Engaging in democracy

EYOTA, Minn. — The Pagel family hosted a tour of their dairy farm Sept. 10 for three Minnesota senators.

The Pagels — parents, Ron and Lori, and their adult children, Tim and his wife, Ellie, and Jeff and his wife, Chandra, and their families — milk 130 cows and farm 350 acres near Eyota.

Jeff Pagel served as the tour guide.

“The biggest thing we just tried to focus on is what we do on our farm,” Pagel said. “(I explained) why we do it, and how we do things to be the best farmers we can be, to utilize the resources and technology that we have.”

Pagel serves as the District 1 director on the Minnesota Farm Bureau board of directors. Legislators who visited were Democratic Sen. Aric Putnam, chair of the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee; Democratic Sen. Erin Murphy, majority leader; and Republican Sen. Carla Nelson.

“I’ve gone to visit them at the Capitol in their workplace, and they were able to take some time out of their schedule to come check out what we do on a daily basis,” Pagel said.

The visit began with a homemade meal from Lori followed by a tour of the farm including the milking parlor, calf barn and fields. The day finished with ice cream.

“(We wanted) to make sure that we could highlight that every farm is a little different, and everybody does things a different way,” Pagel said.

Pagel said the calves were popular on the tour.

“That always seems to be a hit for anybody and everybody,” Pagel said. “Whether it’s the first time you’ve seen them, or the 101st time you’ve seen them, calves usually get everybody excited.”

Pagel said he received a variety of questions from the number of times they milk their cows in a day and the information on their ear tags to more complicated queries about the Minnesota Department of Agriculture grants they have utilized on their farm.

“(They wanted to know) how can we make those better?” Pagel said. “Is there something that’s missing? … What can they do to help us keep our operation moving forward?”

Since becoming chair of the ag committee in January 2023, Putnam, who orchestrated the tour, has visited 90 farms. The senator and Pagel had been in communication for a while about visiting the Pagel family’s farm.

“If you’re not actually engaged in the communities that you are legislating for, you’re not doing democracy properly,” Putnam said.

Murphy, who had met Pagel before the visit while at Minnesota Farmfest, wanted to see what she heard Pagel share about his farm.

“As (Sen. Putnam) likes to say, if you’ve been to one farm, you’ve been to one farm,” Murphy said. “‘They are different from one another in their purpose and their character and their culture.’”

One of the reasons Putnam said he wanted to visit a dairy farm is because of the “precarious position” of Minnesota dairy and its loss of dairy farms.

“We need you,” Putnam said. “There’s a cultural, collective need. … The connection between agriculture, real agriculture, … and small towns and greater Minnesota’s vitality is synonymous.”

Nelson agreed.

“They are like an entire community,” she said. “It’s amazing, really, the entire length and breadth of professionals who work with our dairy farms. … When we lose a dairy farm, it’s a very concerning thing, and it’s a loss to those dairy farmers, it’s a loss to Minnesotans, it’s a loss to our ag communities.”

For Putnam, his concern over losing farms is rooted in his past. He grew up in California’s Silicon Valley and watched it change from orchards to tech companies.

“I saw firsthand the trauma that’s caused by a graceless, forced transition from agriculture to industrial economies,” Putnam said. “That’s not OK.”

Nelson said the part of the visit “seared” on her memory was seeing three baby strollers inside the Pagels’ parlor.

“It was just really wonderful to see the next generation being brought up and having this ability to grow up on a dairy farm,” she said.

The Pagels milk in a double-8 parallel parlor. This was Nelson’s first time seeing this type of parlor setup.

When it comes to legislation, Putnam said he plans to work on helping get innovation grants for small dairies to invest in technology to help them compete and sustain themselves. Besides getting funding to help farmers with equipment costs, Murphy also mentioned other rural concerns including affordable childcare, access to mental healthcare, access to primary care, hospital care and the costs associated with greater healthcare. Nelson expressed concern over inflation and its effects on the cost of production and purchasing machinery.

All three legislators shared their recognition of the importance of dairy farmers.

“(Dairy farming) is an obvious way of life, a call if you will,” Murphy said. “It comes with risk and dedication and commitment. And it’s important to say thank you for that. … I am grateful for their contributions to Minnesota. … They’re a core part of who we are.”