Minnesota Agencies

Advises the Commissioner of Agriculture, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) about the design, development and operation of a new dairy research, teaching and consumer education facility. The Authority has power to design, develop and operate a facility to further purposes of dairy research, teaching and consumer education. The Authority has the power to accept gifts, grants or contributions. It must comply with all applicable laws relating to treatment and movement of animals.

The board shall submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives agriculture committees and the governor on the activities of the authority and its contractors and lessees by February 1 of each year.

The legislation establishing the dairy authority was part of the agriculture policy bill that failed to pass in the 2011 session. In 2012, Senate File 2061 was carried by Sen. Doug Magnus and House File 2398, by Rep. Paul Anderson. The legislation established the Dairy Research, Teaching, and Consumer Education Authority as a public corporation. It was tasked with identifying a site for a dairy industry research and education facility. It was agreed that the location of the next dairy research facility should be a part of the University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences and that a comprehensive feasibility study including all animal agriculture facilities would be the best course of action.

The authorizing statutes were amended by 2017 Minn. Laws, chap. 88, sec. 56, 57, effective August 1, 2017 as part of a reorganization of some dairy laws. The year by which the authority board has to identify and acquire a site for a facility changed from 2017 to 2020 (Minn. Stat. 32C.06). 

In 2018, the Authority’s work was put on hold until an all-animal agriculture strategic plan being conducted by the University of Minnesota was completed.

The authorizing statute stipulated that if the authority did not identify a site for a facility by August 1, 2020 the authorizing language would be repealed. The Authority did not identify a specific site by August 1, 2020 and the Dairy Research, Teaching, and Consumer Education Authority has been disbanded.

The authority is governed by a board of nine directors each with a term of 4 years. Membership includes: Two members must be currently operating a dairy; two members must represent a MN-based business actively working with or serving Minnesota's dairy industry; one representative of a state trade association representing the interests of milk producers; one member representing the MN division of the Dairy Council; one member on the agricultural education faculty of the MN State Colleges and Universities System, the dean of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences; and the Commissioner of Agriculture.