WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/24/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) formally invited Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to tour rural Minnesota communities and hear firsthand from farmers and producers about their concerns regarding uncertainty in the agriculture sector.
Sen. Smith said she appreciates the recent conversations she’s had with Sec. Mnuchin about trade negotiations and the challenges faced by agriculture producers. She said the visit would help Sec. Mnuchin gain important insights into how the federal government can help create economic growth in rural communities.
“Minnesota farmers are facing unprecedented challenges, with tariffs, plummeting commodity prices, and this year’s extreme weather causing long-term economic damage across the state,” wrote Sen. Smith to Sec. Mnuchin. “I appreciate your recent efforts to reach a tentative agreement with China, but farmers in Minnesota remain concerned about how to plan for the future and compensate for lost markets as a result of these trade disputes. Minnesota soybean farmers, for example, have seen their sales drop by 75 percent. Farmers across the state—and the rest of the Midwest—watch as their products pile up in storage bins due to the loss of export markets. I’ve heard from many farmers who have been driven out of business. For many, this is has created extreme financial and emotional stress, which ripples throughout the entire rural economy.
Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, closed her invitation with: “Agriculture producers and rural communities need to be heard. I hope you will accept my invitation, and I would welcome the opportunity to introduce you to some amazing Minnesota farmers and ranchers.”
In August, Sen. Smith announced that she is leading a bipartisan “Rural Economic Working Group” in the Senate to highlight what is working in rural communities, where local leaders, businesses and schools are coming together to create jobs and economic development during the current difficult times in the farm economy. She has since conducted several “Rural Economy Tours” in communities across Minnesota.
You can access full text of the letter here or below:
The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin
Secretary of the Treasury
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20220
Dear Secretary Mnuchin,
I am writing to formally invite you to Minnesota to tour some of the rural communities that are challenged by the consequences of recent instability in the agriculture sector. I appreciate our recent conversations—both over breakfast and at the Senate Banking Committee hearing—about trade negotiations and the challenges faced by agriculture producers in my state and across the country. I know that a visit to Minnesota to talk to farmers and hear about the challenges as well as opportunities in the rural economy would be interesting, and give you insight into what we can do to create economic growth in a part of the country where there is so much potential, and so many assets.
Minnesota farmers are facing unprecedented challenges, with tariffs, plummeting commodity prices, and this year’s extreme weather causing long-term economic damage across the state. I appreciate your recent efforts to reach a tentative agreement with China, but farmers in Minnesota remain concerned about how to plan for the future and compensate for lost markets as a result of these trade disputes. Minnesota soybean farmers, for example, have seen their sales drop by 75 percent. Farmers across the state—and the rest of the Midwest—watch as their products pile up in storage bins due to the loss of export markets. I’ve heard from many farmers who have been driven out of business. For many, this is has created extreme financial and emotional stress, which ripples throughout the entire rural economy.
Agriculture producers and rural communities need to be heard. I hope you will accept my invitation, and I would welcome the opportunity to introduce you to some amazing Minnesota farmers and ranchers.
Sincerely,
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