1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to workforce
development; establishing the next generation farmer
1.3 development program;
requiring reports; appropriating money;proposing coding
1.4 for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 116L.
1.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6 Section 1. CITATION.
1.7 This act may be cited as the "Next Generation
Minnesota Farmer Act."
1.8 Sec. 2. [116L.58] NEXT
GENERATION FARMER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
1.9 Subdivision
1.Establishment; definitions. (a) The commissioner must establish
and
1.10 administer a next
generation farmer development program to provide competitive grants to
1.11 eligible farms.
1.12 (b) For purposes of this
section, the following terms have the meanings given:
1.13 (1)
"commissioner" means the commissioner of employment and economic
development;
1.14 (2) "qualified
agricultural business" means a business with gross revenue of at least
1.15 $10,000 and not more
than $1,000,000 that is engaged in the growth, cultivation, or raising
1.16 of crops, livestock,
poultry, flowers, herbs, honey, dairy products, or poultry products, but
1.17 not a facility primarily
engaged in processing agricultural products;
1.18 (3) "qualified
fellow" means an individual who:
1.19 (i) is at least 18 years
of age;
1.20 (ii) has lived in
Minnesota for at least 12 months;
2.1 (iii) has a
demonstrable interest in pursuing a career in Minnesota agriculture; and
2.2 (iv) has no more than
five years experience as an employee in an agricultural role in
2.3 either a full-time or
part-time capacity; and
2.4 (4) "qualified
nonprofit organization" means a nonprofit corporation that is tax exempt
2.5 under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, in good standing with the secretary
2.6 of state under chapter
317A, and, unless exempt under section 309.515, registered and in
2.7 good standing with the
attorney general under chapter 309.
2.8 Subd.
2.Competitive grants and targeted development activities. (a) The
2.9 commissioner must
contract with, and award program funding to, one or more qualified
2.10 nonprofit organizations.
A qualified nonprofit organization must accept applications and
2.11 award grants of up to
$20,000 per qualified agricultural business. A participating qualified
2.12 agricultural business
must provide qualified fellows:
2.13 (1) hands-on experience
with:
2.14 (i) the growth,
cultivation, or raising of crops, including the process of planting, tending,
2.15 and harvesting;
2.16 (ii) the raising of
livestock or poultry; or
2.17 (iii) the production of
dairy or poultry products;
2.18 (2) an understanding of
the day-to-day operations of the qualified agricultural business,
2.19 including issues related
to workforce, regulatory compliance, and general operations;
2.20 (3) an understanding of
the market economics impacting the portion of the agricultural
2.21 economy in which the
qualified fellow is employed; and
2.22 (4) any other elements
of farm operation necessary to prepare the qualified fellow for a
2.23 career in Minnesota
agriculture.
2.24 (b) A qualified
nonprofit organization may use up to five percent of any money received
2.25 from the commissioner
under this section for administrative costs incurred by the organization
2.26 to administer grants to
qualified agricultural businesses.
2.27 Subd. 3.Priority.
(a) When selecting qualified agricultural businesses for grant funding
2.28 under this section, the
commissioner must give preference to businesses owned by persons
2.29 with an annual household
income of less than $50,000 per household member and businesses
2.30 owned by persons who are
Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC); lesbian, gay,
2.31 bisexual, transgender,
queer, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA+); women; veterans; or people
2.32 with disabilities.
3.1 (b) When hiring
qualified fellows under this section, a participating agricultural business
3.2 must give preference
to persons with annual household income of less than $50,000 per
3.3 household member and
persons who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC);
3.4 lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA+); women;
3.5 veterans; or people
with disabilities.
3.6 Subd.
4.General terms and conditions of grants. (a) Notwithstanding the
state
3.7 minimum wage required
under section 177.24, a qualified agricultural business must pay
3.8 a qualified fellow an
hourly wage of no less than the federal minimum wage. The grant
3.9 awarded under this
section must compensate a qualified fellow for the difference between
3.10 $25 per hour and the
hourly wage paid by the qualified agricultural business. In addition to
3.11 supplementing a
qualified fellow's pay, a qualified agricultural business may also use grant
3.12 funds received under
this section to offset a qualified fellow's reasonable transportation
3.13 costs.
3.14 (b) The qualified
agricultural business must pay any overtime or other compensation
3.15 required by law and
maintain the necessary workers' compensation and other insurance
3.16 coverages as provided by
law.
3.17 (c) The term for a grant
issued under this section is 12 months.
3.18 (d) A qualified
agricultural business may receive no more than two grants per calendar
3.19 year. The grant amount
for any qualified agricultural business may not exceed $20,000.
3.20 (e) A qualified
agricultural business may use up to 25 percent of a grant for time spent
3.21 supporting a qualified
fellow.
3.22 Subd. 5.Agricultural
business reporting requirements. (a) In addition to any standard
3.23 reporting requirements
imposed upon grantees under sections 16B.97 to 16B.991 or by the
3.24 commissioner, a
participating agricultural business must submit to the commissioner:
3.25 (1) at least one
progress report each year; and
3.26 (2) a final written
report on the project.
3.27 (b) A grantee may submit
additional information in the final report under paragraph (a),
3.28 clause (2), but the
report must include the following information:
3.29 (1) an assessment
regarding the completion of project objectives and work tasks as well
3.30 as the results achieved,
written, to the extent possible, in measurable and quantifiable terms;
3.31 (2) an assessment of
further experience that may be necessary with respect to the
3.32 objectives of the
fellowship, based on the experience gained during the fellowship; and
4.1 (3) a complete
financial statement accounting for all expenditures of grant funds.
4.2 Subd.
6.Biennial report required. No later than March 15 of each
odd-numbered year,
4.3 the commissioner must
report program outcomes and recommendations to the legislative
4.4 committees with
jurisdiction over workforce development and agriculture policy and finance.
4.5 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
4.6 $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 is appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner
4.7 of employment and
economic development for the purposes of section 2. This is a onetime
4.8 appropriation. Any
amount encumbered under contract on or before June 30, 2025, is
4.9 available until June
30, 2027.
