Farmers meet to take on issues

Sandy Dugan

For the Pine Knot News

Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson spent a couple of hours Monday, Oct. 30, listening to two dozen area farmers at the Route 61 Lounge and Bowling restaurant in Moose Lake. The main topic was this summer's continuing drought, with side issues on the lack of processing capacity, overconsolidation of operations, and problems with data management.

The gathering, hosted by Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, included farmers with small and mid-sized operations in Carlton, Pine, and Aitkin counties. Also attending were Minnesota legislators Rep. Jeff Dotseth, Rep. Nathan Nelson, Sen. Jason Rarick, retired five-term Minnesota House member Mike Sundin, Carlton County UMN Extension agricultural educator Mercedes Moffett, and St. Louis County agricultural educator Troy Salzer.

The record drought summers of 2021 and 2023, with some areas of Carlton County reaching the most severe level of drought, had various effects. Livestock that graze on pasture found less forage and sometimes consumed noxious weeds, causing sickness and death. Farmers who cut hay had less product and had to purchase supplies for winter. Those who grew corn for silage faced a similar crisis. Producers of specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, faced irrigation challenges.

Farmers on Monday said applying for aid programs at the state and federal levels to help deal with severe weather effects can seem daunting, especially when the forms are lengthy, the deadline is short, and the farmer is preoccupied with meeting the crisis on the ground. By contrast, two years ago, relief for small businesses affected by Covid was a matter of completing a simple application, and payment arrived quickly.

As a partial remedy, Carlton County farmer and former county board commissioner Mark Thell said that state support for two local offices, the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the Soil and Water Conservation District, can be invaluable, because the staff are aware of the various services available to farmers and can direct them to helpful resources or sometimes help them with applications.

Rarick raised the question of meat processing, which he has addressed in the legislature. There was agreement that limited facilities in the region for slaughtering and butchering cattle, pigs and chickens make it difficult for farmers to increase herds. There is also a problem with a two-tiered inspection system - federally inspected meat is marketed differently from products from state-inspected plants. Product liability insurance costs can vary as well.

Dotseth pointed to the crisis of small and medium-sized dairies in the state. State commissioner Peterson said the number of operations has shrunk, but the production of milk has increased due to several factors, including consolidation. If large operations become overly restricted, he said, they will simply move to more welcome territory.

A couple of dairy farmers said processors who normally collect milk from their farms can, on very short notice, simply refuse to provide service, and the farmer has no recourse.

Salzer reported that St. Louis County faced a similar problem with dairies being forced to pay storage and hauling costs.

Another problem brought up is the fluctuation in demand for milk and cheese. In the spring, when schools close, suppliers face a sharp decrease in demand, which returns abruptly in the fall.

Sundin talked about the data collected and used to make crucial policy decisions. The consensus was that farmers can keep detailed records in order to provide data, a necessary inconvenience, but the way data is used is not always helpful. There are so many variables in farming, Sundin said, and each farm has its special characteristics, so finding the best way to fix a problem is not easy.

Other problems that received brief mention were the aging of active farmers and the cost of land access. Young people who want to get started see an older generation not yet ready to retire and who would need a large payout to relinquish their land. While most farms are family farms and some remain within the same family, the trend is for youngsters to leave farms, so keeping farmland in agricultural production is a challenge.

Wertish thanked commissioner Peterson and those attending, and urged them to support the Minnesota Farmers Union, which has specific recommendations on drought relief, climate resilience, and other agricultural issues at its website, mfu.org.