Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF3402

Relating to agricultureARTICLE 1 FARMER LENDER MEDIATIONRepealing the expiration
of the farmer lender mediation programARTICLE 2 ETHANOL PRODUCER PAYMENTS
Expanding eligibility for ethanol producer payments; imposing a total payments
limit; modifying certain payment procedures; prohibiting the commissioner of
agriculture from approving new ethanol plants in the program after a certain
date; increasing a certain prior total payments figure ARTICLE 3 AGROFORESTRY
LOAN PROGRAMRequiring the commissioner of agriculture to establish and implement
an agroforestry loan program to provide interest free financing during the
growing period through cooperatives to farmers converting land to agroforestry;
requiring the commissioner to prescribe forms and establish an application
process; providing for payments by the commissioner to agroforestry
cooperatives; specifying loan amounts; providing for the authority of
agroforestry cooperatives; specifying certain borrower eligibility, lender
agreement, repayment and annual reporting requirements, authorizing commissioner
rescission under certain conditions; classifying certain data on applicants or
borrowers; requiring establishment of the agroforestry revolving fund for the
payments; prohibiting agroforestry cooperatives from assessing fees or interest
on loan repayments, specifying certain principal account creation requirements;
requiring commissioner biennial reports to the legislature, specifying certain
report content requirements; creating a lien against project property in favor
of the cooperative and providing for loan security ARTICLE 4 APPROPRIATIONS
Appropriating money to the board of trustees of the Minnesota colleges and
universities (MnSCU) for a rural life support program including farm support
centers to provide counseling support to farm families and business operators
and scholarships for farmer tuition at state colleges and universities, to the
commissioner of agriculture for the farm advocates program and to the
agroforestry revolving loan account (ra)