Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) said yesterday that the work of the Agriculture Conference Committee is done and is now awaiting votes by the House 
The Committee was made up of three members each from the House and Senate, the Chairs and Vice Chairs of each body’s ag committee, along with the ranking member from the minority. Over the course of eight days the two chairs, Representative Samantha Vang (D-Brooklyn Center) and Senator Aric Putnam (D-Aric Putnam) led the group as they reconciled the differences between the Ag bill passed by the Senate and the Ag bill passed by the House.
Pursell, who is the Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and is finishing up her first legislative session as a member of the House of Representatives, said the conference committee process was yet another new experience, and she had not quite thought through the level of detail necessary to reconcile a House bill with a senate bill. She said in order to create one single bill, writing styles had to be taken into consideration, and decisions had to be made on the most minute of details, which can be time consuming and tedious for the staff people working for the House and Senate.
“For example, there was one spot where we had the same effective information for what was going to go into law. The Senate version, however, put an effective date after each sub header and we just put one at the header. Our version said ‘This entire section begins August 1st, 2023, and they put it on every [line item] A, B, C, D.”
The finished product, she said, is something to be proud of. At $48 million over the base, it will be the state’s largest investment in agriculture to date. On top of that, the state is also making a one-time investment of $100 million into the Border-to-Border Broadband Development Grant Program that assists with broadband infrastructure deployment in hard-to-reach, rural areas. Pursell said there is “unprecedented investment in new and emerging farmers,” as well as money for soil health, health care, climate issues, smart agriculture, and more.
The House and Senate are both expected to vote on the Conference Report sometime this week.
Rich Larson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
St. Olaf Avenue moves closer to railroad quiet zone
The City of Northfield announced on Friday that the St. Olaf Avenue railroad crossings will be closed beginning next week due to work related to the Northwest 
Mill and Overlay Project.
While the crossing is closed, railroad crews will install new crossing materials at St. Olaf Avenue that will allow for safer pedestrian crossings. Other work will be done for the city to move closer to another of its goals, as medians approaching the crossings will be installed to meet regulations for a railroad quiet zone. The Federal Department of Transportation requires that center medians be put in the far east section of the road as a safety measure in order to establish the quiet zone, which would lift the requirement for every train to sound its horn as it passes through each intersection in Northfield.
When the plans were first put in place, Pat, Andrew and Lynn Ziegler, the owners of Ziggy’s service station, had objected to the medians because they would preclude delivery trucks from being able to get into their parking lot. However, the city engineering department worked with the Zieglers and have found a compromise.
Detours will be posted directing traffic to Linden Street, Second Street, and Highway 3.
The crossing will close on Monday, May 15th. A statement released by the city said the work is expected to be concluded by Friday, June 2nd.
As with all road projects, and general traffic safety, the City of Northfield urges motorists to always drive with caution, slow down in work zones, and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.
City Council will receive Emergency Operations Plan update tonight
And the Northfield City Council will meet for a work session tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall. 
Among the items on the agenda will be a presentation from Deputy Chief of Police PT Haider on the city’s updated Emergency Operations Plan. The presentation will touch on train derailments, and what is to be done in case of a situation like the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals earlier this year in East Palestine, Ohio. There will also be a discussion on the current police officer labor force and strategies for recruitment and retention. The Council will receive an update on the Riverfront Enhancement Action Plan, and there will be further discussion regarding the City Council Board and Commission Governance Effectiveness Review.
As always, the City Council and the Northfield City Staff are eager to hear the opinions of the public on any matter, whether the subject is on the Council agenda or not. Tonight’s meeting is a work session, so the Council will not hear from the public. However, those who do wish to make a point, air an opinion or ask a question can email their councilor directly or make use of the eComment function which can be found in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
