ST. PAUL – State Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, has gained an appointment to serve as the lead Republican on the House’s Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee when the 2021 legislative session begins Jan. 5.
Anderson, entering his seventh term, has been the top Republican on the House’s Greater Minnesota Jobs and Economic Development and Finance Division the last two years. He has served agriculture-related committees throughout his House tenure.
“Agriculture is a major emphasis of mine at the Capitol and I look forward to serving a leadership role with this committee,” Anderson said. “The agriculture industry faces a number of significant challenges and, as always, I am pleased to be able to provide my firsthand perspectives to the committee as one of very few remaining farmers in the Legislature. I look forward to getting down to business this session and serving as a voice for agriculture from this new leadership position.”
Anderson said the ethanol industry has experienced significant setbacks in demand during the current pandemic, just one issue he said the committee on agriculture will address in the upcoming session.
“Many plants that produce ethanol are currently operating in the red,” Anderson said. “We need to work with the major farm groups and push to move Minnesota from a 10-percent blend of ethanol in our gasoline to 15 percent.”
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