Appropriations hearing: $30 million incentive proposed to land Belgian potato processor in Grand Forks

Representative Mike Belts introduced House Bill 13‑32 on behalf of the Agriculture Committee, describing it as an insertion into the existing Ag Diversification and Development (AD) Fund to create a value‑added agriculture facility incentive and to transfer $30 million from the relevant fund to support a single proposed potato processing facility on the north side of Grand Forks.

Why it matters: Belts told the committee the project — led by a family‑owned Belgian company identified as Augusto/Agristo in testimony — would expand the state's potato acreage by about 25,000 acres (a roughly 33% increase from current levels), leverage nearly $150 million in on‑farm investment from regional growers, and produce an estimated annual income impact greater than $20 million (project proponents put a longer‑term economic impact at about $42 million). Proponents said the state investment would level the playing field…