One of my favorite things about driving in southern Minnesota is observing the beauty of the rural areas. Beautiful farmland and picturesque barns occupy much of our land. It’s part of what makes

southern Minnesota so unique. We live in a great place!

I am very excited to serve on the Agriculture Finance Committee for the Minnesota House. I know how important agriculture and agribusiness is to our local communities, and I requested an agriculture committee assignment for just that reason.

I have been spending some time talking with local farmers to hear about their issues so I can better understand their day-to-day work and how legislation impacts their businesses. I am greatly enjoying this opportunity. I will continue to meet with farmers throughout the year to solicit their thoughts.

One area of impact for farmers that I am hearing about often is property taxes. I have met many farmers whose property taxes have risen sharply in the past several years — some to the tune of an additional year’s increase of $34 an acre. For a farmer who homesteads 1,000 acres, that adds up to a tax increase of $34,000 in just one year.

Farmers have a unique situation where one year they’re making money for every acre they plant and the next year they’re losing money for every acre. They can either make money or lose money each year on the whim of the weather, markets and other uncontrollable factors. It can be tough. It is imperative that we find a property tax formula that is consistent and predictable for farmers.

Another area that is putting a stranglehold on farmers is overregulation. A huge conglomeration of agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service all add their piece — or more accurately, their reams — of paperwork and requirements for farmers in the form of reports and permits.

All of us want to be good stewards of our land so that we and the generations to come can enjoy and use it. That’s a given. I’ve never met a farmer who didn’t desire the same thing. They want their sons and daughters and grandchildren to have a future in farming, and a farm they can be proud of. There are no better environmental stewards than farmers.

Unfortunately, the quest for environmental stewardship in Minnesota has sometimes gone from common sense to nonsense. Many times farmers who are obeying the law and have never had an infraction are treated to the same amount of paperwork as those who have overstepped the rules.

For example, though the federal government requires farmers to get a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for manure management only if the farmer has had a violation, Minnesota requires all farmers to have a NPDES permit no matter if they have had a violation or not. Our state continually looks over the shoulders of farmers, requiring them to complete more and more yearly reports and paper work.

How would we like it if our driving was overregulated like farming? Most of us are law-abiding drivers who follow the speed limit. Let’s say our government suddenly decides it needs to make sure every citizen is following the speed limit, so we now have to keep a log of where we go, who we see and how long it took us to get there. We would say, “Leave us alone — we know how to drive!”

Why do we hurt the 99 percent because of the one percent? The vast majority of farmers can do their jobs just fine without the government hanging over their shoulders — and it’s not just the farmers who are being hurt. When government starts micromanaging farmers, or any other industry, the unfortunate result is more of our tax dollars spent on additional bureaucracy and possibly even abuse of power.

Wouldn’t it be better for many of these agencies to turn into teaching agencies, where farmers could attend a training seminar every couple of years as a tradeoff for less paperwork? Give the heavy paper trail to those few who have had violations and leave the rest of the farmers alone to do their jobs.

Property taxes, overregulation and more: farming is in need of reform in Minnesota. It is my desire to be a part of this reform to make life easier for Minnesota farmers and families. I’m looking forward to working together with farmers and others to find some commonsense solutions to these agriculture issues.

 

Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, is the state representative for District 27A.