AGRI works and AGRI support grant programs appropriation
Summary
SF3273 is a Minnesota appropriations bill that provides one-time general fund funding for two agriculture grant programs administered by the commissioner of agriculture: AGRI works and AGRI support. The bill appropriates $490,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $490,000 in fiscal year 2027 for AGRI works, which offers grants of up to $20,000 to agriculture-related institutions and nonprofits. It also appropriates $490,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $490,000 in fiscal year 2027 for AGRI support, which provides larger grants of more than $20,000 and up to $200,000 to similar eligible entities.
To receive either type of grant, applicants must submit their most recent tax documents and complete an application in the form and manner required by the commissioner. The bill does not create a new regulatory program or change substantive agriculture law; instead, it directs state money to existing grant programs intended to support agriculture-related organizations and projects.
Impact
The bill would affect state spending by adding one-time general fund appropriations totaling $1.96 million over two fiscal years for agricultural grantmaking. It would not amend licensing, enforcement, or program eligibility statutes beyond the grant application requirements stated in the appropriation language, but it would expand the resources available to agriculture-related nonprofits and institutions through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Sentiment
Based on the available record, the bill appears to be a straightforward funding measure with no recorded committee testimony or votes showing controversy. Its referral to the Senate Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee suggests it was treated as a routine agriculture appropriations bill. The absence of recorded opposition or amendments in the provided materials indicates generally neutral to favorable treatment.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. The main policy choice in the bill is the allocation of limited general fund dollars between two grant tiers: smaller grants under AGRI works and larger grants under AGRI support. Any debate would likely center on funding levels, grant size limits, and which agriculture-related institutions or nonprofits should be prioritized, but no such disagreement is reflected in the available materials.