Perham Town Hall Erupts as East Otter Tail Farmers Demand Legal Answers

About 30 people attended the Minnesota Farmers Union town hall in Perham on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, where family farmers and rural residents pressed for legal and policy answers over low milk prices, health care costs and corporate concentration in agriculture. The meeting was organized to gather grassroots feedback about local and state policy impacts on agriculture and rural residents.

A central, personal example came from region farmer Jen Minten, who told the group her husband had sold many of their dairy cows years ago and died in 2024. Her 24-year-old son recently restarted the family dairy and “recently got his first check, and while he was happy to be working as a fourth generation dairy farmer, the pay was on the low end.” That check was $14.50 per hundredweight; 100 pounds is “roughly 11.6 gallons of milk,” a conversion noted during the session.

Attendees drew a stark historical comparison when an unnamed former dairy farmer recalled that “in 1979 they were paid $13 per hundredweight,” underscoring the tension between nominal milk prices and rising farm costs. Meeting discussion listed the top issues as cost of health care, monopolies, the right for farmers to fix their equipment, unstable markets and questions about what could be done to force change.

Health care emerged as a specific local pressure. New York Mills resident Teresa Muckala raised costs and access, saying that aside from the "great production facilities" or government jobs, the wages were on the low side. She explained East Otter Tail County has many low income families, some of which are older residents living on limited incomes, and she asked the Farmers Union members if they knew how many farmers received medical assistance in East Otter Tail County.

State and union officials attended as listeners and interlocutors. Andrea Vaubel, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, was present and listened as Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union, spoke about the importance of contacting political representatives to discuss concerns and challenges. The town hall’s stated purpose was to collect grassroots feedback union leaders can carry into policy discussions.

Local regulatory context was available for farmers: East Otter Tail Soil & Water Conservation District material presented at or near the meeting notes a statewide buffer-law compliance rate of 95.5% and that all parcels in the county will be reviewed every three years with random spot checks. The EOT SWCD offers technical assistance and can be reached at 801 Jenny Ave SW, Suite #2, Perham, MN 56573 — 218-346-9105. The Wetland Conservation Act requires avoiding, minimizing or replacing impacted wetlands and is administered locally by the SWCD with enforcement by the Minnesota DNR.

The town hall captured sharp frustration — summed in the meeting’s tone by the story’s headline — but did not produce detailed, concrete policy proposals at the event itself. Minnesota Farmers Union organizers collected feedback for future advocacy; union leaders urged contacting elected officials as the next step. An editor’s note correcting an earlier residency error about Rep. Michelle Fischbach was also filed after initial coverage; that note states she grew up in Woodbury but no longer lives there.