Erin Dupey

This legislative report details the activities and status of the Minnesota Agricultural Land Preservation Program for 2024 and 2025. The program aims to protect farmland for future generations, promote long-term agricultural use, and mitigate issues associated with uncontrolled development. Key strategies include providing local-level preservation tools, fostering awareness of land preservation issues, and offering technical and financial assistance to local governments. The report highlights community engagement, a policy proposal for incentivizing farmland preservation and water quality, and county planner outreach as focus areas, alongside recommendations for legislative action and funding enhancements.

This Rural Finance Authority Lending Projection Report for December 2025 details current loan trends and projects the exhaustion of available funds. It outlines the RFA's 13 loan programs, focusing on five bond-funded programs: Beginning Farmer, Seller-Sponsored, Agricultural Improvement, Restructure II, and Livestock Expansion. The report projects that all authorized funding will be encumbered or exhausted by July 2027.

The meeting covered updates from the Listing Subcommittee and the Management and Policy Subcommittee. The committee discussed and voted on regulatory recommendations for several species, including Canada thistle, European mountain ash, Asian/Heart copperleaf, autumn olive, willow austree, queen of the meadow, Russian olive, stiltgrass and white crack willow. The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council's process for species evaluation and regulation and the Illinois Invasive Species Council's process for species evaluation and regulation were discussed.

The committee discussed updates from the Listing Subcommittee and the Management and Policy Subcommittee, including statute revisions and grant funding for counties. There was an outreach update covering the 2026 outreach calendar and new webpages for noxious weed list additions. The Palmer Amaranth update reported on site visits and new county finds. The Seed Program Advisory Committee (SPAC) bylaws were approved, and SPAC may seek support from NWAC. The Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council (MISAC) provided an annual update, including the establishment of a jumping worms committee. The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) shared research updates and new opportunities. The committee reviewed petitions for regulating various species, including creeping bellflower, and discussed risk assessment presentations for Freedom honeysuckle and Winged burning bush. They also discussed potential species to assess in 2026 and 2027 and determined cultivar exemptions to assess.

The meeting included updates on membership, listing subcommittee, and management and policy subcommittee. There were discussions regarding species to review in 2026 and 2027, an example of an individual species management plan, and a presentation on the history of the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee. The committee also discussed tree of heaven, length of list discussion points, and regulatory recommendations. Species to assess in 2026 and 2027 were identified, and future meeting goals were outlined, including topics such as assisted migration, weed management, goats and buckthorn control research, and the online sales of invasive plants.