Lawmakers, Regulators to Convene Agriculture Summit in Otter Tail County

Representative Jeff Backer will participate in an Agriculture Summit hosted at Jennen Farms, 14721 State Highway 210 in Fergus Falls, on January 22, 2026. The summit will assemble Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Sarah Strommen, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Katrina Kessler, other legislators, county commissioners and a range of local stakeholders to discuss steps to support livestock and crop producers across the region.

Organizers are positioning the gathering as a venue for practical conversation between producers and the officials who oversee agricultural, natural resource and environmental regulation. Bringing state agency heads into direct contact with farmers is designed to clarify regulatory expectations, explore bipartisan policy approaches, and identify on-the-ground needs that can be translated into policy action.

The presence of both the Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Control Agency signals that conversations will likely touch on land management, water quality and compliance issues that affect farm operations. At the same time, participation by the agriculture commissioner and legislators may steer discussion toward programmatic supports, technical assistance and policy options that could affect state agricultural budgets and local implementation.

For Otter Tail County producers, the summit presents an opportunity to raise specific concerns with officials who influence permitting, conservation program design, and enforcement priorities. County commissioners attending will be able to relay local infrastructure and land-use challenges, helping to connect state-level policy discussions to county decision making and constituent needs. The event’s emphasis on bipartisan options also suggests an intent to identify measures that could attract support across party lines in the 2026 legislative cycle.

Civic engagement at forums like this can shape the priorities that legislators and regulators carry into policy development. Farmers, livestock operators and agribusiness representatives who attend can expect to both receive information about state initiatives and provide firsthand accounts that may inform future rulemaking or legislation. The summit will therefore function as both a listening session and a policy workshop, with potential downstream effects on county planning and farm compliance costs.

Farmers and agricultural industry participants across the region are invited to attend and engage directly with policymakers at Jennen Farms on January 22, 2026.