The Minnesota Farmers Union is tracking a pair of bills early in the session. MFU Government Relations Director Stu Lourey says its critical state lawmakers fund the Rural Finance Authority which could run out of money possibly as early as this week.

He says while the RFA needs a significant amount of money, that funding will be paid back and the default rate in the past on those loans has been very low.

Lourey says the second piece of legislation they want legislators to fund is a meat processing facility in the northeast part of the state.

Lourey says there’s a great need for more meat processing facilities to help out the smaller livestock producers in Minnesota.