Committee adopts amendments and lays over land‑access down‑payment assistance changes
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Summary
Rep. Anderson’s revisions to the down‑payment assistance program (HF3548) won adoption of a late A3 amendment and DE1 as amended; testimony from incubator farms, Minnesota Farmers Union, and Land Stewardship Project supported readiness requirements, timeline extensions and a 40% purchase‑price grant cap with a $20,000 cap; the bill was laid over for further work between authors.
Chair Anderson moved House File 3548 and pursued a package of amendments intended to refine a down‑payment assistance program that helps beginning and underrepresented farmers access land.
The committee adopted an A3 amendment to the DE1 and then adopted the DE1 as amended after extended discussion with Representative Vang and other members. Chair Anderson said key changes include replacing acreage-based grants with awards up to 40% of purchase price (with a suggested $20,000 cap), adding readiness requirements for applicants, and extending the timeframe during which awarded funds remain available (moving cancellation to no earlier than 06/30/2029).
Testimony in favor came from Cazio/Kazuha Berry of Big River Farms, who praised readiness and prioritized income bands for applicants; Stu Lohrey, government relations director for the Minnesota Farmers Union, who called the program "powerful" and urged the committee to ensure the $1.2 million appropriation is spent effectively; and Laura Scribe of the Land Stewardship Project, who said program modifications and a $20,000 cap would help more farmers use awards and noted $800,000 was returned in a prior cycle when grantees could not meet timelines.
Members raised concerns about net‑worth caps, prioritization, and preserving the original intent of the program for historically underrepresented farmers. Representative Abbaggi emphasized protecting the program’s original focus on farmers without access to capital. Representative Gander asked about the removal of a previously proposed net‑worth cap; Representative Vang said she had not supported the cap because of potential unintended consequences.
The committee ultimately adopted the amendments as presented and laid House File 3548 over for further work and potential inclusion in omnibus finance language; authors committed to continued negotiations on unresolved items such as inclusion or exclusion of cannabis cultivation.
Next steps will be author-driven drafting and additional stakeholder conversations before the committee reconvenes the item.