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Minnesota Corn Growers pleased with Legislature so far

The director of the Minnesota Corn Growers (MCGA) says legislative priorities for its members are being addressed.

Adam Birr tells Brownfield he’s encouraged by the aggressive deadlines set by House and Senate leadership, and that prospects for property tax relief this session are very much alive.

“Though there are big differences between the tax bills in the House, Senate, and the Governor’s plan, the one thing that is consistent among all three plans is that property tax credit on those ag lands that see an increase due to a school bond levy.”

He says there have also been positive developments surrounding escalating healthcare costs impacting many Minnesota farmers.

“A lot of the costs incurred on the premiums are because of the high-risk pool, the two percent that accounts for a large portion of the cost to insurance companies.  Though we’re not experts on how to address that, it seems like they’ve made provisions prior to the Easter break to help address those increasing premiums.”

Another MCGA priority is further clarification of the Buffer Law, including designations of certain ditches as public waters and pushing back enforcement dates by at least a year.

Birr says to this point there are no major concerns with how the legislative session has transpired, but lawmakers still have a lot of work to do in the remaining five weeks.