This bill focuses on enhancing agricultural research, education, and technology transfer in Minnesota by transferring and appropriating funds to the agriculture research, education, extension, and technology transfer (AGREETT) account. Specifically, it allocates $11,102,000 for both fiscal years 2026 and 2027 from the general fund to the AGREETT account. The bill outlines various appropriations from this account, including funding for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's rapid response fund, research on avian influenza and other turkey-related diseases, and grants to the Minnesota Agriculture Education Leadership Council (MAELC) to improve agricultural education.
Additionally, the bill specifies funding for potato breeding, the Forever Green Initiative aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural practices, research on wild rice, and the cultivated wild rice forward selection project. The bill mandates that the dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota submit annual reports detailing the use of funds and their impact on agricultural advancements. The base funding for these initiatives is set at $11,102,000 for fiscal year 2028 and subsequent years.