Second Harvest Heartland farm to food shelf program appropriation

This bill appropriates $1.95 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2027 (with a base amount for future years) to fund Minnesota's "farm to food shelf" program through Second Harvest Heartland. It directs funds specifically for: purchasing milk from Minnesota processors for food shelves ($850,000/year), compensating farmers for harvesting surplus produce to prevent waste, buying protein products (meat, dairy, legumes) from Minnesota sources, and purchasing produce from "The Good Acre" ($500,000/year). The program directly benefits Minnesota's five Feeding America food banks and charitable organizations distributing food, while requiring food to be sourced from local agricultural producers and processors. Second Harvest Heartland must submit quarterly reports detailing fund usage, food distribution, and commodity purchases to the Agriculture Commissioner and relevant legislative committees.