A Bluestem Prairie

From agriculture to transportation: Walz district work break news

As we had noted earlier in the week, Congressman to spend Friday touring  the U of M.  Tim Walz will be
briefed by researchers from the U's ag school on a range of topics,

including soybean genomics, biofuels and the environment, and protecting crops from insect and disease threats. The congressman, who is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, also will meet with leadership from the university, the soybean industry, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and the colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

We're finishing up a poesy conference that day, or we'd tag along and report back.

The Ag Observatory, a most excellent online information source from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, reprints the article from the Albert Lea Tribune about Walz's work on the House Ag subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, Walz amends bill to help rural areas. Walz offered an amendment which will change eligibility requirements for the Cooperative Conservative Partnership Initiative.

Mankato Free Press: West senior takes history national
Congratulations to Adriane Otopalik, the Mankato West senior whose documentary about the Holocaust will compete for top honors in the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in June 9-14. Good luck.

According to a  December 21 Strib article (no longer online but accessible here), Otopalik is the creator of the video, Mr. Walz goes to Washington.

St. James Plaindealer: A heart-felt story
One National Guard soldier, Adam Hartle,  tells the story behind his Purple Heart.

Waseca County News: Walz commends city on grant
Walz thanks Waseca offiicals for working to get a federal grant to improve the local airport. Small town airportsare important for rural economic development.  The article points out that while Walz was visiting, the facility was used by a Mayo Clinic helicopter to transport a patient from the Waseca Medical Center to Rochester.

Walz sits on the House Transportation Committee.

Update: Albert Lea Tribune
The AL Tribune reports Tim Walz tours medical center:

His visit came during a week of traveling around the district to find out how national legislation about transportation, health care and the farm bill affect this area.

The Chaska Herald: Congressional Sportmen's Caucus
The Chaska Herald notes that Tim Walz is in the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. [end update]

Netroots
Spot is disappointed with Tim Walz's Iraq War funding vote.

WaPo Capitol Briefing Blog: Freshmen 42: The Last Walz on Iraq vote

Paul Kane at the Washington Post's Capitol Briefing blog posts today about Walz's vote on Iraq war funding.  Kane notes that Walz was upbeat about pro-veterans' care bills that have passed in the House, but the Iraq War vote was "gut-wrenching" for Congressman Walz.

Kane reviews the politics of the coming election, but notes that Walz is pretty busy working at the job his constituents elected him to do:

Walz admits his biggest weakness is fund-raising. He pays little attention to it and instead plows into his work on the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. "They tell me I spend too much time being a congressman," Walz said, referring to party leaders such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.). "I do it. I'll be fine. I don't particularly like it."

The Iraq War funding bill was tough:

Just before the roll was called Thursday, Walz said it was his toughest moment in Congress. "This moment right now," he said, still explaining a vote he didn't want to cast. "I'm willing to make the hard decisions. I'll try to take care of the soldiers."

Friends at the events say that Walz heard a lot of appreciation for his taking care of the soldiers from veterans on Memorial Day.  Walz took part in three ceremonies on Monday.

Wednesday vets and transportation edition

Austin Daily Herald: Make vets' mental health a priority
In Do more for veterans' mental health, the Austin Daily Herald's editorial board cites recent news of Iraq War veterans in distress, including the fatal shooting by police of a depressed vet on I-94 near Alexandria. Most mental health incidents for returning service members won't be as dramatic, but the suffering for the vets and their families will be just as real.

Owatonna People's Press: Walz promotes airport growth
The OPP reports that Rep. Walz promotes airport growth. Last night, we noted television coverage of the news: KEYC TV reported Representative Tim Walz Stops at Area Airports and  KAAL TV,  Owatonna's Airport and Others Expand. 

The newspaper also reports that several of the town's business leaders visited Walz and Minnesota's U.S. Senators last week in DC.  Read about the visit in Business leaders bring concerns to Washington.

Iraq War funding bill vote
A letter critical of Walz's Iraq war funding in the Post Bulletin: Bill perpetuates war indefinitely; the editor of the Winona Daily News is disappointed with Walz's voted as well in Real action needed from Congress.

2007 Farm Bill in Southern Minnesota media

We have been blogging about the 2007 Farm Bill regularly, including these discussions of the subcommittee on conservation et al. mark-ups and Walz's position on the Conservation Security Program.

Agri News reports today that the House ag committee begins crafting 2007 farm bill, focusing most on the dust-up over the virtual shelving of the Conservation Security Program by Collin Peterson.  Walz and Loni Kemp, senior analyst for the Minnesota Project, are mentioned.  Walz notes:

Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat who represents Minnesota's 1st District, said he's disappointed.

"And so are producers in southern Minnesota," he said. "I know that because they've spent the last two days calling me to tell me so." If the final bill doesn't contain improvements to the CSP, Walz said he'd have a hard time supporting it.

Likewise, Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate agriculture committee, said the CSP is necessary now more than ever.

Walz asked Peterson to fix the CSP by simplifying the application process, opening access to all producers and by providing the promised payments.

The Rochester-based paper devotes a story to the issue, Peterson's CSP decision catches supporters off-guard

The  Albert Lea Tribune reports Walz amends bill to help rural areas. Local reaction to Walz's CCPI amendment is positive:

“I just think it’s very creative legislature that just really makes the farm bill dollars much more usable,” Benda said. “It does give us a tremendous opportunity to look for federal dollars. It’s good politics and its forward thinking.”

Benda went to Washington, D.C., in March to talk to Walz and Sen. Norm Coleman about local projects that would benefit from this amendment.

Walz hopes to add other amendments to the farm bill that would help beginning farmers get off the ground. In particular, he hopes to improve Conservation Reserve Program transition payments for farmers and ranchers beginning their business, make the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Contract pilot program permanent, create funding for Grassroots Sourcewater Protection Program in the 2008 fiscal year and expand or improve the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Down Payment Loan Program.

The Hill's Aaron Blake quotes Tim Walz's statement about his vote in Iraq war vote again splits freshman Dems in House.

During the congressional district work break, Representative Walz will be meeting with individuals and groups. Today and tomorrow include visits to airports that recently received federal transportation grants, as reported by KEYC TV: Representative Tim Walz Stops at Area Airports and on KAAL TV in Owatonna's Airport and Others Expand.

On Friday, he'll be looking at ag-related research at the University of Minnesota.

Memorial Day ceremony coverage

Yesterday, Rock County dedicated its Veterans Memorial in Luverne; the Worthington Globe covers the ceremony. Minnesota's first lady, Mary Pawlenty, was on hand, as was an aide for Senator Norm Coleman, along with Congressman Walz.  The paper reports:

Walz started his speech by thanking those who had brought young children to the program on what he called “our nation’s most solemn holiday.” He called the memorial hallowed ground.

“At times of our greatest national peril, our people have risen to the challenge,” he said. “We will continue to forge a future with the gift their sacrifice has given us.”

Walz said words would never be enough to express the gratitude veterans deserved, speaking of the common bonds Americans share, such as liberty, freedom, justice and compassion.

“With this memorial, the future generations will never forget the sacrifices made by those who came before us,” Walz added.

Andrew Hanson, a Rock County native and National Guard member, was severely injured in Iraq last week. The paper reports that the crowd rose to its feet to salute the Hansons, who had left that day to be with their son at Walter Reed.

In Rep. Walz Commemorates Memorial Day In Our Area, Mankato's CBS affiliate reports on Walz's particpation in Memorial Day ceremonies in Nicollet, Mankato, and Luverne.  An excerpt:

Walz says, "The greatest way that we can honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice is to continue to build the nation that they gave their lives for into one that's even greater than we could ever imagine".

And although the country may be divided on the war in Iraq, Walz believes it's essential to remember those currently serving overseas. Walz says, "This current generation is living up to everything that came before them and giving everything that's asked of them to accomplish what's needed. This nation has never been what it was just simply because of its economical and technical prowess. This nation is what it is because of the spirit and heart of the people".

And Walz says, after serving in the Army National Guard for 24 years, this day holds special meaning. Walz says, "I don't claim that it gives me special insight but my commitment to it and understanding what the sacrifices are made by these people is something I feel very close to my heart. It's something I'm unwavering on. What I think that's really great about that is that the commitment of the people here today knows no political boundaries. It only knows what it means to be an American".

Netroots
Over at IDHA, Jason Bauman writes NRCC Has Started the ‘08 Fight, Iraq War Funding.  Now that he's graduated from WSU, Bauman has returned to the 2nd, where another National Guard member may be challenging a Republican incumbent.  Vox Verax asks the question A strong challenger for John Kline's seat? after reading a post at Inside Minnesota Politics.  Steve Sarvi has put together a personal web site.

We posted another installment about Farm Bill politics at MyDD.

Memorial Day: remembering and honoring sacrifice

Every town, small and large, will host  Memorial Day ceremonies today to remember those who gave their lives for this country.  Congressman Walz will attend three in Southern Minnesota:

Nicollet Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
11am
Legion Post 510
723 3rd Street
Nicollet, MN 56074

Mankato Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
Noon
Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
401 Stoltzman Road
Mankato, MN 56001

Rock County Veterans' Memorial Dedication
Monday, May 28th
3pm
Rock County Courthouse
204 E. Brown Street
Luverne, MN 56156

All events are free and open to the press and public.

Local newspapers throughout Minnesota have published accounts of veterans. Perhaps the  most moving is this story of a son's anguish at his discovery of his father's WWII memoir, in the Winona Daily News: The hidden costs of war: Family discovers a side they never knew.   Also in the Winona Daily News, a story of veterans pitching in provide a local veterans center in American Legion plans new center.

One of the things I'll be doing this morning is helping a friend plant some apple and cherry trees. One of them will be in honor of my two uncles who died in World War II. 

I never knew them, since both perished before I was born, and so their memories always seemed to just be the hole in the fabric of my mother's large and fruitful Watonwan County Irish Catholic family. There were tons of first cousins to play with as a kid, and then there were just names for the two uncles, those two men who never married or had children.  As I grew up and listened to the stories of other uncles who came back from the war, my appreciation of their sacrifice deepened.

No politics today.

Separating the warriors from the war

St. Paul Pioneer Press: It's time to share the burden
We're not particularly happy with Congressman Walz's vote on Iraq War funding, though on a gut level we understand his motivation, having listened to returning Guard members talk about conditions in the field.

The Pioneer Press editorial board implicitly praises Walz's understanding of the situation of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a time to remember those who fell. But at this critical juncture in our four-year-old war in Iraq, it is also important to focus on those who have returned and will be coming home soon. The fact that this is an increasingly unpopular war makes this doubly important that we separate "the warrior and the war," as U.S. Rep. Tim Walz put it last week.

Walz was part of the national Democratic surge in the November election, unseating Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht in the 1st Congressional District in southern Minnesota. Nationally, the Democratic takeover of the House was interpreted as a strong vote against President Bush's policy in Iraq.

Walz, a teacher who served in the Army National Guard for 24 years, has argued for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. But after President Bush vetoed that bill, saying it was a "prescription for chaos,'' Walz voted for an Iraq-funding bill that does not contain a pullout deadline. "This is a terrible choice that has to be made, but I'm not going to risk the soldiers not getting what they need,'' Walz said in a telephone news conference this week.

We Americans will continue to argue over the war, and whether it is an important front in the battle against terrorism or a misguided search for weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist. But we cannot - we must not - fail the men and women who followed orders.

Unfortunately, the consequences of the President's refusal to commit to real benchmarks and a timetable for withdrawal--along with Congress's refusal to hold the line in demanding real benchmarks and timetables--puts our armed forces at continued risk.  It's a pretty ugly game of chicken. 

The Pioneer Press goes on to note Walz's leadership in providing for returning veterans:

Walz is a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. He worked on a bill to address veterans who suffer traumatic brain injuries, which he called the "signature injury of the war.'' It will create centers around the country that will conduct research on how to help veterans cope. He supported bills aimed at improving staff for veterans' medical care, preventing suicides and raising military pay. These are usually bipartisan efforts.

Elsewhere in the PiPress, the paper explores the nature of combat-related TBI in Left whole, still wounded.

Minnesota Monitor: Walz co-sponsors Mississippi River Special Resource Study Act
In Bill to Preserve 'America's Working River' Introduced, the Monitor's Andy Birkey reports that Rep. McCollum has introduced legislation :to direct the National Park Service to partner with local governments and nonprofits to strategize ways to preserve the cultural, historical, and natural heritage of the Mississippi River corridor."  Walz is a co-sponsor.

Winona Daily News: An immigrant by any other name
WDN editor Darrell Ehrlick gets a spelling lesson in An immigrant by any other name.

Netroots: Joe Mayer at Vox Verax
We'd missed Joe Mayer's response to the vote on Iraq funding at Vox Verax: Progressive Ponderings: Democrats Double Speak.

New Ulm Journal: Best headline ever?
New Ulm is  celebrated worldwide as the home of Schell's Brewery.   Still we were surpised to see the headline: New priest ordained at Cathedral of Hopy Trinity.  Hops are necessary for the spirit of beer, but we hadn't known that the ales, lagers, and stouts from Minnesota's oldest brewery had been sanctified. 

Saturday morning: Memorial Day (and Mr. Walz's students go to Washington)

The Mankato Free Press reports on Memorial Day observances planned in area.  Walz will give a Memorial Day address at the Vietnam Memorial in Mankato.  Here's the congressman's full schedule for Monday:

Nicollet Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
11am
Legion Post 510
723 3rd Street
Nicollet, MN 56074

Mankato Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
Noon
Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
401 Stoltzman Road
Mankato, MN 56001

Rock County Veterans' Memorial Dedication
Monday, May 28th
3pm
Rock County Courthouse
204 E. Brown Street
Luverne, MN 56156

All events are free and open to the press and public.

Self-described on Facebook as a "Senior Clowngressional Correspondent,"  Mankato West AP government student Philip James Hart reports for real in an online-only Free Press feature: Local kids venture to U.S. Capitol.

The Free Press editorial board gives a thumbs up to Congress for raising the minimum wage.

Preston's Fillmore County Journal has posted an in-depth look at Industrial wind farming by Tom Driscoll.  Driscoll writes about rural issues with the best of them.  In his weekly column, the FCJ editor compares his son's high school graduation with his own in The class of 1968.

In the netroots, the Big E at mnblue is less happy with Amy Klobuchar than Walz in Klobuchar and Tim Walz for blank check for President Bush, not that he's pleased with Walz. That pesky college grad DJ Danielson at IDHA writes Before We Call for Tim Walz's Head, Let’s Take A Step Back.

2008 race: Brian Davis's web site online

It's not much more than a place keeper but Brian Davis for Congress is online. For earlier posts about Dr. Davis's progress so for, click here and here.  Davis is one of four Republicans vying for their party's endorsement in the First.  The domain name was registered on April 17 by TuCows, an internet services company with headquarters in Toronto.

Walz Op-ed on vote for Iraq War funding

Both the Winona Daily News and the Rochester Post Bulletin have published a column by Tim Walz explaining his break with the Democratic caucus to vote for the revised Iraq funding bill:

Yesterday, the Congress of the United States voted on funding for the Iraq War. Instead of having the opportunity to consider a reasonable compromise that would reflect the will of the American public and scale back the U.S. commitment in Iraq, my colleagues and I were forced to choose between giving the president a blank check and providing our troops with the funding they need.

Several weeks ago, my colleagues and I passed a supplemental funding bill that tied our troop presence in Iraq to the Iraqi government's progress in meeting benchmarks of success. I supported that bill because it held the Iraqi government accountable to standards set by President Bush earlier this year and it provided incentives for the Iraqi government to govern itself. I was disappointed when, despite his earlier commitment to these standards of success, the President did an about-face and vetoed that legislation.

The spending bill we passed Thursday provided the needed funding for our Armed Forces in Iraq, while also funding veterans' and active-duty military health care beyond what the President requested. This new bill still requires the Iraqi government to meet benchmarks of success. However, instead of tying the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to the Iraqi government's success in achieving these benchmarks, the new bill cuts their foreign aid if the Iraqis do not meet the benchmarks.

Although critics on both sides will see Thursday's votes as a sign that Democrats caved in to the president, I do not believe that to be the case. I voted for the supplemental funding yesterday because it is the only option I had to ensure our troops in the field have the resources they need.

A clear majority of Americans are opposed to the President's "surge" plan and want to bring our forces in Iraq home. However, our system of government allows the president to use his veto pen to prevent Congress from doing so. When the president decided to veto our previous Iraq spending bill, Democrats in Congress had only two options: gather a super-majority to override his veto, or take a new course. We in Congress do not have that super-majority, so we cannot force the president to accept a bill that ties our troop presence in Iraq to reasonable measures of success so we can ensure that our military has a winnable mission.

And so, we must find a new course. I would like to believe that if the Congress withheld funding for Iraq, President Bush would eventually negotiate with us on compromise legislation to meet our military's needs, force the Iraqis to take responsibility and begin to bring our soldiers home. But over the past few weeks I have witnessed a very different and disturbing reality.

The truth is, throughout this debate the president has been unwilling to compromise. He made it clear that if my colleagues in Congress and I voted against this newest funding bill, he would not relent. The president refuses to consider any legislation that would take away his blank check in Iraq and as commander in chief, he has the authority to continue this war despite the wishes of the American public and a majority of Congress.

My fear is that if we had not provided the funding the president requested, he would have kept our solders in Iraq regardless of whether they had the resources they need to complete their mission. I spent 24 years serving in our Armed Forces and I cannot allow that to happen. The only way I can moderate the president's recklessness is to ensure he does not leave our soldiers in Iraq without the funding and equipment they need.

Some advised me to vote against continued funding for the war, in order to show my unhappiness with the way the president has handled it. I could not do that. I came to Congress to make hard decisions on behalf of the people of southern Minnesota and in this case, I believe my first responsibility is to ensure the safety of those Minnesotans who are serving in Iraq by making sure they have the resources they need. The president may be willing to play a game of political chicken with our troops, but I am not.

I am not happy about this legislation; I would have preferred to vote on a compromise package that holds the Iraqi government accountable for its own security and begins to bring our soldiers home. Unfortunately, the president made it clear that he is unwilling to consider a proposal like that.

Thursday's vote is not the end of the debate on the war in Iraq. Instead, the discussion continues in Congress -- and across the country -- about how best to bring our troops home and allow the Iraqis to govern themselves.

The Winona Daily News reports about Walz's vote in Walz breaks rank, supports war funds.  MSNBC includes Walz in Iraq bill puts House Democrats on the spot.   

The reaction on the netroots has been negative: Guyermo at Daily Kos scolds his representative in: Tim Walz justification for his vote. Truth and Justice at Truthsurfer writes Tim Walzing With The Devil On Iraq Funding. The blog most trusted by the DFL staff in St. Paul weighs in, too. Update: The Minnesota Monitor reports on the state's congressional delegation's votes in Congress OKs Iraq Supplemental Funding; Minnesota Delegation Largely Supportive. In the Senate, Amy Klobuchar voted for the bill, while a family emergency kept Norm Coleman from voting yes.  Two of Minnesota's House members, Ellison and McCollum voted no, while Bachmann, Kline, Ramstad, Peterson and Walz voted yes. Oberstar did not vote. [/end update].

Update: We're torn by the funding bill, but understand Representative Walz's reasoning. For some weighing in on this issue, funding or defunding the war is a set of strategy points, abstractions in a larger political game whether they're on the right or left. For MnPublius, it's an electoral game in a swing district.

For Walz, as he notes in his op-ed, he's thinking about the soldiers in the field from the perspective of someone who spent 24 years in the National Guard.

His reasoning sounds a lot like what friends in the Guard and the Reserves have said about the bill. They harbor pretty unpleasant thoughts about the President and the Republican Party because of the impact of the deployment on themselves and their families, but worry--often from firsthand experience--about having  the resources to fight the war. 

For the representative (and for us), this isn't some kind of abstraction, or "game of chicken" as Walz notes, but the well-being of real people we know. Tough to understand for those committed to a movement, but not so hard for those of us hearing from those serving in Iraq and veterans of the conflict.

Do I agree with the vote? No, but I think that Walz is being honest about the sources of his motivation.

AP: Congress approves $2.10 hike in minimum wage

The supplemental funding bill dominated the news today, but Congress also passed a hike in the minimum wage, according to an Associated Press report:

America's lowest-paid workers won a $2.10 raise Thursday, with Congress approving the first increase in the federal minimum wage in almost a decade.

President Bush was expected to sign the bill quickly, and workers who now make $5.15 an hour will see their paychecks go up by 70 cents per hour before the end of the summer. Another 70 cents will be added next year, and by summer 2009, all minimum-wage jobs will pay no less than $7.25 an hour.

There's more here.  Tim Walz had co-sponsored the House version passed earlier this year and had campaigned on a promise to work to raise the minimum wage.

Walz's Traumatic Brain Injury legislation unanimously passes in House

Though sent out this morning, this press release just reached us:

Walz's legislation incorporated into larger measure and passed by a vote of 421-0.

(Washington, D.C.) - Yesterday evening, the United States House of Representatives approved the provisions of H.R. 2179, the Traumatic Brain Injury Centers Act, sponsored by Congressman Tim Walz.  The Walz bill was incorporated into a larger legislative package (H.R. 2199) designed to address traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which passed the House last night by a vote of 421-0.

Walz's legislation will create five Traumatic Brain Injury Centers around the country that will conduct research, develop improved models for patient care and provide education and training for VA staff about TBI.

"Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must do everything we can to help veterans cope with these life-changing injuries," said Walz.  "The comprehensive TBI package approved by the House today combines my bill with legislation my colleagues have introduced to address TBI.  This legislation is a big step forward to help the men and women who have served overseas and returned home with these wounds."

"Rep. Walz's bill is essential to ensuring that the VA is conducting intensive research on TBIs," said Rep. Michaud, who is the lead sponsor on H.R. 2199.  "By concentrating TBI research in five centers, we can ensure that VA doctors are able to share and coordinate information easily and that our veterans are benefiting from the most recent treatments developed by the research conducted in these centers.  I was pleased to include Rep. Walz's legislation as part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and
Long-term Support Act."

H.R. 2199, the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act of 2007 was sponsored by Veterans' Affairs Health Subcommittee Chairman Michaud.  It also includes language from H.R. 1944, the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act of 2007. 

While new forms of military technology routinely save soldiers' lives from deadly explosive attacks, soldiers often return home suffering from TBI. Veterans suffering from TBI often have to relearn simple skills and are at times left permanently unable to perform daily functions.

"As America's service members return home, many of them suffering from TBI, we owe them nothing less than the highest quality care as they learn to live with their injuries," concluded Walz.

For more  infromation about TBI, check out the Trauma Foundation's information site.

Walz and Herseth Column: Beginning farmers and ranchers need incentives

We've written before about Walz and Herseth Sandlin's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2007, which enjoys broad support in the ag community from groups ranging from the Farm Bureau to the Land Stewardship Project.

In today's Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, the gentlewoman from South Dakota and Walz contribute a guest column about the legislation:

American agriculture has a dramatic shift waiting for it in the near future: In the next 10 years, half of all farmers are expected to retire. Nationwide, there are twice as many farmers today over the age of 65 as there are under the age of 35.

Those statistics are startling and lead to the realization that we need to do more to ensure Americans continue to have a safe, affordable food supply by providing incentives to young producers seeking to enter agriculture. In the past, we could count on a large number of beginning farmers to replace those retirees. But today, beginning farmers and ranchers make up just 10 percent of America's producers.

As members of the House Agriculture Committee representing South Dakota and Minnesota's First District, we are proud to introduce new legislation to address these concerns: The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act.

Beginning farmers and ranchers have different needs than more established producers. Even with a parent willing to lend a hand, the high prices of land and equipment are a barrier to entry. Moreover, limited access to capital can make it hard to invest in the technologies and production systems necessary today.

Starting with the 1990 Farm Bill, Congress has created programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers. These efforts have usually focused on improving their access to credit. But to succeed, new producers also need access to training, technical assistance, land and markets.

This year, as we craft the 2007 Farm Bill, we recognize that we have a unique opportunity to help a new generation of producers get their start on the land.

Our bill contains provisions to improve the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Down Payment Loan Program, reducing interest rates and down payment requirements for new producers. It would also make permanent the Beginning Farmer Land Contract Pilot Project, which encourages private land sales that transfer farms from retiring farmers to new farmers.

Further, our bill establishes a competitive grant program to support research and education related to beginning farmers and ranchers, and includes a provision to enhance Risk Management Education for those producers. Finally, for land that may be leaving the Conservation Reserve program, incentives are provided to encourage transfer of that land to beginning producers.

Increasingly, the heartland is not only America's breadbasket - it's also a major energy source. These common-sense incentives for new producers will help ensure that rural America's agriculture economy will continue to play a vital role in providing cheap, safe and abundant food as well as clean, renewable homegrown energy for generations to come.

We understand there's an editorial in the Worthington Globe as well, but it has yet to go online.

Iraq vote: Walz will likely break with Speaker Pelosi, Freshman caucus

Walz has issued a statement about his vote on the revised Iraq War supplemental funding bill:

Today, the House of Representatives will vote on a revised Iraq War supplemental funding bill.  Rep. Tim Walz says he is very disappointed with the legislation but feels he must vote for it in order to prevent the troops from losing the funds they need.

"I opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and I believe that continued U.S. involvement in Iraq's religious civil war has been counterproductive.   I supported legislation that would have required benchmarks and timelines limiting our military presence in Iraq, but unfortunately the President vetoed those proposals.  Although I am extremely disappointed in this legislation, it is the only option I have to ensure that our troops in the field have the resources they need," said Walz.

Walz continued, "I would like to believe that if the Congress withheld funding for Iraq, President Bush would eventually negotiate with us on compromise legislation.  But over the past few weeks I have witnessed a very different and disturbing reality.  The truth is, throughout this debate the President has been unwilling to compromise.  He made it clear that if my colleagues in Congress and I vote against this newest funding bill, he will not relent." 

"I believe that if Congress rejects the funding proposal, President Bush will leave our solders in Iraq regardless of whether they have the resources necessary for their safety.  I spent 24 years serving in our Armed Forces training and equipping young people to fight for their country.   I understand the consequences of cutting budgets for troops in the field, and I cannot allow that to happen.  The only way I can moderate the President's recklessness is to ensure he does not leave our soldiers in Iraq without the funding and equipment they need," concluded Walz.

The spending bill considered by the House today provides the needed funding for our Armed Forces in Iraq, while also funding veterans' and active-duty military health care beyond what the President requested.  This new bill still requires the Iraqi government to meet benchmarks of success.  However, instead of tying the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to the Iraqi government's success in achieving these benchmarks, the new bill cuts their foreign aid if the Iraqis do not meet the benchmarks.

Thursday news digest: War, politics, and water quality edition

Rochester Post-Bulletin: Walz says he will vote for Iraq spending bill
Representative Walz plans to vote for the compromise Iraq spending bill, although he's not pleased with the president'sbehavior, nor does he consider the choice a win.  Walz told the PB's Washington correspondent Ed Felker that he's concerned about the troops in the field:

Walz, a freshman who campaigned against the war and was among Democrats angry with Bush's veto of an initial House bill that included withdrawal deadlines, said he became convinced the president "is absolutely reckless" with the use of American troops and would keep them in Iraq regardless of a funding cutoff.

"I have no faith whatsoever that he's willing to back off to reach some kind of compromise," Walz told reporters gathered in his office Wednesday for a pre-Memorial Day recess press conference. "I believe he'll leave them in the field without the full funding."

Walz predicted he would be among only about 70 Democrats who will vote for the bill out of the 231-member caucus, a total that would require substantial Republican support to pass the bill. He said the safety of the soldiers and Marines is key, and that he's ready to explain his view to anti-war activists clamoring for an end to the war.

"Voting no on this and a failure to get them the money would not end the war any sooner and put more soldiers at risk," he said, due to Bush's insistence against any withdrawal.

Walz said did not agree with Democratic leadership arguments that the bill holds Bush and the Iraqis to new, if minimal, standards of progress and sets the stage for further moves later this year to end the war. "I'm not going to spin this as a win, I'm going to spin this as a necessity," Walz said.

The article also notes that Walz will vote for the House ethics bill, although he believes it doesn't go far enough:

Separately, Walz said the proposed House ethics reform bill expected before the House before it leaves for the weekend does not go far enough, particularly in failing to double the one-year lobbying ban for former lawmakers.

It was to be extended to two years, but the leadership bill crafted in committee last week pulled that provision. "They don't get it. The American public is furious," about lobbyist sway in Washington, Walz said, noting that ethics reforms are still a key issue for him and other Democratic freshmen.

Rochester Post-Bulletin: Republican ad campaign targets Walz
The Post-Bulletin reports that the NRCC has purchased a week's worth of ads on six radio stations in the First attacking Representative Walz for voting to the left of his district.  A spokesman for the DCCC responded:

Ryan Rudominer, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Republicans are desperate to regain the seats they lost in 2006, but "the public just isn't buying."

"(Walz) is doing all the things he ran on. He's fighting for a new direction in Iraq. He's fighting to increase pay for our troops. And he's fighting to put more cops in southern Minnesota," Rudominer said. "He's about changing the way Washington does business."

We gather that Walz was too busy working on his assignments on the Agriculture, Transportation, and Veterans Committees to comment himself. A couple of stories in First District newspapers suggest why that hard work is important and why Representative Walz doesn't want to underfund the troops, some of whom he served with in the 1-125th, many of whom are now deployed in Iraq.

Update: Mike Mulcahy posts about the buy at Polinaut; he and Joe Bodell exchange opinion on the NRCC campaign strategy. It has posted an anti-Walz pastiche of the GOP's conventional talking points about Democratic congressmen on its attack site.  Should convert the 28-percenters in the First's GOP choir.   [/end update]

Rock County Star-Herald: Luverne soldier injured in Iraq
The Rock County Star-Herald reports that Andrew Hanson, a National Guard soldier from Luverne, has lost both his legs in an IED explosion in Iraq and is now recovering in Walter Reed.  His parents told the paper:

Andrew called his parents from his hospital bed in Baghdad Tuesday morning to give them the news.

Felicia [Hanson] said he tried to reassure them. “He said, ‘I’ll be just fine; I’ll get prostheses. … I’m alive.’”

Hanson's deployment had been extended this spring, the paper reports. 

The Worthington Globe has more:

Jack and Felicia Hanson were interviewed by the Daily Globe during the send-off ceremony for the 1-125th in Luverne on Sept. 17, 2005. In that interview, Felicia said she had mixed emotions about her son going off to war. It was his first tour of duty, and he was to deploy one week before his 20th birthday.

When asked if they had any advice for their son that day, Jack said, “Think. And remember God.”

They are thanking God today that their son is alive.

“To quote my son, he said, ‘Mom, it’s OK. They have good prosthetics, and I’m alive,’ Felicia said. “People need to know that my son is very strong and determined, and he will be fine in time.”

We'll publish contact information for those who want to send their thanks and good wishes to Hanson as it becomes available.

New Ulm Journal: Sprenger  on  leave, at home
The New Ulm Journal talked to B.J. Sprenger, who is home on leave after being badly burned in an explosion in Iraq.  He's waiting until the 125th Field Artillery returns from Iraq to receive his medals:

Later this year, he should receive a Purple Heart medal and other honors for his wartime service.

Sprenger could have received his Purple Heart before he was flown home from Iraq. He’d rather wait for an award ceremony after his unit — the 125th Field Artillery United based in New Ulm — returns home so he can enjoy the moment with his fellow soldiers.

“Last we heard, they could be back by the end of July,” Sprenger said. “They’ve been calling me. They’re starting to pack up and are excited to come home.”

Mankato Free Press: Kelliher returns home
It's important to respect honorable service in America's military, and the needs of those who served in earlier wars are also part of the taxpayers' responsibility.  Tucked away in a story about Minnesota speaker of the House Margaret Kelliher coming home to southern Minnesota, this tale:

Barnett remembered Kelliher and other students coming to him with a plan for “Peace Week” to be held that spring [1986]. Skeptical at first, he listened and agreed. Developed completely by the students, the event included inviting a group Vietnam veterans who were in counseling together with a Mankato psychologist.

Virtually every student at West attended, listening to their stories and asking questions. The event, scheduled to last 50 minutes, stretched to two hours as the veterans spoke frankly about war and its aftermath, about drug dependency and broken marriages.

At the end, 1,000 students gave a standing ovation, Barnett said, and the veterans — tears streaming down their faces — said it was the first time anyone had shown them appreciation for their service.

Americans shouldn't let those returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq wait to hear our thanks. Nor can we let our appreciation stop with a "Thank you"; we have an obiligation to take care of veterans. Part of that "pork" that the NRCC's ad is grousing about went to fund veterans' health care programs.

Rochester Post-Bulletin: Water quality improves in South Root River
The PB article doesn't mention it, but the Root River is one of the watersheds that was eligible under the Conservation Security Program.  Congressman Walz has issued a statement in support of funding CSP in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Walz issues statement on Conservative Security Program

Through an email update from the Minnesota Farmers Union, we learned that Congressman Walz had issued a statement on the Conservation Security Program that had been released to the ag community.  The MFU's Director of Government Relations sent us a copy, as did the Walz communications staff.

Note that Walz is also concerned about funding the Wetlands Reserve Program, which is important for wildlife habitat, so he doesn't want to rob that program to pay for CSP.  The statement:

The Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research, on which Congressman Tim Walz proudly serves, met yesterday to consider provisions of  the 2007 Farm bill.  The meeting included the first mark-up of the conservation, credit, energy and research titles.  Congressman Walz made the following statement in support of the Conservation Security Program:

Statement for the Record
Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research
May 22, 2007

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lucas, thank you for how you have conducted this process.  It has been very open and very inclusive and that is to your credit.  You have given us a good starting point with this Chairman's mark and I look forward to debating it and trying to make it even better. 

And, in my opinion, there are some places we can make some definite improvements. 

One of the biggest problems in my mind is how this Chairman's mark treats the Conservation Security Program.

In preparation for these markups, I held about 14 Farm Bill forums around southern Minnesota.  I talked to hundreds of producers about what they liked in the current Farm Bill, what they didn't like, what they wanted to see changed.  Now, if you get 100 farmers in a room, you'll be lucky if you can find a single thing they agree on.  But, I'll tell you this: they agreed about CSP.

There is almost universal agreement in rural America that the Conservation Security Program represents the direction in which agriculture should move. It is popular, it is easy to explain to people who don't understand the farm program, it is WTO-friendly, and it is common-sense: pay people for making conservation benefits to their land.

Now, CSP has its problems.  USDA has administered it on a watershed-by-watershed basis that means people have to wait years for the chance to enroll.  When their chance comes around, they have to fill out a
three-inch stack of paperwork.  And once they're in the program, sometimes they don't get the payments they were promised.

But, Mr. Chairman, to me the solution to that problem is simple: try to solve those complaints.  Don't just scrap the whole program.

But, unfortunately, this Chairman's mark makes no new investments in CSP through 2012.  It puts CSP on life support until we can rescue it in some future farm bill.  I am deeply disappointed in that.  And so are producers in southern Minnesota. I know that, because they've spent the last two days calling me to tell me so.  And I have to be honest:  if the final version of this Farm Bill doesn't make some real improvements to the CSP language we have here, I'm going to have a hard time supporting it.

But I want to be fair: our Chairman and Ranking Member have done a good job with the tools they had to work with.  This budget situation they have to deal with is extremely unfriendly.  And I think it is ludicrous to give the Agriculture Committee less money than it had five years ago and also give us a longer to-do list and expect us to accomplish all of those goals. 

If we are serious about renewable energy and conservation and rural development and nutrition and research and maintaining a farm safety net and all of those other things we talk about, then we need to see some new sources of funding.  But, unfortunately, that funding was not made available to us. 

I want to talk about another important program.  The Chairman's mark provides an expansion of the Wetland Reserve Program to 3.775 million acres if reserve funding is available and if not, 2.275 million acres, which is the current cap.  Some Members may know that, in FY05, Minnesota was number two in the nation when it came to unfunded easement applications and unfunded easement acres for WRP, so this program is very important to my state.

There is also a provision in this Chairman's mark which allows for 10,000 acres annually for floodplains within WRP.  This would allow us to reconnect rivers to floodplains that have been isolated from the river by levees.  I look forward to working with the Chairman and Ranking Member to find funding for the wetland reserve program.

In his first franking piece mailed to southern Minnesotans a couplr of months ago, Walz said he wanted to hear people's ideas about what they wanted to see in their Farm Bill. From the statement, it looks like his promise to listen and bring those ideas to Washington is being followed through.

Representative Walz's Memorial Day Schedule: Nicollet, Mankato, Luverne

This press release just came in from Walz's office:

U.S. Rep Tim Walz will speak at Memorial Day events in Nicollet, Mankato and Luverne on Monday, May 28th.

Walz will begin in Nicollet, where he will take part in short parade and assembly at 11am. He will then speak in Mankato at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial on Stoltzman Road beginning at noon. Walz will finish Memorial Day in Luverne, where he will help dedicate the new Rock County Veterans' Memorial at the Rock County Courthouse starting at 3 p.m.

"Memorial Day is a time to honor the American lives that have been lost, the soldiers that have been injured, the veterans at home and the troops that are currently serving," said Rep. Tim Walz who serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. "This Memorial Day, our attention will rightfully be on the nearly 4,000 soldiers who've paid the ultimate price since September 11th.  Caring for their families, the soldiers they served beside and the veterans who went before them is the best way to properly memorialize these
fallen men and women."

Nicollet Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
11am
Legion Post 510
723 3rd Street
Nicollet, MN 56074

Mankato Memorial Day Event
Monday, May 28th
Noon
Vietnam Veterans' Memorial
401 Stoltzman Road
Mankato, MN 56001

Rock County Veterans' Memorial Dedication
Monday, May 28th
3pm
Rock County Courthouse
204 E. Brown Street
Luverne, MN 56156

All events are free and open to the press and public.

On Monday, the Worthington Globe described the new memorial:

The memorial is a 24-foot granite star embedded in the pavement, with five granite benches located at the tip of each star. Resting on one of the benches is a life-size bronze statue of a veteran holding an American flag. A five-sided black granite obelisk rises 18 feet from the center of the star and contains the names of Rock County soldiers who died while serving their country. North of the obelisk and granite star is a wall to honor those who were prisoners of war or considered missing in action.

Thursday Update: The Rock County Star-Herald reports today on the dedication ceremony. [/end update]

Wherever you live in Minnesota or the nation, take some time to participate in a local ceremony honoring those who died in the service of our country.  I'll be thinking of my two uncles who died in World War II, one as a prisoner of war at Malmedy.

More about Walz's conservation amendment to the House Farm Bill

As we had noted yesterday, the House Ag subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and the Environment had approved an amendment to eligibility requirements for the Coppertive Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). Walz's office sent out a press release about the effort today:

Yesterday, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research accepted an amendment offered by Rep. Tim Walz to the Farm Bill's conservation title which would permit rural economic development projects to be eligible for funding within Farm Bill conservation programs. 

Walz's amendment changed the eligibility requirements for the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), which promotes conservation partnerships and provides assistance for conservation projects in environmentally sensitive watersheds.  Previously, conservation projects with an economic development component were not eligible to apply for CCPI grants.

"This amendment will ensure that more projects like the Shell Rock River Watershed's innovative flood control project in Albert Lea can apply for federal funding," said Walz. "My amendment makes it possible for communities to apply for funding under the CCPI program if they, like the Albert Lea flood control project, simultaneously address rural development and environmental enhancement."

In addition to the CCPI amendment, Representative Walz intends to offer the following amendments when the full House Agriculture Committee marks up the conservation and credit titles:
*    Improving CRP transition payments for beginning farmers and ranchers
*    Mandating funding for the Grassroots Source Water Protection Program for FY08
*    Expanding and improving the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Down Payment Loan Program
*    Making permanent the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Contract Pilot Program.

The Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research considered discussion drafts outlining each title under its jurisdiction and approved several amendments by voice vote. Copies of the discussion drafts and the amendments approved by the subcommittee are available online here.

Learn more about the Shell Rock River Watershed here.

One of the reasons that some amendments will have to be taken up by the full Ag Committee are explained in Chairman’s Money Shuffle Creates Friction Over House Farm Bill.  The Washington Post reported House panel short on money for land stewardship.  Brownfield has more in Congress to reorganize USDA?. 

The Mid-South Farmer mentions the Walz Amendment in House Subcommittee Works on Conservation, Energy, Credit Titles.

B.J. Sprenger: wounded warrior honored in home town

Yesterday's Rochester Post-Bulletin ran a David Broder column that opens with this astonishing lead:

The two wounded warriors stood side by side in the sunshine of the White House Rose Garden. Tony Blair and George Bush, partners in a trans-Atlantic alliance that has come a cropper in Iraq, tried to shield each other from the slings and arrows of two nations' reporters.

David Broder needs to get out more. Really, he does. And he should spare us the drama: the Washington press corps isn't an insurgent force or terrorist army wounding the president.

This is what a wounded warrior looks like: B.J. Sprenger, a 22-year-old Minnesota National Guardsman from Sleepy Eye,  who was badly burned on March 19 when a bomb exploded and destroyed his vehicle. Sprenger turned 22 the next day; his aunt grandmother told the Journal earlier this year that he would have been home in March had President Bush not extended the Minnesota National Guard's deployment.

He came home yesterday to a hero's welcome in the small Brown County town. He's the guy throwing out the pitch.

The New Ulm Journal reports:

A Minnesota National Guard soldier badly burned when a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) detonated on March 19, in Iraq was honored with a motorcade through town Tuesday afternoon.

B.J. Sprenger, 22, the son of Vicky Sprenger and Robert Sprenger of Sleepy Eye rode atop a fire truck on his way to the Prairieview Park softball diamond where another ceremony for him was held.

. . .He suffered severe burns to his arms, legs, face and lungs in the blast that took place while he was riding in a Humvee while on patrol two months ago.

Sprenger was flown to a U.S. Army hospital in Germany before he was transported to an Army hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Fort Sam Houston, near San Antonio, Texas.

After ICU, Sprenger underwent several skin graft surgeries in Texas. He later began physical therapy.

Now he’s home for 30 days before returning to San Antonio for more rehabilitation.

KEYC-TV has more in Sleepy Eye Soldier Gets Hero's Homecoming.

Any questions?

We do have a suggestion: If the dean of the Washington press corps wants to see wounded warriors, we suggest that he quit hanging around the Rose Garden and haul tail over to Walter Reed. He could try listening to the House Veterans Committee Roundtable discussion today about eliminating the VA system's backlog on disability claims.

Audio link here (pick the 334 Cannon audio feed) for those who want to listen in.  The roundtable discussion begins at 9 a.m. Central time.

Meanwhile, Representative Tim Walz is speaking out for pay hikes for our military.  From the Democratice Daily: Kerry, Clinton, Emanuel, Murphy and Walz Fight for Full Troop Pay Increase

“Instead of calling for shared sacrifice after September 11th, President Bush asked Americans to go shopping,” Congressman Walz said. “By opposing the military pay increase proposed by Democrats, President Bush sends a clear signal to the troops that the only sacrifice he’s willing to ask for is one shared by our military men and women and their families. As a retired senior noncommissioned officer I am astonished at the President’s disregard for our soldiers and their families.”

Airport grants: Springfield and Rochester

Additional federal transportation grants for Southern Minnesota airports were announced today, according to a statement from Representative Walz's office:

Today, Representative Tim Walz announced over $600,000 in federal grants to two southern Minnesota airports. 

"These grants will ensure that the people of Rochester and Springfield continue to have safe, accessible, and economical air travel at their disposal," Walz said.  "We must continue to upgrade all means of shipping and transportation to ensure that southern Minnesota keeps pace with an emerging and competitive global market."

·  Springfield Municipal airport received $332,500 to upgrade runway light systems.

·  Rochester International Airport received $274,338 to update the airport's master plan and to make renovations to the terminal building.

These latest two grants follow last week's announcement of $3 million in airport grants awarded to five other First District airports located in Mankato, Owatonna, Blue Earth, Waseca, and St. James.

We noted last week's announcement in an earlier post.