SOTU guest Molitor made the most of her trip

By LAURA COLE

The Land Staff Writer

Hannah Molitor, Stearns County Farm Bureau President and fourth-generation dairy farmer, received an unexpected invitation on Feb. 2 to attend the State of the Union address as one of Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s guests. On Feb. 7, the morning of the address, Molitor was boarding a plane for a whirlwind experience she described as “such an incredible opportunity.”

Molitor grew up on a dairy farm near St. Cloud which her dad and uncle continue to operate. For the past three and a half years, she has been employed with the Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association collecting milk samples as a field representative. She also volunteers with 4-H and FFA; and when she is able, returns back to the farm for herdsman duties. Molitor was elected Stearns County Farm Bureau President in 2022.

Molitor had previously traveled to Washington D.C. on the Farm Bureau’s annual Farmers to D.C. trip when she served on the Young Farmers and Ranchers committee. But attending the State of the Union address was a brand new experience. Congressman Emmer also invited recently retired Saint Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson. Before the evening’s events, Molitor and Anderson met with Emmer in his office, along with Emmer’s wife, Jacquie.

“As a young farmer, he was really interested in hearing my story of my farm background and current involvement of agriculture,” Molitor said. She also remarked, “He has done so much for agriculture.”

Congressman Brad Finstad stopped by Emmer’s office, along with Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden. Both are members of the House Committee on Agriculture. Molitor stated she was grateful to meet with Finstad as besides serving on the Ag Committee, he is a farmer himself.

Prior to the State of the Union,

Molitor and Anderson were invited to attend the Speaker of the House reception. They were able to speak with members of Congress and hear their guests’ stories.

During the address, Molitor was seated in the gallery and stated to be in attendance was “an honor.” She remarked the House chamber is smaller than it looks on television and she was close in proximity to President Biden. The guests she sat near were from a variety of states including Alabama, Maryland and New York.

Molitor referenced feeling like her agricultural background was “the true 2 percent of America,” and also found the people she spoke with were very interested in “a day in the life of Hannah Molitor.” Other questions, she recalled, were geared toward farm facilities and manufacturing.

The following day was busy with meetings, which Molitor attended along with Minnesota Farm Bureau’s Director of Public Policy, Pierce Bennett. “We started the day at the American Farm Bureau building — meeting folks there. As a county president, to me, that was almost the most intimidating meeting!” Molitor said.

Throughout the day, Molitor met, among others, Senator Tina Smith, Congresswoman Angie Craig, and Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach. She commented, “Minnesota has huge representation,” as Craig is a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, along with Finstad. Molitor stated they also met with staff members of Senator Amy Klobuchar, Congressman Pete Stauber, and Congressman Finstad. A highlight for Molitor included meeting Ag Committee Chairman and Pennsylvania Congressman GT Thompson. Molitor noted it was especially interesting to be a part of the meetings as it is a Farm Bill year. She stated there was a lot of discussion around this year’s priority issues for the Minnesota Farm Bureau which are: beginning and emerging farmers, clean energy and sustainability, healthcare accessibility, research and investment, rural connectivity, and rural vitality. Molitor had already experienced the Farm Bureau’s engagement with commissioners on a county level at a variety of local events. To see the interactions progress to a state level, and now on a federal level, she stated, is “impactful.”

For the cherry on top, Hannah’s last day in D.C. also happened to be her birthday. Although there was no opportunity for downtime and the following morning back in Minnesota was business as usual, the trip presented her with memories to last a lifetime. v www.TheLandOnline.com

Seed packets provide starting time guidelines

GARDEN, from pg. 6 ly-planted containers to retain moisture. This creates a greenhouse effect with moisture collecting on the lower side of the film and then dropping down onto the soil surface. This keeps the soil damp until germination occurs. Once seedlings have appeared, remove the film to prevent mold from occurring.

Join GreenSeam, Minnesota Ag Commissioner, and other key leaders on National Ag Day, March 21 at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2pm-4pm for the release of the 2023 State of Ag report which dives into the results of the survey, along with findings from the series of focus groups which will provide deeper insight into the future of agriculture.

Lastly, read all the information on seed envelopes for the recommended timing for starting seeds. Plants started earlier than the recommended times before the anticipated last frost may need to be transplanted into larger containers and maintained indoors for a longer time.