MN SF3949

Appropriates $125,000 in fiscal year 2026 to the Commissioner of Agriculture for compensation to farmers whose livestock is destroyed or crippled by wolves, with up to $5,000 available for university extension educators to assess fair market values

Appropriates an additional $125,000 in fiscal year 2026 for compensation for crop or fence damage caused by elk, with up to $10,000 for claim investigation and training, and up to $40,000 for grants to protect stored crops from elk damage

Allows federal funding received for livestock claims to be redirected toward nonlethal wolf prevention methods performed by federal wildlife services staff

Permits the commissioner to transfer funds between the wolf and elk programs if claims for either are unusually high

Both appropriations are onetime funding available until June 30, 2027, effective the day following final enactment