MOORHEAD — A fresh, wet blanket of snow did not stop farmers and other area residents from making it to a town hall meeting in Moorhead to voice their concerns about federal government actions around tariffs, medical insurance coverage and mass layoffs of federal employees.
About 20 people attended the town hall meeting hosted by the Minnesota Farmers Union on Wednesday, April 2. The Moorhead town hall was one of 10 meetings the Minnesota Farmers Union is holding across Minnesota to hear from farmers and rural residents.
As the snow quietly fell outside of the Hjemkomst Center, those inside shared concerns that bridged the gap between an urban Moorhead and more rural surrounding areas. Multiple people expressed worry about potential changes or cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs, federal health insurance programs for people over age 65 and people with disabilities.
Charlie Sobocinski, a Moorhead resident, said he works as a financial adviser with many rural clients. He has a son with physical and mental disabilities, and is concerned about how federal and state changes to Medicare, Medicaid and health funding could affect rural residents.
Federal funding cuts have directly affected the Minnesota Department of Health, which announced the layoffs of 170 employees, representing 10% of its staff, on Tuesday, April 1.
“If we’re going to go through this pattern of uncertainty that our president is giving us, if we’re going to keep going through this, we’re all going to be affected,” Sobocinski said. “Myself, in my little corner of the world, I’m affected because of my son. I’m affected because of all my good customers, my clients, who are now elderly.”
Larry Jacobson, a Hitterdal-area farmer, echoed health insurance concerns, as well as concerns about cuts to medical research and firings of federal workers.
One former federal worker who did lose her job was in attendance. Kelly Gorz, who worked at the Housing and Urban Development, was let go in February. She shared her story and said she is concerned about the impact of tariffs on agricultural products.
“I’ve never felt so significantly impacted by one administration’s choices and actions in such a short amount of time,” Gorz said.
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Cuts to the federal Local Food to Schools program are a concern of Bjorn Solberg, who runs an organic produce and supply business in Norman County. He works with Minneapolis Public Schools, and worries about the future of Minnesota Farm to School programs.
Additionally, the food system is supported by immigration, he said.
“It is a big issue that people don’t think about,” Solberg said. “They just go to the grocery store and buy food and complain about higher prices and stuff, and don’t understand everything that goes into that.”
Having a more local food system can address that issue, Solberg said, which federal funding has benefited in the past.
Regina Jacobson also shared worries about immigration. She and her family immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1950s. They were Polish citizens at the time, but settled into life and jobs in the United States.
“I just am scared about what is happening in this country,” Jacobson said. “I really, truly am, because knowing what happened when we came over and what’s happening now to the immigrants who are also working — most of those people are working, they’re paying taxes and they’re doing all that stuff.”
A few people also came to talk about a 12,500-head dairy cattle operation near Abercrombie, N.D., across the Red River from Minnesota, which they say could affect water quality in Fargo and Minnesota communities across the river.
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As people talked, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey listened and answered questions. A member of U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s office was also in attendance.
Wertish said the issues raised at the Moorhead meeting echo issues brought up at meetings throughout Minnesota. Attendance at meetings has varied, Wertish said, with one at about 100 attendees. At all meetings, he’s heard attendees are frustrated by the lack of town halls, in-person meetings and responses from elected officials.
“We’re hearing that a lot, that they’re not feeling like they’re being represented,” Wertish said.
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