Both of Minnesota's Senators backed the new farm bill and praised it for cutting costs while still providing farmers a safety net. The Senate approval puts more pressure on the House to pass something before the current farm bill expires at the end of September.

Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson is the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. He joined his Republican counterpart in introducing a bill Peterson says has bipartisan support. Nearly half of its $35 billion in spending cuts would come from the federal food stamp program.

Minnesota Seventh District Congressman Collin Peterson is taking heat from within his party over the House farm bill. Peterson is the ranking Democrat on the House agriculture committee, which approved a bill that makes deep cuts to the federal food stamp program. Peterson says the cuts can be removed in conference committee, but the criticism has raised doubts about whether the bill will pass the House.

Andrew Zimmern writes, "The farm bill is here and it’s not a pretty picture. This affects all Minnesotans, every one of us. And it dictates policy for another five years. Read this post and the three excerpts and DO SOMETHING today to make a difference."

Next week, the full state House will vote on the previous Vikings stadium plan that uses gambling revenue to pay for the state's portion of the $975 million stadium. It's unclear if the legislation has the required 68 House votes or the 34 Senate votes needed to pass it. House Speaker Kurt Zellers says he personally opposes the bill.