Minnesota’s 2026 legislative session begins today. Though it is the second year of the biennium when major budget decisions are not typically made, there is a lot of pressure on this session. Lawmakers and advocates are returning to the Capitol in a time of enormous challenges for our state. Our community continues to grieve after the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in June, the deaths of two children at the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in August, and the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal ICE agents in January. The federal occupation of our state coined as “Operation Metro Surge” continues to create a climate of fear, with many community members afraid to leave their homes, and schools and local businesses unable to operate normally. The state has also seen significant cuts to federal funding and canceled federal contracts, and is dealing with the fallout of nationwide price inflation and record rates of food insecurity. Minnesotans are looking to their state decisionmakers for tangible support.
Where do things stand in the legislature?
The state legislature is tightly split, with Democrats maintaining a one-seat majority in the Senate and a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans in the House, which means that any legislation will need bipartisan support to move forward. The midterm election in November will also impact negotiation dynamics — in addition to the governor’s race, all 201 seats will be on the ballot, and a significant number of incumbents are retiring or seeking different offices. Legislators will also grapple with the fallout from COVID-era cases of suspected fraud that have become a political flashpoint. Minnesota’s state budget projection has a nearly $2.5 billion surplus for the current biennium; however, higher healthcare costs and slow economic growth mean the state is projected to have a $2.9 billion deficit for the 2028-29 biennium.
With this context, advocates are anticipating a challenging environment this year — which makes it more important than ever to show up and stay engaged. This session, legislators will make decisions about what recovery measures can support community members impacted by ICE enforcement, such as an economic relief package. The state will also discuss potential state regulations around federal activity, including banning enforcement at schools and hospitals and requiring federal agents to show their faces and provide identification. Lawmakers will consider whether to increase funding for local purchasing and nutrition programs like SNAP, Farm to School and Early Care, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance program after promised federal funding was slashed last year. Decisions about what state-owned public infrastructure to invest in will be up for debate in the bonding bill, including support for the Rural Finance Authority. Policy tweaks for Farmland Down Payment Assistance and equipment grants could make them more accessible to the farmers who need them.
What are we focusing on this session?
This session, IATP will again work with our partners at Land Stewardship Project to co-lead the campaign to support Farm to School and Early Care in Minnesota. The Farm to School and Early Care grants through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) are consistently oversubscribed and underfunded, and the need to increase funding for these programs is even more stark after the abrupt cancelation of federal Local Food for Schools funding last spring.
Currently, Minnesota has $3.1 million in MDA funding for Farm to School and Early Care over the biennium, with a plan for a modest increase in baseline funding starting in 2028. We hope legislators will approve an increase in funding to move Minnesota toward our ultimate goal of $10 million of funding per year — a level that would meet grant demand, and all schools and early cares who are interested would be able to use the program to get fresh local food into their child nutrition program meals. In addition to increased grant funding, Minnesota needs a permanent staff position to support Farm to School and Early Care at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), which is the state agency administering school and early care meals. Right now, they have a temporary grant-funded position, with support for this critical role set to run out at the end of September.
How can people get involved?
Although this will not be a year for major budget decisions, issues that are raised and relationships that are built this year will lay essential groundwork for what is expected to be a critical budget-setting year in 2027. Ensuring that more people can participate in the legislative process is key to building a farm and food system and state recovery plan that works for everyone.
We need advocates for community-based farm and food systems to be part of decision-making conversations this year, and the MinneAg Network is working to make that possible. MinneAg — housed at IATP but encompassing dozens of local farm and food systems organizations — hosts biweekly virtual meetings to cover Minnesota’s legislative session. The next meeting is on Friday, February 27 from 12-1 p.m. At each meeting we'll have partners and guests share short presentations on key topics of interest and hold time for partner updates and discussions on relevant legislation impacting our farm and food system.
Register here to add the recurring meetings to your calendar, and join us when you can! You only have to register once for the whole series. This year we will also host an in-person meeting at the State Capitol on April 29 — stay tuned for more details.
With input from our members, MinneAg has designed a set of MN Agriculture Policy 101 resources to help stakeholders understand how food and farm systems decisions are made in our state, and where there are opportunities to get involved and make their voices heard. The new materials are available in English, Hmong, Somali, and Spanish, and include several different elements including tips on how to testify and write a letter of support, an explanation of how a bill becomes a law, and guidance on navigating the Minnesota State Capitol. Check out the recording of our recent webinar for an overview of the MinneAg Network and an orientation to our new resources.
