Hot Farmfest opening: Kids pull with pedal power; Candidates blow hard inside
Kids pull with pedal power; Candidates blow hard inside
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Asher Thorson, 4, of Lafayette completes in the Farmfest pedal pull Tuesday. First-, second- and third-place finishers qualified for the state pedal pull Sept. 10 in Fairmont.
Staff photo by Fritz Busch Asher Thorson, 4, of Lafayette completes in the Farmfest pedal pull Tuesday. First-, second- and third-place finishers qualified for the state pedal pull Sept. 10 in Fairmont.
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GILFILLAN ESTATE -- Republican 1st District Congressional candidate Brad Finstad of New Ulm was not at a loss for words Tuesday at the candidates forum on the opening day of Farmfest 2022.
"I'm very proud to be here. I think this is my 35th or 36th year at Farmfest. My family farm is just down the road," Finstad said. "I grew up as a crop and hog farmer. I've been scooping manure since I was young. Unfortunately, it probably prepared me for politics."
Finstad said he and his brother own and operate an agricultural business in New Ulm, and they see the challenges in agriculture, including the need for more immigrant farm workers.
"Government's response to this has been all political," he said. "There has been zero common sense in the immigration debate in this country for far too long. Most recently, we saw President Trump implement strict border control. Now we have no border policy. We have to eliminate politics and address immigration once and for all. I want to bring common-sense solutions to the table."
Republican challenger Jeremy Munson of rural Lake Crystal talked of birthright citizenship.
"We need to secure our border, but also need to increase lawful immigration, especially for agriculture. People from around the world want to enjoy the opportunities we offer," Munson said.
Munson said there is a bill on Congress to address birthright citizenship, which is needed. He said a robust immigration program to bring guest workers to the U.S. is needed when there is an enormous demand, like now.
Legal Marijuana Now party candidate Richard Reisdorf of Mankato said the background of immigrants should be considered to see what work they are suitable for.
"It's really bottled up right now. People should be directed to work they are most suitable for," he added.
Finstad said the over-regulated immigration process isn't working.
"We bring people in on a H-2A visa and don't allow the spouse to work because the process doesn't allow it," Finstad said. "Common sense says we can fix that. It's just ridiculous. We need to eliminate regulations and red tape that defy common sense. We also need to ensure immigration addresses the shortfalls we have."
Munson agreed red tape needs to be eliminated.
"We need to ensure we have American-based immigration, and that guest workers are brought in when there are not enough Americans to do the work," Munson said. "We need to protect our economy and close our border against unlawful immigration. So many American employers hire undocumented citizens, treating them poorly and creating second-class workers."
Attorney-mediator and part-time real estate agent James Rainwater, R-Lake City, said he has done some immigration law.
"I think the DREAM Act is important to get passed. There are a lot of incredibly talented people that are here because of what their parents chose. There are a lot of people hiding," Rainwater said. "We need to streamline things to make it easier for people to come through."
Under the DREAM Act, undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors would attain permanent residency status if they satisfy specific qualifications.
Jeff Ettinger, the Democratic nominee for the Aug. 9 special election to fill the vacant 1st Congressional District seat, was not in attendance after testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning.
(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.)