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VIDEO and news digest: US House Ag Committee listening session at Farmfest, August 3, 2017

On Thursday, a few members of the U.S. House Ag Committee and Sixth District Congressman Tom Emmer, formerly a member of the committee, listened to public testimony about the next Farm Bill.

News Digest

The New Ulm Journal's Fritz Busch reports in U.S. House Ag Committee hears from farmers:

Dozens of farmers, ranchers and organizational leaders voiced their opinion on what should be in the next Farm Bill to U.S. House Agricultural Committee members, drawing a big crowd to the Farmfest Forum building for 2 and 1/2 hours Thursday.

“We’re under a lot of financial stress in agriculture now with low prices. We can produce more than we use. We need the agriculture market,” said Kevin Paap, Minnesota Farm Bureau President and a Blue Earth County farmer.

Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said there are attempts to delay upgrading food nutrition labels and cut SNAP (food stamps).

“I’d urge you not to do that,” Wertish said. “A higher percentage of rural people are in the SNAP program than there are in urban areas.”

Wertish said broadband expansion to rural areas, high healthcare costs are huge issues.

“Not everyone can work off the farm to get healthcare benefits. Take the politics out of it and get something done,” Wertish said.

A number of farmers said taxpayers don’t need to subsidize large agricultural operators.

Jerry Matzner of Century Farm Dairy near Clarkfield said a 1,500 acre organic farm operation supports 10 families and three more families are being mentored into organics.

Other conservation-minded farmers called the discovery of more and more nitrates in rural wells as “a slow, unfolding crisis in agriculture.”

“Water is critical for the public good,” said a Le Sueur County farmer. “Crop diversity is also important.”

Read the rest at the New Ulm Journal. At KEYC-TV in Mankato, Shawn Loging reports in Farm Bill Takes Center Stage At Farmfest:

As the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture looks to craft the 2018 farm bill, folks from all across the Ag industry are putting in their two cents about what needs to be in the bill.

The process writing a new farm bill will take center stage later this year.

And while most of the work will take place on Capitol Hill, Aug. 3 at Farmfest, lawmakers heard from people who rely on the legislation about what they need and want.

A farmer said, "This next farm bill should prioritize farmers. You know, farmers first, over corporate agribusiness mergers."

The panel included eleven members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture and subcommittees, hearing from dozens addressing staples of the law to keep and improve on. . . .

Minnesota DHS Commissioner Emily Piper said, "Almost 12 percent of our state's population receives SNAP every month, and 70 percent of those people are people with disabilities, children and seniors all across our state."

It's a combination lawmakers say is needed to make the bill work, covering both rural and urban America.

First Congressional District Rep. Tim Walz (D-Mankato) said, "It has the nutrition titles in there, both SNAP, other programs, and then it also has the farm programs in it, and that's what keeps the balance in there. Those that are saying we should rip them apart that will guarantee we'll never get a farm bill." ...

Watch the news report at KEYC-TV. In his Capitol Chatter column, Forum News political reporter Don Davis writes in Lights, cameras, silence (from politicians):

They do not often bring in television lights for a Farmfest forum.

But that is not the only unusual thing about a forum on the last day of the southwest Minnesota agriculture event: Eleven U.S. representatives featured at the forum gave brief opening remarks and then shut up (well, except for some chatting among themselves). Some testifiers appeared surprised that the congressmen actually were listening to them.

To add to the unusual atmosphere, it was 61 degrees, unheard-of cold for Farmfest.

After hearing about cotton and peanuts at a Texas hearing earlier in the week, the U.S.House Agriculture Committee listened to Minnesota ag concerns Thursday, Aug. 3. Members heard from about 50 people, at less than two minutes per person, leaving about 20 people who could not testify after time ran out.

The Farmfest forum building was packed with hundreds interested in the farm bill, which House Agriculture Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, wants to pass late this year or early next year. Federal laws have deep impacts on farm life, especially after a disaster.

As expected, Minnesota was well represented at the committee table with Reps. Collin Peterson, Tim Walz, Tom Emmer and Rick Nolan. North Dakota's lone congressman, Kevin Cramer was there, as was South Dakota's Kristi Noem.

Others came from Kansas, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

Elsewhere, David reports in Congressional committee hears Minnesota ideas for farm bill:

Crop insurance. Organic agriculture. Young farmers. Conservation. Sugar help. Vaccine. Feeding the poor. International trade.

The list started there and went on and on as 11 U.S. representatives sat through 2½ hours of ideas from Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa farmers and agribusiness people about how they should write new federal farm legislation.

The only common theme the 11 heard was that they want the federal government to help agriculture. . . .

After brief opening remarks from each lawmaker, they sat back and listened to about 50 testifiers at Farmfest, the annual southwestern Minnesota agricultural event. Another 20 signed up, but time ran out before they could testify.

Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and ranking Democrat Collin Peterson of Minnesota are taking the committee to a half-dozen listening sessions, intending to use what they learn to write a farm bill they hope Congress can pass late this year or early next.

"Bringing the Agriculture Committee to my district, to Farmfest, gave members the opportunity to hear directly from Minnesota’s farmers about the challenges they face in this part of the country," Peterson said.

Members included Rep. Dwight Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat who has no farmers in his district.

"There is a direct connection between farmers and consumers," Evans said.

With just 36 out of 435 congressmen coming from rural districts, Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., said, it is important to convince others about the importance of farming. "I talk about it from a national security standpoint."

Many testifiers belong to the Land Stewardship Project, which generally seeks protection for small farmers and for increased conservation support.

Darwyn Bach said the project wants the farm bill to stop "encouraging and subsidizing corporate concentration." Small farms would better support local communities, he said.

Jerry Matzner of Century Farm Organics was one of several who urged that organic farmers again be included in the farm bill, which Peterson first did when he was ag chairman.

Customers are willing to pay more for food if they are assured it is truly organic, he said. "Your support for the organic industry is critical for small farmers." . . .

Check out the full Davis story here.

Bluestem predicts corporate agribusiness will win this round. It's hard to shake 'em off like fleas.

Mankato Free Press's Trey Mewes reported much of the same in Farmers to Congress: Keep ag safety nets, nutrition in farm bill but left out the voices of small farmers. Heckova filter. Elsewhere in Minnesota ag politics, USDA secretary Sonny Perdue visited Minnesota Farm Bureau president Kevin Papp's farm in rural Blue Earth County, Mewes reports in Farmers urge ag secretary to 'address relief'.

Video

Here's the video, cued to the convening of the session, hosted by U.S. House Ag Committee Chairman Michael Conway (TX) and U.S. House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (MN) via Farm Bureau TV:

Photo: Land Stewardship members showed up in Our Farm Bill gimme hats. Via LSP Facebook page.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 313 Park Street, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

In a perfect world, state rep Jim Newberger's challenge to Klobuchar would be a sure thing

UPDATE AUGUST 5: Rachel Stassen Berger reports Challenger emerges to run against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar — GOP state Rep. Jim Newberger. Our dream race as a blogger. Please, Republicans, pick the Becker conservative as your man in 2018![end update]

While we read Rachel Stassen Berger's article, Minnesota Rep. Jim Newberger considering running against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, we regretted the bargeloads of zucchini and pole beans waiting to be picked in garden--and we're only now getting a chance to review the case for Newberger after a million-dollar rain deprived us of watering chores.

A Newberger campaign for the United States Senate would be the paradise of bloggers--and perhaps the Tartarus of Minnesota Republicans.

Sure, the wavering spine of Governor Mark Dayton and Republican Lite DFLers allowed Newberger the classic Gas, Oil and Petroleum (GOP) victory Stassen Berger described in her copy:

Newberger, who is vice chair of the House Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance committee, said energy issues would be a major focus of his campaign, should he run.

With support from colleagues — from both sides of the aisle — Newberger shepherded a measure through the Legislature and to Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton that allowed Xcel Energy to convert a retiring coal plant in Sherburne County into a natural gas and renewable energy plant. The energy project had been tied up with regulators before Dayton signed the bill into law this year.

It's nice to see Newberger make sure Xcel got what it wanted. After all, corporations should get what they pay for: the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board released its 2016 Lobbying Disbursement Report last month, revealing that Xcel topped the shopping list at $1,611,734, for persuasion across various government entities. This year? We'll have to wait to know.

The Newberger Legacy

But there's so much more to Jim Newberger than servicing our corporate overlords.

Helping Friends and Influencing Judges

Looking to earlier copy from Stassen-Berger at the Pioneer Press, we see this gem from early January 2016, Minnesota legislator reprimanded for intervening in judgment:

A district judge reprimanded a legislator last month for sending a letter about a case under his review.

“I am respectfully requesting that you not send me any further correspondence regarding this matter,” District Court Judge William Cashman wrote Rep. Jim Newberger. Cashman said the letter Newberger wrote amounted to ex parte communication, barred by court rules.

Newberger, a Republican from Becker, had written to Cashman on behalf of his constituent Jeff Friedrich, who was in a dispute that resulted in a judgment against him of “close to $250,000.”

“I am asking you to reconsider this case and allow Mr. Friedrich to explain his side of this issue before you,” Newberger wrote.

Friedrich, president of CarCo Automotive Inc., contributed $250 to Newberger in 2014 and does not appear in state databases as contributing to anyone else. . . .

Oh.

In Legislator crosses line with letter to judge, the Editorial Board of the St. Cloud Times wrote:

Stunning.

That's the word that comes to mind upon the news that District 15B Rep. Jim Newberger tried to influence a judge on behalf of a business owner in his district.

While sometimes the actions of elected officials can fall into gray areas with regard to ethics, conflicts of interest or inappropriate use of power, Newberger's recent actions to help one constituent's legal battle stretch far across the bright line that's long divided our three branches of government.

Worse yet, Newberger serves on the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the judicial branch budget.

Voters must not overlook this action as we head toward Election Day. . . .

A two-term state legislator with a bachelor's degree in political science/mass communication most certainly should have known his action was wrong.

Quite honestly, he should do more than issue a statement in response to the initial report. He should apologize and fully explain why exactly he thought it was proper to use his legislative influence on a specific case in the judicial branch.

Read the entire editorial at the St. Cloud Times. Bluestem looked at the news story in Newberger, on committee that oversees judicial budgets, appealed to judge to help job creator. That's what's known as a deadpan headline.

North Star Passenger Rail and the St. Cloud Prison

Newberger stunned Minnesotans with floor remarks that linked Minneapolis neighborhoods of color, the St. Cloud Prison and extension of the North Star Line passenger to the Granite City. At The Uptake, Mike McIntee reported in “Convenient” Prison To North Minneapolis Connection Draws Boos For Rep. Newberger:

Rep. Jim Newberger (R-Becker) is against more funding for Minnesota’s North Star rail, a line that was originally supposed to go between Minneapolis and St. Cloud but has yet to be extended that far. During debate on a transportation bill Newberger said he’s against expanding the route because the tracks would go near St. Cloud’s prison.

“Boy, wouldn’t that be convenient, to have that rail line going from the prison to North Minneapolis,” said Newberger. After hearing some grumbling he quickly added, “or to any section of our state.” Boos were heard in the House chamber.

North Minneapolis is a neighborhood with a racially diverse population.

Newberger quickly apologized for naming North Minneapolis, “but that’s what came into my mind. It doesn’t matter, it could be any part of the city. But if you’re going to connect a large metro to a prison there’s going to be some concerns. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t.”

Newberger said in his “neck of the woods,” there’s a different name for the North Star. “We don’t call it North Star, we call it the black hole because that’s where all the money goes.”

We observed in Mention St. Cloud & visions of prison & North Minneapolis pop into Jim Newberger's head:

Other representatives brought up the presence of St. Cloud State University, which had 17,231 students enrolled in 2011, but Newberger? Mention St. Cloud, and the first thing he's thinking about are 1035 prisoners now living in the state prison. According to the April 21, 2015 facility inmate report, 50 percent of those incarcerated are from non-metro areas, while 23 percent are from Hennepin County.

But on Planet Newberger, those 250-odd souls (and who knows how many of the Hennepin County population of the prison are from North Minneapolis) are the magnet for the North Star line if it's extended to St. Cloud.

The next day, Newberger whined on the House floor about being unfairly labeled as a climate change denier, even as he denied climate change. We looked at this remarkable rhetorical feat in Victims all: climate change denier MN Rep. Jim Newberger totally fears labeling and persecution.

A series of unfortunate quotes

Newberger has been a frequent subject for Bluestem posts, beginning with our December 2012 post, Scary MN: Representative-elect Jim Newberger totally freaks about EQB & Citizens Forums:

. . .For Representative-elect Jim Newberger at the Central Minnesota Tea Party Blog, it's no dogwhistle, but a full-throated tornado  siren shrieking across the prairie and Granite City quarries. In Agenda 21 Coming to St. Cloud!, he writes:

It is time to act. The Environmental Quality Board is organizing an Agenda 21-style "congress” for Minnesota. I have received reports from folks who have attended the Rochester and Bloomington “congresses”. This is a huge move by the state to force a “Green Agenda”.

We have an opportunity to attend, to vote, and to speak at these events. The Liberals have been stuffing these rooms FULL. I was told there were 160 at the Rochester event! I was also informed that the majority of these people were government union people, or staff members from one of the MANY agencies behind this “congress”.

St. Cloud is Central Minnesota. This is OUR home turf. We need to be there. If we pull together: Liberty folks, TEA Party folks, Republicans and Conservatives then we CAN make an impact. We must stand together!

GET YOUR PEOPLE to the St. Cloud event. I will be there.

I will also be having an organizational meeting BEFORE this takes place so we are united and can work as a team. Stay tuned. Details to come.

God’s peace,
Jim Newberger
763.482.9486

Since Newberger hasn't been sworn into office yet, we suspect open meeting laws don't apply. Will his pre-Citizen Forum organizational meeting for his kindred spirits be open to the public and the press?

Following that introduction, we posted Captured on the Minnesota House floor: Pat Garofalo reacts to Jim Newberger, in which Garofalo indicates with hand signal that his colleague isn't mentally well (watch it for the wonderful visuals); In prolonged rant on anti-bullying bill, Jim Newberger plays Orwell & Hitler cards (the headline speaks for itself); and MN House Coal Caucus votes to keep bill about air pollution away from environment committee. 

Goose hater

Finally, the Becker Republican hates Canada geese because they poop too much, prompting domestic waterfowl rescuer and House staffer Amanda Rudi Rudolph to tweet:

"I HATE GEESE." --Rep. Jim Newberger in Env. & Natural Resources Pol. & Fin. Cmte. 😦 #MNLeg#GiveGeeseAChance #SebastianArwenZuzu pic.twitter.com/gnJlFIepuz

— Amanda Rudi Rudolph (@ARudiRudolph) February 2, 2017

We're praying Newberger makes the leap to the U.S. Senate race. Sweet Baby Jesus in a corncrib, make it so.

Photo: Star Tribune photo Glen Stubbe captured Newberger being a little pointy fingery.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 313 Park Street, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

#MN07 Republican congressional hopeful Dave Hughes doesn't think much of Medicare

On Wednesday, Minnesota Seventh District Republican congressional hopeful Dave Hughes aired his thoughts about Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).

The comments were in a headnote above an article shared by Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro, Bernie Sanders Wants 'Medicare For All.' Here Are 5 Things You Need To Know About Medicare. Hughes wrote:

Some important points about Medicare. It's unsustainable, wasteful, ineffective, and it's time to begin the work of crafting a very different alternative completely free of federal involvement.

As of Thursday morning, Hughes' post was liked by four people, but only one visitor had left a comment:

Ricky Baranchak This is all you really need to know about this site, mostly propaganda. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-daily-wire/

The Daily Wire - Media Bias/Fact Check

RIGHT BIAS These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative causes through…

mediabiasfactcheck.com

 

For a different assessment of Medicare's sustainability, Bluestem recommends the Kaiser Family Foundation's post, 10 Essential Facts About Medicare’s Financial Outlook.

Hughes, the 2016 endorsed candidate in MN07, lost the seat to Peterson while scoring 47.4 percent of the vote, the closest any Republican had come to the long-term conservative Democratic congressman since Trix's great-grandma was a pup. According to Open Secrets, Hughes raised and spent less than $20,000.

Hughes faces an endorsement battle against state representative Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg and trucking company owner Matt Prosch, of Lake Benton, MN.

Screengrab: Hughes' Facebook post about ending federal involvement in Medicare.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 313 Park Street, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Appleton MN wants you to sign petition asking Trump to lock up criminal aliens at private prison

While the Change.org petition site tends to be associated in many minds with the progressive side of the innertubes, anyone and any organization can do use the service.

Witness the City of Appleton.

It's started a petition to the Federal Bureau of Prisons asking the agency to give a grant to those poor paupers at CoreCivic (the for-profit, human-traffickers formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America) so that they may lock up criminal aliens at the long-shuttered Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton.

Because jobs.

Here's the petition, Support CoreCivic receiving a federal grant to reopen the Prairie Correctional Facility:

This petition is in response to the Federal Bureau of Prison’s Criminal Alien Requirement (CAR) XIX, RFP-PCC-0026, in which the Bureau is looking for contract owned and operated facilities to meet the needs for housing criminal aliens.

The citizens of the City of Appleton and Swift County would like to encourage the Federal Bureau of Prisons to award this contract to CoreCivic at the Prairie Correctional Facility, for the CAR XIX solicitation.

This company makes a significant economic impact on our area through job creation and participation in community outreach. CoreCivic pays competitive wages with an excellent benefit package to employees. We would like to see CoreCivic reopen the Prairie Correctional Facility to foster development in our community like it has done in the past.

Well, that's certainly a pretty sharp u-turn for Appleton (and Swift County, if it's involved in this) from the snow job we heard over the last few sessions about how opening the prison under state control or purchase would avoid of problems of non-union jobs, while aiding the afflicted state prisoners boarded at county jails.

According to the Federal Reserve, the unemployment rate in Swift County was 3.4 percent in May 2017. A map of unemployment by counties at Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) reveals that with the exception of Renville County, unemployment is under 4 percent throughout counties near Appleton.

Bluestem suspects that the Trump administration is likely to use the same criteria for awarding these contracts as previous administrations used: proximity to a four-lane highway being a key factor. Highway 7 is a lovely drive, but it's two lanes.

As for CoreCivic's brand, check out the headlines from the last year: “CoreCivic”: New Name, Same For-Profit Prison Greed; Federal audit blasts Nashville-based CoreCivic, US Marshals, and our favorite: CoreCivic skipping Metro meeting Thursday on Nashville jail scabies outbreak.

Screengrab: The petition.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 313 Park Street, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.