The Daily News

With the farm bill's recent success in mind, a large group of farmers and city officials gathered at the Northern Grille in Breckenridge Tuesday to hear the response from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. Klobuchar made the rounds Tuesday to northwestern Minnesota communities to discuss the bill, high fuel prices and veteran's issues.

"I knew how important it was for rural America to have this bill," she said to a crowd of about 40.

Highlights of the bill include a three-quarter of a cent increase on the federal loan rate for cane sugar and a boost to the ethanol program. Klobuchar discussed the extension for cellulosic ethanol, produced from agricultural residues, wood chips and switchgrass.

Breckenridge Mayor Cliff Barth chats with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., after she gave a brief speech on Tuesday. A group of about 40 gathered to hear Klobuchar at the Northern Grille. Klobuchar visited several communities in northwestern Minnesota to discuss the farm bill, fuel prices and veteran’s issues. Daily News photo by Jennifer Johnson. Advertisement

"We all know there's only so much corn," she said. "At some point, as strong as we are, we're going to have to use different parts of corn."

The bill also set aside $3.8 billion for a permanent disaster relief fund, and Klobuchar praised the efforts of Breckenridge citizens and farmers who helped push the farm bill through.

"I thoroughly believe that if we hadn't gotten this done this month, we would have been in big trouble," she said, adding that future troubles include health care reform and energy issues.

Reforms in the bill include a $500,000 limit on non-farm income and a $750,000 limit on farm income. As the farm bill had received some heat for money headed to "100 people living in the Beverly Hills 90210 area code," Klobuchar said she wanted to work in reforms on behalf of the farmer's standpoint.

"I think people don't think to understand that only about a quarter of that bill is about commodity," she said. "That it's also about food stamps, nutrition and other things."

Klobuchar also said they closed the "Enron loophole," which stops unregulated electronic trading.

"I just don't think that we should be regulating hamburger more than we do oil and trading," she said.

Breckenridge Mayor Cliff Barth asked what she intends to do about the price of heating fuel, which has strapped people locally. Klobuchar said the costs of phone service, gasoline and health care premiums have gone up in the past eight years while the average wage has decreased. The difference amounts to an estimated $5,000 per year.

"I don't think we can do anything drastic about this, but we're spending $12 billion dollars a month in Iraq," she said. "We have to do something about closing these loopholes."

Fuel prices were also a topic of discussion, and Klobuchar said she had heard CEOs of Delta and Northwest airlines remark that speculation has driven up the cost.

"CEOs from Shell and some of the other oil companies said oil should be trading at $50 to $65 a barrel instead of $120 a barrel," she said.

Klobuchar emphasized increased trade with Canada, long-term investment in biofuels and other forms of energy to keep a higher percentage of gasoline locally produced. A temporary halt to strategic petroleum reserves is in place, championed by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-ND, and saves an estimated 2 to 5 cents per gallon. Gas mileage standards also increased to 10 miles per gallon. Klobuchar, who periodically cracked up the audience with anecdotes, said this hadn't happened since she was in high school.

"I made the mistake of saying this at a bipartisan press conference," she said to light laughter. "And I was [later] followed by two senior senators, who told me they worked on the bill."

As far as her prediction for a vice president nominee, Klobuchar stated the candidate should have foreign policy experience.

"But I think the key is whether the candidate finds someone they like to work with and that they trust," she said.

Comments

Veronica A wrote on Jun 19, 2009 10:12 AM:

" I used to go this schoool and its a very good school and I really like and miss it but i have moved on and now and a better person but I really liked that school and I hope it lasts for ever!!!!!! Class of 05-06 "




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Marie wrote on Aug 6, 2008 12:27 PM:

" Mr Smith owes the Geffres an apology? How about the Geffres apologize to the community of Hankinson. In two short years that family has torn apart a school, a community, family and friends. They have showed no respect for Hankinson. Hankinson is not their community! It's time for the Geffres to move on. "




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MARY wrote on Aug 5, 2008 11:53 AM:

" AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, I THINK OUR SUPERINTENDENT JESS SMITH OWES THE GEFFRE FAMILY A PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR SOME OF HIS COMMENTS TO THE PRESS. AFTER ALL, HE VICTIMIZED THEM PUBLICLY. IT ISN'T LIKE HE'S TOO BUSY PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN! "




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Ben wrote on Jul 30, 2008 12:21 AM:

" I think he resigned because he knew that people would find out the truth if that meeting took place.....how come after all the media he hyped up to make the Geffres llok bad, did he change his mind and resign?....in my opinion he did it to save his own skin "




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Vern wrote on Jul 28, 2008 9:37 PM:

" I agree with the previous poster that this was not about the girls getting playing time. He should probably not be allowed to teach at any age level ever again. "




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Kaye wrote on Jul 27, 2008 8:33 PM:

" There is more to this than just the Geffre's complaints and Jess Smith knows it, why doesn't he just come clean about everything and all complaints there has been on Gravalin in the past three years,he has been covering up and sweeping under the rug so to speak. This isn't just about parents that didn't think their girls got to play enough. Shouldn't the first duty of his position be to protect our children. "




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