State Flower: Pink-and-White Lady’s Slipper
Updates in 2025:
- HF1218 [LS] Funding from the environment and natural resources trust fund, prior appropriations modified, and money appropriated; appropriation
- HF1370 [LS] State agency and project funding provided from the clean water and parks and trails funds, and money appropriated; appropriation
- HF1482 [LS] Money appropriated from the environment and natural resources trust fund, and prior appropriations modified; appropriation
- HF2439 [LS] Environment and natural resources policy and finance bill; Environment finance bill; appropriates $10.557 M yearly for soil‑health activities to improve water quality, productivity, climate resiliency and carbon sequestration; includes grants to SWCDs and UMN Office for Soil Health
- HF2847 [LS] Clean transportation standard provided, statewide goals and annual standards established, fees authorized, civil enforcement authority provided, penalties established, implementation directed, rulemaking authorized, data practices provided, and money appropriated; Clean transportation standard bill; defines “soil‑healthy farming practices” (reduced tillage, cover crops, perennial crops, managed grazing, precision ag) and aims to support practices that improve soil health and water quality
- HF452 [LS] Southeast regional groundwater protection and soil health initiative funding provided from the clean water fund, and money appropriated; appropriation
- HF985 [LS] Soil health financial assistance program funding provided, and money appropriated; appropriation
- SF1447 [LS] Clean water and parks and trails fund appropriations; appropriation
- SF2077 [LS] Omnibus Environment and Natural Resources appropriations; Omnibus environment bill appropriates funds for soil‑health programming ($203 k/year), research on using soil health for water storage, native hay/pasture mixes to enhance soil health, and post‑burn soil analysis
- SF506 [LS] Environmental and natural resources trust fund appropriation; appropriation
- SF882 [LS] Soil health financial assistance program appropriation; appropriation
- SF909 [LS] Clean water fund appropriation for a southeast regional groundwater protection and soil health initiative; appropriation
Updates in 2024:
- HF3377/SF3507 [LS/LS] Environment and natural resources trust fund; previous appropriations modified, and money appropriated; includes $324,000 for evaluating conservation grazing, $88,000 for conservation grazing on solar photovoltaic sites, for PFAS testing, $524,000 for investigating possible microbes to break down microplastics, $378,000 for identifying enzymes and microbes that can break down PFAS, $621,000 for measuring PFAS in soils, and $750,000 for incentive payments for enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). – signed and enacted 4/15/2024
- HF3550 [LS] Watersheds, soil and water conservation districts, and wetland management provisions modified; wetland banking program and conservation easement programs modified; riparian protection and water quality jurisdiction clarified; provisions extended to apportion drainage repair costs; beaver damage control grants eliminated; Board of Water and Soil Resources authority and duties modified; and rulemaking required; adds soil health to soil and water conservation district policy – see SF2904
- HF3763 [LS] Agriculture supplemental budget bill; increase in funding from $625,000 to $925,000 for soil health financial assistance program – see HF4932
- HF3911 [LS] Environment and natural resources supplemental budget bill; includes “land application of food waste” to enhance soil health; Soil Health Appropriations Report – signed 5/21/2024
- HF4488/SF4776 [LS/LS] Soil health grants funding provided to protect Karst region groundwater from degradation, and money appropriated – stalled in committee
- HF4491/SF4774 [LS/LS] Soil health grants funding provided to enable farmers in Karst region to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use, and money appropriated – stalled in committee
- HF4932/SF4944 [LS/LS] Management of wasted food provided; includes “land application of food waste” to enhance soil health – see HF3911
- HF4975 [LS] Agriculture, commerce, and energy supplemental budget bill; increase in funding from $625,000 to $925,000 for soil health financial assistance program – see SF4942
- HF4989 [LS] Clean water, climate-start, and soil-healthy farming goals established; pilot program to provide financial incentives for farming practices in southeastern Minnesota created; fertilizer fee extended; data collection required; and money appropriated – stalled in committee
- HF5247 [LS] Taxation and state government operations; various provisions modified, and money appropriated; increase in funding from $625,000 to $1,120,000 for soil health financial assistance program – enacted 5/24/2024
- SF2904 [LS] Omnibus Environment policy bill; adds soil health to soil and water conservation district policy – enacted 4/26/2024
- SF3559 [LS] Environment and natural resources provisions modifications and appropriation; adds soil health to soil and water conservation district policy – see SF2904
- SF3631 [LS] Omnibus Environment policy bill; adds soil health to soil and water conservation district policy – in House committee at adjournment
- SF3955 [LS] Omnibus Agriculture supplemental appropriations; additional “$500,000 the second year is for the soil health financial assistance program” in specific counties – see SF4942
- SF4942 [LS] Omnibus Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate supplemental appropriations; increase in funding from $625,000 to $1,120,000 for soil health financial assistance program – enacted 5/24/2024
- SF5355 [LS] Clean water, climate-smart, and soil healthy farming goals establishment; pilot program to provide financial incentives for certain farming practices in southeastern Minnesota creation; fertilizer fee extension; data classification and collection requirement; appropriating money – stalled in committee
Updates in 2023:
- HF1828/SF1983 [LS/LS] Water and soil conservation provisions modified; includes Soil Health Practices Program – see HF2310/SF2438
- HF1999/SF1682 [LS/LS] Legacy finance and policy bill; “$6,039,000 the first year and $6,038,000 the second year are for financial and technical assistance to enhance adoption of cover crops and other soil health practices to achieve water quality or drinking water benefits…” – enacted 5/19/2023
- HF2278/SF1955 [LS/LS] Agriculture finance and policy bill; includes Soil Health Financial Assistance Program and “$250,000 the first year and $250,000 the second year are for the soil health financial assistance program” – Senate version SF1955 enacted 5/18/2023
- HF2310 [LS] Environment, natural resources, climate, and energy finance and policy bill; includes:
• [103F.06] Soil Health Practices Program;
• “$10,557,000 the first year and $10,557,000 the second year are for soil health activities to achieve water quality, soil productivity, climate change resiliency, or carbon sequestration benefits consistent with Minnesota Statutes, section 103F.06”;
• “$203,000 the first year and $203,000 the second year are for soil health practice adoption purposes consistent with the cost-sharing provisions of Minnesota Statutes, section 103C.501, and for soil health program responsibilities in consultation with the University of Minnesota Office for Soil Health”;
• “$3,000,000 the first year is to provide onetime state incentive payments to enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) during the continuous enrollment period and to enroll complementary areas in conservation easements consistent with Minnesota Statutes, section 103F.515. The board may establish payment rates based on land valuation and on environmental benefit criteria, including but not limited to surface water or groundwater pollution reduction, drinking water protection, soil health, pollinator and wildlife habitat, and other conservation enhancements”;
• [103F.519] Working Lands Program, which includes land’s potential for improving soil health in selecting land for the program; and
• soil health added to commercial PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) loan program – signed by governor 5/24/2023 - HF2602/SF2584 [LS/LS] Standard established to reduce carbon intensity of transportation fuels, report required, and money appropriated; includes “allow an additional credit premium of five percent for cropland-derived biofuels produced on acreage utilizing soil-healthy farming practices and fertilizer best management practices” – carried over from 2023, in committee at adjournment
- HF3018/SF2958 [LS/LS] Property assessed clean energy program modified, and definitions added; includes soil health in commercial PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) loan program – see SF2542
- HF3292 [LS] Soil-healthy farming mentorship grant program established, funding provided for grants promoting soil health practices, and money appropriated; funding provided for grants promoting soil health practices, and money appropriated – in committee at adjournment
- HF3293 [LS] Soil-healthy farming goals set for the state of Minnesota – in committee at adjournment
- HF722/SF1982 [LS/LS] Conservation reserve program state incentives funding provided, and money appropriated; includes soil health in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) incentives – see HF2310/SF2438
- SF2438 [LS] Omnibus Environment and Climate appropriations; compost and soil health, separately – see HF2310
- SF2542 [LS] Omnibus Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate policy bill; includes soil health in commercial PACE loan program – see HF2310/SF2438
Updates in 2022:
- HF2083 [LS] Transportation fuel carbon intensity reduction standards established, account created, report required, and money appropriated; “aims to support, through credit generation or other financial means, voluntary farmer-led efforts to adopt agricultural practices that benefit soil health and water quality while contributing to lower life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from clean fuel feedstocks” – stalled in committee
- HF2719/SF3020 [LS/LS] Conservation reserve program state incentive funding provided, and money appropriated; “$5,000,000 in fiscal year 2023 … to provide onetime state incentive payments to enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) … board may establish payment rates based on land valuation and on environmental benefit criteria, including but not limited to surface water or groundwater pollution reduction, drinking water protection, soil health, pollinator and wildlife habitat, and other conservation enhancements” – see HF3765
- HF3302 [LS] Soil health funding provided, and money appropriated; Soil Health Cost-Share Program and Statewide Soil Health Action Plan; includes appropriations “$17,000,000 in fiscal year 2023 … to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices … in fiscal year 2024 and thereafter is $4,500,000” and “$180,000 … for soil health action plan” – stalled in committee
- HF3420 [LS] Drought relief funding provided, cooperative grants established for farmers, farm down payment assistance grants established, soil health financial assistance pilot program established, policy and technical changes made to agricultural provisions, previous appropriations modified, broadband line extension program established, lower population density pilot program established, reports required, and money appropriated; includes establishment of Soil Health Financial Assistance Program with $500,000 funding – signed by Governor 5/26/2022
- HF3765 [LS] Environment and natural resources trust fund funding provided, extensions and transfers provided, requirements modified for expending trust fund money, report required, and money appropriated; includes “$750,000 … to provide onetime state incentive payments to enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) … The board may establish payment rates based on land valuation and on environmental benefit criteria, including but not limited to surface water or groundwater pollution reduction, drinking water protection, soil health, pollinator and wildlife habitat, and other conservation enhancements. The board may use state funds to implement the program and to provide technical assistance to landowners or their agents to fulfill enrollment and contract provisions.” – signed by Governor 6/3/2022
- HF4366/SF4019 [LS/LS] Omnibus agriculture and housing bill; creates Soil Health Cost-Share Program and Soil Health Financial Assistance Program; includes appropriations “$10,000,000 … for the soil health financial assistance program… in fiscal year 2024 and thereafter is $1,000,000” and “$17,000,000 in fiscal year 2023 … to accelerate the adoption of soil health practices … in fiscal year 2024 and thereafter is $4,500,000” – see HF3420
- HF4492 [LS] Omnibus environment, natural resources, and tourism bill; Soil Health Cost-Share Program and Statewide Soil Health Action Plan; includes soil health goals 2030, 2035, 2040; includes appropriations “$10,000,000 the second year is to provide onetime state incentive payments to enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)”, and “$180,000 … for soil health action plan” – stalled in committee
- SF2811 [LS] Statewide soil health action plan appropriation; Statewide Soil Health Action Plan, includes appropriation “$150,000 … for soil health action plan” – see HF3302
Updates in 2021:
- HF1010/SF793 [LS/LS] Statewide soil health action plan development funding provided, precision agriculture research and outreach funding provided, and money appropriated; Soil health action plan, precision agriculture research and outreach, agricultural best management practice loan program
- HF2468 [LS] Climate resiliency program funding provided, and money appropriated – stalled in committee
- HF701/SF1113 [LS/LS] Soil-healthy farming goals established, soil-healthy farming financial incentives created, data collection required, data classified, and money appropriated; soil-healthy farming program
- HF936/SF1036 [LS/LS] Soil health cost-sharing program established, and money appropriated
Pre-2021
- HF3238 [LS] (2020) Farmer-to-farmer soil health education grant funding provided, and money appropriated; $300,000 for farmer-to-farmer soil health education grants
- HF1569/SF1637 [LS/LS] (2019) Drinking water protection pilot program established, and money appropriated; drinking water protection pilot program, includes soil health
- HF1609/SF1418 [LS/LS] (2019) Board of Water and Soil Resources soil health statewide action plan funding provided, and money appropriated
- HF2911/SF2729 [LS/LS] (2019) Energy; solar site management modified; improvement of soil health in solar site management
Legislative Information
Date:
Introduced February 2021
Pending 100% – Soil Healthy Farming Bill
Legislation:
Sponsors:
- Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL – Northfield) + 24 co-sponsors
- Sen. Kent Eken (DFL – Twin Valley) + 4 co-sponsors
Agencies Involved:
Rule Making Processes:
No rule making needed, but implementation decisions will need to be made by assigned agencies
Program Summary
Description:
This is a comprehensive soil health bill that provides all the resources Minnesota farmers need to scale up soil- and resiliency-building practices and achieve 100% Soil-Healthy Farming in Minnesota. The bill provides motivating and accessible up-front grants and up to five years of direct payments to ensure soil-healthy practices are profitable from day one. It sets the following state-wide, voluntary goals:
- 50% of Minnesota farmers to implement soil-healthy practices by 2030
- 100% of Minnesota farmers to implement soil-healthy practices by 2035
- 100% of grazable and tillable acres implementing soil-healthy practices by 2040
The bill advances racial, economic, gender, and disability justice by prioritizing Black, brown, and Indigenous farmers, women farmers, farmers with disabilities and prioritizing grants and direct payments based on farm size.
Finally, there is a provision to collect data
Soil Health Definitions:
Already in MN law: “Soil health” means the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system that sustains plants, animals, and humans.
Indicators of soil health include water infiltration capacity; organic matter content; water holding capacity; biological capacity to break down plant residue and other substances and
Stated Goals:
To increase farm income, build soil health, prevent or minimize erosion and runoff, retain and clean water, increase vegetation on the landscape, sequester carbon, and foster healthier rural residents and pollinators and other wildlife.
Program Required Measurements:
As soil science is emerging, the funding does not depend on results, however there is a provision to collect data to deepen understanding of how specific practices impact soil health in different soil profiles across the state.
Tools & Guidance:
N/A
Funding Sources
Founding Source/s:
General Fund through Board of Water and Soil Resources
Funding Type/s:
Combination of up-front grants to kick-start new practices and up to five years of direct payments to sustain such practices.
Practices Eligible for Funding:
Managed rotational grazing, perennial cropping, cover cropping, interseeding, roller-crimping, no-till, organic.
Lessons Learned
- Working within a split legislature is challenging. While the bill ultimately did not pass the legislature, favorable budget negotiations in the House resulted in allocation of $5.35 million to get more soil-healthy practices onto the landscape. However, the compromise goal of 30% of farmland employing soil-healthy practices by 2030 was not included in the final budget and policy bill.
- Organizers engaged in a large outreach effort (all taking place during the pandemic), holding virtual listening sessions as well as small group and one-on-one sessions. Over 600 stakeholders were involved and heavily influenced the bill language, which was written by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) together with the legislative champion.
- Being able to engage with people virtually turned out to be really powerful, especially having farmers testify from their farm, sometimes showing the farm in the background. Minnesota is a big geographic state –when stakeholders don’t have to travel the process becomes more inclusive and accessible. In the future, it would be good to be able to engage stakeholders both virtually and in person.
- While this is a brand new bill for Minnesota, we learned a lot from other efforts in the US, e.g. Maryland and other cost-share programs. We called it an ”aggressive state-level CSP” in order to communicate that this program is additive to the federal Conservation Stewardship Program. It is needed because 75% of farmers eligible for federal conservation funding get turned away. Up front costs to implement soil health practices are real!
- It’s important to talk to allies ahead of time, especially around the racial justice piece. While LSP has a mostly white membership, we worked with Voices for Racial Justice, Latino Economic Development Center and others to figure out how to prioritize funding the people that need it most: BIPOC, and women as well as small-and midsize farmers. We called it rural economic justice and emphasized that farms are small businesses that need to be supported.
- Those that are most impacted make the most effective spokespeople! Testimony from farmers that are struggling to get started with soil health practices –e.g. young farmers that don’t have the upfront capital– can be more powerful than a farmer that has been implementing soil health for years.
- When introducing a bill, start with the biggest, bold vision and then negotiate what’s possible. Start with collaborative tactics, but don’t shy away from respectful confrontation when necessary. Grassroots organizing is essential in providing the necessary push to reach a daring goal –we even knocked on doors in pivotal districts. It was fun!
- Next steps: the Board of Water and Soil Resources will need time to develop a soil health program and build an application. They want to do it well and ensure that it is successful. The program will probably be funneled through the Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Organizers are continuing to meet with stakeholders and the board to support a successful implementation and ensure that racial justice is actualized.
- Funding allocations of $5.35 million for two years (budget years July 2021-June 2023) is a great start but not even close to the scale of what is needed. Solutions need to be at the same scale as the challenge of climate change!
- 2022 is not a budget year in Minnesota, organizers will keep working on policy and goal setting. Minnesota’s entire house, senate and governor are up for election in 2022.
Legislative Committees
House Committee: N/a
Senate Committee: N/a
State Universities & Researchers
University of Minnesota
Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture
Agricultural Organizations & Technical Assistance
Education & Advocacy Groups
Supporting organizations:
Austin (Chapter 10) of the Izaak Walton League of America
Cannon River Watershed Partnership
Central Minnesota Young Farmers Coalition
Clean Up our River Environment
The Food Group / Big River Farms
Friends of Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Friends of the Mississippi River
Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
Hmong American Farmers Association
Humane Society of the United States
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Izaak Walton League of America
Latino Economic Development Center
Main Street Alliance of Minnesota
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter
Minnesota Well Owners Organization
Media & Additional Resources
The Story Behind LSP’s Soil Health & Climate Campaign, LSP blog June 24, 2021
University of Minnesota Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Initiative: Developed and disseminated pertinent information about biological carbon sequestration in ecosystems in Minnesota. It provided a forum for academic, government, and general audiences on a range of ecological, economic, and institutional issues. The goal of the Initiative was to identify, test, and build support for carbon management strategies that benefit rural economies, regional environments, and the climate. (Land-grant university)
- The Potential for Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration in Minnesota: A Report to the Department of Natural Resources from the Minnesota Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Initiative
Date:
- Introduced June 14, 2021
- Signed by Governor Walz on June 29, 2021
Legislation:
SF0020, Omnibus environment and natural resources policy and finance bill, includes funding for soil health program
Editor’s Note: When summarizing state Healthy Soils legislation, legislation that changes the state statutes has been tracked. Many state legislatures enact measures that do not change the statutes, most frequently in relation to the state budgets. State statutes tend to be a visible anchor for measures, giving those measures more reliable permanence. Without that anchor, measures may lose funding or support as legislative memory fades and administrations change.
The Healthy Soils legislation last year in Minnesota was particularly hard to sort through, as there were roughly twenty different bills related somehow to the original Healthy Soils bills filed at the beginning of the session. The legislation that passed that included soil health were funding bills (SF0020, Omnibus environment and natural resources policy and finance bill, and HF0013, Omnibus legacy finance bill), which did not put soil health in the statutes. SF0020 implicitly created a soil health program with initial and ongoing funding:
(k) $675,000 the first year and $675,000 the second year are for soil health practice adoption purposes consistent with the cost-sharing provisions of Minnesota Statutes, section 103C.501, and for soil health program responsibilities in consultation with the University of Minnesota Office for Soil Health. The base for this appropriation in fiscal year 2024 and beyond is $203,000.
The passage of state Healthy Soils legislation is important, particularly in creating state soil health programs, yet funding is crucial for those programs to be implemented and successful. Updating the state statutes and improving funding for soil health programs are both important. Some states that have passed Healthy Soils legislation still need to provide initial or ongoing funding for the programs created by legislation. The Minnesota legislation, while not changing the statutes, has provided initial and ongoing funding.
Contact the Land Stewardship Project policy team at Minnesota@healthysoilspolicy.org
Page Last Updated: 03/21/2026