Supporting dairy farmers

THUMBS UP:

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, led a bipartisan group of 23 senators in calling for the enforcement of United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement dairy provisions. A Smith press release said a letter was sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassaor Robert Lighthizer stressing that holding trade partners accountable to their trade commitments is critical to supporting dairy farmers and American dairy exports. “Fair market access for American dairy farmers was a key pillar of the USMCA’s agriculture section,” the Senators wrote. “USMCA is poised to create new export opportunities for America’s dairy industry and a more equitable playing field for American dairy exports in Mexico and Canada, but effective implementation will be critical to realizing these gains.”

The risky business of large gatherings

THUMBS DOWN:

The report from Southwest Health and Human Services about the cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to a wedding held in Ghent on Aug. 22 is warning on the risks of holding large gatherings of people who are not wearing masks and social distancing. Throwing caution to the wind is risky business when it comes to the virus.

Bad business at USPS

THUMBS DOWN:

While most of the attention over the changes made at United States Postal Service has been over absentee ballots, there are other services that the mail provides that are vital to the most vulnerable in our country. Americans rely on the Post Office for medicine, paychecks and Social Security checks. “Minnesotans are used to things working. They’re used to getting their mail on time,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a joint press conference Tuesday with Sen. Tina Smith and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. Klobuchar, Smith and colleagues sent a letter to the USPS Board of Governors, calling on them to immediately use their authority to reverse changes to Postal Service operations and mail service delays put in place by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.