Worthington farmers tell Secretary Hugoson what's on their minds
Small towns in southwestern Minnesota depend on the livestock industry to keep them going. Hugoson mentioned that southwest Minnesota has been on the verge of losing dairy infrastructure.
Young people are being encouraged to start dairying in southwest Minnesota, but they want guarantees that their milk will have a market.
"A healthy supply of milk is needed to make it practical to start a dairy plant," said Hugoson. "However, in some communities it is harder to permit for livestock making it difficult for those new farmers to get started."
Merri Post, a dairy farmer near Chandler, addressed the possibility of starting an agriculture alliance group.
"We are doing what we can to help increase awareness of agriculture in the communities," said Post.
Hugoson sees the alliance as a major opportunity for southwest Minnesota because it has worked in other parts of the state.
"It is something that should be started," said Hugoson. "We need to check and see if other commodities are interested in it as well."
Migrant labor has played a large role in agriculture in southwestern Minnesota.
"Without guest worker programs, agriculture will be sunk," said Hugoson. "There are not enough workers to take certain jobs even though they pay well. We will have to wait until the new administration enters and congress come to office."
The state's changed bovine TB status is a big concern for cattle producers in southwest Minnesota.
The state has applied fo split-state TB status. Hugoson is optimistic that a decision will be made by Oct. 12. If USDA approves the split-status request, 150,000 cattle all across the state will have to be tested, said Hugoson. "It will carry a one million dollar price tag, and at the moment we are in the process of figuring out who would pay for that." If the status is implemented, producers outside the northwest Minnesota infected zone will be able to move cattle with out testing, but other states can require what they want.
