60 million, respectively. The Senate, however, spent most of the historic budget surplus on tax cuts that would mostly benefit the rich, leaving just $5 million for their agriculture budget bill.

Door-hangers with LSP policy priorities and the LSP soil health cost-share petition were distributed to each Legislator in the final week of the legislative session.

Land Stewardship Project members and supporters worked hard to push Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R–Winona) to agree to a budget for the MDA that was closer to the size of the House proposal. Dozens of LSP members who are Sen. Miller’s constituents attended a virtual in-district meeting, wrote letters-to-the-editor, and were featured in local newspaper advertisements, — yet he prioritized tax cuts that would primarily benefit the rich and set the joint agriculture budget at just $15 million.

Although Senate leadership squandered an opportunity to fully meet the needs of farmers, our food system, and rural communities in the agriculture budget (and by failing to pass other budget bills), the final agriculture proposal did include some key funding that we are eager to build upon in 2023.

Key wins in the agriculture budget include $500,000 for soil health grants for farmers, directing the state to create a soil health action plan, and notable investment for livestock processing grants and education.

 

Below is what was proposed and what eventually passed for the 2022-2023 and 2024-2025 fiscal years:

Newspaper ad featuring LSP member and dairy farmer Bonnie Haugen urging Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller to pass a robust ag budget.

Summary

We’re facing compounding challenges that Land Stewardship Project members have testified to, written letters-to-the-editor on, met with their Legislators about, and took actions around: the climate crisis and extreme weather, consolidation in the meat supply chain, skyrocketing land costs, barriers to processing and markets for emerging crops, and more. What is clear is that the Governor and the House Majority, overall, proposed strong budgets for people and the land, while the Senate dismissed these real challenges threatening their communities to prioritize tax cuts for folks who don’t need them. And then they decided to not finish the job by leaving several budget bills on the table.

The Speaker of the Minnesota House, Representative Melissa Hortman (DFL–Brooklyn Park), and Gov. Walz are ready and willing to come back to the table to finish what was left undone. Senate Majority Leader Miller said the Senate Republican Caucus was not interested in a special legislative session and House Minority Kurt Daudt (GOP– Crown) said he wants to “sleep on it” for seven months.

Additionally, the legislative process has become increasingly opaque over time. Individual legislators were largely not in the loop during end-of-session negotiations unless they were committee chairs, making constituent and organizational engagement even more difficult. Numerous members of the Senate Majority also refused to meet with LSP members who are their constituents, despite repeated requests.

They also cobbled together massive omnibus bills with multiple agency budgets in each. If one part of the budget was agreed upon, but others weren’t, they didn’t pass any of it. We strongly believe that leadership from both parties and each body must make a commitment to transparent and public lawmaking and negotiating. Our democracy should be accessible, responsive, and effective.

Regardless of if the Legislature comes back together to finish the job, LSP will be working to create a holistic, member-developed state policy platform to aggressively organize around. We’re ready to get to work to make sure 2023 has a very different result than the 2022 legislative session. In addition, we’re planning on bringing back the Family Farm Breakfast and Day at the Capitol – stay tuned!

More Information

  • Governor Walz’s Supplemental Budget Proposal 
  • Legislative Spreadsheet that Shows House & Senate Final Proposals for Ag & Drought Relief
  • Final Ag & Drought Relief Bill

LSP policy manager Amanda Koehler can be reached via e-mail or at 612-400-6355.

LSP virtual town hall with Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller.
Category: Blog
Tags: 100% Soil Healthy Campaign • drought relief • emerging farmers • local meat processing • Minnesota Legislature • regional food systems • soil health

Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Friday October 10

8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
Friday October 10
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving a Wider Community: Seeing & Countering Racism in Our Backyard
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

Join LSP and CURE for a community event at the Land Stewardship Project office in Montevideo (111 N. First St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 10. This event includes lunch catered by El Mana; please register by Oct. 3 to be included in the food count.

You can RSVP here.

The Racial Equity Conference, organized by the Greater Minnesota Partnership of the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative, has been specifically designed to bring engaging content to local communities through a unique pairing of online speakers and in-person local sessions. The morning’s online content will include a conversation focused on seeing and countering racism in rural communities, moderated by Eryn Gee Killough, paired with two outstanding keynote speakers, Jenna Grey Eagle and Ron Ferguson, who have experience working in rural communities. 

This online content will be exclusively available to local community gatherings. Each gathering will gear their in-person activity to their specific community with the goal of extending the impact of the conference to others throughout the following year. Join LSP and CURE for this western Minnesota gathering, or if a different location works better for you, check out all the local gatherings on the FREC site,

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. LSP’s Nick Olson can be reached via e-mail at nicko@landstewardshipproject.org.

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Friday October 10
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Intensive Small-Scale Market Gardening Bus Tour
Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave, St Paul, MN 55108, USA

Explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care. Visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden. Learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers.

This is the second tour in a three-part soil health bus tour series. Participants can sign up for just one, two, or all three tours. Register at https://z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours. The cost is $15 (flat fee, covers 1, 2, or 3 tours). There are more details in the attached flyer.

Saturday October 11

11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
Saturday October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP-COPAL Visita a la Granja | Farm Tour
36919 County 57 Blvd, Dennison, MN 55018, USA

Building off the success of last year’s farm event with COPAL in Austin, Minn., this year Land Stewardship Project and COPAL members and supporters will gather at the Young-Walser Family Farm in Dennison, Minn. for a festive and delicious farm tour on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We invite you to come and meet new folks, learn new skills, and try new food! 
 
This year’s COPAL-LSP farm event offers a little something for everyone: 
 
🍯 Honey sampling and the opportunity to purchase from Homestead Honey Farm. 
 
🍎 Apple cider pressing and tasting. (BTW, we’re still looking for an apple press if you or a farmer friend have one nearby we could borrow for this event!) 
 
🌽 Nixtamalization workshop and fresh, homemade tortillas, made with corn grown by LSP and COPAL members at the Young-Walser Family Farm! 
 
🍅 Salsa making and cricket-eating competitions! Yes, you heard that right —we’ll have the opportunity to sample crickets, a delectable crispy and savory snack commonly enjoyed throughout Mexico and Central America. Stay tuned for details on how to enter either competition. 
 
🥾 A tour of the Young-Walser farm, nestled in the beautiful Sogn Valley not far from Cannon Falls, Minn. Enjoy a tromp through the corn and squash fields and hike in the nearby woods. 
 
🌮 A shared meal and opportunity to hear from LSP and COPAL organizers about our participation in the Immigrant Defense Network. 

Let us know you can make it to ensure we order enough food and supplies! Carpools from Minneapolis and Rochester will be available to all attendees. 

________________________________________________

¡Únete a LSP + COPAL para nuestro recorrido anual comunitario en la granja!
Un espacio divertido para tod@s donde exploraremos la agricultura, aprenderemos sobre el campo y participaremos en actividades prácticas. ¡Uno de los momentos más especiales será hacer tortillas frescas junt@s!

Compartiremos un delicioso almuerzo comunitario, preparando tacos en estilo potluck (tipo convivio). Te invitamos a traer un platillo o acompañamiento para compartir.

También estás invitado@ a llegar temprano (desde las 9 AM) para ayudar a cosechar calabazas que sembramos. Puedes llevarte algunas a casa, y el resto se donará a un banco de alimentos local.

El Land Stewardship Project (LSP) es una organización aliada de COPAL que trabaja por sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas más sostenibles y justos. LSP y COPAL están unidas en su lucha por instituciones democráticas sólidas, comunidades saludables y acogedoras, y una ética de cuidado hacia la tierra y las personas que nos alimentan.

Tuesday October 14

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Tuesday October 14
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

Saturday October 18

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pasture Walk: Real World Tools to Extend the Grazing Season
Saturday October 18
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Pasture Walk: Real World Tools to Extend the Grazing Season
Nestingen Road, Nestingen Rd, Coon, WI 54667, USA

Valley Stewardship Network will host a pasture walk demonstrating various strategies for extending the grazing season. The event will be held on the Zinn Family Farm in rural Westby.

As input costs rise, livestock producers may want to consider extending the grazing season. Stockpile grazing and bale grazing are two proven methods to achieve this goal. 

The Zinn Family has been utilizing these practices for years on their rural Westby farm. Join us to see stockpiling, bale grazing, and winter water systems in a real-world setting.

For more information, or to RSVP, contact Evan Dvorsak at 608-632-6166 (call/text) or evan@valleystewardshipnetwork.org. Snacks will be provided. Details are also available in this flier.

Funding for this event is provided by the USDA’s Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).

View Full Calendar

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