This has been a busy week for Minnesota Farmers Union as nearly 100 Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) members and staff joined lawmakers at the Capitol as part of our annual Lobby Day drive-in just days before delegates to National Farmers Union (NFU) convention traveled to New Orleans. As always, legislative staff and members have been engaged on issues ranging from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to set prices to the expanded scope of practice for veterinary technicians.

To kick off a busy week, MFU President Gary Wertish opened a hearing on the status of Minnesota’s agricultural economy. Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, has made it a point to listen to farmers throughout his tenure as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“I’m sure it won’t be a surprise that our top Special Order calls for addressing the economic crisis in farm country,” Wertish told the committee. “At worst, farmers are facing financial crisis, but at best they’re managing significant financial strain and uncertainty.”

Wertish thanked Putnam for his work to quickly advance bills to extend and strengthen Farmer-Lender Mediation. “We appreciate and don’t take for granted that you heard this on the first day.”

He also highlighted the need to approve new funding for Minnesota’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) and thanked Vice Chair Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, for his work on that bill.

He also discussed the committee’s work to strengthen programs that build new markets, like LFPA, celebrated expansions of new agriculture processing, and named the real impacts of healthcare costs and ICE action on rural communities.

“Still with all of this, we’re hopeful,” Wertish said. “It’s hard to farm if you’re not hopeful.”

You can watch the full hearing, including statements from a broad array of other agriculture organizations here.

Wertish also testified before the Judiciary Committee, helping Putnam’s bill to extend the Minnesota’s Farmer-Lender Mediation program advance to its next stop in the Senate.

Lobby Day brings members to St. Paul

Then Tuesday, more than 100 MFU members and staff joined lawmakers at the Capitol to advocate for strengthening agriculture programs, addressing the economic challenges in farm country, lowering healthcare costs, improving programs for beginning farmers, expanding new markets for local farm products, and other priorities. You can find our legislative priorities document here.

The group was the largest in memory, and lawmakers and other capital-goers took note—particularly as security lines stretched long. Beyond adjusting to new security and ongoing Capitol construction, the day was exceptionally productive with members connecting with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Putnam, Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart and nearly 40 individual legislators.

As Commissioner Thom Petersen shared with the group that morning, our legislative efforts were multiplied across the many conversations members were able to have throughout the day.

Healthcare funding

Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison were unable to meet with the group as they were in Washington discussing efforts to combat fraud in state programs.

Last week, Vice President JD Vance and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz announced they were withholding the federal match for Medicaid funding spent by the state this summer. In a lawsuit filed this week, Walz accused the federal government of “weaponizing” healthcare funding.

As Marquart shared with MFU members during Lobby Day, spending on health and human services is projected to surpass education expenditures as the largest share of the state budget, further underscoring the potential fiscal consequences of the state.

Budget forecast released

This is against the backdrop of an otherwise positive budget forecast released late last week. In short, the balance for the current biennium significantly improved, with state budgeters estimating a $3.7 billion surplus in the current (’26-’27) budget window, up $1.3 billion from when their last estimate in November. What’s more, the projected deficit in the next biennium is now projected to be a narrow surplus.

However, significant uncertainty—including regarding federal interactions—continues to limit optimism, as a does a persistent structural imbalance. Marquart also cautioned about what experts call a “K-shaped” economy wherein wealthier people and corporations are benefiting and lower-income, working people are not. As evidence of this, “non-wage income” has grown to make up a third of all income earned in the state.

Private equity in healthcare

Beyond budget developments, the House Health committee heard two pieces of legislation on Monday that aim to curb private equity’s growing control over healthcare in Minnesota. The Healthcare Accountability Act (HF2779) would require additional disclosure of private equity ownership of medical providers and strengthen corporate practice of medicine (CPOM) protections which are meant to ensure that healthcare decisions are driven by doctors and patients, not shareholders. MFU member Dana Seifert testified and told committee members about her experiences as a physical therapist.

“The function of private equity is to compete in a marketplace and earn dividends for investors. Those motivations have no ethical place in healthcare, and private equity doesn’t belong anywhere near where healthcare decisions are made for Minnesotans.”

A second bill (HF2771) would crack down on private equity acquisitions of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, including giving the Minnesota Attorney General new tools for blocking anticompetitive acquisitions. Wertish submitted letters on both bills that you can find here and here.

Farm bill advances

On the federal level, the House Agriculture Committee advanced a Farm Bill after a 20-hour markup wherein lawmakers worked to amend the proposal brought forward by Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Penn. Republicans lauded the effort and were joined by seven Democrats in voting for its passage.

“I look forward to getting it across the finish line for our farmers, producers, and rural America,” said Congressman Brad Finstad, R-1st District, lauding the inclusion of provisions to expand Farm Credit’s lending authority, update farm loan limits and strengthen cybersecurity.

“We made some bipartisan improvements to the bill during the amendment process, sure,” said Agriculture Ranking Member Congresswoman Angie Craig, D-2nd District, in her closing statement. “But despite that, this remains a lackluster, disappointing farm bill that does not meet the moment. This bill does not lower input costs or stabilize our export markets. It does not help make food more affordable while prices surge under Trump’s backward economic policies.”

Congresswoman Craig voted against the bill.

NFU President Rob Larew echoed this sentiment in a statement this morning.

“We remain concerned that this proposal does not yet meet the scale of the crisis facing family farmers and ranchers. The fundamental changes needed to fix what’s broken in American agriculture — reining in corporate consolidation, building true safety nets, and investing in local communities — still need to be made,” he said, point out that the path forward for this bill is “long.”

As always, this is just a snapshot of legislative work and developments from the past week. If you have thoughts, questions or concerns, reach out at stu@mfu.org or (320) 232-3047.