Minnesota’s controversial ag buffer law was a point of contention among candidates for governor at today’s Farmfest debate. Democrat Lori Swanson says, “I think there is a common interest in making sure that people have clean water to drink. It’s important, though, to engage people in the conversation… in terms of what the rules of the road are gonna be.”
The Republican candidates for governor say farmers were left out of the process. Jeff Johnson says, “Our state agencies — or at least some of our state agencies — have become so arrogant that they don’t care, and that absolutely has to change.” GOP rival Tim Pawlenty says farmers got stiff-armed. “Let’s make sure that if we’re gonna ask farmers to take land out of production, that we fairly pay them for it,” he says. Democrat Swanson says Minnesota should have that tax credit.
The primary election is next Tuesday.