HF 30‑60: committee hears experts and farmers on agricultural land trends and access

Representative Frederick introduced House File 30‑60 to commission a report on agricultural land trends, use and transfer. Supporters said data is necessary to inform long‑term policy solutions for farmland preservation and beginning‑farmer access.

Taylor Olson, a beginning farmer and Land Stewardship Project member, urged the committee to include demographic data in any study so policymakers can better target barriers faced by new and diverse farmers. A Minnesota Farmers Union representative and other farmers described rising land prices, pressure from non‑agricultural buyers and the need for informed policy to preserve productive farmland.

Richard Severson of the Minnesota Corn Growers urged careful tailoring to Minnesota’s scale and emphasized that land‑use policy must account for local cropping systems and economic impacts. Representative Frederick said the bill provides a data point to guide future legislative choices and the committee laid the measure over for further work.