State, Federal Agencies Plan Forums On Predator Compensation

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the federal Farm Service Agency will host a series of town hall meetings in northern Minnesota to explain state and federal programs that compensate farmers for livestock losses due to wolves, raptors and weather.

The meetings follow a court decision that put wolves in Minnesota back on the endangered list.

Minnesota offers a wolf depredation program that compensates farmers and ranchers for livestock losses due to wolves, but it's been depleted because of an increase in claims. Gov. Mark Dayton's budget seeks to double the available funds. The federal farm bill also includes money to compensate livestock producers for predator and weather losses.

The meetings are set for April 2 in Roseau and Bemidji, and for April 3 in Grand Rapids and Aitkin.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)