Virtual File - Item

Text: May 30, 2017

The Honorable Kurt Daudt
Speaker of the House
State Office Building, Room 463
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

Dear Speaker Daudt:

Please be advised I have received, approved, signed, and deposited in the Office
of the Secretary of State Chapter 88, House File 1545, a bill related to agriculture
finance and policy.

This bill makes investments in Minnesota's agriculture industry, rural
communities, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the Board of Animal
Health (BAH), and the Agriculture Utilization Research Institute (AURI). Though this
bill does not contain the level of investment I proposed in my budget, it is a compromise
that ensures our agencies are able to carry out their missions and continue serving
Minnesotans and our farmers.

The bill I vetoed, Chapter 41, Senate File 780, included zero additional
investment in the agriculture budget. This bill, by contrast, provides an additional $4.970
million investment in Minnesota's agriculture, rural economy, and the state agencies that
serve our farmers. These investments strengthen the State's support to our farmers and
agri-businesses by investing in critical services, research and business growth: Critically,
this bill extends the Farmer-Lender Mediation Program which assists farmers struggling
with low commodity prices and high input costs.

While the bill makes many important investments, I am disappointed that the bill
did not include my recommendation to establish a dedicated pollinator protection
account. The bill also did not include my policy recommendation to allow the
department of Agriculture to have the authority to track and regulate the sales and the
use of seeds that are treated by pesticides. The dedicated pollinator account would have
been funded from $1 million in general fund and $500,000 in fees levied on pesticide
products that are harmful to pollinators. The pollinator account would have supported
collaboration with the University of Minnesota, experts, and farmers to develop best
management practices, stewardship materials, educational efforts and research to
improve the health of pollinators in Minnesota.

I am also pleased to see the following investments in the bill:
• Funding for the Farm Advocate Program;
• Funding for the tractor safety rollover program;
• Funding to support the production and marketing of industrial hemp;
• Funding to address noxious weed threats, such as Palmer Amaranth;
• Funding for pollinator research;
• Increased funding in AGRI to support urban agriculture and the Good Food
Access Program; and
• Increased funding in AGRI to provide production incentives to new and
innovative agri-businesses.

Additionally, the compromise budget now includes a fee increase for non-agriculture
pesticides that funds the MDA's waste pesticide disposal program. This program has been
an unequivocal success, collecting more than 450,000 pounds of household and agricultural
waste pesticides in all 87 counties. This program is fully funded from fees paid by pesticide
registrants and provides safe disposal of waste pesticides at no cost to Minnesotans.

The bill I vetoed, included a provision that stripped the Department of Agriculture's
existing pesticide enforcement authority and placed it in conflict with federal law. The
compromise policy language included in this bill does not place the agency in conflict with
federal law.

In my veto letter dated May 12, 2017, I stated that I was confident that we could
work out our differences and develop an agricultural budget that invests in Minnesota's
agricultural industry. House File 1545 is a compromise that does just that.

Sincerely,
Mark Dayton
Governor

cc: Senator Paul E. Gazelka, Senate Majority Leader
Senator Thomas M. Bakk, Senate Minority Leader
Senator ToITey N. Westrom, Minnesota Senate
Representative Kmi Daudt, Speaker of the House
Representative Melissa Hortman, House Minority Leader
Representative Rod Hamilton, House of Representatives
The Honorable Steve Simon, Secretary of State
Mr. Cal R. Ludeman, Secretary of the Senate
Mr. Patrick Murphy, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives
Mr. Paul Marinac, Revisor of Statutes