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Getting a Fair Deal for Minnesota's Farmers & Rural Communities |
 Amy chatting with folks at Farm Fest in Redwood Falls When I was growing up, I would get on my bike, ride down Oakview Lane, take a left at County Road 6, navigate several hills and, within a few short miles, there I was — endless, green, beautiful Minnesota farmland. On summer weekends my mom and I would visit Farmer Brown's for fresh homegrown Minnesota corn and my best friend, Amy Scherber, and her family would take me to milk the cows at her Uncle Richard's dairy farm in Loretto.
The area where I grew up has changed now, and you have to drive a little farther to the farmlands. But one thing remains the same: Minnesota's 80,000 farms represent a proud part of our state's heritage and history. Even more importantly, they continue to contribute a vital share to our state's prosperity. What is Minnesota's largest export? Farming and related agricultural production. These products make up fully a quarter of our state's total exports, adding more to our economy than any other single industry. In fact, we are the nation's seventh largest agricultural producer. I know that Minnesota's prosperity depends on protecting and strengthening the economic vitality of communities throughout the state.
When I visit with farmers across the state — sugar beet farmers in Wilkin County, dairy farmers in Stearns County and corn growers in Swift County — they tell me they want a leader in Washington who will stand up and fight for them, not just make promises to get their votes in an election. Too many times they've been given false Washington promises — that "Freedom to Farm" will help them, that their elected leaders will stand up for them on issues like CAFTA, that they will get Country of Origin Labeling. I will put Minnesota's farms first in Washington.
The priorities in Washington need to change.
As your U.S. Senator, here's what I'll fight for:
• I will fight to make sure Minnesota farmers have the full opportunity to compete on a level playing field and get the fair prices they deserve. I oppose reopening the current farm bill before it expires, and I'm committed to making sure that Minnesota farmers get a fair deal with adequate compensation for disasters and price fluctuations in the next farm bill. I believe Minnesota farmers deserve to have Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) implemented for our homegrown Minnesota products, not just seafood!
• I will fight for a farm bill that includes a fair price support system that offers security for our farmers and permanent disaster relief that will help farmers deal with factors that are beyond their control. Given the news that the World Trade Organization (WTO) trade talks have collapsed, I have called for extending the farm bill until after trade talks are completed. It would be irresponsible and unjust to allow the safety net set up in the current Farm Bill to lapse before knowing if our farmers will be afforded a level playing field with the rest of the world.
• I will fight to open markets and make sure that Minnesota's farmers have fair access to them. I believe we need fair trade, not just free trade. Properly negotiated trade agreements have the potential to create new opportunities for Minnesotans while increasing living standards and economic development overseas. But when those agreements ignore low labor and environmental standards in other countries, the full gains of free trade can't be realized and we harm our own national interests.
• I will fight to get better trade deals for Minnesota than what we got in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Last April, I announced my opposition to CAFTA because of provisions that would harm the 30,000 Minnesotans who work in the sugar industry and because of inadequate provisions for environmental and labor fairness. The current administration in Washington failed to negotiate a fair deal for sugar beet farmers and missed the opportunity to present a trade agreement that could get bipartisan support. When I visited the American Crystal Sugar plant in Moorhead, I met with sugar beet farmers and plant workers. These hard-working Minnesotans deserve an even playing field in the global market — and they deserve leaders in Congress who will put their interests first.
• I will fight to create new jobs in rural communities by expanding efforts to invest in renewable energy like ethanol and biodiesel to fully harvest Minnesota's resources. I believe the next Farm Bill should contain a strong Energy Title and I will fight for a 20% standard for renewable fuel by the year 2020. When less than 600 of the country's 180,000 gas stations offer alternative fuels like E-85, we need to take on the oil industry to demand more access to renewable fuel.
• I will fight to make sure that our rural communities get the support they need to maintain and update their physical infrastructure — whether it's roads, bridges, water treatment or high-speed broadband access to the Internet — to bring new economic development opportunities.
• I will fight to put Minnesota's interests first by seeking a seat on the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Click here to read Amy’s farm fest op ed in the Red Wood Falls Gazette
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On the Issues 
