TOWN HALL MEETINGS AHEAD; ASSESSING RAIN DAMAGE
By Rep. Paul Anderson
Sen. Torrey Westrom and I will be holding a series of town hall meetings this week in the district. These gatherings provide a good opportunity for constituents to ask questions and give their viewpoints on various issues after Sen. Westrom and I give brief wrap-ups of the legislative session just completed. The meetings are scheduled for Thursday of this week, June 12, and will be held in Glenwood, Sauk Centre, and Melrose. We’ll start off at the Pizza Ranch in Glenwood at 1 p.m. on Thursday, and then be in Sauk Centre around 2:45 for a meeting at the Lynx Golf Course clubhouse. The final town hall is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Arvig Building on Main Street in Melrose. Hope to see you at one of the meetings!
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It appears there wasn’t enough damage to public infrastructure from recent heavy rains in western Stearns County to qualify for disaster aid from the state. I was in contact with the governor’s office late last week and learned that $265,000 is the thresh hold for such a declaration. According to Emergency Management in Stearns County, along with the Highway Department, most of the public damage was limited to several county and township roads being washed out, which have already been repaired. Joanna Dornfeld of the governor’s office said there are strict requirements for uninsured public property that must be met before such declarations can be issued. And, at least so far, that number has not been met.
It appears the biggest loss from those heavy rains, up to 10 inches or more in some locations, may be top soil from farm fields. Erosion losses, especially on some hilly ground, were large, and many road ditches have deposits of silt and other debris. Fields that were just planted are most vulnerable as there is nothing to hold the excess water once it starts moving.
Another component of loss for farmers will come from lost production. Large areas of fields are drowned out, and many fields have yet to be planted. The crop insurance deadline for corn has long since passed, while the last day to plant soybeans and still qualify for full coverage is this week, June 10. There is no official number yet for Minnesota as to how many acres will go unplanted this year, although one estimate I heard over the weekend is 10 percent on a statewide basis. Parts of western Minnesota as well as northwestern regions are experiencing planting delays, in addition to Stearns County and other areas of central Minnesota. However, livestock producers needing feed for their operations will probably continue planting when conditions finally permit, in hopes of salvaging some amount of feed for their animals.
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Congratulations to the Funk family and all those involved for another successful Breakfast on the Farm, held this past Saturday at the Funk Dairy, located about 10 miles south of Melrose. Despite another round of rain early that morning, 1.5 inches, the event went off well. John and Dorothy, along with their three sons, Greg, Jeff, and Karl, operate the farm along with five full-time and seven part-time employees. Around 600 cows are milked twice a day, a process that takes about 18 hours every day to complete.
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Don’t forget the town hall meetings this week on Thursday. Hope to see you there.
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