4/11/06

Dear Land Stewardship Project member,

You are invited to join other LSP members and state legislators in St. Paul on Wednesday, April 19, for a family farm breakfast made from food grown by LSP farmer members. We will continue the day at the Capitol working for policies that promote family farms, environmental stewardship and strong rural communities.

LSP will be 25 years old next year. Every year our membership grows and we can point to more examples of our work making a positive difference for family farmers, the environment and rural communities. Plan to be at this event and share this story with legislators.

Family farm breakfast served from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church (105 University Ave. W). LSP members and legislators will sit down for a breakfast of food raised by LSP farmer members. Breakfast is $8. There will be brief presentations on LSP, featuring our work helping beginning farmers and promoting locally raised foods, as well as sustainable livestock farming. Sen. Jim Vickerman and Rep. Greg Davids, the chairs of the Senate and House Agriculture Policy Committees respectively, will speak at the event.

Invite your legislator to meet you there, so they can learn more about the Land Stewardship Project. The church is kitty-corner to the north side of the Capitol. It is on the northwest corner of University Ave. West and Park Ave. (Park Ave. turns into Martin Luther King Blvd. Ave. when it crosses University.) Enter through the sanctuary doors facing University Ave.

Day at the Capitol beginning at 9:30 a.m. in room 300 North of the State Office Building (100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd). We will review the legislation that LSP is working on to promote family farms and sustainable agriculture. LSP members will then meet with legislators to build support for our legislative priorities. We will be done by noon. The State Office Building is across from the west side of the Capitol. Room 300 North is on the 3rd floor and across from the elevators.

RSVP for both events by calling Bobby King at 612-722-6377. If you need a ride let us know. We will coordinate carpooling.

Sincerely,
On behalf of LSP’s State Policy Committee

Dave Minar, Barb Finley-Shea, Alan Perish,Ted Winter, Bobby King, Paul Sobocinski, Terry VanDerPol, Jim Falk

State policy the Land Stewardship Project is working for that promotes family farms, sustainable livestock production & strong local democracy

If you cannot attend LSP’s Day at the Capitol be sure and call your
legislators and urge them to support these bills.

State Tax Credit for Selling or Renting Land to a Beginning Farmer
• Senate File 3437 – Sen. Gary Kubly, Sen. Jim Vickerman, Sen. David Senjem, Sen. Dean Johnson
• House File 3843 – Rep. Lyle Koenen, Rep. Greg Davids, Rep. Aaron Peterson, Rep. Bud Heidgerken, Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, Rep. Frank Moe

This bill helps beginning farmers get access to land by providing a state tax credit to landowners who sell or rent land to a beginning farmer. The bill is designed to help beginning farmers compete with corporate-backed operations or real estate investors who are driving up the cost of land. It has passed through both the House and Senate Ag Policy Committees and now must be heard in the Taxes Committees.

Dairy Investment Tax Credit that Includes Pasture Development and On-Farm Processing
• House File 2879 – Rep. Dean Urdahl, Rep. Greg Davids, Rep. Al Juhnke, Rep. Andy Welti, Rep. Bud Heidgerken, Rep. Aaron Peterson and others
• Senate File 2862 – Sen. Dallas Sams, Sen. Rod Skoe, Sen. Steve Dille, Sen. Becky Lourey, Sen. Dean Johnson

This legislation would allow dairy farmers to take a 10 percent state tax credit on up to $500,000 of improvements on their dairy farm. The bill as introduced did not include on-farm processing and pasture development as improvements eligible for the tax credit. Dairy farmers who graze and do on-farm processing should get equal treatment. Rep. Davids successfully offered an amendment to include these important provisions in the House version of the bill. This language has yet to be added to the Senate bill.

Protecting Strong Local Democracy and Township Rights
House File 3300 and Senate File 2932 make it more difficult for local governments to protect the community from unanticipated, harmful development. The good news is that these bills did not receive a hearing before a critical deadline and appear dead for this session. However, we must continue to be vigilant this session to ensure that no amendments that weaken local control are added to other bills. Legislators still need to hear the message that Minnesotans value strong local democracy and these rights should not be weakened.

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