Proposed bill would double farmland grants, but only for larger purchases

A bill before the Minnesota House would double the maximum grant for farmland purchases to $40,000, but only for buyers acquiring more than 75 acres.

Current law caps grants at $20,000 regardless of acreage purchased under the Emerging Farmer Assistance Grant program created in 2022.

Rep. Paul Anderson, the bill’s sponsor, said the change would give new farmers “a little jump start” and help existing farmers expand. But fellow committee member Rep. Rick Hansen worried it would leave less money for beginning farmers with smaller operations.

The program received $500,000 in 2023 and $1.25 million for 2025. Grants are awarded through a lottery system and must be matched with at least $8,000 in other funding. Recipients must farm the land for at least five years.

The bill also would prohibit grants for farmland in residential zones, a restriction that upset urban farmers like Elyssa Eull, who manages a farm in Minneapolis and wants to buy 10 acres in a residential area of Buffalo.

Anderson said he would remove the residential zone restriction in the next version of the bill after lawmakers from both parties raised concerns about it.