HF2398 Bill Summary

• Designates Lester as Minnesota's official state soil and establishes the Dairy Research, Teaching, and Consumer Education Authority as a public corporation with a nine-member board to oversee dairy education and research facilities.

• Creates a pilot agricultural microloan program through the Rural Finance Authority to provide loans up to $10,000 to eligible farmers for specialty crop production and eligible livestock, with repayments deposited into a revolving loan account.

• Consolidates food law enforcement into a new Chapter 34A with unified definitions and enforcement procedures for food adulteration and misbranding across chapters 28, 28A, 29, 30, 31, 31A, and 32.

• Modifies pesticide disposal requirements, nursery stock labeling (including "nonhardy" designation), tree care provider registration, grain warehouse operations, and biodiesel fuel exceptions; extends the wind easement limitations effective date from June 1, 2012 to June 1, 2017.

• Grants Steele County and Wadena County authority to include fairgrounds buildings in capital improvement plans with bonding limits of $650,000 and $1,000,000 respectively, and establishes procedures for seized animal impoundment and record-keeping requirements.