♪♪ ♪♪ >> Mary: YOU HEARD EARLIER FARMERS... OUR STATE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER TOMMI PETTERSEN.

THIS IS HAD TO HAVE BEEN A SURPRISINGLY DIFFICULT COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR YOU, FIGURING OUT THE FEDERAL IMPACT.

>> IT REALLY IS.

ALMOST INTERESTING BECAUSE PRESIDENT'S DAY NOTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS SHUT DOWN BUT IT'S ALMOST HOUR TO HOUR, MINUTE TO MINUTE, DAY TO DAY, REALLY SEEING THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS, WHO'S BEING, YOU KNOW, FURLOUGHED OR LAID OFF OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS OUR TRADE IMPACTS, WHAT IS OUR PROGRAMS THAT ARE FROZEN.

YOU KNOW, IT IS -- >> Mary: WHAT ABOUT FARMERS, WE HAVE HEARD SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF MINNESOTA FARMERS THAT ARE IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE BECAUSE OF FEDERAL MONEY THAT WAS PROMISED AND NOW NOT DELIVERED.

>> IT REALLY IS AND YOU ALMOST HAVE TO GO BACK A LITTLE WAYS IN THAT OUR FARM ECONOMY IN SOME CASES IS NOT VERY -- COULD BE STRONGER AT THIS MOMENT SO OUR CROP FARMERS ESPECIALLY, WE LOOKED AT, LIKE, MEDIATION NOTICES SENT TO FARMERS IN JANUARY, WERE SEVEN TIMES WHAT THEY WERE LAST JANUARY SO OVER 300 NOTIFICATIONS SO IF YOU HAVE A GRANT THAT YOU'RE COUNTING ON FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND YOU JUST FOUND OUT THAT'S NOT THERE, THAT REALLY IS CONCERNING.

YOU KNOW, AND FARMERS DON'T KNOW WHERE THE MONEY'S COME -- THEY DON'T KNOW IF IT'S COMING FROM THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OR THE CCC OR DIFFERENT CASES, THEY JUG KNOW THEY SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND NEWSPAPER THE MONEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE THERE.

>> Mary: DO YOU HAVE ANY HANDLE ON DOLLAR AMOUNT WHAT THE IMPACT IS FOR MINNESOTA FARMERS YET?

>> WELL, WE KNOW M IN GRANTS THAT WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME ACCESSING AT THE MOMENT THAT IT'S WELL OVER $20 MILLION JUST IN OUR PROGRAMS THAT RUN THROUGH THE USDA TO THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUT THEN THERE IS MANY MORE GRANT THAT WILL RUN PROBABLY ALMOST FIVE TIMES THAT TO FARMER THAT ARE FROZEN.

AND SO -- >> Mary: IN THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS?

>> I WOULD SAY TENS AND TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, AND SO, AGAIN, WHEN IT'S -- YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE IF -- YOU KNOW, IN THE ONE THING WE SEE IS MAKE THE CASE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE OPEN UP, WE'VE HAD SOME LUCK WITH A COUPLE OF GRANTS MOVING BUT WE JUST KEEP HAMMERING IN THAT AND MAKING A CASE FOR IT.

>> Mary: AGRICULTURE IS A BIPARTISAN ISSUE.

ARE YOU REACHING OUT TO REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THE REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE YOUR CASE?

>> YOU KNOW, AS COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE, I FEEL THAT'S MY JOB SO I'VE ALWAYS KIND OF DONE AND OPERATED THAT WAY SO WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO REACH OUT TO, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVE FINSTAD WHO IS ON THE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE, IS, YOU KNOW, HAS HAD EXCELLENT STAFF AND HAS BEEN IN THERE, S WELL AS, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVE EMMER AND THE LEADERSHIP POSITION BUT ALSO REPRESENTATIVE STAUBER AND FISCHBACH, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT ALONG WITH OUR LEADERS, YOU KNOW, HAVING SENATOR KLOBUCHAR IN HER SPOT AND REPRESENTATIVE CRAIG, IT DOES GIVE THE STATE, YOU KNOW, SOME -- AND I DO THINK REPUBLICANS ARE HAVING TO LOOK AT THESE AND SEE THE IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, THE FURLOUGHS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK I THINK WERE, YOU KNOW, HAD QUITE AN IMPACT AND THE WHIPLASH I THINK FOR THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I WASN'T ALWAYS SURE I WAS GOING TO BE A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE BUT HERE I AM AND I HAVE A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THAT AND I THINK THAT IS REALLY HARD TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE, YOU KNOW, LAYING OFF PEOPLE AND THEN HIRING BACK THE NEXT DAY, YOU KNOW, AND THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, REALLY CAN HAVE IMPACTS BUT THEY CREATE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN FARM COUNTRY.

>> Mary: YOU WERE SAY EARLY, HOUR BY HOUR IT'S CHANGING, YOU'RE GOING IN AND IS IT LITERALLY REFRESHING AND SUDDENLY THE GRANTS ARE BACK?

>> EXACTLY AND THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO DO AND THEN COMMUNICATE WITH FOLKS AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT UNCOMMON WHEN YOU HAVE A NEW ADMINISTRATION THAT YOU HAVE NEW PEOPLE, THAT PEOPLE LEAVE, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH, THEY MAY HAVE TAKEN THE BUYOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN A PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEE, AND SO IT'S JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.

>> BUILT, AGAIN, WE HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS, TOO.

>> Mary: WE'VE BOTH BEEN ARNOLD POLITICS A LONG TIME AND AGRICULTURE A LONG TIME.

THIS IS A BUDGET YEAR.

YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S USUALLY THE EASIEST BUDGET BILL TO GET OUT OF HERE.

IF THEY'RE TARING AT IT AND FOLKS ARE ALREADY TALKING SPECIAL SESSION, POSSIBLE SHUTDOWN, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE BUDGET WRAPPED UP IN TIME, CAN YOU GUARANTEE AG WILL STILL BE THE FIRST THING DONE?

>> I'M AN OPTIMIST, AND I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE AG COMMISSIONER IF WASN'T, BUT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS A LONG TIME, TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE.

WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH THE HIGHER I HAD BILL GETTING THERE BEFORE US, SOMETIMES VETERANS, SO, GAIN, SMALLER BUDGETS BUT JUST SAYING WE CAN WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN WORK BIPARTISANLY, DO WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE FARMERS, DO WHAT'S GOOD FOR OUR AGRICULTURE IN OUR STATE AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT IF WE HAVE A TARGET THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

>> Mary: FINAL LIE, D.C., WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO OUT THERE?

>> I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS REALLY GET TO MEET AND TALK WITH OUR NEW USDA SECRETARY, AVIAN INFLUENZA, A BIG ISSUING FOR OUR STATE.

WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK ON THAT.

TRADE, WE'LL BE MEETING WITH BOTH CANADIAN AND MEXICAN COUNTERPARTS OUT THERE, AS WELL, SO WE'LL SEE WHAT