ST. PAUL – Tonight, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gave his State of the State Address from the Minnesota Capitol. Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) President Gary Wertish attended the speech.

“It was good to be at the Capitol to hear the governor’s address,” Wertish said. “As the governor said, Minnesotans are ‘gritty, resilient, strong and diverse’ and when we work together, we get things done. Through last summer’s drought, impending spring floods and spreading avian influenza, it is essential to have a leader who understands what Minnesotans are facing. In his speech, Gov. Walz encouraged us all to put aside our differences and work together as they did in Taopi after the tornado to come back even better than before.”

Legislators have already come together and acted to aid the state’s poultry producers, passing $1 million in emergency assistance to help battle the disease earlier this month. We’re calling on them to continue to work in a bipartisan manner to pass drought assistance, make health care more affordable, expand local and regional processing capacity, fund education and help farmers adopt voluntary soil health practices that sequester carbon and promote climate resiliency.

“A thank you to Gov. Walz for reminding us all why we got into public service – it’s not about ourselves, it’s about making the world a better place for future generations,” Wertish said.

About Minnesota Farmers Union

Minnesota Farmers Union works to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life of family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. MFU is a nonprofit membership-based organization. Membership is open to everyone. Learn more and join at www.mfu.org and follow MFU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Minnesota Farmers Union—Standing for Agriculture, Working for Farmers (www.mfu.org).