| 1998 Fiscal Review Appropriations - Agriculture |
Department of Agriculture
The Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture Supplemental Budget Bill (Chapter 401) appropriated almost $2.3 million from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture.
The table below shows the specific supplemental budget appropriations from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture.
| Gypsy Moth Response |
$ 360,000 | |||
| State Meat Inspection | 350,000 | |||
| Farmer's Market Nutrition Program | 75,000 | |||
| Livestock Depredation Payments | 25,000 | |||
| Beaver Damage Control Grants | 50,000 | |||
| Milk Market Order Litigation | 100,000 | |||
| Dairy Diagnostics Teams | 500,000 | |||
| MN Grown Food Programs | 267,000 | |||
| Co-op Grant Program | 160,000 | |||
| Passing on the Farm | 25,000 | |||
| Manure Digester |
200,000 | |||
| Cider Technology |
50,000 | |||
| Wolf Depredation Study |
25,000 | |||
| Commercial Manure Applicator Licensing |
107,000 | |||
| Total |
$ 2,294,000 | |||
The 1998 Legislature also appropriated $500,000 from the General Fund to the department in the Capital Budget Bill (Chapter 404) for a grant to a political subdivision that is chosen for a soybean oilseed processing and refining facility.
Crisis Agriculture Counties
Chapter 395 appropriated $8.8 million from the General Fund to the Commissioner of Agriculture for reimbursement of 1997 federal crop insurance premiums and administrative fees paid on wheat and barley in crisis counties. If a farmer in a crisis county experienced a 50 percent or greater yield loss or collected an indemnity or disaster payment on wheat or barley in any year between 1993 and 1997, the state will reimburse the farmer for 1997 wheat and barley crop insurance costs up to $4,000. The crisis counties are Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Pipestone, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, and Wilkin.
Ethanol Development
Chapter 401 provides that the Commissioner of Agriculture may approve ethanol producer payments for a new ethanol plant for up to 12 million gallons of production per year at 20 cents per gallon. The additional $2.4 million per year is exempt from the overall $34 million annual ethanol producer payment cap. The law also prohibits the Commissioner from approving any new ethanol production capacity after July 1, 1998.
Farm Tornado Disaster Relief
The Tornado Disaster Relief Bill (Chapter 383) appropriated $4 million from the General Fund to the Rural Finance Authority for loan programs to farmers for farm building repair and working capital operating loans.
Board of Animal Health
Chapter 401 appropriated $190,000 to the Board of Animal Health for control of paratuberculosis ("Johne's disease").
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