Thursday, Minnesota State lawmakers approved funding for the Rural Finance Authority with unanimous backing in the Senate and only two votes dissenting in the House. Minnesota Farm Bureau’s Public Policy Director Amber Hanson Glaeser says it was a priority measure for her group as the RFA provides a critical service for the state’s farmers and ranchers.

She says lawmakers decided to provide $50 million through bonds to fund the Rural Finance Authority and expects the Governor to sign the measure.

Glaeser says state legislators were proactive in supporting farmers and ranchers last year as they went through a tough economic time and could see even more challenges this year which she thinks prompted them to pass the funding bill.

Glaeser says while this funding bill was a priority for Farm Bureau, their next goal is to get legislators to approve a grain bin safety measure.