Contact your legislators and members of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee and let them know you support these bills that fund soil health initiatives. These initiatives are widely supported by agriculture and environmental interests. They conserve and protect valuable topsoil, protect ground and surface waters, create new niche markets for farmers, help to sequester carbon, create beneficial habitat for our pollinators, and make our farms more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.
The committee meets Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 1:00 PM in Room 120 at the Capitol under the leadership of the Chair, Rep. Samantha Vang. The agenda includes discussion of 4 bills.
2023 Legislative Funding Request: HF 1492 – Rep. Ginny Klevorn and 13 others:
“HF 1492 would provide $2 million in FY2024 and FY2025 from the general fund to the Forever Green Initiative, helping to protect the state’s natural resources while increasing the efficiency, profitability, and productivity of Minnesota’s farmers by incorporating perennial and winter-annual crops into existing agricultural practices. Stable funding would allow Forever Green to pursue longer-term projects and retain key researchers, among other important benefits.
HF 1492 also seeks a one-time, $10 million appropriation in FY 2024 from the general fund to purchase and maintain critical equipment and physical infrastructure to support breeding,
agronomic research, and food science activities of the Forever Green Initiative.” (Forever Green Factsheet)
HF 1645 – Brand, Klevorn , Tabke, Pursell , Kraft
This bill would increase funding for continuous living cover crops. $11,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 for grants to organizations in Minnesota to develop “enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stages of commercial development… including $10,000,000 to support markets for Kernza perennial grain, winter camelina, hybrid hazelnut, and elderberry.”
HF 1316 Pursell , Brand , Edelson , Fischer ,Tabke ,Feist , Kraft , Norris , Howard , Finke , Vang
This bill would modify the soil health financial assistance program, appropriate funding, and identify reporting required on the state’s efforts to implement healthy soil practices that meet soil management goals.
HF1314 Pursell , Brand , Edelson , Fischer , Tabke, Feist , Kraft , Norris, Howard, Becker-Finn, Vangn Carbon storage contract provisions prohibited.
Here are recommended resources from the Land Stewardship Project on soil health and climate.