Margaret spent half of her life on a farm in southern Minnesota, and has a real working knowledge of agriculture and rural issues.
Minnesota’s rural economy impacts our entire state from the food we eat to the renewable energy we generate. Margaret believes we need an economic plan that touches every corner of our state, and builds on our strength in agriculture. As governor, she will prioritize strategic investments that help Minnesota’s family farmers expand and improve their operations.
Minnesota has always been a leader in sustainable, value-added agriculture, and with more people buying organic and locally-grown food; our state can continue to lead in this area and create more good-paying jobs.
As Speaker, Margaret worked to increase support for renewable energy development and facilitated expansion of its use, especially biofuels.
She also supported expansion of the Minnesota Grown Program – a program that promotes products grown, raised, and processed in Minnesota. The program creates new markets for our products, and as governor, she will continue to support it and look for ways to expand it.
In 2009, she ushered through legislation for a four-year extension of the Farmer Lender Mediation program that helps protect farmers from losing their farms.
Under Margaret’s leadership, the House passed legislation that helps farmers expand their livestock operations, and created new programs and tax incentives to protect Minnesota farmers from Bovine Tuberculosis.