1. A bill for an act
2. relating to agriculture; establishing restrictions and requirements for the rental of
3. certain agricultural lands; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes,
4. chapter 500.
5. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1. Section 1. [500.27] AGRICULTURAL LAND RENTAL RESTRICTED.
1. Subdivision 1. Eligibility criteria. In order to rent state land for agriculture purposes,
2. the renter must be a person who:
1. (1) is a limited resource farmer or rancher, a beginning farmer or rancher, a veteran
2. farmer or rancher, or a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, as those terms are defined
3. by the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture; and
1. (2) has Schedule F farm income that does not exceed 110 percent of the area cost of
2. living based on household size.
1. Subd. 2. Additional requirements. (a) A person renting land under subdivision 1 must:
1. (1) follow University of Minnesota best management practices for the region the land
2. is located in;
1. (2) apply manure only as provided under a manure management plan;
1. (3) have the land regularly evaluated and given a T score that measures the rate of soil
2. loss; and
1. (4) not rent the land for more than ten years.
1. Subd. 3. Exception. If after three years a person eligible under subdivision 1 has not
2. rented a parcel of state land for agricultural purposes, a person who does not satisfy the
3. eligibility criteria under subdivision 1 may rent the parcel on an annual basis if the person
4. follows University of Minnesota best management practices for the region the land is located
5. in.
1. Subd. 4. Advertising; conservation. (a) Once a rental contract ends, the availability of
2. the land for rental must be sufficiently advertised through a website created specifically for
3. state land rentals and through local media outlets.
1. (b) The land must not be put into a long-term conservation program until it has been
2. idle for at least five years.
1. (c) The state must not refuse reasonable rental offers in order to let the land sit idle. For
2. purposes of this paragraph, reasonable rental rates must be based on the current average
3. rental price for comparable land the area.
