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MDA briefed senators on declining dairy farms and funding; Senate File 825 laid over
Summary
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture told the Senate Ag Committee the state lost hundreds of dairy farms since 2023, discussed dairy programs and grants, and backed Senate File 825 to continue Dairy Development and Profitability Enhancement funding; the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion.
Tom Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development on Feb. 5 that Minnesota’s number of permitted dairies has declined and the department supports continued funding for dairy assistance programs.
“We have 1,678 permitted dairies,” Peterson said, noting members had been given an older handout listing 1,971 dairies from January 2023. Peterson said the state has about 440,000 dairy cows and that the number of farms has fallen while total cow numbers have stayed roughly steady.
Peterson and other witnesses described several state programs that assist dairy farms. The department funds the…
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