Minnesota House Passes 2025 Agriculture Budget Bill
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota House passed HF2446, the 2025 Agriculture Budget bill, on a vote of 130-3. The legislation, authored by Agriculture Committee co-chairs Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) and Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck), funds the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Board of Animal Health, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, and the Office of Broadband Development. The budget increases total funding for Agriculture by $17 million.
“This budget has more funding for Local Food Purchasing and Farm to School programs, keeping Minnesotans fed and healthy while addressing the Trump/Musk cuts to the USDA,” said Rep. Hansen. “We won worker protections for farm, poultry, and dairy workers and secured retail testing for milk and poultry products to address bird flu. We also increased the Down Payment Assistance Grant program, renewing our support for small emerging farmers in a time when the economy is tilted towards big corporations.
“DFLers fought for an Ag budget that feeds kids and families, helps small farmers get ahead, and protects Minnesotans from bird flu, which is exactly what this bill does.”
DFL victories in the Agriculture budget include funding increases for the Minnesota Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and Farm to School and Early Care Program, addressing rising food insecurity, attempting to fill gaps left by Elon Musk’s reckless cuts to the USDA, and providing local farmers stability as they face tariffs that will harm their bottom line. The budget increases the Down Payment Assistance Grant Program, ensuring emerging farmers have the support they need to enter a farming economy tilted towards the wealthy and big corporations.
The bill also includes DFL priorities for a comprehensive avian flu response. It increases worker protections for farm and meat processing workers and protects consumers by ensuring the testing of retail milk, poultry, and raw pet food.
A live stream of the House Floor debate and final vote is available on the House Public Information YouTube page.
