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MN Ag Department doing what it can to protect food supply
Minnesota’s Ag Commissioner says during the coronavirus outbreak, the Department is doing everything it can to assure a safe, affordable, and accessible food supply.
Thom Petersen tells Brownfield he continues to communicate with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
“Yesterday I hosted a call with probably about 50 different ag organizations and companies in Minnesota, trying to understand what some of the needs are and issues that are occurring.”
He says it’s important commerce keeps moving and markets remain open.
“For example into Canada, keep those processes working. We’re working to promote our farmers that sell locally too through our Minnesota Grown program. We’re continuing our inspections, although we’re doing things such as social distancing.”
The Ag Department is also preparing for problems distributing ag inputs to farmers this spring. Petersen says he’s considering Hours of Service waivers, as well as temporary changes to licensing and other regulations.