Dear Neighbor,
This was a big week for ag days on the hill, with folks from the dairy and turkey industries coming to the Capitol to talk about issues in their respective areas.
Thank you to the dairy producers above who met with me.
Dairy always operates on a tight margin and prices are currently low. On the other hand, prices on cows and calves are high. One bit of good news is the ag committee I chair in the House approved legislation providing $3 million to help farmers enroll in a federal dairy margin protection plan that provides some insurance. If a farmer signs up for six years in the federal program, the state will assist on premiums.
Thank you to members of the turkey industry who came to the Capitol. It is a source of pride that our state leads the nation in turkey production.
Regarding the turkey industry, concerns remain regarding maintaining our Board of Animal Health so we can continue battling bird flu in our state. Highly pathogenic avian influenza has impacted Minnesota’s turkey industry, the largest in the U.S., resulting in the loss or culling of over 6.2 million birds since 2022. The virus continues to be on our radar in St. Paul.
 On a wider scale, it seems farmers in general are looking for relief from the burden Minnesota’s new paid leave program is placing on them. Small farms many times do not have an accountant to do their books and struggle to comply with the added paperwork placed upon them with PFML. As we celebrate National FFA Week, I want to thank everyone involved with this organization for all they do to support ag in Minnesota and throughout the nation. I always look forward to our annual FFA Day on the Hill in St. Paul and will have more thoughts to share when that happens soon. In other news, the committee on state government that I serve heard a bill that would create an Office of the Inspector General to help combat fraud in our state. It is unfortunate this bill was prevented from moving on to the next committee stop so it could continue to be improved on its way to the floor. The focus should be to pass an OIG bill that is completely independent from any administration and has law enforcement authority, much like the Senate passed 60-7 last spring before it was stopped on a party-line vote. On a final note, congratulations to the Morris boys basketball team on finishing the regular season 25-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AA. Good luck to the Tigers and all the other winter sports teams from the area as they compete in the postseason. Look for more from the House soon. Later today, state officials will be issuing an updated economic forecast and we may take a closer look at what that report shows. Sincerely, Paul |