Rural voices, farmers push for government accountability in town halls
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About 60 people gathered inside the Sleepy Eye Brewing Company for the town hall sponsored by the Minnesota Farmers Union. Rising concerns over the potential impacts from tariffs on family farms, cuts to health care and the uncertainty of trade wars had many speaking their minds in an open forum.
Many farm families are still trying to recover from the trade war tariffs caused during the first Trump administration. Though there were several good years, some markets in Minnesota weren’t gained back. Some farms closed down.
The recent tariffs imposed on China — which purchases 50 percent of soybean crops from the United States — will hurt prices and ultimately burden farmers who are barely surviving. Many of them showed up to the town hall meeting, hoping to make sense of the uncertain landscape they’re all facing — at least together.
Some farmers traveled far to attend. James Kanne is a dairy farmer who lives near Franklin, Minn., in Renville County.
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“We are better people than what we have been seeing in the last couple of months,” Kanne said. “I see my neighbors, and they’re good people. Maybe they voted for what they thought they voted for, but I don’t think they voted for this. I don’t think they voted for what we have now seen come at us, and we’re better than what we’re seeing where we’re making people starve.”
Kanne worried about the dwindling number of dairy farms. He also said many within his circle were concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability in how people were being treated as well as the harshness in implementing policies in cutting aid meant for supporting vulnerable groups and feeding school-aged children.
He said events such as these are important for those living in sparsely populated areas.
“It’s hard for people to drive a great distance to get to something and everywhere out here,” Kanne said. “This is a long way from anywhere else, and for that reason, you have to have a whole bunch of these in order for people to have access, and access is important and being able to get their voices heard and being able to get out to these town halls is very important.”
Other attendees said the current federal government does not reflect the values they hold. Molly Schweinfurter said she drove from Renville County to find others who might be feeling similarly about the direction their government was headed.
“Doom scrolling on your phone its not going to do your mental health any good,” Schweinfurter said. “Coming together with like-minded people is what you need to find. Find your community, and find some camaraderie in the people in your community.”
“People are concerned. We want to take care of each other, and they think that’s a value that the current administration is turning their back on.”
While there were moments of tension, the town hall mostly discussed concerns regarding tariffs and also holding elected officials accountable over cuts being made to USAID and Medicaid. Tariffs and safety regulations on railroads and cuts to federal agencies left many wondering about the future.
Ted Winter, an executive director of the Minnesota Farmers Union, said looking to the future also means reflecting inward and on how to get both political parties and local representatives to work collaboratively to benefit their communities.
“It’s important that we do things together, and that’s why these town halls and these meetings are important, to bring people together, to garnish a value of hope and concern that our government will be there for our children and our grandchildren,” said Winter.
“I think there was a personal commitment to each other tonight, a value that we can do better if we work together, because we all do better.”
