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Minnesota Pork zeroes in on legislative priorities with weeks left in session

The Minnesota Pork Producers Association is watching several policies as the legislative session winds down.

Director of public policy engagement Lauren Servick says Minnesota Pork has been active on behalf of pig farmers in the omnibus agriculture, environment, and tax bills.

“So in the tax bill on the Senate side there are some fixes to homestead valuations, things that have helped catch back up with inflation. But then also the realities of land prices and homestead values and things like that.”

The Minnesota House and Senate both passed agriculture bills earlier this month and Servick tells Brownfield changes to the state’s Board of Animal Health will be considered during conference committee.

“The Board of Animal Health is a really key piece of infrastructure in Minnesota and responding to foreign animal disease outbreaks, and so we want to really ensure that the Board maintains its authority and ability to function well in the unfortunate event that we ever do have a foreign animal disease.”

In the environment bill, she says Minnesota Pork is watching for permitting regulations that could be prohibitive to a farmer’s ability to operate.

The 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session is scheduled to adjourn May 22^nd.