For agriculture groups, the 2026 Legislative Session was a largely mixed bag filled with distinct challenges, difficult circumstances, small wins and larger disappointments amid a divided government heading into a pivotal election season. 

Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) lobbyist Cory Bennett has worked at the Capitol since the early 1990s and labeled 2026 another memorable session.  

“I certainly think that in my 34 legislative sessions, this was probably in the top 10 to 12, because of the challenges that the Legislature had coming into this session and how unique it was,” he said.  

The session started in February with a tied House and a one-seat Democratic majority, a legislature still reeling from the June 2025 assassination of Speaker Emmerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted assassination of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. In addition, Gov. Tim Walz announced prior to the session that he was ending his campaign to run for an unprecedented third term.  

“We knew what we were coming into this legislative session, and how we maneuver around that to be successful as we can for MSGA,” said Bennett, who works alongside lobbyist A.J. Duerr in collaboration with MSGA’s board to implement policy priorities in St. Paul. “I think that is what we did.”  

Through the legislative logjams, MSGA farmer leaders and lobbying team had boots on the ground throughout the session, ensuring the policy priorities of its members and the state’s nearly $10 billion soybean industry were well represented.  

“At the end of the day, we’re at the Capitol to tune out the noise and advocate for what’s best for our soybean farmers and our family farming operations,” said Wells farmer Darin Johnson, who served his second session as MSGA president in 2026. “It was mostly a defensive year in St. Paul, so we made we sure we showed up and had representation.”

Policy wins 

When the session adjourned on May 18, MSGA and fellow ag groups could look to the tax and bonding bills as wins for agriculture. The bills now await Gov. Walz’s signature. On the tax side, after multiple years of MSGA advocacy at the Capitol and across the state, lawmakers approved improvements to Minnesota’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credit.  

The bipartisan tax bill includes much-needed updates to the SAF incentive, which aims to better align the state credit with federal guidelines and encourage in-state production. MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek testified in favor of the SAF incentive, which will:  

• Raisethe total tax credit limit from $11.6 million to $36.9 million through fiscal year 2035.
• Extend the SAF tax credit programby five years, whichnow runs through Dec. 31, 2035, instead of ending in 2030. 
• Increase the per gallon credit and added a stronger incentive for fuels that achieve deeper carbon intensity reductions–changes long sought by agriculture, biofuel and aviation stakeholders. 

“We’re always looking for the next biofuels opportunity, and SAF has so much potential for our industry for years to come,” Johnson said.  

In addition, the tax bill removes the $4 million cap on the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit for one year. This ensures that all eligible applications can be funded, rather than being waitlisted when demand exceeds available dollars, which became an issue after the credit was expanded in 2023. A one-time homestead tax credit increase of nearly 15% was also included. 

“Our younger farmers need to be afforded the opportunities to purchase farmland, and the tax bill helps provide incentives to help the next generation,” said Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer.  

The tax bill also includes a one-year reduction of vehicle tab fees, effective Jan. 1, 2027. This change provides modest but meaningful relief for farmers and rural Minnesotans who rely on multiple trucks and heavy-use vehicles. 

A bonding bill was far from a certainty, but in the session’s final hours, lawmakers delivered on a $1.2 billion bonding bill. The legislation includes capital investments across the state, including critical projects for agriculture and rural communities. 

The bonding bill includes roughly $35 million for the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus, which will support long-delayed upgrades to agricultural research, veterinary medicine and natural resources facilities. Lawmakers highlighted the investment as essential to maintaining the state’s research capacity and ensuring Minnesota remains competitive in plant science, animal health and food systems innovation. 

Rural communities will also see $300 million in infrastructure funding, including local roads and bridges, water and wastewater systems, and small community public works projects that have struggled to secure financing. These investments are expected to ease pressure on rural tax bases while addressing longstanding maintenance and compliance needs across Greater Minnesota. 

“When we look at our wins this year, I think you can point to those two bills as being successful pieces of the legislative session,” Smentek said.  

Wins left on the table  

On the flip side, MSGA was disappointed that lawmakers failed to pass an agriculture omnibus policy and finance bills out of committee. The ag policy bill was stalled due to partisan debates over banning the herbicide paraquat (Democrats were in favor of ban; GOP members all opposed), which became a surprising sticking point for committee members throughout the session. MSGA largely opposes bans on ag chemicals but held no formal position on paraquat.   

“We did not hear a lot of feedback from our farmers that this was a significant chemical that they used frequently,” Smentek said, “but, obviously, we have concerns about restrictions and bans on our crop inputs.”  

The ag omnibus bill would’ve included updates to Minnesota Department of Agriculture programs; an extension of the Farmer Lender Mediation Program (which expires in 2027), funding increases to food shelves and wolf depredation assistance and resources for the farmer down payment assistance program.  

“It’s frustrating to see there was a lack of bipartisanship to get legislation passed that would have meaningful impact to farmers in the face of trade wars and geopolitical tensions,” Smentek said. “While we’re happy to see what was passed, our members wanted to see a longer list of policy accomplishments.”  

Bennett said the guidance from MSGA’s officer team, led by Johnson, helped soybean farmers make the most out of an unusual session.  

“MSGA, because of Darin and his leadership, has overall been tremendously successful in St. Paul,” he said. “He respected the office, respected the committees and has done a tremendous job advocating on behalf of our farmers.”  

Heating up 

With a special session unlikely, the MSGA team will turn its attention to the 2026 campaign season, a frenzy of activity poised to include on-farm visits, meetings and events, highlighted by what promises to be an especially busy Farmfest, which is held Aug. 5-7 in Morton. All 67 members of the Senate will be on the ballot this November. In the tied House, all 134 seats are also up for election. Dozens of state legislators are either retiring or pursuing higher office; retiring legislators on both sides of the aisle will leave huge holes to fill.  

“There will be leaders from both parties that will be sorely missed next session” Bennett said. “It takes time to replace the institutional knowledge of those individuals, to educate and inform those new legislators once they come in about the farm economy and what farmers are doing.”  

The gubernatorial primary to replace Gov. Walz will also be held in August ahead of the Nov. 3 election. On the federal side, candidates are vying this fall to replace Sen. Tina Smith, while all eight of Minnesota congressional districts will also be on the ballot. MSGA will head to Washington, D.C., in mid-July for the American Soybean Association’s summer Hill Visits.  

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Once again, there’s “soy” much at stake this election.  

“We’re going to be spending a lot of the summer and fall making sure candidates are aware of the issues facing soybean farmers,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to have good conversations about what we do in farming and how we do it.”  

The 2027 legislative session will begin Jan. 12, 2027, in St. Paul.