SF 4561 Minnesota Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Omnibus Agriculture policy bill

This bill updates Minnesota's agriculture laws by adding new definitions and modifying existing provisions related to farming practices, plant regulations, and land management. It directly affects farmers, agricultural businesses, and landowners by establishing clearer rules for cell-cultured food labeling, agrivoltaic systems, noxious weed categories, and veterinary medicine practices. Key changes include defining terms like "agrivoltaic system" and "cultivated variety," requiring food labels to identify cell-cultured products, and adjusting requirements for fencing on Cervidae farms and immunity for agritourism involving off-road vehicle trails. The legislation also modifies plant and soil amendment requirements and updates noxious weed provisions to include specific categories for prohibited and controlled weeds.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 18, 2026 Last action Apr 20, 2026

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What changed between versions

1st Engrossment → 2nd Engrossment · 7 edits · Apr 20, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Minnesota's agricultural laws to address emerging issues including new definitions for agrivoltaic systems and plant varieties, stricter regulations on noxious weeds, and requirements for labeling cell-cultured food. It also clarifies rules for soil amendments and modifies fencing requirements for deer farms. The changes aim to modernize regulations for new agricultural technologies, improve invasive species management, and ensure consumer transparency.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of agricultural regulation to include cell-cultured food and agrivoltaic systems, while tightening enforcement and permitting requirements for noxious weeds and soil amendments.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'agrivoltaic system,' 'cultivated variety,' 'plant variety,' 'propagate,' 'reasonable grounds,' and 'cell-cultured food' to modernize legal terminology.

Added definitions for 'active ingredient,' 'compost,' 'inert ingredient,' 'plant amendment,' 'plant biostimulant,' and 'soil amendment' to regulate fertilizer and soil products.

REQUIREMENT

Requires food labels to clearly identify products containing cell-cultured food and mandates restaurants to list these items on menus.

Revised noxious weed categories and exemptions, clarifying that certain low-risk plant varieties may be exempt from eradication requirements.

Updated fencing requirements for farmed deer to prevent both escape and entry by free-roaming deer, and clarified inspection and repair timelines.

Modified permit requirements for transporting noxious weed propagating parts, adding specific conditions for research and education permits.

ENFORCEMENT

Expanded the authority of county agricultural inspectors and authorized agents to enter private land for noxious weed inspections without consent if the owner cannot be contacted.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Third reading Passed as amended

upper

Apr 20, 2026

Introduced

Special Order: Amended

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass as amended

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Introduced

Introduction and first reading

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors