Report from Farmfest in Gilfillan, Minnesota
by Leigh Pomeroy
There was little difference of opinion among the congressional candidates at the 2006 Farmfest issues forum, with one speaker after another agreeing that the Farm Bill needs to be extended for at least another year, that renewable fuels need to be emphasized, and that farmers need to be protected from market fluctuations and weather related disasters.
The panel included:
It was mostly a ho-hum discussion, with questions asked by trade and industry representatives, instead of by journalists as in the past.
There were a few surprises, however.
For one, Gil Gutknecht showed up, unlike in 2004 when he sent his campaign manager, Nels Pierson, as a stand-in. For another, Rep. Gutknecht's opponent in the Republican primary, Greg Mikkelson, who ran on the IP ticket in 2004, was not invited to join the panel. Instead, he had to content himself with watching from the audience.
As for the issues, one of the most surprising was raised at the end, when one of the questioners asked, "Would you classify manure as a hazardous waste?"
I don't know if this caught any of the candidates by surprise, but it sure did me by its seeming absurdity. But, as Collin Peterson explained, this issue arose out of a court ruling in Texas in which manure from several large feedlots having entered a nearby stream polluted a city water supply.
In fact, there has been some discussion that the EPA is considering designating manure as hazardous waste, which some Republicans are trying to build into a campaign issue by blaming the proposal on radical, left-wing environmentalists. At the earlier Senate candidate forum Mark Kennedy tried to do just that.
At the end of the day, Collin Peterson emerged as the panel's most knowledgeable member, patiently explaining the issues, the options available, and his positions. Rod Grams also fared well, showing his senatorial experience. Also acquitting himself well after a shaky start was the IP candidate from the 6th District, John Binkowski, whose forthright statements coupled with anecdotes of growing up on a farm displayed a certain Minnesota tell-it-like-it-is.
Perhaps surprisingly, the loudest and longest applause at the end of the day went to Tim Walz, whose rapid-fire delivery, quick one-liners and deliberate attempts to move outside the questions and stress health care as one of the farmer's most pressing issues must have resonated with the mostly farmer audience.
For further coverage of the Farmfest issues forums, see:
There was little difference of opinion among the congressional candidates at the 2006 Farmfest issues forum, with one speaker after another agreeing that the Farm Bill needs to be extended for at least another year, that renewable fuels need to be emphasized, and that farmers need to be protected from market fluctuations and weather related disasters.
The panel included:
- from the 7th District Rep. Collin Peterson (D) and his opponent, Michael Barrett (R)
- from the 1st District Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R) and his opponent, Tim Walz (D)
- from the 6th District Patty Wetterling (D), John Binkowski (IP) and Michele Bachmann (R)
- from the 2nd District Coleen Rowley (D)
- and from the 8th District Rod Grams (R).
It was mostly a ho-hum discussion, with questions asked by trade and industry representatives, instead of by journalists as in the past.
There were a few surprises, however.
For one, Gil Gutknecht showed up, unlike in 2004 when he sent his campaign manager, Nels Pierson, as a stand-in. For another, Rep. Gutknecht's opponent in the Republican primary, Greg Mikkelson, who ran on the IP ticket in 2004, was not invited to join the panel. Instead, he had to content himself with watching from the audience.
As for the issues, one of the most surprising was raised at the end, when one of the questioners asked, "Would you classify manure as a hazardous waste?"
I don't know if this caught any of the candidates by surprise, but it sure did me by its seeming absurdity. But, as Collin Peterson explained, this issue arose out of a court ruling in Texas in which manure from several large feedlots having entered a nearby stream polluted a city water supply.
In fact, there has been some discussion that the EPA is considering designating manure as hazardous waste, which some Republicans are trying to build into a campaign issue by blaming the proposal on radical, left-wing environmentalists. At the earlier Senate candidate forum Mark Kennedy tried to do just that.
At the end of the day, Collin Peterson emerged as the panel's most knowledgeable member, patiently explaining the issues, the options available, and his positions. Rod Grams also fared well, showing his senatorial experience. Also acquitting himself well after a shaky start was the IP candidate from the 6th District, John Binkowski, whose forthright statements coupled with anecdotes of growing up on a farm displayed a certain Minnesota tell-it-like-it-is.
Perhaps surprisingly, the loudest and longest applause at the end of the day went to Tim Walz, whose rapid-fire delivery, quick one-liners and deliberate attempts to move outside the questions and stress health care as one of the farmer's most pressing issues must have resonated with the mostly farmer audience.
For further coverage of the Farmfest issues forums, see:
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