Agriculture and Rural Affairs

The binational Midwestern Legislative Conference Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee provides a forum for state and provincial legislators to exchange information and ideas on policies related to agriculture, a critical sector across the MLC region. This committee also is exploring challenges and opportunities for rural communities in the Midwest. Under the direction of the committee’s officers and members, the committee’s activities include ongoing policy research, agriculture-focused webinars and in-person meetings.

The committee is made up of legislators from the states and provinces that are part of CSG’s Midwestern Legislative Conference. The committee’s composition changes every biennium, with appointments made by legislative appointing authorities and leaders of the MLC. The appointment process for 2025-2026 is now underway. The CSG Midwest staff liaison for the committee is Rebecca Leis.

The MLC Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee will meet in July 2025 in conjunction with the MLC Annual Meeting in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. More details on this meeting, as well as other committee activities for the 2025-2026 biennium, will be available soon.

Summary of recent work and activities

In 2023-2024, the MLC Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee was led by Saskatchewan MLA Steven Bonk and Kansas Sen. Marci Francisco, co-chairs; and North Dakota Rep. Paul Thomas, vice chair. During the 2023-2024 biennium, the committee:

• organized in-person meetings on topics such as managing soil health, dual-use practices for solar energy systems, and the legal and regulatory implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Chevron decision;
• led a tour of 2024 MLC Annual Meeting attendees to see agrivoltaics practices at the Savion Solar Project outside of Columbus, Ohio, and to observe the use of precision irrigation and fertilizer equipment at The Ohio State University’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center;
• held webinars on avian influenza in domestic livestock, anaerobic manure digesters, and rural tech-workforce development;
• initiated MLC resolutions on the federal farm bill and food security;
• contributed policy articles to the CSG publication Stateline Midwest on ownership of farmland by investors and/or absent landlords; new state laws restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land; telehealth policy options for states; heirs’ property laws; and the rise of ‘“right to repair” laws; and
• developed a policy resource on the siting of wind and renewable energy projects.

2024 committee meeting: Information and resources

The MLC Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee meets at least once a year as part of the MLC Annual Meeting. Below are links of presentations and other resources the most recent 2024 meeting in Columbus:

• Presentation on “Managing Soil Health for Carbon Sequestration and Water Conservation” | Dr. Rattal Lal, Distinguished Professor of Soil Science, The Ohio State University
• Stateline Midwest article on “A Peek at the Post-Chevron World: Legislators Explore Implications of court Ruling, Recent State Actions” 
• Agenda