Welcoming House Ag Committee Chairman Thompson to the First District

This week, I had the honor of hosting House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) in the First District for roundtable discussions with southern Minnesota business and financial leaders, farmers, and producers to discuss the needs of farm country and our rural communities.

First, Chairman Thompson, Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), and I joined Compeer Financial and local officials to discuss community facilities funded in partnership with local lenders and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development. I was proud to join Congresswoman Fischbach in leading and securing inclusion of the Investing in Rural America Act in the House Farm Bill. This legislation would allow Farm Credit institutions, like Compeer, to finance essential rural facilities in partnership with local lenders through the USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program.  

Through this program, I’ve helped our neighbors in Wabasha, Spring Grove, and Fairmont secure funding to ensure their services and facilities can continue to meet the needs of their residents for years to come. I appreciated the opportunity to share these success stories with Chairman Thompson and Congresswoman Fischbach and reaffirm our commitment to getting the Farm Bill across the finish line to keep these tools available for folks in rural communities. 

My colleagues and I also joined members of Greater Mankato Growth for a discussion on how the Working Families Tax Cuts are benefiting small, locally owned businesses and the farm economy throughout the Mankato area.

By passing this historic legislation, we delivered strong tax policy for our farmers and rural communities. I appreciated Chairman Thompson and Congresswoman Fischbach taking the opportunity to hear directly how these tax cuts are helping ag producers and local industry throughout the Mankato area.

Read more about this week’s roundtables with Compeer Financial and Greater Mankato Growth here.

This morning, Chairman Thompson and I held a roundtable discussion with Minnesota Pork to help make sure Minnesota pork producers have the tools and certainty they need to compete, grow, and continue producing high-quality, affordable protein. The First District is the second largest pork-producing district in the nation, and I’m glad Chairman Thompson could meet some of the men and women who make that possible! 

We later met with local farmers and stakeholders from southern Minnesota’s agriculture community at the Steele County Agribusiness Luncheon hosted by Linder Farm Network in Owatonna. The luncheon gave us an opportunity to discuss how Congress can continue supporting our producers through our work in Washington, D.C. A big thank you to Chairman Thompson for making the trip to southern Minnesota! 
 
Read more about today’s Agribusiness Luncheon here.

Supporting Minnesota’s Defense Industry 

Minnesota is home to incredible innovation that is strengthening our national defense. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I appreciated seeing the Syensqo facility in Winona and learning more about how their materials contribute to our national security, whether it be equipping our warfighters or helping the Artemis II mission. 

It was also an honor to be a part of the groundbreaking ceremony at the new North Wind Aerospace & Hypersonic Research and Testing Complex. This complex will bring together advanced manufacturing, cutting-edge technology, and a highly skilled workforce, to ensure Minnesota remains an important part of America’s aerospace and defense industrial base. I was proud to work across the aisle with my colleague, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, to secure the federal funding to make this new site possible. Congratulations to everyone involved in this important project! 

Connecting with Community Members

It was wonderful to be in Rochester for their Safe City Nights event on Tuesday evening. I appreciated the meaningful conversations with such a diverse group of community members, as well as local law enforcement and first responders. Thanks to the Rochester Police Department for putting on these events that give folks across the region an opportunity to meet with the men and women who serve our communities in the First District. 

It’s an honor to represent my neighbors in the 21 counties across southern Minnesota. This week, I met with local Faribault County officials to hear more about the issues affecting the county and its residents. Thanks for meeting with me! 

It was great to visit the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona to see the beautiful pieces of art in their galleries, hear more about their work to promote #MN01 tourism, and congratulate them on their recent 20th anniversary! Thank you for having me! 

Meeting with First District Producers

While in the First District, I met with some of our local producers and operations that are serving our neighborhoods. Schmidt’s Meat Market is a local, family-owned operation that works with our farmers to provide quality meats to our community. I’ve been a proud customer for years, and it was great to visit with the Schmidt’s team to learn more about the award-winning products and services they’ve been providing to southern Minnesotans for more than seven decades. 

Seneca Foods works with over 1,400 American farms to manage their fruit and vegetable processing and production. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to tour their facility in Blue Earth and discuss the work I’m doing in D.C. to support the produce industry and American farmers. 

I’m proud of the work my colleagues and I on the House Committee on Agriculture are doing to put farmers front and center in crafting a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill – written by farmers, for farmers. I joined fellow southern Minnesota farmers in Lewiston this week to hear directly about what farm country needs and how we can continue delivering for those who feed and fuel the world. 

In the News

KEYC: Republican Lawmakers hold roundtable with area leaders in Mankato

National Law Review: North Wind Breaks Ground on Aerospace & Hypersonic Research and Testing Complex to Advance Critical U.S. Capabilities

KAALTV: Rep. Brad Finstad sends letter expressing concern over Minnesota election security 

As always, it is an honor to serve you in Congress. Please don't hesitate to contact my office if there is anything I can do to assist you. 

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