The agriculture workforce was a recurring theme during a meeting of legislative agricultural leaders from 12 states in early June.
The biannual meeting of NCSL’s Agriculture Task Force in St. Paul, Minn., gathered legislators and legislative staff for a full day of tours followed by bipartisan policy sessions covering the agriculture economy, sustainable aviation fuel, and new and beginning farmers.
Minnesota Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL) and Iowa Sen. Annette Sweeney (R) co-chair the task force.
“The task force is a group of diverse legislators from around the United States who came to St. Paul to work together on issues. Minnesota was proud to host these efforts to problem-solve across the aisle,” Hansen says.
“Gathering legislators from other parts of the U.S. is instrumental in creating new policies, understanding issues in other states, and gaining relationships,” Sweeney adds. “During our meeting, conversations and understandings were met, but best of all, resources through individuals were obtained.”
To start the meeting, legislators toured several local facilities to learn about their operations: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, the Cargill Global Animal Nutrition Innovation Center, the Bison Prairie at Dakota County’s Spring Lake Park Reserve, and the local plant breeder and wholesaler Bailey Nurseries. Lawmakers discussed flooding and drought impacts on agriculture; development, testing and manufacturing of animal nutrition products; efforts to reintroduce native flora and fauna, including keystone species like the American buffalo; facility disease management; the interstate shipment of agricultural products; and workforce needs.
The policy sessions and subsequent discussions are key aspects of NCSL Agriculture Task Force meetings, which aim to provide legislators with fact-based, nonpartisan information they can use to develop policies tailored to their own state needs. The agriculture workforce was a topic of discussion across the tours and policy sessions, culminating with a panel discussion on new and beginning farmers.
The task force was joined by three Minnesota-based experts to share their insights on this pressing issue: Patrice Bailey, assistant commissioner with the state Department of Agriculture; Whitney Plance, the state executive director with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency; and Ariel Kagan, program director with the Minnesota Farmers Union Climate and Working Lands Program.
The panel discussed a number of challenges facing new and beginning farmers, as well as gaps in current support and potential opportunities for state legislatures to provide assistance. The panelists noted that one of unique challenges new and beginning farmers face is the significant capital needed to get started, which often involves buying expensive land and equipment, and to ramp up production. To underscore this, Kagan explained that a $5,000 grant would allow a beginning organic farmer to buy a commercial salad spinner, thereby reducing the labor costs for washing produce from five hours to 40 minutes. Following the panel discussion, legislators shared their states’ approaches to helping new and beginning farmers.
Task force members also received a briefing on the overall state of the agriculture economy and were joined by industry experts to learn about the development, manufacture and market for sustainable aviation fuel.
Created to examine state and federal agriculture policy issues, the task force comprises members from 21 states. It helps develop NCSL policy, studies critical ag and rural development issues, explores policy options to address these concerns, and serves as a conduit for state legislative communication with Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies. The task force also can develop and recommend policy to the appropriate NCSL standing committee to guide NCSL’s federal advocacy work in Washington, D.C.
The task force will meet again in August.
Megan Bland is a legislative specialist in NCSL’s State-Federal Relations Division.