Due to current drought conditions, Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 21-26, providing a temporary exemption from certain hours of service requirements for motor carriers providing direct assistance to emergency relief efforts by transporting hay and other forage to impacted farmers and livestock producers.
Executive Order 21-26 is effective immediately under Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 1.035, subdivision 2, and remains in effect for 30 days.
Since March 2021, rainfall across the state has been five to eight inches below normal.
The Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) has indicated that, under current conditions, it will take at least three to five inches of precipitation spread over a period of two weeks to significantly alleviate the drought. Unfortunately, the extended weather forecast shows continued below-normal rain and above-normal temperatures for Minnesota and the upper Midwest.
These drought conditions have resulted in a significant decrease in the availability of hay and other forage in Minnesota and neighboring states. This has prompted farmers and livestock producers to change their operations, including reducing their herd or shipping livestock earlier than normal. The drought has resulted in a decrease of approximately 10,000 acres of harvestable hay and will require farmers and livestock producers to travel farther distances to obtain hay and forage needed to feed their livestock.
The full Executive Order can be found below. Email mta@mntruck.org with any questions.
