The changing landscape of the state’s livestock industry has been a significant point of concern and discussion recently at the legislature. Over the past 25 years, the swine industry has prospered, nearly doubling the number of hogs in the state; the chicken, beef, and turkey industries have either held constant or experienced growth; and the dairy sector has struggled. The bill aims to address some of those developments by requiring the commissioner of agriculture to conduct in-depth research on the condition of Minnesota’s livestock industries over the last ten years, and the causes of the state’s successes and challenges. In addition, the commissioner is tasked with investigating the state of livestock production in neighboring states, including North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. The commissioner will be required to present the findings and recommendations from this analysis to the legislature by Feb. 1, 2016 at the latest.
STATUS: The bill is in the Finance Committee. (S.F. 1271)
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