HF 4163 Summary

• Appropriates $10,702,000 annually for the agriculture research, education, extension, and technology transfer program, including $600,000 yearly for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's rapid response fund and $802,000 yearly for the Forever Green Initiative.

• Appropriates $27,107,000 the first year and $23,107,000 the second year for the agricultural growth, research, and innovation program, supporting livestock operations, value-added businesses, food hubs, renewable energy, and crop research.

• Expands farm-to-institution program to include childcare centers and family childcare programs in addition to schools and early childhood education centers, with $1,150,000 appropriated in the second year and a statewide coordinator position funded at $150,000 annually.

• Provides $1,250,000 annually for grants to facilitate start-up, modernization, or expansion of meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing facilities, with maximum awards of $200,000 per grant.

• Allocates $3,375,000 annually for biofuels infrastructure grants to retail petroleum dispensers for equipment upgrades, with maximum awards of $200,000 per station and grant coverage not exceeding 65 percent of costs.