(ABC 6 News) – Farmers from across southeast Minnesota flocked to Oronoco on Monday for a town hall hosted by the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU).

The farmers were grateful to the union for the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions about the issues affecting them.

Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester) and Rep. Andy Smith (DFL-Rochester) were both in attendance to listen speak with farmers about their concerns, as well as staffers for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Rep. Brad Finstand (R-MN) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN).

The first concern highlighted was the steep impending tariffs President Donald Trump plans to implement on April 2 against Mexico and Canada, Minnesota’s two biggest trading partners.

“If they get totally enacted, they will raise the price, and of course crop prices today are pretty flat, pretty low, so you’re getting squeezed on all sides,” said Danny Lundell, President of the Goodhue County Farmer’s Union.

Already facing low crop prices and high inflation, farmers worry the tariffs will increase the cost of goods they rely on getting from these international trading partners, such as potash, a fertilizer for crops.

“Potash. It comes from Canada, they harvest it out of the ground, and it’s gonna be shipped here, you can’t produce it here,” said Lundell.

For some, like Freeborn County farmer Terry Gjersvik, they’ve been feeling the impacts of tariffs since President Trump first enacted them during his first term in 2018.

“I’m a corn and soybean farmer that used to rent a lot of land, and went through the first trade war in 2018-2019, and after that trade war I quit buying equipment,” said Gjersvik.

Gjersvik says those tariffs forced him alter the way he does business, such as stop renting land and only farming the land he owns, in order to keep up with costs.

“My biggest struggle was the margins, when you’re growing corn and soybeans, and when you rent land, the margins are very, very tight,” said Gjersvik. “When you get into the years where commodity prices are super low, like today, and then because of inflation the cost to grow corn and soybeans have gone so high.”

The tariffs aren’t only going to hit the pockets of farmers.

Brian McDonald from rural Cannon Falls isn’t a farmer himself, but says he is a friend of farmers and joined the Minnesota Farmer’s Union just hours before Monday’s town hall. He spoke on the impacts these tariffs will have on those who partner with farmers, as an investor of Tilion Brewing Company.

“We just had our investors meeting last night and it’s not looking good,” said McDonald. “These tariffs would be absolutely devastating. Not just the agricultural products, but apparently 80% of the aluminum they use to can their beers comes from Canada, and this would basically put them out of business. They may be their last year of operation.”

Another major concern voiced at the town hall was federal spending cuts to programs like Medicaid.

Kathy Boleen from Rochester shared the story of her younger brother, who receives disability payments.

“What he gets for food, his SNAP, or his EBT, which is loaded every month, he gets $24, and that’s a month,” Boleen said. “He has other friends in his disabled friends group who don’t get much more than that, and his monthly check for social security disability, none of us could live on it.”

Linda Larson from Dakota County spoke up about $230 billion of cuts potentially being taken out of the federal Ag budget, specifically targeting nutrition programs, which makes up 80% of the federal farm bill.

“Taking food off the tables of people who depend on those programs. That’s pretty serious and it’s pretty, pretty fundamental to living in the United States,” said Larson.

Farmers also feel left in the dark about cuts to farming programs that benefit many first-time and immigrant farmers in our community.

The USDA recently cancelled an $18 million grant to Minnesota for the Farm to School Program, which purchases food from small community farmers to put in their local schools.

“Maybe 15 years ago, it was a lot of fruits and vegetables. Today we’re really getting into protein. I know farms that do one cow every two weeks to their local school for hamburger, meatballs, all kinds of things,” said Thom Petersen, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Another grant was also cancelled for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which donates food to food shelves across the state.

“It’s been a really successful program to help get farmers started, help them get a market and it solves a lot of crisis. I always hate using the term ‘win-win,’ but it’s a win-win,” said Petersen.

These are still just a fraction of the challenges facing southeast Minnesota farmers.

While attendees thanked MFU for holding the town hall, many also expressed frustration at the lack of in-person and public town halls held by Rep. Finstad. They encourage anyone who wishes to help them to write to your legislators and call for more town halls.

ABC 6 News reached out to Finstad’s team following the town hall to ask if he plans to hold any in the area in the upcoming future, but did not hear back.