1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; appropriating money for 
  1.3             Minnesota farm cooperatives to continue and expand the 
  1.4             Minnesota grown food project. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [MINNESOTA GROWN FOOD PROJECT.] 
  1.7      The commissioner of agriculture shall award a grant to 
  1.8   Sustainable Resources Center, a nonprofit organization, to 
  1.9   continue and expand the Minnesota grown food project by: 
  1.10     (1) providing technical assistance to Minnesota sustainable 
  1.11  farm cooperatives to develop production and sales infrastructure 
  1.12  to market their products throughout the state; 
  1.13     (2) creating long-term, self-sustaining links between 
  1.14  low-income Minnesota communities and Minnesota sustainable farm 
  1.15  cooperatives; 
  1.16     (3) providing low-income urban and rural Minnesotans with 
  1.17  access to fresh, affordable, sustainably grown Minnesota food 
  1.18  products; 
  1.19     (4) educating low-income urban and rural Minnesotans about 
  1.20  sustainable agriculture, nutrition, cooking, and food 
  1.21  preservation; and 
  1.22     (5) monitoring and evaluating previously established 
  1.23  marketing connections. 
  1.24     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.25     $300,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.1   commissioner of agriculture for the fiscal biennium ending June 
  2.2   30, 2003, to provide education, focus groups, and technical 
  2.3   assistance funds for the Minnesota grown food project.  $600,000 
  2.4   is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of 
  2.5   agriculture for direct food distribution from farmer 
  2.6   cooperatives to low-income families.