DFL state representatives came to Austin last week to tell what they’re attempting to do for rural areas of greater Minnesota.

Monday, February 19, 2001

DFL state representatives came to Austin last week to tell what they’re attempting to do for rural areas of greater Minnesota.

At a news conference at the Austin Public Library on Friday, Rep. Rob Leighton gave an example of how Minnesota Care pays one-third less in Austin for medical care compared to the metro area.

"We want people in rural Minnesota to know the unique problems of prices for farm products, nursing home care, and that we are getting far less funding for our schools," Leighton said.

Riverland Community College will be short $3.3 million next year and tuition will rise 14.3 percent, according to information at the conference.

Rep. Henry Kalis, a Walters farmer, is very concerned how Republican representatives are very cozy with Gov. Jesse Ventura’s budget decisions.

"We saw last year what happened with transportation; all the money went to the metro area and they control where the dollar goes," Kalis said. "We tried to get money for emergency use in education and the leader of the budget committee lives in the metro area so rural Minnesota got less. This is a real problem."

Ted Winter, a state representative from Fulda and also a farmer, said the biggest concern is farmers not receiving a price for their products that they can live on. The price of corn is $1.80 a bushel, beans are $4.80 a bushel and farmers are getting a $10 per hundred pounds of milk.

"We want to actually get a price both the farmers and processors can work with." Winter said. "Hormel, Jenny-O and other large corporations are enslaving farmers to be their breadwinners. Farmers are losing. This is not good for the food supply and we are not making good quality food."

Winter is trying to push legislation use corn oil, soybean oil and leftover oils from cooking as a fuel component combined with diesel fuel. This would help eliminate dependence on foreign oil.

Rep. Doug Peterson from Montevideo, also a farmer, chaired the news conference. He said: "Rural people and city people have common interests. The greatest of those is having a state where everyone shares in the fruits of our prosperous economy."