Published: August 01, 2008 11:04 am            

Farm Programs: ‘Hot button’ rural issues front and center at Farmfest

Originally published in the July 25, 2008, print edition.

Heading into the heat of summer, there are many ag and rural “hot button” issues that will be important factors for voters as they listen to debates and analyze candidate viewpoints for the upcoming local, state and national elections.

These issues will also be a focal point of the candidate forums and other feature forums each day at Farmfest, Aug. 5-7. The forums will be held in the Forum Tent on the Farmfest site, 7 miles southeast of Redwood Falls on State Highway 67.

The Farmfest forum schedule for 2008 has an emphasis on national and state agriculture policy issues and toward strengthening the rural economy in Minnesota. Featured will be a special forum on the current food and fuel debate.

Candidate forums

The “U.S. Senate Candidate’s Forum on Agriculture and Rural Issues” is the feature forum on Aug. 5, at 10:30 a.m. Incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, challenger Al Franken, and other major candidates for U.S. Senate in Minnesota have agreed to participate in the forum.

A panel of agriculture reporters for radio and newspaper will pose questions to the candidates on a variety of issues affecting agriculture and rural communities.

The “Congressional Candidate’s Forum On Agriculture and Rural Issues” is the afternoon forum on Aug. 5, at 1:30 p.m. All congressional candidates from Minnesota’s first, second, third, sixth and seventh districts have been invited to participate in the forum.

Questions on a wide range of agricultural policy and rural issues will be asked by a panel of ag leaders from various organizations and commodity groups.

The following are the broad topics the U.S. Senate and Congressional candidate’s forums will focus on:
• The new farm bill — good ideas, implementation and needed revisions.
• Renewable energy development and policies (RFS standards, import tariffs, etc.)
• How to best address rapidly rising fuel and food costs that are affecting everyone.
• WTO negotiations, NAFTA, CAFTA and other trade agreements.
• Addressing issues facing the U.S. livestock industry (low profits, COOL, etc.)
• The increasing federal budget deficit versus the need for more spending on federal programs.
• Rural development issues — how to strengthen rural communities.
• Future development of biotechnology in the agriculture industry.
• The impact of federal environmental regulations on production agriculture.
• Revisions needed in current rural and agriculture policy.

Another special feature on the first day of Farmfest will be a keynote address by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Aug. 5.

Other feature forums at Farmfest

“Beyond The New Farm Bill — What are the Next Big Policy Issues Facing Agriculture?” is the feature forum on Aug. 6, at 10:30 a.m.

Trade policies, the Clean Water Act, renewable energy and rural development will be among the policy issues addressed during this forum.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has tentatively agreed to join Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau president, and Tom Buis, National Farmer’s Union president, to discuss current and future ag policy issues.

This is a unique experience to hear the presidents of the two major farm organizations in the United States on the same forum panel.

Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Gene Hugoson will keynote a special Farmfest forum on Aug. 6, at 1:15 p.m., “Food and Fuel — Where is the Balance for Renewable Energy?”

The panel for this forum will include five experts of varying backgrounds, including Brian Buhr, new department head at the University of Minnesota Applied Economics department; Jim Sartwelle, livestock economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation; Randy Spronk, National Pork Producers Association board member; Steve Kramer, Minnesota Corn Growers Association secretary; and Newell Searle, vice president of Second Harvest Heartland. This topic has generated national attention by the media and members of Congress.

The feature forum on Aug. 7, at 10:30 a.m., is “Creating a New Vision for Rural Minnesota’s Economic Future.” The keynote speaker will be Mark Drabenstott, director of the RUPRI Policy Center at the University of Missouri.

The response panel will include Marc Knisely, CEO of United Farm Credit Services; John Monson, vice president of Rural Development for AgStar Financial Services; and Bob Byrnes, mayor of Marshall and U of M regional extension director.

Drabenstott is a nationally known expert on rural policy and development.

More than 65 farm families from counties throughout Minnesota will be recognized at the “Farm Family of the Year” program, which will be held 1:30 p.m. Aug. 7 in the forum tent.

The program will feature several special guests from the University of Minnesota and the ag industry, as well as music by the “Great Pretenders.” This recognition event is jointly sponsored by Farmfest and the University of Minnesota. More details can be found online at http://mnfarmfamilies.cfans .umn.edu.

A special forum, “Understanding Minnesota’s T.B. Regulations and Testing Requirements” will be held 9 a.m. Aug. 5, and will feature presenters from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.