Senate committee hears testimony for GreenSeam appropriation; holds bill for possible inclusion

Senate File 1121, the appropriation request for GreenSeam, drew testimony on March 24 from the bill sponsor and GreenSeam leaders who said the nonprofit has supported regional agribusiness, talent recruitment and entrepreneurial assistance in southern Minnesota.

Senator Frentz, the bill sponsor, told the Agriculture Committee the original request would fund GreenSeam’s business‑development work and leverage private and corporate partners. He summarized the appropriation as $200,000 in each of the next two fiscal years and asked the committee to consider the program’s leverage — which he described as roughly $6 of private investment for every state dollar appropriated in past cycles.

Sam Ziegler, president of GreenSeam, described the organization as a regional economic‑development nonprofit that works across the full agriculture supply chain, connecting entrepreneurs, educational institutions and businesses. Ziegler said GreenSeam provided technical assistance to entrepreneurs, helped displaced workers find jobs and partnered with Minnesota State University, Mankato, on agricultural workforce training. Robin Tidd, an ag teacher at Mankato Area Public Schools, told the committee GreenSeam had been instrumental in reestablishing the local high‑school agricultural program and supporting students; she said the program served 241 students in the past year.

Committee members asked about whether GreenSeam was in the governor’s budget (it was not) and about the program’s footprint; Senator Frentz said GreenSeam operates across 21 counties in southern Minnesota and into northern Iowa and that the program has returned measurable economic benefit to the region.

The committee adopted no final appropriation; Senator Frentz’s Senate File 11 21 was held over for possible inclusion.