Bill would fund pilot plant-based foods training at Minnesota schools to grow workforce supply chain

Chair Wolgamott presented House File 2151, a bill to establish a plant-based foods production training pilot that would award grants to secondary career and technical education programs and higher education institutions for instruction in plant-based food production, manufacturing, processing and packaging.

Supporters said Minnesota has agricultural and industrial assets that position the state to expand plant-protein production. Daniel Gertner of the Good Food Institute testified the state’s soybean, pea and oat production and existing company facilities (Puris, Eat Just, Cargill, Bueller Group) create opportunity for jobs and rural economic development. Zach Hubert of Pierce (a Minnesota ingredient supplier and pea protein processor) said his company’s investments, including a $150 million facility in Dawson (opened 2021), rely on a skilled workforce and that the pilot grants would help create a talent pipeline.

What the bill would fund: testimony said grants could cover equipment, facility renovations, faculty training, student financial aid and work-based training such as apprenticeships. Proponents argued the program would help farmers by creating additional revenue streams and would address a workforce bottleneck in food science, bioprocess engineering and manufacturing.

Committee action: the committee adopted an author’s amendment (A-1) adding a description of plant-based foods, manufacturing/process/packaging language, and preference points; members then laid the bill over for further consideration.

Next steps: House File 2151 is laid over; sponsors urged coordination between educational institutions and local plant-protein producers to build a workforce pipeline.