The Minnesota House and Senate are far apart on agriculture budget funding.
Senate Ag, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development chair Aric Putnam says his committee has been very diligent and thoughtful about spending.
“Unfortunately the House went a little crazy on us about two weeks ago and passed a budget with funny money, which makes it look like what we’re doing is a little bit more I guess sort of conservative and slow.”
The House Agriculture and Policy Committee budget bill appropriates nearly $169 million from the General Fund for the Department of Agriculture, a 10 percent increase from the current amount budgeted and above the $151 million proposed by Governor Walz.
The Office of Broadband Development is part of the Ag budget. I watched the discussion of the budget in the House yesterday. It seemed like even the Representatives in the room had different notions on their version of the budget and bills.