Farmfest: Walz, Davis and Day to share stage in congressional candidate forum

The Twin Cities press is running a short article on how Coleman, Franken to share stage at Farmfest. Later that afternoon, after Governor Pawlenty's keynote address, there will be a "Congressional Candidate's Forum on Agricultural and Rural Issues" featuring the following cast of characters:

Candidates          
* Congressman Collin Peterson (D), (Seventh)                      
* Glen Menze (R), (Seventh)                      
* Congressman Tim Walz (D), (First)                      
* Brian Davis (R), (First)                      
* Dick Day (R), (First)                      
* Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R), (Sixth)                      
* Elwynn Tinklenberg (D), (Sixth)                      
* Congressman John Kline (R), (Second)                      
* Steve Sarvi (D), (Second)                      
* Erik Paulsen (R), (Third)                      
* Ashwin Madia (D), (Third)

Questions will be asked by a panel of Farm Organization Leaders

We look forward to this forum, slated for August 5 at 1:30 p.m. Back in May, the state DFL said it was Past Time for Davis, Day to Take Stand on Farm Bill.

Senator Day took up the challenge. Familiar with ag issues from his service in the Minnesota legislature, Day objected to some provisions in the bill, according to past newspaper reports such as this one in the Fairmont Sentinel and this article in the New Ulm Journal. The earmarks Day references were put into the bill by the U.S. Senate; the tax breaks for race horses, for instance, was promoted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).

Davis has remained fairly mum publicly about farm policy. In Google searches for the web, news, and blogs, we couldn't find anything; nor was there any mention of the Farm Bill and farm policy on Davis's campaign website. The only time Davis mentions farms is in a passing reference in his support of repealing estate taxes (more on that later).

This will be the first time that Walz is on stage with either Day or Davis, and the first time Day and Davis will be in public together since Davis received the GOP endorsement. Perhaps Davis will try to blend in with the crowd on the stage. We'll be listening.