BARNESVILLE, Minn. — Minnesota agricultural leaders painted a picture of an industry headed toward crisis, but still resilient at a town hall event in Barnesville, Minnesota.
Around a dozen area residents attended the town hall meeting hosted by the Minnesota Farmers Union on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The event was part of a series of town hall meetings the organization is holding across Minnesota to hear from farmers and rural residents.
During the event, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish compared economic conditions today to those of the 1980s farm crisis. Farmers are facing low prices and high input costs, driven by tariffs implemented by the Trump administration, Wertish said.
“It’s a little bit different this time, but it’s going to potentially be as bad or worse, I fear,” Wertish said.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel said while there are challenges, Minnesota has opportunities for farmers. There are programs for beginning farmers, downpayment assistance for people buying their first piece of farmland and mental health specialists who work with farmers.
“While there are a lot of challenges, I think if we really are able to sort of stick to our course here in Minnesota and keep our heads down and do what we’re doing, while also trying to kind of change course on a federal level to get back to where we need to be going, whether that’s on climate or global trade policy or other things, I’m hopeful and I’m excited for the future,” Vaubel said.
Event attendees asked questions about how different federal and state policies affect farmers and rural communities. Topics included workforce challenges, immigration reform, sustainable aviation fuel and funding for programs that help schools purchase locally grown food.
Clay County Commissioner Jenny Mongeau talked about how federal and state policy changes have pushed costs down to local counties that administer programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid. When counties have to take on more work from state or federal levels, costs get pushed to landowners through property taxes.
“Our farmers are at a breaking point, landowners, and we just don’t know,” Mogeau said. “When we have this inconsistency in policy, when you’re seeing ebbs and flows, it’s really challenging.”
Throughout the town halls across the state, a unifying theme has been uncertainty, said Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President Anne Schwagerl. Rapid federal policy changes, often announced over social media, affect farmers across the industry, she said.
“Whether it be around child care or farm bill issues or climate or immigration, the big thing that I see is uncertainty, that it’s just adding ever more uncertainty to our markets,” Schwagerl said.
Wertish said the Minnesota Farmers Union plans to present a report of the discussions across Minnesota to elected officials. While some Minnesota lawmakers hold town halls to hear from Minnesotans, others do not, he said.
“But it’s hard to govern if you don’t really hear what people are saying, how it’s affecting them, and that’s what we’re attempting to do here,” Wertish said.
